In a time of climate crisis and extinction rebellion, how should fantasy engage with writing about the natural world?

The rise in popularity of audio books, dramas and podcasts is a phenomenon that needs to be discussed. Our panel share their experiences as readers, presenters, writers and voice actors.

Finding asexual characters in fantasy remains a challenge. Join our panel to discuss good depictions of asexuality in the genre.

Fantasy prose writing has a long tradition of poetry and lyricism. Our panel discuss fantasy and horror lyrical prose. AKA fantasy is high literature and always has been.

From the anthropomorphic in the work of Brian Jacques and Richard Adams, to the contemporary amalgamations of Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Shadows of the Apt, or Pullman’s daemon familiars. The depiction of animals in fantasy are varied and interesting to explore. Join us in doing so.

Michael Moorcock’s article on Tolkien’s prose and his criticism of it’s childlike quality was first published by the British Fantasy Society in 1978. This raises the question, what is stylish fantasy writing? Is there a particular aesthetic to fantasy prose? Our panel discusses this.

Whether you’re considering Sigourney Weaver in Aliens, The Handmaid’s Tale or the gender flipped concept in Kiersten White’s And I Darken, finding and developing feminist themes in Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror can be a rich source of literary criticism. Writers are creating worlds and characters that that have been pivotal in moving forward understanding […]

A delve into the myriad of published titles. Our panel looks for the undiscovered gems and treasures that you may have missed from your bookshelf. Join us for recommendations for your reading list!

We were all children once. What was a story that you read back then? How did it spark your imagination and what part did it play in bringing you to where you are today? Join the discussion on how we inspire new generations.

The scare, the creeping dread. What makes you tremble and shake? A range of examples will be presented by our panel. Throw in a few of your own for the reading list.

The unexplained and the mysterious retain a lingering grip on the imagination of the reader. Our panelists delve into their experiences of these stories, discussiing the best ways to use existing lore as a framework for new stories.

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The classic subgenre revisited! Who is writing in this area now and can it be compared to the works of the past? Join our panel to discuss.

Marmite – Love it or Hate it? There are a whole assortment of marmite characters – The heroes you hate, the villains who you miss when they’re gone. These are individuals who divide opinion. But what is it about them that makes us react? Join us to discuss how to make love/hate characters, and what […]

Fairy tales, legends, and myths might well be among the most ancient of folk narratives, having their roots in the oral traditions of pre-literate societies. These stories have been reimagined, adapted, and subverted by writers for centuries, from Shakespeare to Disney to Anne Sexton. The 21st century has seen the popularity of such retellings explode, […]

Forget exams. Here villainous teachers, treacherous classmates and other evils stand in the way of graduation. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of Dark Academia books, from R.F. Kuang’s award- winning Babel to Olivie Blakes’ The Atlas Six series. Why are readers and writers fascinated with this (perceived) dark side of education? And […]

Whether constitutional, absolute or symbolic, monarchical systems continue to fascinate readers and writers of fantasy fiction. Whether cruel tyrants or royals in exile, benevolent queens or warmongering empresses, it seems that more fantasies have monarchies than don’t. Our panellists will discuss the lure of royalty, some of their favourite examples of fantasy monarchs, good or […]

A blue police box that travels through time and space, disgorging it’s pilot and assorted travelling companions into weekly peril. Doctor Who is a mainstay of British Fantasy, Horror and Science Fiction. Join our panel to share memories and discuss.

Fantasy and horror allow authors to write from the perspective of the truly other – dragons, monsters, shape shifters, the undead. Writing the non-human can push writers to their creative limits and challenge both writers and readers to think about what it means to be human, but can also pose significant problems for the writer. […]

Why are are many fantasy and horror novels told from the perspective of the young? Is age and experience a hindrance for characters as they try to grow and change? Or is the issue the audience. We’ve all been young, but have we all been old? Our panel will discuss the representation of older people […]

Stories that involve a terrifying enemy that seems invincible and undefeatable. What if you put them against each other? Our panel will pit the Monsters of Legend against each other to determine who will win, who terrifies us the most and how had this influenced the literary scene?

Princesses and paupers! Merchants and muggers! CEOs and heroes! Social class (and caste) is baked into fantasy and horror, but how have writers traditionally considered class roles? Is that changing in the face of widening economic inequality and increasing awareness of diversity?

From Ben Aaronovitch’s magical London to T. L. Huchu’s near-future Edinburgh, cities are often a key element of the story and maybe even the central character. Come along as our panellists share their favourite urban fantasy settings and discuss how to write about a familiar place but not as you know it!

Sword lesbians are a recognised and popular trope in fantasy. How do we think about heroic positions and expansive gender expression in genre? How do queer people position ourselves in relationship to traditional masculinity and its phallus/sword continuum? Do we reclaim roles like knight/cavalier/Jedi, or do we find different ways for women/femmes to fight? Are […]

In folk tales, the villains were misunderstood rejects from society. Later, in Epic Fantasy, the enemy became exotic and mysterious civilisations who lived by different rules and values. Spare a thought for the henchmen and the stooge, or even for the thwarted evil genius. Is there more we can understand about how we make villains?