June 2011

Short issue this month since I’m away on holiday. Add what I’ve missed in the comments.

Radio National’s BOOK SHOW had a story on GRR Martin in May. (www.abc.net.au/rn/bookshow)

Australian actors Huge Weaving and Cate Blanchett will be reprising their LOTR roles in Peter Jackson’s adaptation of Tolkien’s The Hobbit. (the-hobbit-movie.com)

Eye to the Telescope, the Science Fiction Poetry Association’s new online journal, is calling for SUBMISSIONS from New Zealand and Australian speculative poets. The issue, their second, will include a maximum of 20 poems, be edited by Tim Jones, and be publishing in July/August 2011. Submissions close midnight (New Zealand time) on Wednesday 15 June 2011. (eyetothetelescope.com)

Unseen Theatre Company, Adelaide will be PERFORMING WYRD SISTERS from Saturday 11 June, with performances on Wednesdays and Saturdays until 25 June. There will be a preview and free ticket night for pensioners and unemployed on Friday 10 June. All shows start at 8pm at Bakehouse Theatre, 255 Angas Street, Adelaide. (www.unseen.com.au; courtesy of Discworld Monthly)

WORTHY CAUSE: Pledges to move Troll Bridge to production remain open till July 6 via Kickstarter. The production company, Snowgum, has already received its target and is using the extra pledges for more impressive filming. (Courtesy of Discworld Monthly)

Bella Union (Melbourne) presents DUNGEON CRAWL, the Comedy Festival improvised role-playing hit, July 6. (www.bellaunion.com.au)

The Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) will present the world premiere of STAR VOYAGER: Exploring Space on Screen, a major exhibition charting the history and future of space exploration as experienced through the moving image, including the opportunity to see artefacts used in space plus film production materials. It opens on Thursday 22 September, 2011 and will run through to Sunday 29 January, 2012. Ticketing information and details of special film and public programs will be available online soon. (www.acmi.net.au; submitted by Claire Butler)

NEW RELEASES

Check out Australia’s first INDIGENOUS GRAPHIC NOVEL, Ubby’s Underdogs: The Legend of the Phoenix Dragon by Brenton E McKenna. (ubbysunderdogs.com/)

Andrez Bergen, a Tokyo-based Australian writer/journalist has just had his first novel published. Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat is a SF/NOIR/POST-APOCALYPTIC tome that’s set in Melbourne, Australia as the last city in the world… but also heavily influenced by Japan and classic cinema. The novel is now available direct from Another Sky Press or via Amazon, and is currently being distributed to independent (physical) bookstores. Read a review at Forces of Geek magazine. (www.anothersky.org; submitted by Andrez Bergen)

Queensland author Scott Robinson has a FREE SF NOVEL available online through his website. Give it a read and donate if you’re happy. (Submitted by Scott Robinson)

Look out this month for a new ebook release from Winterbourne Publishing; sign up to its quarterly newsletter to receive your discount code. (www.winterbournepublishing.com.au)

AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS

A reminder: the HUGOS are open for voting to all adult and young adult members of Renovation who join prior to the voting deadline of 11.59 pm PDT on Sunday, July 31, 2011.

LOCUS AWARD finalists have been announced, congratulations to the finalists particularly the Australians.

Australian writers featured strongly in the 27th WRITERS OF THE FUTURE contest in May, with R. Johnson taking the Gold Award and Ben Mann and Patty Jansen also winning prizes.

CONVENTIONS

Melbourne International ANIMATION FESTIVAL(MIAF) runs from June 19-26. The full program is online now and features new animations and a diverse collection of themed, retrospective and special programs. (miaf.net)

CONTINUUM 7, the Melbourne speculative fiction and pop culture convention, runs from June 10-13. The program is online. (continuum.org.au)

Upcoming events include ARMAGEDDON Expo Australia (June, Tasmania; October, Melbourne), and CONFLUX 7 (September/October, Canberra).

Got more news? Add it in the comments and/or send an email to have it included in next month’s issue.