Wastelands II, Age of Iron

From the organisers:

Wastelands II, Age of Iron is a two day convention focusing on the
futures of yesterday, and the glories of tomorrows that never were.
There will be two streams over two days, including workshops, panels,
and presentations. Discounts for people dressed in theme.

Wastelands is on the Saturday, October 18,
and Friday the 19th 2008 at the Good Earth Hotel in Perth, WA.

We need YOU to help us make this convention great! Here's the current programme:
http://cheshire.iinet.net.au/WL2/Wasteland2Prog.html

We want YOU to be on those panels! Do you see something you like?
Do you see something you feel confident you can speak on to a few close friends?
Do you see something you want to research and then discuss?
Please click on the links and let us know!
We're looking for people to talk on a wide range of topics.
If you have an idea you think would be of interest, please email Chesh on cheshirenoir at g mail dot com

If you want to help out, but don't know what you can do, then please email Calli on callisto at g mail dot com

Age of Iron is coming fast, and it's going to be great!

KSP Mini Con - final programme

The programme for the KSP Mini Con to be held this Sunday, September 21, at the Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers Centre, 11 Old York Rd, Greenmount, has been released.

10.00 am Panel "How to Handle Rejections":

Adrian Bedford, Russell Farr, Simon Haynes and Bevan McGuiness

followed by

Readings from

Sonia Helbig and Helen Venn

11.00 am Panel "Clarions; gains and losses":

Lee Battersby, Lyn Battersby, Carol Ryles, Helen Venn and Jessica Vivien

followed by

Readings from

Jo Mills and Elaine Kemp

12.00 noon Panel "What's Hot and What's Not - trends in Speculative Fiction":

Elaine Kemp, Alisa Krasnostein, Ian Nichols and Grant Stone

followed by

Readings from

Juliet Marillier and Ian Nichols

1.00 pm Panel "Lies, Damned Lies and Research":

Dave Luckett, Hal Colebatch, Satima Flavell and Juliet Marillier

followed by

Readings from

Hal Colebatch and Dave Luckett

2.00 pm Panel "Hooks and Sinkers - writing a killer first line"

Adrian Bedford, Stephen Dedman, Russell Farr and Bevan McGuiness

followed by

Readings from

Adrian Bedford and Stephen Dedman

3.00 pm Panel "Steampunk"

Toby Coulstock; John Parker; Carol Ryles and Grant Stone

followed by

Readings from

Deb Ratcliffe and Carol Ryles

4.00 pm Panel "How to get out of the Slushpile":

Lyn Battersby, Janet Blagg, Stephen Dedman; Alisa Krasnostein; Tehani Wessely

followed by

Q&A and wind-up.

Gold coin entry, Hot dog and fruit lunch $5 with complimentary entry into
prize draw for book parcels with each lunch voucher. Tea and coffee will be available
all day for a silver coin donation per cup.
As well booksellers, Fantastic Planet, will be there along with local authors.

You don't want to miss this. See you there.

Finally a New Premier for Western Australia

So it's finally been announced. Heading a coalition consisting of the Liberals, Nationals and Independents is Liberal leader, Colin Barnett. Let us hope that he realises that a vote against Labor was certainly not a vote for the Liberal Party either. He's there by the grace of the Nationals and Independents, all of whom have apparently reserved the right to vote against issues they feel they or their party do not support.
We are in for interesting times, I suspect.

What an Amazing Series of Coincidences!

So Vladimir Putin was on hand when a tiger at a rare animal breeding centre "threatened" a group of television journalists. The reports say the animal escaped its harness, which implies a relatively safe tiger used to walking on a leash which also implies a fairly docile beast as tigers go. The valiant Vladimir stepped in and shot it with a tranquiliser gun he just happened to be carrying , because of course a high ranking member of the Russian government surrounded by a coterie of armed security and the centre's staff would absolutely need to have his own tranquiliser gun. And by sheer good fortune this all took place in front of a television camera crew so we can see just how heroic the man is.

Just as well it's not fiction because such a series of coincidences would mean no editor would publish it.