Wordy Weekender
Returning for its third year, Gollancz Festival promises to have your pages in a flap...
The UK’s longest-running SF and fantasy publisher, Gollancz, is rounding up the cream of its creative crop for a weekend packed with otherworldly wonder.
In association with your very own SFX, Gollancz Festival 2016 will take place over two days at Foyles, Charing Cross Road, with the likes of Scott Lynch, Joanne Harris, Elizabeth Bear, Joe Abercrombie and Ben Aaronovitch all in attendance (to name just a few of the 50 talented types making an appearance at the fest). They’ll be participating in panel discussions, in-conversation events and, naturally, book signings, with each event broken down into a three-hour time slot, which are priced at £15 each. You’ll also be able to nab books at a special discount festival price, in case your shelves aren’t groaning quite enough already.
As well as the author-centric events, there’s something for budding writers, too, with the Gollancz Festival Writers’ Day taking place just across the road at the Phoenix Arts Club. There, ensconced in one of the cosiest and most cultured bars in the capital, you’ll get the chance to grill the agents and editors responsible for plucking the best SF fiction from obscurity, and you can hone your own masterwork at the speed workshopping session. (Keep your eyes peeled for Gollancz goody bags, too, which will be packed with collectable festival exclusives.)
Previous years have seen more than 800 book lovers descending on the festival, so be sure to snap your tickets up soon. And make sure you take advantage of the numerous digital events rolling out in the week leading up to the festival – interactive content will go live from 12 September in association with Hachette Australia and New Zealand, and you can use the hashtag #GollanczFest to connect with other attendees. It’s going to be one big literary love-in. Really, what more could a bookworm ask for?