We’re delighted to host a number of talks at this year’s Octocon. Our experienced speakers will be presenting a wide breadth of information, broadcast through Zoom.
Meet The New Dinosaurs of Jurassic World: Dominion
Saturday 2nd October, 1pm. Speaker: Sean the Dino Guy.
With the third and final installment of the Jurassic World movie series coming soon, we’re going to have more kinds of dinosaurs than ever before. But who are these cool new dinos? Sean the Dino Guy will give us a sneak peak at the fantastic new creatures that will stomp their way onto our cinema screens next year, and reveal fascinating facts about some old favourites. If you love dinosaurs and blockbuster movies, this is the talk for you!
Plants in Spaaace
Saturday 2nd October, 2pm. Speaker: Carol Connolly.
A history of humanity’s determination to garden in an almost impossible environment.
Disability and the Roots of Heroic Fantasy
Saturday 2nd October, 4pm. Speaker: Angeline B. Adams
Why is Henry Cavill in “The Witcher” bigger than Superman? And why did Yennefer have to get rid of her disability? For the answers, we have to go back to the Father of Heroic Fantasy, Robert E. Howard. His Conan the Barbarian is the ultimate survivor, who walked away from his own crucifixion. We discover his origins in a mix of macho culture and concealed vulnerability, Texan tough guys and hidden narratives of disability.
Food in Fantasy
Sunday 3rd October, 12pm. Speaker: Gillian Polack.
Most writers have moved beyond serving up stew and more stew and yet more stew in fantasy novels. What types of food are we likely to see in fantasy these days, then? Does the food do more than feed weary travellers when questing? Gillian will talk about the food depicted in the novels of Australian writers and Irish writers. Because this is part of Gillian’s research on how we depict culture in speculative fiction rather than part of her foodie dreams, there will probably be no recipes.
Asexuality in Fantasy and Science Fiction: A Partial Study in Contrasts
Sunday 3rd October, 1pm. Speaker: S.L. Dove Cooper
Though asexuality may seem like a relatively new phenomenon, the concept is as old as modern ideas of other queer identities. Science fiction and fantasy has always had room for asexual coding, though in somewhat different ways. Join us to take a look at some of the tropes found in early contemporary ace coding in fantasy and science fiction and how more recent books handle asexual themes.