An Introduction to Australian Horror by LISA L HANNETT was published in This is Horror. (thisishorror.co.uk/)

Latest SF2 Concatenation (worldside SF news) out now. (concatenation.org)

OUTLAND, gay SF fan club comedy series, will premiere this Wednesday, 8 February at 9:30pm on ABC1. You can view and share the trailer via Youtube. (Contributed by Daniela Velickovic, Princess Pictures)

The Adelaide Fringe Festival is presenting PRATCHETT PIECES THREE, three short quirky comedies adapted from pTerry’s short stories. They will be performed at Bakehouse Theatre by the Unseen Theatre Company, 255 Angas St from 22–24 February at 8pm (full season opening from 10 February, but only three performances during Fringe). Tickets cost between $15–18, and bookings can be made via Bakehouse (pre-Fringe shows) or Fringe. (adelaidefringe.com.au; courtesy of Discworld Monthly)

The PERTH WRITERS FESTIVAL is on 23–26 February. From workshops for aspiring genre writers to chances to talk about the books that have enthralled us and chat with favourite genre authors, the writers festival is a great weekend out for Perth SF/F/H/etc fans. Highlights include workshops It Just Feels Real by Lauren Beukes and Creating the Extraordinary from the Ordinary by Australian Lara Morgan, and discussion panels It’s All Speculation and Reimagining the Future. (perthfestival.com.au; Contributed by my own geeky excitement)

The Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) is offering a WORKSHOP on Writing Sci-Fi for TV and Film on 25–26 February, 10am–5pm at the Wheeler Centre, Melbourne. It will be an informative and practical weekend with concept and character creation exercises, numerous film viewings, in-depth genre analysis and plenty of discussion. It will be run by Luke Devenish and costs $400. Enrollments are open now. The workshop will also run online starting April for 10 weeks. (aftrs.edu.au; Contributed by Atalanti Dionysus)

Here’s a fun one for the crafty geeks among us: Twelfth Planet Press is calling for submissions (patterns and photos) for a craft ebook project to be released at Craftonomicon. A STITCH IN TIME TRAVEL seeks innovative and fun science fiction, fantasy or horror inspired craft projects on the theme of time travel. Submissions close 30 April 2012, see the website for full submission details. (twelfthplanetpress.com)

NEW RELEASES

ISOBELLE CARMODY will have a new collection of stories out soon, Metro Winds, published by Allen and Unwin, aimed at readers aged 15+.

JOHN A KIRK has released his third novel, The Blue Blue Hills of Xuhl, published by Zeus Publications.

AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS

Big congratulations to WILL ELLIOTT, whose 2006 debut novel The Pilo Family Circus has won Best Foreign Novel at the 2011 Nocte Awards from the Spanish Association of Horror Writers (translated as El Circo de la Familia Pilo). This follows on the ABC Fiction Award, an Aurealis Award and a Ditmar upon its initial release. (Courtesy of Concatenation; concatenation.org)

Plenty of Australians on the David Gemmell LEGEND Award for Fantasy list, and voting is open till the end of March. Show your favourite Australian speculative fiction writers some love and vote now. For one of them, obviously. (Thanks to @editormum75)

Nominations for the 2012 CHRONOS AWARDS for excellence in Victorian science fiction in 2011 are now open. The awards will be presented at Continuum 8: Craftonomicon. (continuum.org.au)

CONVENTIONS

The Unseen University Convivium 2012 takes place from 6–8 July 2012. Discounted prices for early-bird membership are due to end at the end of February so get in now if you want them. (ausdwcon.org/)

Chicon 7, the 70th World Science Fiction Convention (WORLDCON) has opened hotel bookings to all members. The entire event will take place at the Hyatt Regency; bookings should be made through the Chicon 7 suites team (suites at chicon dot org). (chicon.org)

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