FantasyCon and other matters...

Hi All,

Alt.Fiction has slipped into its inevitable lull and a lot of my time is currently taken up with organising a host of October events in Derby, as well as a couple in the very early days of September. If anybody does want to know what I get up to day in day out I do have a newsletter by the name of Live Words, so if you're living locally and you want to know what's going on literature wise just let me know.

The program for AF needs a little re-jigging, which is probably going to be a task for one evening (when I have an evening free that is). I will have an initial pre-release flyer for the event at 'Flights of Fantasy' in Nottingham, which I'm introducing on September 7th. The event features local fantasy writers Steve Dean and Alison Davies and takes place at Angel Row Library from 7:30 until 9. If you're in the area I think it will be a really good night.

Plus I've also heard about this event called FantasyCon, at which I will have some flyers and be present from Friday afternoon until close. Looking forward to the event more and more the closer it gets and the program looks excellent. Do come find me for a chat and a drink...strictly non-alcoholic for me. No, seriously.

And on the topic of FantasyCon I've been asked to be part of the Commitee for the 2007 FantasyCon, which I'm really pleased with. It's great to be invited to take part in the event and I'm looking forward to getting stuck in really!

So a slightly strange update in that it's much more associated news than AF news...but I'll be sure to keep you posted as soon as anything else becomes clear...

Thanks

Alex

Ticking along...

Hi All,

Apologies for the lack of posting lately. I'm organising quite a lot of events for October so have been busy in that planning stage.

However Alt.Fiction has not left my mind and quietly things have been moving along. I have drawn up a provisional programme, which has gone out to all the day's participants. While there are a few bits of tinkering to be done, there's nothing too wholesale to be altered, which is nice to know. It was only in putting together the program that I actually realised how many good writers we had on board. As soon as that is finalised I will obviously post it here.

I have had a chat with the venue about the event and its future and they seemed pretty keen to maintain their involvement, which is good news. We've also talked about a range of literature events at the Assembly Rooms so hopefully we can build an even better working relationship.

I'm going to work on some sort of pre-release flyer for the event which I can take to Nottingham for FantasyCon, just to let people know the date, the price, the venue and the guest list. The webpage is down for the moment (you have to set an expiry date) but I am hoping to get that working again soon.

And if anyone does want to have a chat at FantasyCon about Alt.Fiction then just let me know- my email is alex.davis@derby.gov.uk. I'm looking forward to seeing the program there and enjoying the weekend. I'll be over with a friend of mine and despite living a bus ride away we've decided to stay over so as not to miss all the late-night shenanigans...

Final point from a more personal perspective- I've been back writing for the first time in ages (probbly nearing a year)- 5 short stories in 2 weeks. A couple of modern/urban fantasies, a near sci-fi piece (it's about time travel but in an abstract sort of way), a Lovecraftian tale and a rather nasty near-horror piece. I wonder where these things come from sometimes...but it feels great to be getting creative again and long may it continue!!

Anyway, be back again soon

Alex

The joys of programming

Hi All,

Alt.Fiction seems to still be moving along and this week I have been taking on the task of programming the event. I'd consider myself about halfway but the biggest problem that I am encountering is fitting everything and everyone in! I want all the participants to be able to say their piece and be involved in a way they are happy with.

I think that the day will almost certainly be longer than last year as there are more writers on board and also a set of book launches taking place that will (hopefully) have their own distinct space. It's currently looking like we will have eight sessions throughout the day rather than seven and I'm currently toying with an earlier start rather than a later finish. However if anyone did have any strong opinions on this please feel free to express them! I'm also hoping to have some more 'paired' readings and bring some new topics for discussion such as scriptwriting and the work of small presses.

Hopefully the plan will be in place by the end of the week to send out to participants. The final plan will probably look nothing like this original as obviously I absolutely want to ensure that all particpants are happy with their time allocation and their topics (where appropriate). So the whole programming process I would estimate takes a couple of months. But it's a great feeling when you have the layout finished...it somehow makes the whole thing more real. It's that point of transformation from a list of participants to a very focussed plan of action.

In other news...

It looks likely that Alt.Fiction 2007 will have an accompanying film show at the Metro Cinema in Derby. Had a very positive meeting there yesterday and they seem happy to work with us to bring some movie material to the Alt.Fiction audience (do I dare say Alt.Film? Hmmmm....). I'd love these to be films with literature connections in particular but obviously it's not something for me to dictate on. I'd quite like a few films to be suggested by the day's writers to see if Metro could get those. That's all up for grabs but the upshot is that there will be a post-Alt.Fiction screening, which is reall exciting news.

I've been in preliminary discussions with Damien Walter, Literature Development Officer for Leicester, to take a couple of Alt.Fiction events over there in early 2007...watch this space for updates on that one. Damien has been very supportive towards Alt.Fiction and I know is a very keen sci-fi fan, so I'm really looking forward to working with him on those.

I guess that's all for now- things are continuing to tick along towards next year. I'll be working on updating the Council's Alt.Fiction webpage in the near future too so will be putting some info on there also.

I'll be back for another update next week...

Thanks

Alex