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The Sex Life Of Goblins, And More Panels Of Note At Nine Worlds Geekfest In London This Weekend

Published Thu, 03 Aug 2017 08:30:39 -0500

I'll be going along to Nine Worlds Geekfest in Hammersmith, London, this weekend. Maybe I'll see you there? There are quite a lot of panels I intend to be sitting at the back taking notes about. I mentioned a few here, but there are over two hundred and fifty of the things now. Here are a few which have taken my eye… and might define just the kind of show they put on at the Novotel…

If you see me, do say hi!

Police and the Supernatural: Law Enforcement Professionals' View of Urban Fantasy
Friday Aug 04 11:45 AM to 12:45 PM (1 hour)
Paul Cornell's Shadow Police series and Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London series both look at the theme of the modern Britsh police service with a supernatural twist. This panel aims to explore the ways in which the police are portrayed in urban fantasy. What do they get right? What do they do wrong? Sarah Groenewegen, Caroline Mersey, Laura Manuel – Metropolitan Police Service Police Constable Intelligence Officer

Who's That Audience? – The Audience and Creator Relationship
Friday Aug 04 01:30 PM to 02:30 PM (1 hour)
A conversation about how creators (whether freelance/commissioned) go through each stage of creation with their audience in mind: from the initial creative stages to interaction with fans, and the difficulties of inclusivity, education and duty. Plus a post-panel Q&A for tips on how to navigate this rocky world! With Vinay Patel, Nemo Martin, Sabrina Mahfouz, Tab Kimpton,

Undercover Geek: How To Do Stealth Cosplay
Friday Aug 04 11:45 AM to 12:45 PM (1 hour)
Cosplay stealth cosplay disneybounding everyday cosplay
Ever wanted to go to work dressed as Captain America? Maybe you can! Well, sort of! This session takes you through how to cosplay by steath. This means how you can use your clothes to pay tribute to your favourite characters and fandoms without wearing a full cosplay outfit. Whether it is a suit with a Ravenclaw tie and Hogwarts cufflinks, using block colours and carefully themed accessories to represent Cinderella, or the art of subtly dressing like Katniss Everdeen (well, maybe that whole dress on fire thing isn't so subtle…) there is a whole spectrum of ways you can cosplay. Come and find out how! Dr Karen Graham

Sansa Stark: Who Let The Dogs Out?
Friday Aug 04 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM (1 hour)
Following the 2015 success of Lemon Cakes and Courtesy: A Defence of Sansa Stark, along with the incredible journey that Lady Sansa has taken on our screens, EK McAlpine returns with Sansa Stark: Who Let The Dogs Out? an updated analysis of Winterfell's most famous redhead. Beginning with a recap of the original talk, EK will look at the development of Sansa on screen, comparing the portrayal to G.R.R. Martin's original text, before making (cautious) predictions for the future. From sewing projects to feeding time at the kennels, Sansa has been busy. Contains spoilers for everything.

Deeds not Words
Friday Aug 04 3:15 PM to 4:15 PM (1 hour)
Sarah Gordon and Howard Hardiman talk about the process involved in making a comic with readable sign language and credible Deaf characters and discuss comics as political forces.

Identity Games: Jewish (Mis)representation in the Superhero Genre
Friday Aug 04 6:45 PM to 7:45 PM (1 hour)
Judaism Superheroes Comics Representation
Identities are a fluid matter, especially in a genre about secret identities, written by multiple authors. This particular talk will discuss the manner in which Jews, Jewishness and Jewish indentity is portrayed, coded, and erased in specific comic book characters, on the screen, both silver and small. Melody Barron

Literally "Literally": On Punching Grammar Nazis
Friday Aug 04 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM (1 hour)
When the Oxford English Dictionary's entry on "literally" was revised in 2013 to include the popular 'figurative' sense, a large part of the internet lost its grip. But what's the big deal, really? David Thomas Moore discusses the history of grammatical pedantry, culminating by exposing this, literally the biggest – and dumbest – hill of all to die on.

Toxicity in Fandom
Friday Aug 04 3:15 PM to 4:15 PM (1 hour)
Fandom can be a place of support and creativity, but also grow toxicity. This panel will discuss the different aspects of Toxicity in Fandom. Alwin Nijsen, Helen Gould, Simone Brunzell, Katherine Cross, Mia Violet

Sex Lives of Goblins
Friday Aug 04 8:30 PM to 9:30 PM (1 hour)
Literature Books Film Representation Fantasy scifi 18+
Sex in SFF is an oft underrated topic. This panel will discuss women's roles as active participants in sex scenes, sexy trends, sci-fi erotica and why so many writers shy away from full-on sex scenes. We'll also talk about writing good sex scenes, horror stories of the cringe-inducing sex scenes and different approaches to writing them. Lulu Kadhim, Angela Cleland, Genevieve Cogman, Matthew Blakstad

Neurodiversity As Superpower
Saturday Aug 05 3:15 PM to 4:15 PM (1 hour)
In the Percy Jackson series, Percy learns that his dyslexia and ADHD are symptoms of his demi-god-hood, not actual disabilities. Autistic children onscreen often have hidden knowledge or power just waiting to be unlocked. The urban fantasy genre is filled with protagonists who struggle from PTSD or schizophrenia-like symptoms, which really mask a supernatural ability. Is the old Disability as Superpower trope now evolving into Neurodiversity as Superpower? Panellists discuss these issues, using examples from SFF and their own writing or life experiences to illustrate what may well be a growing trend in genre fiction. Melissa F. Olson, Anna Smith Spark, Nina Grant, Dr Nick Wood

Redemption in Sci-Fi – From Vader to Teal'c and Aeryn Sun
Saturday Aug 05 3:15 PM to 4:15 PM (1 hour)
Redemption is a common theme in science fiction, from Anakin Skywalker rejecting the Dark Side to save his son to Russell Casse pulling himself together and flying his aeroplane into the heart of a deadly alien mothership. This panel examines the trope in detail, looking at both the best and worst examples, and asking whether it has become cliché. Mike Brooks, Dr Ro Smith, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Jan Siegel

Queer Coding in Disney
Saturday Aug 05 11:45 AM to 12:45 PM (1 hour)
This session will explore the absence of overtly queer characters in Disney (which mention or are explicitly referred to as being queer). Despite this absence, it can be argued that numerous queer characters have been written into the Disney films and are given traits commonly associated with being queer. This will be an audience participation centred session which encourages discussion around this phenomenon and suggestions for better representation within the Disney films. Content note: This session will include critical discussion of homophobic stereotyping in the source media. Avery Delany.

Representing Your Race In SFF
Saturday Aug 05 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM (1 hour)
A panel of writers discuss the many issues surrounding diverse racial representation of human characters in science fiction and fantasy.
Dolly Garland, Taran Matharu, Joseph Adetifa, Jeannette Ng, Lulu Kadhim

"Best Thing is Just to Get on With It": Postcolonialism in Late 1980s Doctor Who
Sunday Aug 06 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM (1 hour)
From its origins in the 1960s, Doctor Who has had a complicated relationship with colonialism, sometimes supporting it and sometimes opposing it. Under Andrew Cartmel's tenure as script editor, however, the series openly embraced a postcolonial philosophy. This talk explores how this philosophy is reflected in the programmes of the time, and the impact on the 2005 revived series. Professor Fiona Moore

Marvel v DC Fanworks
Sunday Aug 06 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM (1 hour)
There are three times as many Marvel-based fanworks as DC-based fanworks on the Archive of our Own: why? Is it because Marvel's characters are more 'human' than the godlike superheroes of DC? Is it because of Marvel's engagement with their fanbase, or their stage-managed sense of enjoying what they produce? Are Marvel's creations inherently more slashy, or relatable, or light-hearted than DC's? We'll discuss the different characteristics of the two fandoms, and how they are changing as more films, TV shows, comics and merchandise items reach the market. Tanya Brown

Buffy The Vampire Slayer. What it actually means to us fans
Sunday Aug 06 11:45 AM to 12:45 PM (1 hour)
Taking the magic and fantasy of our favourite show and converting the many metaphors and symbols into their parallels in our mundane lives. Join us and share what you personally have taken from Buffy in the end discussion. Shannon Davis

Queer Dax – Gender and Sexuality in Joined Trill
Sunday Aug 06 11:45 AM to 12:45 PM (1 hour)
This panel discusses the depiction of fluid gender and sexuality in Star Trek via the Trill, a symbiotic species first introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation and explored in more depth in its sequel series, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Neth Dugan, Sarah Groenewegen, Matt Baume, Mx Skye LoVecchio, Art Holland

Cons-ROAR-vation: What we can learn from Jurassic World other than how inaccurate the dinosaurs are
Sunday Aug 06 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM (1 hour)
While we can spend many, many hours debating the (in)accuracy of the dinosaurs in the Jurassic Park franchise, there is also a wealth of other things that we can take away from the films. This talk will be focusing on how themes of conservation and animal rights crash to the forefront in Jurassic World (2015), and will draw comparisons with the highly successful film documentary Blackfish (2013). Whilst these films approach these issues from slightly different perspectives, they both present an interesting mirror which reflects anxieties around animals in captivity, animal rights, valuing animals as entertainment, and of course the role of science within this. While they may not be real living creatures in the 21st century, can the dinosaurs of Jurassic World bring conservation and animal rights to life for millions of people across the world? And if so, how can Hollywood films facilitate these discourses in a way which is more easily accessible for the general public?
Content notice: This session will be talking about animals in captivity, animal cruelty, human death, and psychological trauma in animals both real and fictional, as they are crucial parts of the discussion, however I will try to minimise graphic details of these issues. Avery Delany

Consent, Consciousness and Control in Joss Whedon's Dollhouse
Sunday Aug 06 01:30 PM to 02:30 PM (1 hour)
Dollhouse is full of messages on consent and control. An organisation where individuals sign a contract agreeing to a period of slavery where their minds are blanked and overwritten countless times with different personalities to perform specific tasks ranging from being sex toys to assassins. Do memories fully define our individuality? Can you really consent to something so drastic? The panel will explore these questions and many more. [Content Warning] May include discussion of sexual violence. Dr Steph Rennick, Dr Catherine Sangster, Iris Fritschi-Cussens, Tea Mwanza, Jo Smith.

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