The Sir Julius Vogel sub-committee of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Association of New Zealand  is currently accepting nominations for science fiction and fantasy works first published in the 2007 calendar year.
Nominations open on November 1, 2007 and close on January 26, 2008.
You can find full details about the nomination procedures and rules, including eligibility criteria. Detailed nomination FAQ are available.
To make a nomination please email:  sjv_awards@sffanz.sf.org.nz. Please send one nomination per email and include as many contact details as possible for the nominee as well as yourself.
For more information about SFFANZ and the SJV Awards, please go to the SFFANZ web-site.

 

    Saturday 1 December: IP Picks National Writing Competition for Unpublished Manuscripts closes. Now in its seventh year, the IP Picks national writing competition is now open for submissions! Offering royalty publication to the winners in the Best Fiction, Best Creative Non-fiction, Best Poetry and Best First Book, the competition offers an excellent opportunity for established and emerging authors to be published with one of Australia's leading independent publishers. Highly Commended and Commended entries are also considered for publication. To see the conditions and download an entry form, and to view past winners, please go to http://www.ipoz.biz/ip/ip_picks.htm

 

Thursday, 25 October: Speculative Fiction Reading. Lucy Sussex, Andrew Macrae and Jane Routley, three local Science Fiction and Fantasy writers, will read from their work at the Northcote Library as part of the Northern Notes Writers Festival. 32-38 Separation Street Northcote, 6:30 – 7:30pm. This is a free event – all welcome.

 

Speculative Fiction
with Lucy Sussex
Workshop: How do you speculate in fiction? Can you write science fiction without being a scientist? And how can crazy ideas be turned into credible stories? This workshop is aimed at beginning to intermediate writers of the non-realistic, the futuristic, and the fabulous. It will discuss and provide exercises in ideas creation, story development, creating an alternate world, and workshopping fictions. Writers are required to bring along a favourite example of science fiction writing, and a story idea. They are also required to submit a sample of their fiction (no more than 1000 words), prior to the workshop. Learn how to let your imagination play, and have the great fun of turning ideas into narratives.

For further information and Lucy’s bio visit the Victorian Writers Centre website and click on upcoming events and training courses

When: Saturday 6 October, 10am-4pm
Where: VWC Space 1st floor Nicholas Blg 37 Swanston St Melbourne
Cost: Non-member $130, VWC Member $90 / $80VWC conc
Bookings: 9654 9068

 

Bernadette Foley, Publisher, Orbit Australia is reading submissions for the new Australian SF imprint and remarked, "My colleague Deonie Fiford and I are reading the submissions. We would prefer full manuscripts rather than sample chapters and an outline. And we would also like the author to include some information about themselves."

Ms Foley told Aurealis, "The three most important points are:

1. People need to be patient. We will read everything we receive but it will take time.
2. If submissions are to be returned we need correctly stamped self-addressed envelopes.
3. And, we would prefer hardcopies rather than emails as they are easier to keep track of."

Send manuscripts to:
Bernadette Foley, Orbit Australia, Hachette Livre, Level 17, 207 Kent Street, Sydney 2000

 

    Agog! Press is pleased to announce a new anthology of speculative fiction to be launched at Swancon 2008. Working title 'Canterbury 2100', edited by Dirk Flinthart, is open for submissions from Australian and New Zealand authors until 1 December 2007. Standard manuscript formatting applies. Payment offered: AUS $30 plus a copy of the anthology. Email your submissions as .rtf or .doc files to Dirk Flinthart at: canterbury2100 at gmail.com

 

Kate Forsyth has been inspired by Ian Irvine, Suzanne Gervay and Deb Abela and her other techno-proficient friends. She got Pan Macmillan to do a TV ad for The Chain of Charms books. I hope you'll all go and check it out!

 

Given that fans of science fiction were early adopters of technology, digital rights activist, blogger and science fiction novelist, Cory Doctorow sees cyberspace as the ideal home for the genre. The award-winning author has published three science fiction novels, which are available for free download from the internet (craphound.com). Leading by example, Cory has championed the need to bring copyright issues in line with the online environment of C21.

Date: Saturday 25 August 2007
Time: 10am – 4pm
Cost: Full: $195, Concession: $175
Venue: City Museum
Event: #202 

Date: 26 August 2007
Time: 11.30am – 12.30pm
Venue: Merlyn Theatre
Cost: Full $18/ Concession $15
Event: #350

Bookings: Malthouse box office.

 

The Shalott trilogy, by Felicity Pulman and published by Random House has now been re-released by Louis Braille Audio as a set of CDs.  The Shalott trilogy tells the story of five Australian teenagers who go back in time to rewrite a legend and save the life of 'the Lady of Shalott' (Elaine of Astolat).  In doing so, they hope also to avert the doom of Camelot.  Instead, they rewrite their own lives with ramifications for the future.

 

Sean McMullen has a new site up and running which features his new YA novel, a time-slip called Before the Storm. It's set in Melbourne in 1901. The book is receiving great reviews, the latest being in The Courier-Mail and Good Reading. Before the Storm is published by Ford Street Publishing Pty Ltd.