klward

This year's Conflux 15 takes place at the Gungahlin Library (a large, Escher-like construction in northern Canberra) from the 5th to the 7th of October and has the theme of "What Lies Beneath". To this, I will contributing in my own inimitable fashion.


Meet the Author in the Library
10.30 am, Saturday in the Foyer. Look for the person dressed as Death, inveigling passers-by into reading parts of the Macabre Modern.

Poetry Panel
9.30 am, Sunday, the Bunyip Room
Explore the range of speculative poetry. With Penelope Cottier and, as this is the morning after the convention Whisky Tour, probably few others.


Shooting Star Press will, very graciously, have my books on sale in the Dealer's Room and I will be available to sign them and chat amiably, yet bizarrely, at a time yet to be announced.

There are other interesting things happening - I have my eye on Gillian Polack's Unspoken Rules workshop and whatever Kaaron Warren and Rob Hood have cooked up for their presentation For The Love of Horror. For more information concerning attendance, try https://conflux.org.au/

Next weekend (which lasts from Friday, 29th September to Monday, 2nd October) the thirteenth Conflux speculative fiction convention will take place at the Vibe Hotel Canberra Airport. The theme this year is "Grimm Tales". With guests of honour Ellen Datlow and Angela Slatter, there shall be much discussion of the roots of fairy tales, the uses of enchantment and the meaning of common tropes.

I won't be contributing much to all of that. Instead, I'm on these panels:


Friday, 3.00pm - Use and Abuse of the Tarot

Using the Tarot as a literary device.
"The Rider-Waite versus 007!"

Saturday, 4.00 pm - Poetry Readings 2.0

Poetry for the 21^st Century and beyond. An immersive experience of live poetry readings.
"Pick up the thumbscrews and you'll get what you deserve."

Sunday, 1.00pm -  Vampire poetry

The poems, the poets and the muses.
"Lestat's lyrics count as poetry, right?"

So come along: it will be good to see you! I also anticipate much lounging around in the lobby, doing the Creative Indulgence workshop and the Australian Horror Writers Association meet up on Sunday at 6.00 pm in the bar.  It's hay fever season, but with any luck, I won't need to go outside at all!