With the WorldCon happening in 2010, the NatCon will be somewhat on the small side – I’m told that DudCon 3, as it is known, will consist of a business meeting, the Ditmar Awards, and possibly a BBQ, and will be held as part of WorldCon. After that, the NatCon moves to Perth for SwanCon 36. The SwanCons have a reputation for excellence and it should be a wonderful event.
We’ve updated the Ditmar Awards page to show the list of winners. Congratulations to all of the winners, as well as Rosaleen Love, who was given the A. Bertram Chandler Award, and especially local Sean Williams, this year’s winner of the Peter McNamara Award.
Star Wars Crossed Lovers.
We like Star Wars. That’s how it all started.
We almost met at the premiere of Return of the Jedi. Catherine was Leia, Steve was Luke, we met mutual friends there, but not each other. It was another two years before we met properly, at a V fan club meeting (V for lizards, not vendettas – Ed.) Our first night out together was for the charity preview of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, we were both both in costume. We were rapt to meet the stuntman Guest of Honour, but discovered later that he hated us because our costumes were far superior to his.
From 1985 onwards it was a plethora of conventions, previews, fanzines, costumes, parties, artwork, displays and films. Costumes included Star Trek (many times) as Klingon partners in crime, Star Wars (many many times) as matching Jedi, and various others.
Steve’s moments of glory include falling off the stage at Vampiricon during the masquerade, neglecting to turn up as a judge for a masquerade at Trekcon, and inviting most of the population of Balaklava to his 21st to witness the Batley Women’s Institute re-enactment of Nazi War Atrocities. In spite of all this, Catherine still married him, with a second ceremony held in costume as Han and Leia at a StarWalking convention.
1992 witnessed the greatest media convention of all time; HongCon, where along with some guy named Martin, Steve won numerous ASFMA awards for Steve and Martin’s Excellent Fanzine.
Steve and Catherine’s attempts to rule the universe have, thus far, been foiled repeatedly, because they usually involve large papier mache weapons of destruction and eating chips. A monument to this currently stands in their backyard in the form of a 20 foot high Martian fighting machine – from all reports they get along quite well with their neighbours.
They remain at large. Stay off the roads!
The works of Steve and Catherine can currently be seen on display at the Marion Megaplex cinemas, as well as the local Video Ezy store, where they have continued to create amazing and award winning in-store displays for the past 10 years or more.
Release Candidate 1 of the programme is now available. Suggestions, proposals, volunteers and comments will be much appreciated.
The 2009 Ditmar sub-committee is pleased to announce that both an online voting form, and a downloadable paper ballot, are now available. All eligible voters, which includes all members of Conjecture 2009 or Swancon 2008, are encouraged to vote.
The online voting form is available at http://conjecture2009.org/ditmar.php
The paper ballot is available for download at http://wiki.sf.org.au/images/2009_Ditmar_Ballot.pdf
Paper ballots will be mailed to those eligible voters for whom we have a postal address.
Voting will close at midday on Saturday the 6th of June. The deadline for postal ballots is Friday the 5th of June.
David Cake
Ditmar Sub-Committee Chair
Worldshaker
by Richard Harland
You want steampunk? Worldshaker is the steamiest and punkiest!
The gothic-industrial world of Queen Victoria the Second divided off from our reality when Napoleon’s plan (historical fact!) to dig a tunnel under the English Channel actually came true. Then followed the Invasion of Britain, the Fifty Years War, the Age of Imperialism…
Now steel juggernauts as big as mountains roll across seas and continents. On the juggernaut called Worldshaker, young Col is top of the pile, ready to become the next Supreme Commander. Meanwhile the Filthies plan violent revolution, trapped in the hellish conditions of Below, among the engines and boilers. When a Filthy girl escapes and tries to hide in Col’s bedroom, his smug, elitist beliefs are in for a huge shock.
Meet the strange Dickensian characters of Worldshaker high society, characters like Ebnolia Porpentine, Mr Bartrim Gibber, Sephaltina Turbot, baby Antrobus and Sir Wisley Squellingham.
Check out the juggernaut, the alternative history of the world, the real history of steampunk and much much more in the WORLDSHAKER pages at www.richardharland.net.
Is this the novel that Richard Harland was born to write? (He never did look like he was totally here.) US publisher Simon & Schuster seem to think so, because they’ve contracted the novel for an advance that’s bigger than all the advances of Richard’s previous fourteen novels added together.
In Australia, Worldshaker is published by Allen & Unwin at $17.99.
(Launching Saturday, 6th of June at 5:30 pm)
Encouraging science literacy in students is a vital, if sometimes challenging job for teachers. The genre of Science fiction offers a creative, stimulating and fun way to engage with science. Science literacy is, of course, more complex than just being up to date with the latest issue of Nature. Reading science fiction can encourage an interest in current scientific knowledge, an understanding of the ‘what if’ approach so central to scientific development, as well as a critical awareness of the importance of creativity in scientific work.
This workshop offers teachers hands-on experience of using science fiction to engage students with science. Through group based discussion and activities, we will explore some of the myriad ways you can use science fiction in the classroom. A challenging and fun experience, the workshop should leave you full of inspiration, ideas and resources to take back to your teaching.
Workshop details
Workshop Convener: Julie Czerneda (Canada)
Date: Saturday 6th June 2009: 9.30am – 12.30pm
Places are limited. Interested parties should contact info@conjecture2009.org to reserve a place.
Voting for the 2009 Ditmar Awards is now open, and a full list of the nominations is available. Conjecture members are eligible to vote, as are members of the 2008 Natcon (Swancon). Voting may also take place directly via email to ditmars@conjecture2009.org using an optional preferential ballot, while online and postal voting will be announced shortly.
Anyone who wishes to vote but does not desire to become a full member of Conjecture, and who was not a member of Swancon 2008, is welcome to become a supporting member of Conjecture at the reduced rate ($30).
Correspondence regarding the Ditmars may be addressed to ditmars@conjecture2009.org.
The night of Saturday the 6th of June will feature the Maskobalo – the masked ball. With the theme “The future of the future”, the night will feature SF author Sean Williams as DJ. The ball will start at 7:30 at the Holiday Inn, Adelaide, and is free to convention delegates (either full or day members). Non-members can attend at $30 per head. There’s a cash bar and spot prizes for the best costumes. Tickets can be purchased at the door, or online from the 12th of May.
The Whorl and the Pallin
by Ian Nichols
Tom could see the truth, and it set him apart, because he wasn’t fooled by the illusions that others believed in. That wasn’t what made him a hero, but it was what made him the one person the Empire needed to save it. His courage and his talent combined to set him on a perilous path to the Forest Palliner, to get there before the Whorl Sorcerers could steal its blood and warp it to their own ends. He would find love and death, and learn that heroism has its cost, and that no war, even one for all the right reasons, is without victims.
(Launching Saturday, 6th of June at 12:30 pm)
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