Swancon XXX program items

SwanCon XXX will include many now-traditional events – Masquerade, Art Show, Award ceremony, Auction, Academic and Expert Streams, the WASFF Business meeting, and Lee Battersby’s Alternate History Game Show.
It will also introduce new ones, including a concert by Charles de Lint and Mary-Ann Harris, a hen’s night and wedding, a preview of The Angriest Video Store Clerk in the World TV show, chocolate tasting, beer tasting, wine tasting, an erotica writing workshop, and the return of the Fannish Olympics. And, of course, panels and other presentations.

Rather than leave the program rooms completely empty during meal breaks, I’m considering having ’open mike’ sessions of author readings. Register in advance on the day, maximum fifteen minutes (approx 3000 words) per writer, with some other minor content restrictions decided by the MC. Need MCs as well as readers.


Panels

The following are possible program items. Not all can or will be scheduled, but those which fail to attract volunteers certainly won’t…
Each asterisk indicates a panelist who's been found for a particular panel. If you'd like to participate on one or more panels, or if you have panel ideas you'd like to see (or run) please attend one of our programming meetings, or email stephen.dedman@gmail.com with the details.

The next open programming meeting for Swancon XXX will be held at Dome Cafe, 149 James St Northbridge (corner Lake St), on January 16th 2005, at 1.30 pm.
It will be preceded by dim sum lunch at the Dragon Seafood Chinese Restaurant, 108 James St Northbridge, at noon.


  • ‘Tis but a scratch! Which sf/fantasy books/films/RPGs get their fight scenes right? *

  • A dimension of sound: sf radio plays
  • Arse Gratia Artis: The history of the nude on sf/fantasy book covers *
  • Becoming a professional artist *
  • Best Anime for beginners
  • Books (etc.) that should never be filmed *
  • Computer Games: they’re nice, but are they art? **
  • Corset workshop *
  • Cult Movie, Bad Movie: What’s the difference? **
  • Do fanzines have a future?
  • Do sf writers have crystal balls?
  • Do Vampires get rigor mortis? Forensics in sf, horror and fantasy *
  • Economies of scale: writing sf and fantasy worlds that make economic sense
  • Erotica writing for fun and profit *
  • Extra-solar planets: fact and fiction
  • Fannish fashion tips
  • Fannish Idol
  • Fannish Parenting ***
  • Fannish Taste Test: Can we really tell the difference between butterbugs and Soylent Green? **
  • Godzilla as Urban Renewal Project **
  • Harry Harrison *
  • Hi, Robot. How far are we away from building androids?
  • Historical Costuming *
  • How Not To Sell a Movie ***
  • I Never Meta-Text I Didn't Like
  • Inevitable Annual Dr Who Panel
  • Iron Writer *
  • Irwin Allen – Giant, or Lost in Space? *
  • It came from the slushpile! (The Editors Strike Back!) ****
  • Keeping the Artistic Imagination Fresh ****
  • Lafcadio Hearn *
  • M. Knight Shyamalan
  • Preaching what they practice: religious sf/fantasy *
  • Psi fi: is there any evidence for ESP? *
  • RPS Panel/reading *
  • Science Fiction and Fantasy on stage **
  • Sensoria: how aliens might see us *
  • SF and the Internet: Who got it right? Who got it wrong? *
  • SF Music Quiz
  • Stop Me Before I Collect Again!
  • Terry Nation retrospective **
  • That’s easy for you to say! Inventing alien or fantasy languages **
  • The Art of the Silent Movie
  • The Banality of Evil **
  • The care, feeding, and proper use of monsters ***
  • The Future of Love *
  • The Future of War **
  • The Next Generation: Writing for Young Adults **
  • The Prisoner **
  • The Return of Fannish Courtship Rituals *
  • The Secret History of Swancons *
  • The Woad Goes Ever On and On: A history of body art in sf and fantasy, with practical demonstrations
  • Three faces of Astroboy **
  • Trailer Park **
  • TV Vampires *
  • Underused mythologies ***
  • What if Star Trek had never existed? *
  • What if Star Wars had never been filmed? *
  • What’s new (and good) in comics? *
  • Where have all the good sf tv shows gone? **
  • Women Behind the Camera
  • Wonder Women - Great Female Role Models in SF
  • Writers Workshops – do they work? *