Eoin Colfer (Artemis Fowl), Darren Shan (The Saga of Darren Shan) and Ian McDonald (Brasyl, Desolation Road) will attend the first WexWorlds Festival, in Wexford, Ireland, November 20-22, 2009. James Bacon has a hand in this, so it’s bound to be fun.

Full press release appears after the jump.

WexWorlds Sci Fi and Fantasy Fiction Festival Invades Wexford
Friday 20th November – Sunday 22nd November 2009
Wexford, Ireland

Eoin Colfer (Artemis Fowl), Darren Shan (The Saga of Darren Shan) and Ian McDonald (Brasyl, Desolation Road) are among the many creators who will be attending the first WexWorlds Festival, in Wexford town from Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd November 2009.

WexWorlds is the first Sci Fi and Fantasy Fiction Festival in Wexford. It was originated by Eoin Colfer and Wexford Arts Centre, and is supported by Failte Ireland, Wexford Borough, Wexford Council, Wexford Library, Wexford Chamber, hotels including Talbot and Whites of Wexford, book stores and other businesses.

Over the course of the weekend a range of activities will be taking place – including talks and readings, science experiments, comic art workshops, an exhibition on the process of writing for a comic, activities for younger children, discussions about fantastic literature, a selection of competitions and performance events – at varied venues in Wexford town, which will include Wexford Arts Centre, Wexford Library, book stores, related businesses and hotels.

Other professionals expecting to attend include:

  * Paul J Holden (Judge Dredd comic artist for 2000 AD and comic artist for Warhammer).

  * Nick Roche (comic artist for Transformers).

  * Oisin McGann (author of Small Minded Giants, Strangled Silence).

  * Michael Carroll (2000 AD comic writer and author of The New Heroes series).

  * Sarah Rees Brennan (author of The Demon’s Lexicon).

  * Andrew Donkin (writer for Transformers, Batman, Dr Who).

  * Robert Curley (writer for Freakshow comic and publisher for Atomic Diner comic books).

The majority of the events over the weekend will be FREE, with only a minimal charge (€5) for three of the workshops.

As well as books and comics, the weekend is a celebration of all fantastic fiction, so there will also be workshops on costuming, light-hearted sessions with kids and foam weaponry, and movie screening. The festival will coincide with an exhibition by emerging visual artist Vera Klute at Wexford Arts Centre.

Situated on the south-east coast of Ireland, Wexford’s history is steeped in myth and legend and makes this a perfect location for a festival of the fantastic. A story tells of its origin in the mists of time, when Garman Garbh was drowned on the mudflats by waters released by an enchantress. The vast expanse of harbour thus created was named ‘The lake of Garman’ or Loch Garman, the Gaelic name for Wexford.

Wexford is also home to one of the top fantasy fiction writers: Eoin Colfer, author of the famed Artemis Fowl series, currently working on the much anticipated new follow-up to Douglas Adams’s The Hitchhiker’s  Guide to the Galaxy which is due to be released a short time before WexWorlds.

Accessible from mainland UK and Europe via sea (Rosslare Harbour) and air (Waterford/Dublin), with bus and train access from major cities in Ireland, this festival in Wexford will make a great weekend away for any international and national tourists with a taste for the fantastic.

We are currently working on programme development and will update progress on the festival website in due course.

If you are interested in participating – as an artist, trader, visitor or volunteer – please email [email protected] or visit http://www.wexworldsfestival.com/