Events

As of February 2021, we host special events on a wide range of topics with invited speakers from the SFF community. See the bottom of this page for more info.

We also attend conventions and special events in the UK and beyond.

Conventions we have attended previously include:

  • 2016: Nine Worlds, London
  • 2017: Worldcon 75, Helsinki, Finland
  • 2019: Eastercon 70 (Ytterbium), London; Worldcon 77, Dublin, Ireland
  • 2020: Nebulas Conference, online; Worldcon 78, online; FIYAHCON, online.
  • 2021: Capricon, online; Eastercon 72 (ConFusion), online; Flights of Foundry, online.

Some of our speaker guests (in a pre-Covid world) have included:

Authors Jen Williams, Den Patrick, Peter Newman, and Christopher Priest; 
Editor Anna Jackson (Orbit UK).

For info on future speaker events and conventions we'll be attending, sign up to the group on Meet Up and/or follow us on Twitter @SpectrumSFF.

2021 Special Events:

May 2021: Writing Media Tie-Ins

Books set in worlds we see on screen. Short stories and audio content featuring characters we've loved elsewhere. The world of media tie-ins is a nebulous but exciting corner of the publishing world, but how does one get a foot in the door, and what can one expect once inside?

April 2021: An Evening with Dan Abnett

Join us for an evening of writerly discussion and tips from accomplished comic book writer and novelist Dan Abnett (Warhammer 40k, Marvel Comics).

March 2021: Writing LGBTQ Characters in Science Fiction and Fantasy

What are some good ways to bring LGBTQ representation into your speculative work? Are there common tropes that could be avoided, and what are some works that do this well? Join our panelists: bookseller Lali Hewitson (of The Portal Bookshop), and authors CL Clark, Juliet Kemp, Tasha Suri, and James Bennett, as they discuss this from their professional point of view as writers and readers, and bring along any questions you may have for them.

February 2021: Social Media for Authors with Morgan Hazelwood

Join us for a special guest speaker event, where writer and social media whiz Morgan Hazelwood will demystify the various social media platforms for us, and walk us through a beginners plan for establishing a social media presence that can help with the promotion of your writing both before and after you get published.