Just a quick update of how Continuum is going so far. I am doing this from a dilapidated net kiosk, so you will have to forgive me if it isn’t a work of art, and for any spelling errors with names.

Last night didn’t get off the the best of starts. With my panel starting at 7pm I had planned on arriving about 6pm so I could meet my fellow panelists. Due to some unforeseen circumstances and horrendous traffic, I walked in 6:55pm! Fortunately, it was all very casual, and when really well. Danny and Hespa were in fine form and it really just flowed. We had about 25 there I think, though I am not sure how many were only first time goers!

After that, I watched Jack Dann and Richard Harland compete to see who was the craziest at the launch of “Liberator”, which made for a very entertaining time. I think Richard won after he managed to get a surprising amount of his body into a small wastepaper basket.

Then it was time for the Chronos Awards. I had planned on tweeting it award by award, but Alex (of Galactic Suburbia fame) gave a demonstration of how its done, beating me to the punch each time…even when she won her awards and had to get up the front and back! I soon admitted defeat (plus I realised that getting people’s twandles right is a required part of the process).

The winners were:

Best Long Fiction: Madigan Mine, Kirstyn McDermott (Pan MacMillan Australia)
Best Short Fiction: “Her Gallant Needs”, Paul Haines (Sprawl,Twelfth Planet Press)
Best Artwork: Australis Imaginarium cover, Shaun Tan (FableCroft Publishing)
Best Fan Writer: Alexandra Pierce
Best Fan Written Work: “Review: The Secret Feminist Cabal by Helen Merrick”, Alexandra Pierce
Best Fan Artwork: Continuum 6 Props, Rachel Holkner
Best Fan Publication: Live Boxcutters Doctor Who at AussieCon IV, Josh Kinal and John Richards
Best Achievement: Programming: AussieCon IV, Sue Ann Barber and Grant Watson

All very deserving winners, and great to see the strong SuperNOVA representation.

There was a chance to admire Rachel Holkner’s sterling work on the Conquilt (who can’t be praised enough!), and we then had the presentation of the A. Betram Chandler award. If you hadn’t been at Swancon, the run down of Paul Collin’s illustrious career would have been most informative.

Speaking of Paul Collins, there was then the launch of his latest book, with Sean McMullen.

As I had an airport dropoff early the next morning, I decided it was time to call it a night.

This morning, we had another Con101 panel. There was only a few people compared to the Friday one, but it was still enjoyable.

I got into Cat Valente’s GoH speech just as she started reading her piece, “13 Ways of Looking at Space Time”. I wasn’t familiar with it, and I have to say it blew me away as I have never heard anything like it. I am still processing it so, to be honest, I can’t even say whether I actually liked it or not because it was just so different than anything I have come across. Really brilliant.

She came across as interesting and entertaining during the Q and A session afterwards, and I am now determined to check out some of her writing.

By that point I was starving, so together with some of the SuperNOVA crew I went and grabbed some lunch across the road.

So far I am having a brilliant time, made some new friends and caught with some old ones.

And…that’s it for now 🙂 I will try and update again tomorrow, and hopefully be able to rave about the panels I am heading to this afternoon.