Item Name	Item Type	Description	Comments
Live action Quidditch	Event	Your chance to try playing quidditch, simulated by the marvel of something completely unlike high technology.
Alternative History Game Show	Event	The alternative history game show, with rules revised and updated from the version run at Swancon 2003
Small Press Launch event	Event	Several small presses have things to launch. Several of them will be launching various fine things. Possibly with the aid of some sort of catapult.
The Auction	Event	Many fine things are sold. Frequently in an entertaining manner.
Eddie Talks	Event	Eddie Campbell talks about his experiences as writer, artist, collaborator and publisher in the comics industry. Learn about battles with the censors, and working with Alan Moore.
WASFF Business meeting	Event	WASFF business meeting and selection of the 2006 Swancon committee.
Swancon XXX Launch	Event	Next years Swancon show us something to tempt us into attending next years convention.
Tim Powers Guest of Honour Speech	Event	Our guest of honour speaks.
Shiny Hero vs Damaged Hero	Discussion	debate for and against, fans/guests - authors / actors / film makers / book / media etc list of examples - quotes excerpts of examples
Diversity	Discussion	- communities, uses, types, beginnings and endings - culture and impact - familes and relationships including sexuality and lifestyle - genderism - spirituality - examples of authors/books/films and makers/ actors / characters - notable quotes and excerpts - finding connection to others in diversity eg, vastly different groups coming together for swancon, the con uniting and forging a common bond? why do even those most used to standing out crave this? How is this demonstrated in the writing and productions around us, what character affinities do we share?
Online to Real Life Relationships	Discussion	- can online relationships lead to something meaningful and lasting? - expectations and disappointments - safety issues - guidelines for meeting someone - notable stories both successful/non successful - historical comparison (eg. arranged marriages, pen pals)
Know How to Tempt Your Fan	Discussion	What makes things interesting and memorable to fans? - methods of learning o audio o visual o kinesthetic - ways to recognise different methods - ways to use different methods - importance in writing, panels, presentations, performance - examples - games
Horror for Children	Discussion	What is too scary for children? Do we underestimate the appeal of horror for young audiences? From Grimms fairy tales through to Roald Dahl and the scarier elements of J.K. Rowling, it seems very popular with young readers, but is often regarded as unsuitable.
SF POST 9-11	Discussion	Has the current global political climate reshaped the face of science fiction and fantasy?
Other Peoples Toys	Discussion	Writing fiction with other people's characters. What are the benefits and problems? What are the risks, etc.
IN LOVECRAFT'S SHADOW	Discussion	Modern horror fiction inspired or derived from H.P. Lovecraft. What influence has his fiction had? What makes Lovecraftian fiction work? The best and worst texts, both in literature and films. Why all the odd pop culture appearances? Is he really that great?
Are Short Stories Out of Date?	Discussion	Do we need short stories any more? Are they relevant to a modern audience? They're not really a part of popular culture any more. If the popular audience isn't reading them, why do we persist in writing them?
Are Setting Integral To Fiction?	Discussion	How important is the setting to speculative fiction? What difference does a change in place or time make? Authors who make good use of setting, and those to whom setting is irrelevant.
WEBLOGS	Discussion	An examination of the weblog phenomenon. Is it a fad, likely to last? A look at its potential use as a replacement for the fanzine of the 20th century. is it a form of publishing or a form of community?
ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT	Discussion	If we can genetically engineer the human race in the next few years, what should we be allowed to change? Can we choose our child's appearance? Intelligence? Gender? Sexual preference? Is removing down syndrome from the human genome a suspension of civil liberties - or genocide?
THE STATE OF SMALL PRESS	Discussion	There's quite a bit being made at the moment - is any of it *actually* selling? Or is that the wrong way to measure its success, and what is the right way?
Socialist SF	Discussion	A discussion of the recent popularity of SF written by writers who are socialist or strongly aware of socialist philosophy, and , most of it coming from a Scottish/Northern England. Banks, Mieville, McLeod. Why is there such a movement, why hasn’t it happened before now, will it change the politics of science fiction?
In The Beginning: Where Do You Get Your Ideas From?	Discussion	A perennially hated question by authors, but really, where DO they come from? Maybe authors just hate it because people want easy answers and don’t want to hear the real process?
ARE SUPERHEROES DEAD?	Discussion	We're twenty years past Watchmen. Is there anywhere left for the superhero to go? Also a look at current directions and trends, and maybe even a look at the transition of characters like Batman and Superman from pulp superheroes to popular mythology.
THE DEATH OF COMICS	Discussion	Once again we seem on the edge of a transition from magazine format 28 page comic books to 100+ page graphic novels. Will we finally make the change this time? Or is it the mid-80s all over again. What effect will the move from comics to GNs have on comic creation worldwide? Will certain genres or styles flourish or fail?
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: AUTOPSY OF A MOVIE TRILOGY	Discussion	Now that all three films are out, we can have the definitive look at how they went, what changes were made, where they succeeded and failed, and the nature of adaptation from novel to film.
NEW DIRECTIONS IN ANIME	Discussion	Now that we've entered a time when one man can create an award-winning 30 minute OAV in his bedroom, what changes can we expect to see in anime in the near future? Could also take in the growing convergence between anime and the American market, new styles and booms in terms of look and genre, and the growing sophistication of the anime audience.
IS FANDOM RELEVANT ANY MORE?	Discussion	Now that fandom is shifting further and further onto the internet, is organized fandom that we see in clubs and conventions becoming a thing of the past. Are we about to lose the old style of fandom, and - more importantly - is it actually a bad thing?
DOES COMEDY SF WORK?	Discussion	How do Adams and Pratchett make it work? Comedy SF is hard to do well, why do some manage it and some try so hard and fail?
IS GOOD SF TV POSSIBLE?	Discussion	Why has SF/F television failed to produce a series as well written as The West Wing, The Sopranos or Six Feet Under? Is Buffy actually as well written as its fans like to think? What is stopping the American TV industry from producing intelligent, well-scripted and characterised serial television? Is there something about the genre that prevents this?
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF FANS	Discussion	Why are we fans? What draws us to this subculture? A serious look at why the fannish subculture is the way it is, and why being a neo-nazi cross-dressing nymphomaniac pagan witch would be theoretically more acceptable than hating Joss Whedon.
DESERT ISLAND DISCS	Discussion	A panel of guests/authors discuss their favourite musical albums, including the three CDs they could take with them when deserted on a remote island with no hope of rescue.
WHAT MAKES GOOD ALTERNATIVE HISTORY?	Discussion	What is a good alternative history?Is it plausibility? Dramatic value? High weirdness? And why are there always airships?
How to find a Secret History	Discussion	Lurking just behind the “facts” we know is a much more secret and fascinating story. How do we uncover that secret version of events, and explain it so it seems plausible?
Gender in Anime	Discussion	Gender is always a social construction to some degree, and in anime its not always constructed to the rules we know. From schoolgirls to hentai, why doesn’t it always work the way we expect?
History of Anime	Discussion	How did anime get started? What is its history?
Forgotten Masters	Discussion	There are a lot of great authors that are little known. Panelists and the audience discuss their favourite little known cult authors. Avram Davidson, R.A. Lafferty, J.P. Martin, James Branch Cabell, Charles Williams - literary cults all.
Time Travel With Film/TV	Discussion	Take a look how time travel was use as device for the plot of the film/tv- eg Time Tunnel, Quantum Leap, Time machine, Buck Rogers, episodes of Lost In space,Star Trek ete. Was the device worth the trip.
Historical Aspect of the world of Rurouri Kenshin	Discussion	The panel will take a look at the period 1860's-1900's in Japanese history and to compare with the series, with its different themes that the series had set its self.
TV Reunion Films	Discussion	Ever since last episode of Gilligan's Island, viewers wondered what ever happen to them? then it come, the reunion film to tell at last after 15 years what happen when they were off the island-One of the highest rating TV Movie, which spark interest in other old series. Some were great and captured true essence of the series others did not. As the panellist goes through list which ones to really watch.
British sci-fi vs American sci-fi	Discussion	What is the difference? Is one better than the other?
40 Years of James Bond	Discussion	Looking back at 20 films in 40 years of Bond, James Bond. Have in recent years have the producers lost contact with who is James Bond? The Themes, the style, the music, these and many other questions will be answered.
Literature & Landscapes of the Past, Present and Future	Discussion	How does landscape manifest in SF literature? How does a traditional Australian landscape (or traditional European) change how we react to work?
Real Person Slash	Discussion	Real Person Slash. Come along and learn what a LOTRIP is. Is it wrong, or just transgressive? Are actors public representations really just another form of fictional persona? How do they feel about it?
Free Enterprise: Is Star Trek too American, or Anti-American?	Discussion	Is Star Trek pro-capitalist, or a worker's paradise? Pro-military or conscientious objector? Or big enough to encompass all of these?
Special Effects vs character and plot	Discussion	Why does special effects override character and plot?
Now the Carnival is Over	Discussion	So, now Swancon is over, where do you find fandom the rest of the year?
Space Marine Chic	Discussion	Something to do with Space Marine fashion?
Literary Necrophilia	Discussion	Exploiting the great works of dead authors. Is it ok if you are related to them?
Why is genre fiction all about the series?	Discussion	Why is genre fiction all about series? How long is too long? Is it reducing the demand for new work from publishers? Are single novel books penalised?
Creativity and Pain - Drawing on your resources	Discussion	Do you have to suffer for your art? And how? And how do you deal with the practicalities? How do you make the muses talk to your pain and suffereing? Some show and tell from the panelists and the audience.
When is the Golden Age?	Discussion	When was the Golden Age? Or is it yet to come? The past is all black plague now, and everyone knows the future is a Blade Runner and Soylent Green dystopia, so when is the Golden Age?
Where is the real political SF?	Discussion	How much SF is there that is actually about speculative politics, rather than propoganda in an SF medium? Has it made a difference to real world politics? How believable is it, and is that even the point?
If we can put a man on the moon....	Discussion	...why can ‘t we put a man on the moon? Why has the space race stopped racing? The first line of Forbidden Planet was “In the last years of the 21st century, men and women from the planet earth walked on the moon” - and in retrospect, was this overly optimistic? Are they all forbidden planets?
The Courtship Rituals of Fandom	Discussion	How do you know if a fan is trying to pick you up? What should you do if they are?
A brief history of comics and sequential art	Discussion	Comics are a well established and defined medium currently, but thats just one step along the way. Using sequential art to tell a story has been with of for thousands of years - what were the important steps leading to the current situation?
Are we dinosaurs in a post-literate age?	Discussion	An average TV sitcom will get a larger audience than almost any book. is the book mostly spent as a cultural force, and are avid book readers followers of an art form on the way out? What is causing the book to lose its cultural place?
Australian Comics	Discussion	Australian comics. What is available? What has happened in the past? Where can you get them? How can you be part of making them?
Do fans have mundane sex lives?	Discussion	Is fandom haven for unorthodox lifestyles? Can you be too weird for fandom? What isn’t acceptable? What does fandom accept that is not acceptable in the broader community? What is the influence of the fiction we read? Is Heinlein responsible for the polyamory movement?
Weapons in Sci-fi	Discussion	Guns, ammo, cutlasses in space and mono-filament whips. What is it about weapons is science fiction? Why are the guns so big? Why the prevalence of faux-medieval weaponry?
Telling a Narrative through Art	Discussion	Our professional guests shared some tricks of the trade, explaining how to get the nuances of the story across.
Evolution of the monster in film	Discussion	Filmic representations of monsters aren’t the same as the same monsters in literature. Why does film tend to particular ways of representing monsters? What is typical of the filmic monster?
Crossing Genre Boundaries	Discussion	From SF and fantasy to mainstream literary fiction via historical adventure, westerns, crime fiction and Arthurian romance. The how, why, and really should you, of crossing genre boundaries for fun and profit.
SF Film Noir	Discussion	When SF meets the darkest film genre, does it work?
A Tourist's Guide to Specworld	Discussion	A Presentation on the Speculative Dinosaur Project, a scientifically rigorous alternate earth where Dinos never became extinct, and familiar mammals are either non-existant or very strange. Will include a history of similar projects, and lts of illustrations
Can the Future be predicted?	Discussion	To what extent CAN we predict the future? Chaos theory argues against it, and our track record isn’t great. Is futurism and prediction just a big con?
Is there a future for privacy	Discussion	Does privacy have a future? What sort of technologies are poised to take it away? What might be the social consequences? Is David Brin right when he suggests total lack of privacy will become the best case scenario?
The future of science fiction: is the future obsolete?	Discussion	Is science fiction as a genre really still relevant in a world where technology moves so fast, or is it going to just become a branch of fantasy?
The future of computers	Discussion	What is coming up? How realistic are wearables, implants, vr, etc?
time periods	Discussion	Looking for people to describe particular time periods.
The Mythological Significance of Alcohol	Discussion	Alcohol is a major cultural force, with its own rituals and its own gods. Our guests have written about magical beer and wine, and the gods that bless them.
Representations of the Divine	Discussion	Dealing with gods in fiction. Gods can be characters, plot devices, forces of nature and symbolism incarnate. How do you represent the nature of the divine in fiction? What representations fail?
Web comics	Discussion	the is a generic web-comics panel, the basis of it is to discuss web-comics in a general context, show some more of the memorable examples of the genre and discuss what people like. As well as discussiong what exactly is a web-comic, where others have failed and so on. one aim of this panel is for the panel to share their thoughts on some of the web-comics out there and how it is evolving as a medium.
Desert Song	Discussion	...and so, most noble host, I found myself alone and lost in the desert. I wondered, searching for a well or oasis, for a man may die of thirst before he even notices hunger. A day and a night passed, and another day. I was ready to consign my soul to God when I saw a city in the distance. It burned with copper fire, ever turret and minaret of perfect proportion. I thought such perfection must surely be an illusion, but when I reached the city gates they were solid and real, and not far beyond was a fountain of pure water. I thanked God for my deliverance and drank from the well. When I turned away, I realised I could not see the city gates, though I had not moved more than twenty paces inside. The city was perfect and deserted. The most beautiful city in the world was entirely unpopulated. I consoled myself that I was alive, and that such enchantments cannot long hold one of the faithful, though still I glanced about with increasing fearfulness. I finally came across a plaza that was not deserted, and the strangest part of my tale, most noble host, is yet to come.	A freeform inspired by the tales of the One Thousand and One Nights for 25 players. Allow 4 hours. Adult Content PG Characterisation 5 Genre Knowledge N/A Seriousness 3
Alt-Space	Discussion	A lot of space research these days is in the hands of small research groups, and the real space revolution is about getting things up cheap and may be on the verge of overtaking us. A detailed look at current efforts.
Writer and Artist Pas de Deux	Discussion	A writer working with an artist is like a pas de deux. But who leads?
Tolkiens Poetry	Discussion	Was Tolkiens poetry really that bad? Reading and debate.
Will the Road go ever on and on?	Discussion	Will the fanstasy doorstop era ever end? Is modern fantasy doomed to always be dominated by the 100,000+ word book that forms part of a series? Why does it have such a hold?
The Famous Person Story	Discussion	Fictionalising the life of real people. What are the challenges compared to creating your own characters? What are the rewards? How do you fit a character into fiction, especially weird fiction, without bending them out of shape?
It takes a superhero to make it in the comics industry	Discussion	Getting into the professional comics industry is hard, and staying in is impossible
Romance and SF	Discussion	Two genres that go together like,... ummm... two things that usually aren’t thought of together but that actually go quite nicely. Readers of either genre don’t seem to enthusiastic about the concept, but often embrace the reality.
Swancon History Project	Discussion	The progress of the Swancon history project.
Dr Who Panel	Discussion	Its coming back! They’ll have something new to talk to about this year!
Doth Music maketh the film?	Discussion	A discussion about film scores, and how a good score can heighten a film and help not just the mood by the storytelling.
Haiku challenge	Discussion	The results of the haiku challenge that has been running for the whole of the convention, including readings of the best (and possibly the worst)
Simon and Grant anticipate going to the Movies	Discussion	What is coming up in the world of movies, and what you should look forward to, and what we should fear.
Learning the Craft?	Discussion	Are writers group, writers workshops, etc worthwhile?
Why are we still scared?	Discussion	Why does supernatural horror still scare modern readers?
The Man Kzin Wars	Discussion	Hal Colebatch talks about his writing in the Man Kzin wars series, based on the works of Larry Niven, and reads excerpts.
Research - how much and how?	Discussion	How much to do? How much is too much? How do you know if its not enough? What are the sources?
Is SF about now?	Discussion	Should science fiction & fantasy be commentaries on today's social and political scene?
Panel Running for Dummies	Moderated Discussion	want to learn how to create program items for future conventions? Come along and get some tips from experienced programmers and panelists.	- ask panel their opinion ? expand - useful tips from panel veterans - mock panels ? games and role playing - presentation and entertainment
Everything that you ever wanted to know about running a convention	Moderated Discussion	Why do people run conventions ? What are the rewards ? What basic skill sets do you need ? What are some tips and pitfalls ? How do you get involved in running a convention ?	suggested representatives from Swancon 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004
Nerd Eye for the Mundane Guy	Moderated Discussion	Our fannish experts teach the mundane man how to become more fannish.
Questions of Aesthetics: Art or Crap?	Moderated Discussion	What makes the difference between acclaimed art, and just plain stuff? Can even professional artists tell the difference? What does this say about our modern conception of art?
The reverse of the coin: turning graphic into narrative	Moderated Discussion	Prose inspired by art. We let our artists give our producers of prose a starting point and see what happens.
Slash: innocent fun or vile perversion?	Moderated Discussion	Should slash be the fandom that dare not show its face in public, or is it all just a bit of fun? Or is it vile fun, or even innocent perversion? Is it the sex, or the copyright infringement we should be worried about? A chance for slash to justify itself to its critics, and a chance for its critics to condemn it.	Possibly a formal debate, in which case topic will be either "Slash is only innocent fun" or "Slash is a vile perversion."
Evil films	Presentation	A presentation about films you really shouldn’t watch.
Blade Attraction in Sci-fi / Fantasy	Presentation	- different weapons east/west - history of creation and use - culture of blade/weapon - code of practice (eg. Code of Bushido) - demonstration / basic hands on
Tim Burton: A retrospective	Presentation	A film-by-film look at Tim Burton's films, his influences and his style as writer, director and producer.
Tribute to Peter Cushing	Presentation	Taking a look some of his highlights in his long career in films and on television from Winston Smith BBCs 1984 (1954), Victor Frankenstein,Van Helsing, Sherlock Holmes to Star Wars. Peter Cushing has always been a gentleman of British screen.
H.G. Wells- the traveller of Time	Presentation	A presentation about the life of H.G. Wells and the way he forms his stories.
Planet of the Apres	Presentation	Take a look at the planet of the apes in different forms.
Collecting Childhood Memories	Presentation	What did we grow up with, how did we end up involved with Science Fiction fantasy and horror?
Blakes 7 after 25 Years.	Presentation	After 25 years looking back at the Terry Nation created BBC space opera.
Digging up the Past	Presentation
Where is animation heading?	Presentation	Where is the commercial animation market going? Will it all be CGI? Will there be any large 2d cel animation studios? Will Disney continue to be a major force?
Where are all the great cartoon series	Presentation	Take a look at older cartoons series, were they any good? And Todays Cartoon will they be great
Fantasy Food	Presentation	Looking at food as a fantasy art form - fairy castles, dragon cakes, gingerbread houses, a range of others. Look at techniques and materials, a how-to-get-started combined with this-is-what's-out-there. Also perhaps looking at opportunities to show off such creations, such as construct-your-own-dessert parties and how to run one. This panel would of course have pieces brought along for demonstration.
Fact or Fiction: Mixing imagination with life experiences in writing for the science market.	Presentation	John Long talks about his books, both fiction and non-fiction, and how he integrates writing from life experience with writing from imagination for the science market.
	Presentation
Comics Workshop	Workshop	Aspiring comics artists and writers can improve their skills.
Manga Drawing workshop	Workshop	Another drawing workshop, this time to hone your skills specificlaly at manga style art.
History of Henna	Workshop	Henna has been used for thousands of years to decorate the body, for religious and recreational purposes. Its not quite Scfi, but heaps of fun, and a great way to get to know people. I can do most any designs, or you can make your own and they'll last about 2 weeks.
Web Comics Workshop	Workshop	How to start a webcomic, the main idea is to offer hints to people wishing to start a web-comic or to those that may already have a webcomic and want a few ideas about how things can be done differently. It would work though the basics like design, web-sites, hosting, attracting traffic, development, possible directions and so on.
Instant Fanzine	Workshop	Enthusiastic fans create a fanzine before your very eyes, to be distributed before the end of the con.
As Others See Us...	Workshop	Does Fandom have an image problem? And if so, what can we - and should we? - do about it? Representations of fandom in the media are not exactly flattering. Looks at Bimbos of the Death Sun, Galaxy Quest; shows such as GBH, CIS, and Red Dwarf; news reports, etc.
Pritchard Play	Performance	A live enactment of one of Kathleen Pritchards plays
Time in the medieval period	Performance	How was time understood and represented in an earlier era?
Swancon Idol	Performance	Swancon members display their vocal talents.
An Evening With Edgar	Reading	a collection of classic edgar allen poe readings read by various individuals vith pleasing to the ear voices.
Real Person Slash Reading	Reading	Local Real person slash authors and fans read some RPS.	adults only panel
The Crazy (?) World of Phillip K. Dick	Reading	Phillip K. Dick was a peculiar but extraordinary man who wrote peculiar but extraordinary books. Learn about his writing, and why it is so astonishing that his work keeps being turned into Hollywood movies. Is he as crazy as he is painted?
If I ran the Zoo Con	Game	A game about the tradeoffs you make in running a convention, created by Worldcon veterans and published by the New England Science Fiction Association. Compete to run a convention, and see if your plans stand up to the sort of disasters that beset real conventions.
Kobold - The Charades	Game	An extraordinarily silly free form roleplaying experience.
Ironbrain Eye of Argon	Game	Its simple. Try to read the Eye of Argon, famed as the worst fantasy novel ever, aloud without laughing. What could be easier?
Hackmaster 101	Game	An introduction to the wide world of HackMaster, an rpg inspired by the Knights of the Dinner Table comic strip, and based off the 1st & 2nd Ed Dungeons and Dragons games. It blends an excellent combination of role-playing and roll-playing, because where else can you play a half-ogre fighter with a lisp and is clingy, or a half-elf bard that's tone deaf. This is not a game to take 100% seriously.