News Archive
Space, Time, Machine and Monster
A Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Conference for the Valleys
Saturday 21 June 2008, 10:00am - 4:30pm
University of Glamorgan, Treforest
Tickets £5 / £3 concessions; available on the door only
On Saturday 21 June 2008, Academi will be holding a Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Day Conference as part of the new South Wales Valleys Literature Development Initiative. The event will be held in the University of Glamorgan, Treforest campus. Professor Mark Brake, originator of the ‘Science: Fiction and Culture Course’ at the University will introduce an exciting day including workshops, discussion panels and presentations from a wealth of talented authors, scriptwriters and creative artists from Wales including Jasper Fforde, Philip Gross, Tim Lebbon, Steve Lockley, Stephen Volk, Catherine Fisher, Terry Cooper and more.
There is a long and lasting fascination with Fantasy and Science Fiction in the Valleys in Wales, dating back to the Mabinogion. This also includes a story about alien contact written by the Bishop of Llandaff in 1638 and continues with others including Lady Gwen written anonymously in 1891, Godwin’s writings and more currently Peter George and Terry Nation, with the most current and successful writer to raise the profile of the genre being Russell T Davies with Dr Who.
The Conference aims to attract and celebrate the creative talents of people of all ages and abilities with a variety of stimulating talks and workshops throughout the day. It will be an ideal event to showcase a particular genre of literature which is gaining ever more popularity and interest and will help to promote its enjoyment and relevance today.
Scintillating sessions from:
- Jasper Fforde - creator of the ’New Weird’ genre of writing
- Stephen Volk - Horror script writer for TV and film in the UK and USA
- Steve Lockley - Horror writer
- Tim Lebbon - Horror writer
- Dr Dimitra Fimi - Lecturer in English Literature specifically the works of Tolkien
- Rev Neil Hook - History of Sci Fi and Fantasy in Wales
- Rhys Hughes - talk on Magic Realism/Readings
- Louis Savy – Presentation and screening of three winners of the London Sci Fi 48 hour film challenge
- Rhys Hughes – OuLiPo presentation on how to write impossible stories
- Andrew Cartmel – scriptwriter for Dr Who, Dark Knight and Torchwood
Sessions particularly for young people include:
- Creative Sci Fi Writing with Philip Gross
- Graphic Novel Character and storyboard workshop with artist and author Terry Cooper
- Fantasy Fiction for children with Catherine Fisher
Click here to download the brochure.
For directions to the University of Glamorgan, Treforest Campus visit www.glam.ac.uk/visiting
For further information please contact Louise Richards,
South Wales Valleys Literature Development Officer on:
swvldo@gmail.com or 07854 435217
or Academi on 029 2047 2266 / post@academi.org
The South Wales Literature Development Initiative is a three-year project to create new writing opportunities for everyone and anyone in the authorities of Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Rhondda Cynon Taff and Torfaen. The project will concentrate on working with groups who have traditionally not been part of the mainstream writing world even if they are actively engaged in blogging, texting, writing letters to newspapers, or creating poems in response to national and international issues. There is a huge wealth of untapped writing talent in the valleys and this project will aim to release at least some of it.
