The Virtual World Fantasy Convention 2013

The complete Virtual WFC 2013, including talks, panels and events featuring Neil Gaiman, Susan Cooper, Terry Pratchett, Robin Hobb, Patrick Rothfuss, Juliet E McKenna, Roz Kaveny, Scott Lynch, Stephen Gallagher, Tessa Farmer, and a heap more - on world-building, series TV, bloodthirsty fairies, YA fiction, the future of sci-fi, genre poetry, and writerly absorbtions.

Astrologica: Stories of the Zodiac: Virtual WFC 2013

I am the time that is no time • a purple fish in a sandwich bag • You can't keep on doing this: Megan Kerr, David McGroarty, and Neil Williamson read from their stories in Astrologica: Stories of the Zodiac from Alchemy Press, edited by Allen Ashley, at the World Fantasy Convention launch.

Poetry of the fantastical: Virtual WFC 2013

From squidlets, staple removers, and songs to mourning, loss, and longing: Roz Kaveny, Tina Rath, Allen Ashley, Ian Hunter, and Megan Kerr were among some 20 poets reading at the Saturday night poetry event, organised by Allen Ashley. Poetry reading is a new event for the World Fantasy Convention, who decided to include it after the success of the Ashley's poetry evening at FantasyCon 2012. And if you missed the panel on whether genre poetry is thriving, you can read that here, and see what Neil Gaiman, Hal Duncan, Jenny Blackford, Jo Fletcher, Simon Adaf, and Allen Ashley have to say.

Does science fiction have a future? Virtual WFC 2013

How do our discoveries change SF, have the stories all been written, and what might it look like in a hundred years' time?  Paul McAuley, Joe Haldeman, Brian W Aldiss, Peter F Hamilton, Jaine Fenn (moderator) and Stephen Baxter discuss, featuring space jellyfish, mashed jellyfish, and killer jellyfish.

Jupiter's Great Red Spot from Voyager 1 
Credit: NASA, JPL; Digital processing: Björn Jónsson (IAAA)

Are all the best genre books now Young Adult? Virtual WFC 2013

Do you write Young Adult fiction on purpose, how do you define it, and what freedoms does it give you? Holly Black, Susan Cooper, Neil Gaiman, Will HIll, Garth Nix, and Delia Sherman (moderator) discuss.

Building your world: Virtual WFC 2013

Where does your world-building start? Which bits are your geek-fest and which do you gloss over with smoke and mirrors? And what kinds of cultural assumptions do you trail unwittingly behind you? Patrick Rothfuss, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Robin Hobb, Hal Duncan, and Ellen Kushner (moderator) discuss.

The Art Show - see the worlds inside your head: Virtual WCF 2013

Tessa Farmer's tiny bloodthirsty world, Edward Miller's rich painterly towers, Autun Purser's vintage train ads for imaginary destinations, and Didier Graffet's immersive landscapes.

Women wielding swords - the ultimate reading list: Virtual WFC 2013

Is it a "new thing" that women write martial fantasy? Can you tell if something was written by a man or a woman? And how has martial fantasy shifted recently? Trudi Cavanan, Robin Hobb, Laura Ann Gilman (moderator), Gaie Sebold, and Juliet E McKenna discuss - and then collaborate with the audience to create a seriously kick-ass reading list of authors. (Scroll down for the treasure trove.)

Sir Terry Pratchett in conversation: Virtual WCF 2013

The Oxford hall is crammed for Terry Pratchett's talk; the reverential quiet makes it feel more like a cathedral than a convention room. Into the silence, Pratchett cries, "Hello!" and the audience roars back "Hello!" in joy and applause. As soon as he's introduced, the applause bursts out again. This convention is full of authors that are admired, swooned over, celebrated, but right now, the mood is pure love.

Writing for series TV: Virtual WFC 2013

Stephen Gallaghaer (moderator), David Pirie, Brian Clemens, Richard Christian Matheson, and Robert Shearman discuss their paths into TV, the collaboration, and the effect on their writing.

Substance versus style: Virtual WFC 2013

Can you separate substance from style, how do you find your style, and how do you find your plot? Geoff Ryman (moderator), Jack Dunn, Lisa Tuttle, and Ellen Kushner discuss.

Neil Gaiman and the importance of rumpling one's bed: Virtual WFC 2013

Also, on writing for free, whether the money's ever worth it, and learning to write like yourself: Neil Gaiman's interview with Jo Fletcher.

Does anyone still read genre poetry? Virtual WCF 2013

And while they obviously do, isn't all poetry "fantasy", who's publishing it, why do reviewers shy away from it, and where do we find it? Allen Ashley (moderator), Neil Gaiman, Hal Duncan, Jenny Blackford, Jo Fletcher, and Simon Adaf discuss.