Draft Program (PDF) - Updated 26/09/2006
Also check out the gaming page for information about the Not Tonight Josephine tournament!
4:30pm:
Meet and Greet - Socialising at the Bar before dinner and the Official Opening.
5:30pm - Dinner
7:00pm
Official Opening - Introduction by Convenor to Con and guests
7:30pm
Room 1 (AV): Live at the Emerald - An Hour of Power introducing Marianne de Pierres, Lyn Battersby and Elaine Kemp and hosted by April Rutkay.
Room 2: Opening the Floor on Addiction - Have you ever wondered what is the difference between addiction and obsession? A foray into the kind of addictions we have, what draws us in and how much time and effort we spend on them? James, Kendra, Greg
8:30pm
Room 1 (AV): "Taste is the feminine of genius" - A discussion of definition, interpretation and controversy surrounding this quote by Lord Edward Fitzgerald. Ju, Kendra and Sandy
Room 2: Making a Difference - Round robin discussion. Participants have a maximum of five minutes to state the three things they would do to change the world for the better. (timekeeper needed).
10:00am
Room 1 (AV): Dear Editor - An exploration of our guests’ experiences with editors, the good, the bad, the in between. Marianne, Lyn, Elaine K
Room 2: Weaving a Welcome Mat - How do we make conventions more welcoming and open to new people? PRK, Grant, Michael
11:00am
Room 1 (AV): Phat Phantasy - The Market Monsters - A discussion on popular genre fiction, and in particular the trilogies that most publishers are pushing at the moment. The ones we hate to love and the ones we love to hate. Ju, PRK, Maia
Room 2: The Way the Biological Clock Ticks - Asking the question from as many different angles as possible, everything from wanting a baby, or not, fatherhood, grandparenthood, genealogy, lineage, compromises and sacrifices, goals and aims. Sarah Xu, Cathy, Elaine K, Shay
12:00pm - Lunch
1:30pm
Room 1 (AV): Sharing Inspiration - Insight into creating an environment and dynamic that will stimulate your writing community. Marianne, Rowena, Lee, Carol
Room 2: Acquired Tastes and Consuming Passions - A round robin discussion. Participants have a maximum of three minutes in which to enthuse about their current or long standing shiny. (timekeeper)
2:30pm
Room 1 (AV): Science is Golden -The ongoing quest to find out 'why', how things work, the reasons behind life, the universe and everything. Elaine W, Chris C, Maia
Room 2: Escaping the Two Headed Monster - What is it like to have a partner with a bigger reputation? How do you go about getting independent recognition? How do you support them, what about their support of you? Elaine K, Lyn
3:30pm
Room 1 (AV): Erotica Writing workshop - Turning Brainstorming into Plot, or "A double climax is incredibly satisfying" A step-by-step guide to turning your great idea into a story outline. Cathy
Room 2: Ambition -What will people do to satisfy ambition. What, or whom will they sacrifice? What is the definition of the recognition, number of people, medium of recognition? Lee, Alistair, Kaneda
4:30pm
Room 1 (AV): The Breaking News on Computer Gaming - The latest technological revolution will be in the gaming industry. Find out all the shiny details. Grant, Greg
Room 2: What are the Writers Reading? -When you aren't writing, what is it that you like to read? What authors influence your work or inspire you? Lyn, Elaine K, Marianne
5:30pm
Room 1 (AV): Bad Case of Loving You - Elaine Kemp launches her latest sizzling novel! (not suitable for children)
Room 2: Play Time - Busy hands and the opportunity to chat while playing with toys. Indulge your inner child with play dough, blocks and the like! Anna
6:30pm - Dinner
8:00pm
Room 1 (AV): Vampiric Hunger - Sucking blood as a sexual metaphor. Exploring the relationship between bloodlust, vampirism and sex. James, Stephen G, Kaneda
Room 2: Introduction to the world of Wraeththu -An introduction to the post human fantasy series created by Storm Constantine. Kerry, Tori, Liz
9:00pm
Room 1 (AV): Soiree of Splendid Speech - Our delightful guests read to us from their collection of fiction over a couple of glasses of wine. (Contributions to wine very much appreciated). Marianne, Lyn, Elaine K
10:00am
Room 1 (AV): Blood Lust - A presentation on parasites and invertebrates. A fascinating look into hunger on a tiny, non-human scale. Everything from face-huggers to leeches as dietary aids. Drhoz
Room 2: Do we really know who reads Australian SF? - Insight into the market research survey by Russell B. Farr on the readership of Australian SF. Looking at elements such as the who, what, where and why as well as thoughts on online publications, and how the information will be useful. Russell, Alisa, Angela
11:00am
Room 1 (AV): Fiction into Film - Turning a piece of fiction into film. What do you as the creator want from the change of medium? What expectations do you have for the resulting film? Marianne, Lyn, Grant
Room 2: Cooking with Coffee - You don't have to drink coffee to enjoy it. Tasty treats made with coffee presented by Kaneda and Sarah P
12:00pm - Lunch
1:30pm
Room 1 (AV): Soylents of the Lambs, or You Are Who You Eat - Cannibalism and zombies in SF and horror throughout the various mediums. Stephen G, John, Alistair
Room 2: Empowering Hunger - It's okay to be hungry, to crave something - what do you hunger for? What is irresistible to you? Does creativity require a lack of saturation? Marianne, Ju
2:30pm
Room 1: Reading by Cathy Cupitt – Cathy reads an array of original fiction based on our theme ‘Hunger’. Sit down, relax and enjoy another auditory experience you won’t want to miss. Cathy
Room 2: The Myth of Truth Love? - Exploration of the 'great' love that is all encompassing, that sense of 'knowing', true love - is it really out there? Stuart, Anna
3:30pm
Room 1 (AV): "Superhunger" Superheroes and Super Villains - the hungers that drive them. Whether it’s war on crime, greed for money, consuming of planets, the genre has long been dominated by intense passions. Greg, Tori, Shane
Room 2: The Reality Construct - A debate between 2 groups on the topic: “Reality TV is the enemy of quality television." Discuss. Sarah P, Lyn, PRK, Stephen D, Cathy - Mod.
4:30pm
Room 1 (AV): Choosing One Book - Escaping from a burning building, you can take ONE book - which book do you rescue and why? A round robin discussion where participants have five minutes to state and enthuse over their favourite SF&F/Speculative novel. (timekeeper)
Room 2: Wanderlust - What drives you to wander, what is it about travelling that fulfils you? Is there somewhere that is always 'home' to you, or do you feel anywhere is home? Stephen D, Christopher, Jeanette
5:30pm Closing - Thank you and farewell.