• Octocon 2016

    14 October 2016 /

    It’s time for Octocon, in the Camden Court Hotel, again! It’s one of my favourite conventions in the calendar. Here’s the schedule of events in which I’ll be participating this year: Saturday, 15 October Space X Time; Plot in Graphic Novels Dave Ferguson, Maura McHugh, Anthea West, Leeann Hamilton, C.E. Murphy, Paul Bolger 11:00, A. Tivoli/Yeats Development in a Static World Maura McHugh, Diane Duane, Peter Morwood, Michael Carroll, Allen Stroud 12:00, A. Tivoli/Yeats The Arc of Women’s Fandom Fionnuala Murphy, Ruth F. Long, Maura McHugh, Celine Kiernan 14:00, E. Wexford Sunday, 16 October Interview with Guest of Honour, Rhianna Pratchett Rhianna Pratchett, Maura McHugh 15:00, A. Tivoli/Yeats To Every…

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  • Octocon 2015

    30 September 2015 /

    September is in its twilight now, which means the annual Irish science fiction convention, Octocon, which takes place in the Camden Court Hotel, Dublin from 9-11 October, is almost upon us. This year I’m one of the two co-Guests of Honour at the convention (along with Emma Newman), which is something I’m still humbled about. As usual it should be a fun weekend, full of lively panels and wonderful conversations about an array of topics across literature, film, comics, TV, videogames, and cosplay. The other guests who will be along to offer their expertise and insight on the subjects are: Paul Bolger, Michael Carroll, Rob Curley, Celine Kiernan, Ruth Long,…

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  • Worldcon Comic Book Programme

    24 July 2014 /

    Nearly two years ago my friend James Bacon phoned me up and asked me if I’d be on for designing the comic book programme at Worldcon in London (known as Loncon 3) in August 2014. I agreed readily enough as I was keen to raise the profile of comic books at the event. Comics are still a bit of a newcomer to Worldcon – the Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story was only introduced in 2009. I didn’t realise how much work was involved, which was probably lucky for James, as I might have turned him down if I truly understood. I now have huge respect for the Worldcon programming…

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