The issues around data scraping, LLM training and human art being replaced by bots. The goalposts change every year as the software gets more advanced. Join the discussion to share the latest advice.

Folk stories fascinate us as much for the way they have been handed down as for the detail. Tales passed down through generations. Local legends reimagined into lingering horror or magical fantasy. Folktales cross genres and remain as sources of inspiration for writers. We will discuss.

World building through prose: what our characters wear, eat, hear, touch can bring a wonderful depth and vividness to their world, immersing the reader in the truly fantastical. Our panel discuss the beauty of descriptive writing.

Many stories involve adversity. Characters struggle to achieve their goals; if they don’t, do we care? Readers identify with people who overcome challenges to reach a better place. Suffering has its place in the narrative, but how do we ensure we do just enough? Our panel discusses the tough journeys characters go on in stories […]

We cannot know the future, so all of our attempts to picture it are escapes into imagined worlds. Clarke’s Third Law indicates how magic and science can be the same thing expressed in different ways. Our panel discussed the relation between speculative fiction, science fiction, fantasy and horror.

“Strong female character” has too often been a euphemism for a sword- wielding amazon battling those who wronged her. Fun and glorious though those women are, this panel will talk about the women who lead through intelligence, charisma, patience, or other skills.

The phenomenon of Twilight changed the shelves in bookstores. Reclassification saw writers find a new niche and new audiences. Now ‘cosy’ is the new popular and Romantasy is on the rise. Join our panel to discuss the emerging trends.

The vistas of impossible worlds that we will never see. The maps to invented places, the beautiful geography and geology that has been depicted so we can get a glimpse into the lives of the characters we journey with on their quests. Join us to discuss the role of the fantasy landscape in fiction.

From Tolkien’s Smaug to the water dragons in Eliza Chan’s Fathomfolk series, why are dragons such a popular part of fantasy stories? Join our panel as they discuss their favourite dragons and how they keep them interesting and relevant for the reader.

Ever wondered what an agent does, why you might want one and what they are looking for? Our panel discuss the author agent relationship, what they are looking for and what makes things work.

There are stories that defy genre classification, making use of methods and techniques from a variety of different writer toolboxes. Our panel discusses slipstream, and other compound works.

The writer writes, and just occasionally, a story attracts the interest of film or television production companies. Or maybe there’s a game, or a theatre play that could be made of it? Join our panel in discussing their experiences working with adapted fantasy and horror.

We make the world of the story, but it lives in the mind of the reader. Our panel discuss the ways in which worlds of fantasy and horror are made. What are the priorities and the elements that stay. long after the story is over?

How do authors, agents and editors work together to bring a book from manuscript to a bookshelf? Come along to find out.

Gone are the days of fantasy as a solely heteronormative space. Queer is here, refreshing and energetic, breathing new life into the worlds of our imagination. Our panel discuss some great examples of queer fantasy and shine a light on the best of them. Bring your reading lists!

Who is pushing the boundaries, being brave and experimental with their fantasy and horror? Join our panel for a tour of the borderlines.

Living a life of making and imagination can be a rewarding one. Our panel discuss creativity, how it manifests and shapes the way they live.

Comedy writing in fantasy, horror has always been there. Whether through satire or slapstick or a mixture of both, there is always something ridiculous to giggle about if played the right way. Our panel will explore some of the techniques of writing comedy in fantasy and horror.

Some Fantasy is about simplifying the world into two sides, on a number of levels. Our panel will explore what new territory lies beyond these polarities, looking at characters, plots, morality and philosophies that take us towards new questions about the human condition.

Faith and the divine have played a huge role in fantasy, from Terry Pratchett’s Small Gods to N. K. Jemisin’s Inheritance Trilogy and Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Gods of Jade and Shadow. This panel will discuss the presentations and representations of the divine in fantasy, the ways writers put faith on the page, and the role of […]

The past is dead, until it erupts into the present, ripped from our history and made into new flesh by storytellers inspired by lingering memory and legend. Join our panel to discuss the horror history that can inspire new writing.

The dark legacy of British Horror is a proud and powerful one. A succession of writers have inspired others who have taken up the mantle. Generation after generation of scary stories, but what makes them quintessentially British?