Helen Lowe interviews her fellow epic fantasy author, John R Fultz, whose first novel, Seven Princes, Book One of the Books of the Shaper series, was published worldwide in January, to considerable notice in Fantasy-SciFi circles. You can read the interview here.
Nominations are now open for the 2012 Fan Fund of Australia and New Zealand (FFANZ). FFANZ in 2012 will send one Australian science fiction fan from Australia to the 2012 New Zealand Natcon, unCONventional, in Auckland from 1-4 June.
Prospective candidates will have until March 1st 2012 to file the documents required to have one’s name placed in nomination and added to the ballot. The ballots will be published and distributed in early March, and voting will run from March 12-April 9th.
Candidates should file the following documents:
• A brief letter stating one’s intent to run for FFANZ 2012.
• A nominator and a seconder, preferably a nominator from Australia and a seconder from New Zealand.
• A 100 word or less platform statement specifying the candidate’s reasons for running and qualifications for becoming the 2012 FFANZ delegate.
The duties of the winning candidate will be as follows:
• Travel to New Zealand and attend unCONventional, the 33rd New Zealand Natcon, in Auckland from 1-4 June 2012 .
• Visit and get to know as many New Zealand Science Fiction fans as time will permit.
• Become the Australian FFANZ administrator until a replacement administrator is found, normally this happens when the administrator role is handed over to the succeeding eastbound delegate (in 2014 if a race is run every year).
• Raise funds and maintain an account to be used by the next eastbound delegate(s) in 2012.
• Promote connections between Australian and New Zealand fandom by a trip report or other means.
If you are interested, please contact David Cake who is the current Australian FFANZ administrator.
Please feel free to distribute this message to your fannish networks.
Sadly, SFFANZ can’t take advantage of the cheaper price as only 13 people expressed interest.
Hope those who were interested are able to go.
Jan Butterworth
Secretary/Press Officer
SFFANZ
Arty Bees are a well known Wellington bookshop who have a strong emphasis on SF/F/H material. They are well known friends to the local fan community. They are in the middle of trialling a new web site up at artybees.net and are keen to get any feedback from people who are likely to be using it. So they have asked fans to go to the site and have a look around.
Rememebr that this is a work in progress at the moment. Once they have all the wrinkles ironed out it will be available at the URL of their existing site (artybees.co.nz).
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Scottish crime writer Denise Mina, Doctor Who screenwriter Robert Shearman and American slipstream fantasy writer Kelly Link gather to explore the ever-changing, ever-expanding world of comics, fantasy and popular culture.
Denise Mina was chosen by Stieg Larsson’s literary estate to adapt his blockbuster The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy into six graphic novels. Kelly Link and her husband Gavin J. Grant, run Small Beer Press and publish the zine Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet. Robert Shearman is a British writer best known for bringing the Daleks back to the BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who. New Zealand comic artist Dylan Horrocks chairs.
WHEN: 14 March 3.30pm
WHERE: Embassy Theatre
TICKETS: GA$18
DURATION: 1 hr
Book via Ticketek : In person at Ticketek outlets, online, by the phone 0800 842 538
Note there are $10 student tickets available – to be booked in person, showing student ID, from the MFC, St James and Embassy Theatre Ticketek outlets
For more info see www.nzfestival.co.nz
We currently have 8 people keen and need 12 more to get tickets at this discounted price.
So extending the deadline to Thursday at 4pm. If you want to take advantage of this offer, email me at secretary@sffanz.sf.org.nz
Jan
SFFANZ have organized discounted tickets to the How To Train Your Dragon stage show.
Tickets are $54.90 for adults, children up to 12 $44.90.
How To Train Your Dragon is at Vector Arena 18th – 22nd April at 7pm.
This offer is only for weekday performances – Wednesday 18th April or Thursday 9th April.
To take advantage of this price we need a minimum of 20 people.
To take advantage of the offer please email me by this Thursday at 4pm.
State which day(s) you can attend.
Jan Butterworth
Secretary/Press Officer
SFFANZ
Enjoy a fascinating session on screenwriting and see one of the most famous Doctor Who episodes of all time, as writer Robert Shearman joins Noel Murphy in conversation.
WHEN: 12 March 5pm
WHERE: Embassy Theatre
TICKETS: GA$18
DURATION: 1 hr 15
Book via Ticketek : In person at Ticketek outlets, online, by the phone 0800 842 538
Note there are $10 student tickets available – to be booked in person, showing student ID, from the MFC, St James and Embassy Theatre Ticketek outlets.
In 2005 multi award-winning fantasy writer Robert Shearman famously returnedthe Dalek to Doctor Who in an episode viewed by 8.6 million people. As well as screenwriting, Shearman writes plays, audio dramas and short stories. His first collection of stories, Tiny Deaths, won a World Fantasy Award and his Love Songs for the Shy and Cynical, won the British Fantasy Award for Best Collection.
For more info see www.nzfestival.co.nz
A reminder that it is only 2 weeks until BattleCry – The Convention of Games for Gamers.
ASB Stadium, Kohimarama, Auckland, New Zealand
Come along and attend Battlecry, Auckland’s largest all-round weekend gaming convention. On hand will be all manner of roleplaying, wargaming, cardgaming, and live-action tournaments and events, as well as a collection of stalls and displays of gaming materials. We welcome all comers, from experienced gamers to those of you out there that are merely curious as to what it is all about.
Entry into the venue is free, and we will have a number of likewise free events and demonstration games to keep you entertained during your time at Battlecry. If you are however interested in taking part in one or more of the tournaments being held over the weekend, there is a cost and we encourage you to pre-register and pay as early as possible to ensure a place, with prizes on hand for all such tournaments.
The Writers & Readers stream of the New Zealand International Arts Festival runs from 9 – 14 March 2012 in Wellington.
Folk looking for genre related items may be interested in the following events:
Kelly Link – Fantasy & Magic Realism
Robert Shearman – Doctor Who & The Daleks
Kelly Link, Denise Mina and Robert Shearman – Comics, Fantasy & Popular Culture
Margaret Mahy A Magical, Wacky, Whimsical World
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To take advantage of the offer please email me by this Monday 4pm at secretary@sffanz.sf.org.nz. State which day(s) you can attend.
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SFFANZ have organized discounted tickets to the How To Train Your Dragon stage show.
Tickets are $54.90 for adults, children up to 12 $44.90.
How To Train Your Dragon is at Vector Arena 18th – 22nd April.
This offer is only for weekday performances – Wednesday 18th April or Thursday 9th April.
To take advantage of this price we need a minimum of 20 people.
To take advantage of the offer please email me by this Monday 4pm at secretary@sffanz.sf.org.nz. State which day(s) you can attend.
Jan Butterworth
Secretary/Press Officer SFFANZ
secretary@sffanz.sf.org.nz
An explanation of the procedures involved in processing nominations and administering the awards can be found here.
A correction to the last item: the profile of Su Mon was in the Hutt News on 24th January 2012. Sorry for getting the date wrong…
Su Mon is an artist who lives in the Hutt. She was recently profiled in the 24th December issue of the Hutt News. You can find her artwork displayed on her web site.
Now that 2012 has started, unCONventional is cranking up its activities with the convention only 5 months away. With that in mind, they are looking for new people the become part of the team. This can be in the role of joining the concom or simply as a helper looking after a niche (unCONventional call them noncoms). There are a bunch of roles that they are particularly looking for – there is more to read over on their blog with the roles and their descriptions. Please take a look.
Being involved in running a convention is the best way to become more involved in SF fandom and incidentally can be very satisfying and fun experience. Responsibilities are divided and shouldn’t be too onerous of your time and energy. If you have plans to do your own convention running, taking a role is also the best way to learn the ropes.
unCONventional is the 33rd New Zealand national Science Fiction and Fantasy convention which will be held in Auckland during Queen’s Birthday weekend 2012.
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Phoenix is a Wellington based SF/F/H club catering to fans of all fandom persuasions. The main meetings are held monthly on the second wednesday of the month. Other regular events also happen during the month.
Note that some events are held at the homes of Phoenix members. For privacy reasons, these are not shown in full here. Visitors are always very welcome, so if you wish to attend these events or simply find out more about Phoenix, please email enquiries@phoenix.sf.org.nz.
UnCONventional has a new venue. The convention will be held at The Surrey Hotel which is located at 465 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn.
The Hotel is located just 5 minutes drive from the Auckland CBD and walking distance from Eden Park, MOTAT, Western Springs, Auckland Zoo & the popular cafes of Ponsonby Road.
For more details, take a look at our Venue page or visit the hotel website at www.thesurreyhotel.co.nz.
UnCONventional is the 33rd New Zealand national Science Fiction and Fantasy convention which will be held in Auckland during Queen’s Birthday weekend 2012 (i.e. Friday 1st June until Monday 4th June 2012)
UnCONventional, the 2012 NZ national SF&F Convention, welcomes everybody to 2012 with the publication of our list of programme items that we plan to offer as well as a matching draft timetable.
Now we need participants to make sure that they all happen. If the idea of being at the helm of or just helping out with any item takes your fancy, or if there’s something else you want to run, please let the ConCom know ASAP!
We are throwing this call out to everybody in an effort to be as inclusive as possible – anybody who wants to participate should be given the opportunity. Please take a look at what we want to run and see what takes your fancy. You don’t have to be an expert, just interested in a subject and be prepared to talk about it. Remember that you won’t be alone up there – panels, like the convention as a whole, are a cooperative endeavour. Even if you don’t have a specific panel in mind, but would like to have a go, drop us a line – we can find something that matches your interests.
Do you have something else you would like to run? We still have slots in the timetable for more items, so we would love to hear from you. But please let us know soon as we have a bunch of readings, signings, kaffeeklatches and gaming yet to be added.
You can contact us at enquiries@unconventional.sf.org.nz or by using our volunteer form.
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SFFANZ is now accepting nominations for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards for 2012. The nomination period will close at 8.00pm on March 31st 2012.
A detailed nomination FAQ can be found here.
The award rules and criteria can be found here.
Please send your nominations by email to sjv_awards@sffanz.sf.org.nz
or by post to:
SJV Awards
P.O. Box 13-574,
Johnsonville,
Wellington
Voting for the awards will take place at the 2012 National SF Convention unCONventional
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Nominations for the SirJulius Vogel Awards 2012 will open on January 1st 2012 and close at 8.00pm on March 31st 2012. A detailed nomination FAQ can be found here. The award rules and criteria can be found here.
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