Gillian Polack's Blog, page 297

AussieCon day 1

Today was breathless. I've seen a bunch of wonderful people face to face who I only knew computer to computer. There wasn't any decent time to chat, though, and fred_mouse didn't even get that, as she found me when I was trying to do three things at once and I finally worked out who she was after we'd both moved on. I hope she'll forgive my slowness-of-mind and we can sit down and talk properly sometime during AussieCon!

The Baggage launch was lovely, though Mr Dann and I got up to a great ...

gillpolack @ 2010-09-01T13:18:00

One last post for Wednesday. It's Indigenous Literacy Day. Check it out.

Now I have officially run out of time and am panic struck.

AussieCon - avoiding Gillian (the abbreviated version)

I'm short, so I need to post a short version of the guide to how to avoid me during AussieCon. Everything except my height is subject to change.

Thursday 1 pm Borders South Wharf Baggage launch (food! And quite a few wonderful writers! And books!)

Thursday 3 pm Rm 214: Writers and their history: how writers use and view the historical aspects of their settings (watch for the ending!)

Thursday 4 pm Room 219 Minotaurs in space helmets: Using myth in science fiction (where Alan Baxter and I are...

AussieCon reminders

It was too hot to get much sleep last night. I mean, it never got below five degrees. How shocking is that? And today is Spring, so I may never sleep again. Lack of sleep has nothing to do with AussieCon...

I need to remind people that until after Rosh Hashanah, the best way (the only sure way) to contact me is by email.

I need to remind people that I don't have a mobile phone (which is a dratted nuisance right now) and that the best way to find me at AussieCon is to turn up to something I'm...

gillpolack @ 2010-08-31T22:30:00

The abstracts for the AussieCon academic papers are up - I so need to see what everyone else is saying. I know what I'm saying, though I can be bribed to change the ending.

gillpolack @ 2010-08-31T17:50:00

I just this minute finished the last of the must-do work before AussieCon. There was less than there should have been because some of it was past its use-by date, but I'm so relieved to be through that particular block of work that I'm not complaining.

I've still got a few emails to answer (all the ones that need long answers, basically) and a bit more packing. Other than that, there's only a vast amount of housework and a half day's teaching between me and my first World SF Convention.

After ...

gillpolack @ 2010-08-30T22:43:00

Only four things on my list! Maybe I'll blog something interesting tomorrow. Or maybe I'll blog about dishwashing and laundry and the other inspiring elements of everyday life.

Right now I'm wondering if it's legal in AussieCon Academic terms to finish my paper with a two minute silence so that everyone can imagine their own conclusion. Or maybe I could replace it with something else. I used to be able to do a fine rendition of the first stanza of Jabberwocky in French (or the whole thing i...

gillpolack @ 2010-08-30T19:16:00

Today is list-day (again). I worked until an unholy hour last night and suddenly found a bunch of things that I hadn't done and that needed doing before I leave for AussieCon. So far my exceptionally interesting activities have included a visit to the bank, to the post office, to the dentist. Also a discussion with a friend on the qualities of charity and need. I've written an article and sorted out the fixed points for AussieCon (the places I must be at). I've written far too many emails...

Books by Canberra spec fic writers

This isn't a complete list. Some of the writers volunteered details, other details were chased up by Elizabeth Fitzgerald or myself. I thought it was about time someone made a list. Bunches of these books will be available at AussieCon. It's alphabetic by first name and the formating is exceptionally inconsistent, just to tangle vulnerable minds.

Donna Maree Hanson Australian Speculative Fiction: A Genre Overview Aust Speculative Fiction, Canberra 2005 0975721704

Gillian Polack (ed with Sc...

gillpolack @ 2010-08-29T19:00:00

I've just had a beautifully refreshing day out. It was work-related, but it was my food history side and just what I needed to shake off some of the overwork from my writer-historian sides. A food expert/tourism expert/really nice guy took me here: http://www.braidwoodmade.com.au/

We talked for ages with the owners. The Watkins-Sullys are terrific. They were very happy to talk about the history, and so we did. I know way more than I did about the district. Reidsdale's interesting. Beautiful ...