Continuum 8 @ Rydges on Swanston, 701 Swanston Street Carlton

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Sunday

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Alison Goodman: In Conversation

Alison Goodman, Jason Nahrung
Venues: Argyle Room, Lincoln Room
Tags:
Starts: 12:00 Ends: 13:00

Blurb needed

Apocalypses Through The Ages

Russell Blackford, Rjurik Davidson, Nalini Haynes, Cat Sparks, Lachlan Walter
Venue: Argyle Room
Tags: Literature, Media, Sci-Fi
Starts: 14:00 Ends: 15:00

From nuclear winters to reality television gone mad, the apocalyptic and dystopian futures of science-fiction often reflect the society in which they were written. A look at the many imaginings of unpleasant futures and what they say about the eras that imagined them.

Art Workshop: Character Design Masterclass

Sarah Howell
Venue: Drummond Room
Tags:
Starts: 18:00 Ends: 19:30

Join members of Squishface Studio to look at successful character design and how to develop a new character or hone an existing one.

Awards Ceremony

Kirstyn McDermott, Ian Mond
Venues: Argyle Room, Lincoln Room
Tag: Event
Starts: 20:00 Ends: 22:00

Your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, will be overseeing the 51st Australian National SF Convention Awards, including the A Betram Chandler, the Peter McNamara, the Norma K Hemming, and the Chronos and Ditmar awards.

Book Blogs And Reviewing

Sue Bursztynski, George Ivanoff, Alexandra Pierce, Gillian Polack, Sean Wright
Venue: Lincoln Room
Tag: Literature
Starts: 14:00 Ends: 15:00

Blogging has meant an explosion in book reviewing and discussion, but what makes good reviews and blogs? What boxes does a book have to check to receive 5 stars?

Book Launch: Bread & Circuses, by Felicity Dowker (Ticonderoga)

Felicity Dowker
Venue: Drummond Room
Tags:
Starts: 16:00 Ends: 17:00

Book Trailers

Cheryse Durrant, George Ivanoff, Margo Lanagan, Travis McKenzie
Venue: Lincoln Room
Tags: Literature, Writing
Starts: 10:00 Ends: 11:00

The new trend in book promotion. We discuss what makes a good one, what doesn’t work and why.

Build It And They Will Come

Hespa , Peter M. Ball, Patrick O'Duffy, Darren Sanderson
Venue: Pelham Room
Tag: Gaming
Starts: 20:00 Ends: 21:00

Like any fictional world, the best roleplaying settings have personalities as complex and individual as their characters. Whether it comes from a rulebook, out your head or a combination of both, as a GM how do you imbue your world with life?

Craft and Small Press Market

Venue: Parkview Lounge
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Starts: 13:00 Ends: 17:00

Crafts In Space!

Trudi Canavan, Lyn McConchie, Sarah Lee Parker, Tansy Rayner Roberts
Venue: Drummond Room
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Starts: 11:00 Ends: 12:00

Fantasy seems to be littered with all kinds of craft-doers but it’s rare in science fiction. Why is this? What materials could you make craft out of? What effects would low gravity have? Which technologies would be awesome to use? Our crafty panellists discuss all this and more!

Dinner

Starts: 19:00 Ends: 20:00

Elizabethans Are Awesome!

Dave Cake, Ian Nichols, Gillian Polack, Grant Watson
Venue: Pelham Room
Tag: History
Starts: 10:00 Ends: 11:00

Join us for a time when Queen Elizabeth sat upon the throne of England, the British secret service was brand new and populated with out-of-work actors, magic and science were the same thing, fears of witchcraft were on the rise, and the court had its own royal astrologer who sometimes spoke to angels. A look at England in the late 16th century, but only the cool bits.

Everyone Loves A Good Murder

Lindy Cameron, Stephen Dedman, Tor Roxburgh, Laura Wilkinson, Laura Wilkinson, Laura Wilkinson
Venue: Argyle Room
Tags: Crime, Multi
Starts: 10:00 Ends: 11:00

Murder mysteries – and just plain murder – are a staple of science-fiction and fantasy almost as much as crime. Why are we so fascinated with murder and those who commit it?

Fan Fund Auction

Justin Ackroyd, Grant Watson
Venue: Pelham Room
Tags:
Starts: 18:00 Ends: 19:00

Come bid on some fantastic collectables (and marvel at some of the things people will pay for), grab a bargain and help fans get to more awesome conventions like Continuum!

Futureproofing Sci-Fi And Fantasy

Dave Cake, Nicole Canal, Chris McMahon, Brian Walls
Venue: Pelham Room
Tags: Fantasy, Literature, Media, Multi, Sci-Fi
Starts: 14:00 Ends: 15:00

Certain works – including some earlier hailed as classics – are so bound to the time of writing that they’re unreadable today. Is it a question of writing style, outdated science, simply different ideas about what questions are interesting? A discussion of what went wrong and how modern writers and screenwriters might make today’s speculative fiction timeless.

Hey, I Game Too!

Joanne Anderton, Nicole Canal, Alice Clarke, Melissa Walter
Venue: Drummond Room
Tag: New Media
Starts: 17:00 Ends: 18:00

42% of gamers are women, yet most advertising/characters are targeted at the male demographic. Games specifically aimed at women are usually fashion, cooking or animal related. Are attitudes changing? If not, why not?

Jim Henson: Short And Experimental

Rachel Holkner
Venue: Argyle Room
Tags:
Starts: 11:00 Ends: 11:30

Well before Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, Jim Henson considered himself an experimental filmmaker, producing art for an adult audience. This introduction to some of his lesser known short films and animations of the late 1960s will give a new viewpoint to the man whose later works we all know and love so much. These predate the segments of Sesame Street, are precursors for his motion pictures of the eighties, and include a bonus inflatable psychedelic disco.

Lunch

Starts: 13:00 Ends: 14:00

Melbourne Science Fiction Club: 60 Years On

Sue Ann Barber, Helena Binns, Merv Binns, Paul Ewins, Bruce Gillespie, George Ivanoff, Danny Oz, Sam Rooney, Alan Stewart
Venue: Lincoln Room
Tags:
Starts: 17:00 Ends: 18:00

The MSFC is the oldest science fiction club in the southern hemisphere – it’s just turned 60! Join us for a chat about the bad old days.

Modesty Blaise and Peter O'Donnell

Trevor Clarke
Venue: Lincoln Room
Tags: Comics, Crime
Starts: 18:00 Ends: 18:30

An exploration of the 60’s crime comic, its heroine and its creator.

Paul Haines: A Celebration

Venue: Bar
Tags:
Starts: 17:00 Ends: 18:00

An informal gathering in the bar to raise a glass or two in honour of Paul Haines, our much missed friend and colleague.

Podcast: The Writer And The Critic

Alison Goodman, Kelly Link, Kirstyn McDermott, Ian Mond
Venue: Argyle Room
Tags: Literature, Podcast Recording
Starts: 15:00 Ends: 17:00

The Writer and the Critic is a monthly podcast devoted mostly to speculative fiction books, reviews and the odd bit of idle gossip. Join hosts Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond and their most estimable guests Alison Goodman and Kelly Link in this special live-recorded edition for a discussion of The Crystal Singer by Anne McCaffrey and The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater.

Readings

Alan Baxter, Jenny Blackford, Kelly Link, Tansy Rayner Roberts
Venue: Faraday Room
Tags:
Starts: 14:00 Ends: 15:00

14.00 Kelly Link
14.15 Jenny Blackford
14.30 Tansy Rayner Roberts
14.45 Alan Baxter

Readings

Stephen Dedman, Chris McMahon, Lucy Sussex, Kaaron Warren
Venue: Faraday Room
Tags:
Starts: 15:00 Ends: 16:00

15.00 Lucy Sussex
15.15 Kaaron Warren
15.30 Chris McMahon
15.45 Stephen Dedman

Readings

Louise Cusack, Danny Fahey, Patrick O'Duffy, Jo Spurrier
Venue: Faraday Room
Tags:
Starts: 16:00 Ends: 17:00

16.00 Ask a Manuscript Assessor – Louise Cusack
16.15 Danny Fahey
16.30 Jo Spurrier
16.45 Patrick O’Duffy

Readings

Sue Bursztynski, Jack Dann, Tor Roxburgh, Janeen Webb
Venue: Faraday Room
Tags:
Starts: 17:00 Ends: 18:00

17.00 Sue Burztynski
17.15 Tor Roxburgh
17.30 Jack Dann
17.45 Janeen Webb

Revenge Of The Nerds: Fandom In TV And Film

Peter M. Ball, Cheryse Durrant, Ben McKenzie
Venue: Lincoln Room
Tag: Media
Starts: 15:00 Ends: 16:00

The Big Bang Theory, Outland, Community, Fanboys, Paul… After years of being stereotyped bit-parts, suddenly there are a plethora of TV shows and films putting geeks in the spotlight. The new breed of fan characters have individual personalities, interests and character development – but have they escaped the old stereotypes, or has going mainstream just given them a wider audience of mockers?

Steamplay: Memory And Playfulness In The Creation Of Steampunk

Colin Harvey
Venue: Lincoln Room
Tag: Sci-Fi
Starts: 11:00 Ends: 11:30

The label “steampunk” is at times applied to a range of works containing neither steam technology nor Victoriana, but nevertheless displaying sufficiently similar tropes and aesthetics to enable grouping together. Colin Harvey explores the manifold playful ways in which media producers collide historical and fantastical iconography with reimagined technology to produce material lending itself to characterisation as “steampunk”.

Steampunk Squalor

Nicole Canal, Paul Poulton, Michael Pryor, Jo Spurrier, Lucy Sussex
Venue: Faraday Room
Tags: History, Sci-Fi
Starts: 18:00 Ends: 19:00

For all the steam technology the Victorian Era could theoretically have commanded, the Victorian mindset was still a long way from the modern day. How much use to society are steam-powered dirigibles and computers in a milieu where science still maintains that disease is spread by miasmas?

Stranger Than Fiction

Hespa , Ben McKenzie, Chris McMahon
Venue: Pelham Room
Tags:
Starts: 17:00 Ends: 18:00

Sometimes even the oddest aliens and most marvellous myths have nothing on reality. Enter the world of two-faced cats, mind-controlled zombie ants, birds that sing with two voices, luminous slug sex and vampire squid from hell.

The Crafty Middle Ages

Gillian Polack
Venue: Argyle Room
Tags:
Starts: 18:00 Ends: 18:30

Dr Gillian Polack leads us through some of the crafts that created comfort and entertainment in France and England in the Middle Ages. The talk will cover crafts from manuscripts to hornwork. Alchemy may well make an appearance. There won’t be time for practical demonstrations, but anyone wishing to try certain crafts at home might want to start collecting their urine. Most of this presentation will be PC. A small segment will be downright vulgar.

The Great Doctor Who Smackdown

Narrelle Harris, George Ivanoff
Venues: Argyle Room, Lincoln Room
Tags:
Starts: 22:00 Ends: 23:00

Two fans, one show, many different and lively opinions. Don’t miss this!

The Hitchhiker's Guide To Furry

Kyle Evans, Chris McKenna, Sam Trotter, Erika Vasos
Venue: Faraday Room
Tag: Fandom
Starts: 10:00 Ends: 11:00

Are furries truly an alien culture? This collection of true stories aims to look beyond the cartoon animals and delve into the truth behind furry parties, conventions and minds. With presenters whose work includes the ActFur On Air podcast and the MiDFur convention, listen as they weave wicked awesome tales of friendship, conflict and fandom.

The Many Faces Of Sherlock Holmes

Narrelle Harris, Paul Poulton, Jane Routley, Cat Sparks, Brian Walls
Venue: Argyle Room
Tags:
Starts: 17:00 Ends: 18:00

Sherlock seems to be everywhere these days. Our panellists take a look at all the new adaptations, how true they stay to Conan Doyle’s original text and ask, why is he suddenly so popular again?

The Movie Trailer Panel

Mitch , Paul Poulton
Venue: Argyle Room
Tag: Media
Starts: 23:00 Ends: 00:00

In time-honoured Continuum tradition, your hosts Mitch and Paul will take you on a magical journey through cinema yet to come.

The Newbie's Guide To Writing

Steve Cameron, David McDonald, Travis McKenzie, Amanda Pillar, Jane Routley
Venue: Pelham Room
Tag: Writing
Starts: 15:00 Ends: 16:00

New to writing? Not sure what to expect? Our panellists discuss critiquing, dealing with rejection, and everything else they wish they’d known when they’d started.

Under ConStruction: Building Community

Hespa , Samara Morgan
Venue: Drummond Room
Tag: Under ConStruction
Starts: 14:00 Ends: 15:00

Fandom is a community, but we can’t just say that and make it happen. How do we get new people interested and, more importantly, comfortable in the convention scene? And how do we actually build a community that comes back next year?

We Want Your Brainz

Peter M. Ball, Stephen Dedman, Felicity Dowker, Kelly Link, David McDonald
Venue: Pelham Room
Tag: Horror
Starts: 11:00 Ends: 12:00

Zombies have taken over in the last 5 years or so and have gone mainstream, but their lore is still being written. How have they changed since the 1970s and what does the explosion of them now say about our present psyche? Could it be a pandemic as recent writers have postulated? And will they ever become sparkly?

What's It Worth?

Alan Baxter, Kate Eltham, Jason Nahrung, Steven O'Connor, Jonathan Strahan
Venue: Faraday Room
Tag: New Media
Starts: 11:00 Ends: 12:00

The eBook industry is on the rise, but for many consumers price is a sticking point. Why do we undervalue eBooks? What are the potential consequences for books and authors if the mindset continues? In short, what’s it worth?

Where Are All The Wonder Women?

Russell Blackford, Alice Clarke, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Grant Watson
Venue: Pelham Room
Tags:
Starts: 16:00 Ends: 17:00

There’s no shortage of female superheroes (or villains!), but few have attained the iconic status of, say, Wonder Woman. Why is this? Which characters deserve better? A discussion of female representation in comics.

Where Has All The Sci-Fi Gone?

David Golding, Ian Nichols, Michael Pryor, Cat Sparks, Jonathan Strahan
Venue: Lincoln Room
Tags:
Starts: 16:00 Ends: 17:00

While sci-fi is very popular in Australia there is very little published or written here. With paranormal romance dominating genre shelves, has the rise of fantasy killed Australian sci-fi?

Workshop: Cartooning For Kids with Squishface Studio

Sarah Howell, Arran McKenna
Venue: Drummond Room
Tags: Comics, For Kids, Workshop
Starts: 09:30 Ends: 11:00

Join Sarah Howell and Arran McKenna from Brunswick’s Squishface Studio to get down to some fun drawing challenges that will improve your cartooning skills.

Workshop: Dragon Flying School

Sarah Lee Parker
Venue: Drummond Room
Tags: For Kids, Workshop
Starts: 15:00 Ends: 16:00

Make and decorate your own flight-capable paper dragon!