Firstly, we are very sad to announce that Lyn McConchie and Mary Victoria are no longer able to attend due to unforseen events. We were so pleased when they said yes to being invited guests of the convention and they will be missed.

However (look away, Lyn and Mary!), we have so much for you to do and see that you should really start sleeping all day and night to prepare. If you haven’t already, take a look at our mintox program, and see more details of the Academic Stream and the WriterStream.

Thursday night is free, and you’ll be able to bring your friends to sample the Swancon experience. The hilariously geeky BRENT! will launch the convention with some end-of-week LOLs, followed by a debate over the assertion that “We are Living in a Computer Simulation”. Then join Eric Ripper, SF fan and Leader of the Opposition, who will be launching the Future Imperfect Art Show. There will also be gaming and various panels, plus the Hyatt bar will be open for business if you just want to catch up with everyone.

Before the convention opens, you are invited to Meet Our Guests over lunch at Mai’s Vietnamese Restaurant East Perth. Places are limited, but there’s still some seats available if you get in quick!

If there’s one thing that fans love most of all, it’s Having Opinions. If that describes you, make sure you get your votes in for the Tin Duck and Ditmar Awards. There will be printed ballots available at the door so you can vote once you arrive. Check the links for eligibility criteria. Then join us for cocktails at the Orbit | Gollancz Natcon Fifty Awards Ceremony, for the presentation of these awards and more!

Saturday night is Masquerade night! Airbrush Tattoos WA are trading in the Dealer Room all weekend. They specialise in full colour and glow in the dark, waterproof airbrush tattoos small and large! They are also available for full costume tattooing – if you want something a little special for the Masquerade or any other program item, you are welcome to book ahead by email to make your appointment.

Lastly: Swancon only survives on the kindness of volunteers. If you have a strong attention to detail and a few hours to spare over the convention weekend we would love to hear from you.

Firstly, we’re happy to have Tehani Wessely back. She’s re-joined our committee and we couldn’t be happier.

We are also pleased to have Stefen Brazil and Robin Pen working on our general program. They’re getting the band back together and they’re on a mission from … well, they’re on a mission from Alisa.

And because we didn’t tire her out enough at Worldcon, Helen Merrick is back to run Future Imperfect: the academic program. See the details about her call for papers here.

Glenda Larke: multi-award nominated fantasy novellist of three trilogy series, currently writing the Stormlord Trilogy.
Jonathan Strahan: co-founder of Eidolon, editor of over 40 books, and recent winner of the 2010 World Fantasy Award for Best Professional Achievement for editing anthologies and magazines.
Juliet Marillier: once opera singer and music teacher and now multi-award winning novelis combining historical fiction, folkloric fantasy, romance and family drama.
Bevan McGuiness: geophysist working as a chemistry teacher and fantasy writer of the Triumvirate Trilogy.
Lyn McConchie: celebrating her 20th year since her first professional sale, to Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Fantasy Magazine, Lyn is author of more than a dozen books including collaborations with Andre Norton.
Nicole Murphy: new urban fantasy novellist of the Secret Ones Trilogy.

Swancon Thirty Six | Natcon Fifty is going to be awesome mintox. The only question is, will you be there?

The 50th Australian National Science Fiction Convention, Academic Program
21-25 April 2011, Hyatt Hotel, Adelaide Tce, Perth

What, if anything, can sf teach us about the future? It has become commonplace to argue that we are living in science-fictional times. If sf is our present, what comes next?

For many, sf has ceased to be a genre; it is a mode of awareness. It helps us to understand our rapidly changing world. It anticipates the fluidity of the future and the nature of evolution. Sometimes it inspires us to take action and challenge our reality. As the world of tomorrow becomes the world of today, does sf occupy a role of prediction, or does its strength lie in its extrapolative ability? Or the critical, often dystopian lens it offers to our present?

Future Imperfect explores the complex relation of sf futures to our contemporary critical, political and scientific understandings. Are there lessons for our scientists, politicians, policy makers, and activists in these science-fictional visions? What do we, as readers, take away from our readings of these potential futures, perfect or imperfect?

Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):

• Sustainability
• Climate change science
• Gender, Race, and Class politic
• Evolution
• Science literacy
• Forecasting / futures scenarios

Sessions will be 30 minutes in length, with 20 minute papers and 10 minutes for questions.

The Academic Program is part of the 50th Australian National Science Fiction Convention, and the 36th annual Western Australian science fiction and fantasy convention. For more information, visit the conference website at: http://2011.swancon.com.au/

Abstracts of no more than 200 words should be submitted to the conveners by Friday, 31st December 2010 to : academic_2011@swancon.com.au

Please include the following in the body of your email (no attachments please) :

• title of paper
• name / affiliation
• email address
• 200 word abstract
• short biographical statement (50 words)
• A/V requirements

Andrew Cameron & Helen Merrick
Natcon Fifty | Swancon Thirty Six Academic Program Conveners
Email | Web