The Aussiecon 4 committee is reminding fandom that Melbourne hosts next year’s Worldcon:
After Anticipation, the recent World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) held in Montreal, Canada, in August, the eyes of the global science fiction community now turn to Melbourne. Aussiecon 4, to be held 2-6 September 2010 at the new Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre…
The full press release appears after the jump.
Press Release Number 2009-4
AUSSIECON 4
68th World Science Fiction Convention
GPO Box 1212, Melbourne VIC 3001, AUSTRALIA
[email protected] WWW.aussiecon4.org.au
For release: Thursday 1 October, 2009
Global Science Fiction Event Heads to Melbourne
After Anticipation, the recent World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) held in Montreal, Canada, in August, the eyes of the global science fiction community now turn to Melbourne. Aussiecon 4, to be held 2-6 September 2010 at the new Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, will be the 68th Worldcon since 1939. The five-day event represents a rare opportunity for Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror aficionados to join with authors, editors, agents, and other members of the international and Australian science fiction community.
The five-day Aussiecon 4 event will comprise several concurrent streams of panel discussions on a wide range of speculative fiction topics — including writing process and craft, explorations of popular culture, young adult fiction and themes, Guest Of Honour presentations, academic theory and many more. Other key attractions include one of the largest science fiction Art Shows for the year, a Dealers Room encompassing books, short story anthologies, magazines, comics, DVDs and collectables, and a glittering Masquerade.
Key drawcards at Aussiecon 4 will be official Guests of Honour Kim Stanley Robinson, multiaward winning author of the Mars trilogy (Red Mars, Blue Mars and Green Mars), as well as numerous other novels, and Shaun Tan, award-winning artist and writer whose works include the acclaimed wordless novel, The Arrival, and The Rabbits. A large number of international and Australian authors are also expected to attend.
According to Rose Mitchell, Co-Chair of the Aussiecon 4 organising committee, the premium field of authors, illustrators and other leading industry figures will be the largest ever assembled in Australia. “Worldcon is a truly amazing and unique phenomenon,” Mitchell said. “It has all the features of an international writers or film festival, but celebrates a very specific genre — science fiction, fantasy and horror.
“Worldcon comes to Australia just once in a decade, and brings together several thousand professionals and enthusiasts from around the world — all of whom share a passion for science fiction, fantasy and horror. I can’t recall another event here in Australia where one can have casual conversations with favourite authors and artists while simply wandering around the convention!”
One of the star events of every Worldcon is the presentation of the prestigious Hugo Awards for science fiction and fantasy achievements in fiction, film and fandom (and more). The 2010 Hugo Award winners will be determined by the votes of those who register to attend Aussiecon 4 early. Recent 2009 winners include Anticipation Guest of Honour Neil Gaiman for The Graveyard Book and Joss Whedon for Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.
Registrations for Aussiecon 4 are now available via the official web site at http://www.aussiecon4.org.au/.
-[ENDS]-
Aussiecon 4, the 68th World Science Fiction Convention (“Worldcon”), will place Australia at the centre of the science fiction and fantasy world. The convention will be held 2-6 September 2010 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Guests of Honour include award-winning author Kim Stanley Robinson, awardwinning Melbourne artist Shaun Tan, and dedicated fan Robin Johnson.
The Worldcon annual convention brings together people, both professionals and fans, from all over the world who have an interest in the science fiction and fantasy genres. Although the emphasis of the convention is on the literary side, all other forms, such as film, television, and comics, are included. Programming includes panel discussions, lectures, science demonstrations, films, readings, and autographings.
Aussiecon 4 is so named because it is the fourth Worldcon to be held in Australia and all have been held in Melbourne. Previous conventions (1975, 1985, 1999) were widely acclaimed. The convention is run entirely by volunteers. Most of the committee and staff are from Australia but some committee members participate from other parts of the world
————————————
Contact:
Ellen Gregory
Communications Officer [email protected]
www.aussiecon4.org.au
Telephone: 61 3 407 558 976
Aussiecon® 4 is convened under the auspices of the Victorian Science Fiction Conventions Inc (ABN 90 257 542 181) a not for profit association incorporated under the Victorian Associations Act, 1981. “World Science Fiction Society”, “WSFS”, “World Science Fiction Convention”, “Worldcon”, “NASFiC”, “Hugo Award”, and the distinctive design of the Hugo Award Rocket are service marks of the World Science Fiction Society, an unincorporated literary society.
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“drawcards”
Interesting ANZAC usage.
“‘Worldcon is a truly amazing and unique phenomenon,’ Mitchell said.”
Falsely amazing and unique would be bad.
“Recent 2009 winners”
This distinguishes them from the later 2009 winners.
I’m impressed that the committee chooses to honor one of their three Guests of Honour by not bothering to mention him. If I were Robin Johnson, feeling honoured by that might be one way to react.
Some might actually take it as a way to (unintentionally) insult someone you’re theoretically honouring, but I’m sure both that Robin is far too much of a gentleman to feel that way, and that whoever drafted, and whoever signed off on, that press release didn’t intend it that way.
But it’s an interesting choice to make as regards your guests of honour,when you have only three, and it takes all of two words to name the third.
Perhaps that would have gone over the intended word count.
On a highly trivial note, A4 might want to make up their minds whether they have Guests of Honor or Guests of Honor.
That is, or Guests of Honour.
Pity that the Australian Worldcon is not putting forward its unique selling points. One of which is that it is the weekend after the NZ natcon so that visitors from N America and Europe can do two cons with little extra travel cost.
If interested then this article may be of use.