December 2011

Melbourne fan CAREY HANDFIELD suffered a stroke early in November and was recovering in hospital at last report. (Contributed by Bruce Gillespie, care of Andrew Porter)

There’s a CALL FOR STORIES by Australian authors for Internova, an international e-zine of sci-fi and speculative fiction. They are looking for high-quality, literary science fiction and speculative fiction. (nova-sf.de/internova; contributed by Sven Kloepping)

DAVID GOLDING has made available his very interesting scholarly article on the lack of SF published in Australia, first published as No Future? The Lack of Science Fiction Published in Australia, Publishing Research Quarterly, 27 (1), March 2011. (Contributed by David Golding)

DOCTOR WHO CLUB OF AUSTRALIA SYDNEY FAN EVENTS in December: Friday 9th, Seven Hills RSL from 6.30pm, meet in lounge area near the escalator; Saturday 10th, Sydney Doctor Who Video Night from 3pm at home of Dallas Jones in St Marys; Friday 16th, Sutherland United Services Club at Sutherland from 6.30pm; Friday 23th, The Ranch at Eastwood from 6.30 pm meet in the Bistro area; Saturday 31st, Sydney Doctor Who Video Night & NYE’s Party from 3pm till the next day at the home of Joel Rose in Avalon. For further information email Dallas Jones at dallasljones at hotmail.com (Contributed by Dallas Jones).

Powerhouse Museum in Sydney is the only place in Australia to see HARRY POTTER: The Exhibition, from November 19. The exhibition offers fans a look at the artistry and craftsmanship that went into creating the iconic props and costumes that have appeared throughout the Harry Potter film series. (www.powerhousemuseum.com)

RMIT Gallery presents 2112 Imagining the Future, showcasing a range of images revealing how contemporary artists imagine the world might look in one hundred years’ time. It’s on until 28 January 2012 and includes several free public progam events, such as ‘Painting the Future’, Tuesday 6 December (bookings essential). (www.rmit.edu.au)

NEIL GAIMAN will be appearing at the Wheeler Centre on December 16 to talk about his life and works. This event is already booked out. (wheelercentre.com)

OUTLAND, the cult-favourite Australian series about a gay SF fan club, will be playing on ABC in February 2012.

The Age has an interview with TERRY PRATCHETT. (theage.com.au; Courtesy of Discworld Monthly)

NEW RELEASES

The CONFLUX COOKBOOK, Five Historial Feasts — The Banquets of Conflux includes authentic recipes from medieval feasts and five new short stories. conflux.org.au)

ILLUMÉ is a new urban fantasy book by Australian author Kate Smith. Thane da Silva works for the Subrosa Negri, a secretive department charged with keeping the peace between the mundane and the Pale, those beings with a little touch of the supernatural in their genetic makeup. As the full blue moon casts a glow over Paris, Thane’s search for a pair of romantics performing a doomed ritual is just the beginning of an elaborate charade of mirrors and strange communiqués. By turns macabre and whimsical, gothic and pop-cultural, Illumé will take you on a lavish journey into the shadows of the City of Light. Available in print and ebook formats. Find out more at Winterbourne Publishing. (winterbournepublishing.com.au)

AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS

None?

CONVENTIONS

The UNSEEN UNIVERSITY CONVIVIUM is a gathering, shindig or hootenanny (delete whichever is inappropriate) of Discworld fans, being held in Adelaide, 6-8 July 2012 at the University of Adelaide. You can find out more information and purchase tickets via http://ausdwcon.org, http://facebook.com/UnseenUni, http://twitter.com/UnseenUni or UnseenUni2012@gmail.com. (http://ausdwcon.org/; courtesy of Discworld Monthly)

Continuum in June 2012 is the Australian National SF Convention for 2012, and is seeking volunteers — info@continuum.org.au. Continuum 8 will be held at the Rydges on Swanston, in Carlton. (continuum.org.au)

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