Conferences/Events
The SFF has organized several conferences as well as sponsoring other events and collaborating with sister organizations. Below is a list of past and present activities.
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1975
Science fiction festival organised by Ted Polhemus at the Institute for Contemporary Arts.
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A series of lectures programmed by Peter Nicholls of the SFF and subsequently published as Science Fiction at Large (Harper & Row, 1977). Contributors included John Brunner, Edward de Bono, Philip K. Dick, Thomas M. Disch, Alan Garner, Harry Harrison, Ursula Le Guin, Robert Sheckley, John Taylor and Alvin Toffler.
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1976
Science Fiction Goes to School
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A TV documentary made for the BBC's Open Door commissioning slot, presented by Peter Nicholls, and featuring Thomas M. Disch.
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1996
Speaking Science Fiction
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Conference organised jointly by the SFF and the University of Liverpool to celebrate the re-opening of the SFF Collection. A volume of essays was published as Speaking Science Fiction: Dialogues and Interpretations, eds. Andy Sawyer and David Seed (Liverpool University Press, 2000).
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2000
The Profession of Science Fiction
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Held at Birmingham's Gas Hall, this special panel, celebrating Foundation's long-running series, was chaired by Edward James and featured Peter F. Hamilton, John Jarrold, Rog Peyton and David Pringle.
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2001
Television and the Fantastic
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Conference organised by Farah Mendlesohn and Nickianne Moody on behalf of the SFF, and held at Liverpool John Moores University.
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2001
A Celebration of British Science Fiction
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Conference organised by the SFF. A selection of essays was published in Foundation 93 (2005), edited by Andrew M. Butler, Farah Mendlesohn and Andy Sawyer; simultaneously published in the Foundation Studies series. The Guests of Honour were Brian Aldiss, Stephen Baxter, Nicola Griffith, Gwyneth Jones and Ken MacLeod.
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2002
The annual SFRA conference was co-organised by Andrew M. Butler and Farah Mendlesohn on behalf of the SFF. The three-day event was held in New Lanark, Scotland from 28-30 June. The conference programme is available here.
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2002
Children's Fantasy Fiction
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Conference held at the University of Reading and co-organised by the Association for Research in Popular Fiction and the SFF. A selection of papers was published in Foundation 88 (2003).
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2004
A Commonwealth of Science Fiction
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International conference organised by the SFF. It was held at the Foresight Centre, Liverpool from 5-8 August.
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2005
The Matter of Britain
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The SFF organised the academic track at the 63rd Worldcon. A selection of the papers can be read here.
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2011
Out of This World: Science Fiction But Not as You Know It
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British Library exhibition on science fiction guest-curated by Andy Sawyer, SFF Librarian. Read the press release here. See Mark Kermode's feature for BBC 2's Culture Show and China Mieville's tour of the exhibition for BBC News.
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2013
Swords, Sorcery, Sandals and Space: Fantastika and the Classical World
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Three-day conference held at the University of Liverpool's Foresight Centre. Organised on behalf of the SFF by Tony Keen. A selection of papers was published in Foundation 118 (2014).
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2014
Diversity in Speculative Fiction
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Academic track at Loncon3, the 72nd Worldcon (14-18 August), sponsored by the SFF. Organized by Emma England. Selections of papers were published in Foundation 121 and Foundation 122 (both 2015).
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2014
Strangers in Strange Lands
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Two-day conference on science fiction and anthropology, held at the University of Kent, and part-funded by the SFF. A conference report was published in Foundation 120 (2015) followed by a version of Gwyneth Jones's keynote, 'Aliens in the 21st Century', in Foundation 125 (2016).
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2016
Science Fiction Research Association
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The University of Liverpool and the SFF Collection played host to the annual SFRA conference. Organised by Chris Pak and Will Slocombe. A conference report was published in Foundation 124 (2016).
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2019
77th Worldcon at Dublin
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The SFF sponsored a science poster competition as part of the academic track. Organised by Shana Worthen.
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2020
Sum Tyms Bytin Sum Tyms Bit
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Online celebration of Russell Hoban's Riddley Walker, part-funded by the SFF. The sessions can be viewed here and the video contributions by, amongst others, David Mitchell and Max Porter can be viewed here. A recording of Amy Cutler's live performance is available here. Organised by Andrew M. Butler, Feral Practice, Paul March-Russell and Sonia Overall.
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2022
When It Changed: Women in SF/F since 1972
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Online conference co-organised by Kathryn Heffner and Paul March-Russell, in partnership with the University of Glasgow's Centre for Fantasy and the Fantastic and Games and Gaming Lab. Keynote speakers: Cheryl Morgan, Joy Sanchez-Taylor and Lisa Yaszek. The programme is available here.
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2024
A Billion and Fifty Year Spree: Science Fiction and Its Histories 'after' Aldiss
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Symposium at the University of Liverpool organised by Will Slocombe in partnership with the SFF. Keynote speakers: Paul Kincaid and Lisa Yaszek. A selection of papers was published in Foundation 149.
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2024
Women in the Black Fantastic
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Online conference organised by Paul March-Russell in partnership with Anglia Ruskin University's Centre for Science Fiction and Fantasy. Keynote speakers: Nyasha Mugavazi and Ebony Elizabeth Thomas. The programme can be found here.​​​​
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