The complete Virtual WFC 2013, including talks, panels and events featuring Neil Gaiman, Susan Cooper, Terry Pratchett, Robin Hobb, Patrick Rothfuss, Juliet E McKenna, Roz Kaveny, Scott Lynch, Stephen Gallagher, Tessa Farmer, and a heap more - on world-building, series TV, bloodthirsty fairies, YA fiction, the future of sci-fi, genre poetry, and writerly absorbtions.
Does anyone still read genre poetry?
And while they obviously do, isn't all poetry "fantasy", who's publishing it, why do reviewers shy away from it, and where do we find it? Allen Ashley (moderator), Neil Gaiman, Hal Duncan, Jenny Blackford, Jo Fletcher, and Simon Adaf discuss.
Neil Gaiman and the importance of rumpling one's bed
Also, on writing for free, whether the money's ever worth it, and learning to write like yourself: Neil Gaiman's interview with Jo Fletcher.
Substance versus style
Can you separate substance from style, how do you find your style, and how do you find your plot? Geoff Ryman (moderator), Jack Dunn, Lisa Tuttle, and Ellen Kushner discuss.
Writing for series TV
Stephen Gallaghaer (moderator), David Pirie, Brian Clemens,Richard Christian Matheson, and Robert Shearman discuss their paths into TV, the collaboration, and the effect on their writing.
Sir Terry Pratchett in conversation
Terry Pratchett's latest book, Raising Steam, the secret of "the pit" we'll never see, and the question that has never before been asked.
Women wielding swords - the ultimate reading list
Is it a "new thing" that women write martial fantasy? Can you tell if something was written by a man or a woman? And how has martial fantasy shifted recently? Trudi Cavanan, Robin Hobb, Laura Ann Gilman (moderator), Gaie Sebold, and Juliet E McKenna discuss - and then collaborate with the audience to create a seriously kick-ass reading list of authors.
The Art Show - see the worlds inside your head
Tessa Farmer's tiny bloodthirsty world, Edward Miller's rich painterly towers, Autun Purser's vintage train ads for imaginary destinations, and Didier Graffet's immersive landscapes.
Building your world
Where does your world-building start? Which bits are your geek-fest and which do you gloss over with smoke and mirrors? And what kinds of cultural assumptions do you trail unwittingly behind you? Patrick Rothfuss, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Robin Hobb, Hal Duncan, and Ellen Kushner (moderator) discuss.
Are all the best genre books now Young Adult?
Do you write Young Adult fiction on purpose, how do you define it, and what freedoms does it give you? Holly Black, Susan Cooper, Neil Gaiman, Will HIll, Garth Nix, and Delia Sherman (moderator) discuss.
Susan Cooper in conversation with Neil Gaiman
Susan Cooper and Neil Gaiman discuss writing for children, the powerful impact of homesickness, their early careers in journalism, and the icebergs beneath stories.
Does science fiction have a future?
How do our discoveries change SF, have the stories all been written, and what might it look like in a hundred years' time? Paul McAuley, Joe Haldeman, Brian W Aldiss, Peter F Hamilton, Jaine Fenn (moderator) and Stephen Baxter discuss, featuring space jellyfish, mashed jellyfish, and killer jellyfish.
Poetry of the fantastical: Virtual WFC 2013
From squidlets, staple removers, and songs to mourning, loss, and longing: Roz Kaveny, Tina Rath, Allen Ashley, Ian Hunter, and Megan Kerr were among some 20 poets reading at the Saturday night poetry event, organised by Allen Ashley.
Astrologica: Stories of the Zodiac: Virtual WFC 2013
I am the time that is no time • a purple fish in a sandwich bag • You can't keep on doing this: Megan Kerr, David McGroarty, and Neil Williamson read from their stories in Astrologica: Stories of the Zodiac from Alchemy Press, edited by Allen Ashley, at the World Fantasy Convention launch.
