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Beneluxcon in Antwerp will feature two programme streams:
The Art of Writing and
The Art of Reading.
Our two Guests of Honour are Justina Robson and Charles Stross
The contours of our programme are getting clearer as I write this (end of August). Guests of Honour Justina Robson and Charlie Stross will ensure that you’ll enjoy some fireworks for the mind. Both will organise a workshop in addition to a speech. In panels, we will discuss the plums and pitfalls of writing as a professional, in England as well as in the Dutch speaking part of the world.
We will also let the genie out of the bottle for afficionados of more light-hearted activities, which we’ll bottle up again at the end of Sunday afternoon with a Vogon Poetry contest.
Justina Robson studied philosophy and linguistics at the University of York. She became a full-time writer after attending the Clarion West Writing Workshop and was first published in 1994 in the British ‘small press’ magazine The Third Alternative. Most of her seven novels, starting with Silver Screen in 1999, have been shortlisted for the Arthur C Clarke Award, the Philip K. Dick Award or the BSFA Award. Her first four novels are ‘hard’ space opera, exploring mankind’s identity when interfacing with machines and other augmentations & inhabiting a universe with beings that are further evolved than they are.
Robson’s three latest books form the Quantum Gravity series, mixing demons, elf rock stars, fairies, killer robots and cracks in space; the Quantum Gravity series is also appearing in a Dutch translation.
You’ll find her website at http://www.justinarobson.co.uk/
Charles Stross has sold sixteen novels and two story collections since 2001. His work includes post- singularity space opera, a near-future thriller, parallel timelines’ fantasy as well as the ‘Laundry’ cross- genre novels combining aspects of science fiction, Lovecraftian horror, and the classic British spy thriller. His novella "The Concrete Jungle" won the Hugo award in 2005. Accelerando won the 2006 Locus Award for best science fiction novel. Glasshouse won the 2007 Prometheus Award. He is doing his best to ensure that cheap and/or DRM-free ebook editions of his work are available wherever possible, and Accelerando" is available as a free promotional download for readers from accelando.org
Stross holds degrees in Pharmacy and Computer Science, and has worked at various times as a technical author, freelance journalist, programmer and pharmacist.
You’ll find his website at http://www.antipope.org/charlie/
Beneluxcon is held at the same time as Antwerp’s international Book Fair (www.boekenbeurs.be), the Lowlands’ major book event for the public, which attracts some 160,000 visitors and hundreds of authors to the city, and will give the place a special bookish buzz. There is a direct tram line between the Book Fair, held in Antwerp Expo, and the hotel: take tram 2 in direction Hoboken from the underground stop in front of the hotel.
Antwerp, City Of Beer
‘Will we all drink Heineken in 2020? The future of local special beers’.
Connaisseurs and others who enjoy fine tastes will leave on Friday evening for a stroll through the historic centre of Antwerp, past an into a few of the most colourful pubs in town, ending in sf pub ’t Waagstuk (the Gamble). This stroll will be accompanied by the chairman of the Antwerp Beer College ABC, who will amplify on his town, the pubs and the special beer which we will taste at every stop.
Banquet
The banquet will take place on Saturday night, at walking distance from the Hyllit hotel in ’t Waagstuk, Stadswaag 20. The banquet is a Brueghel table with special beers:
• pea soup like Granny made it
• traditional Ghent ‘waterzooi’ of chicken with Augustine beer
• Willebroekse ‘schep’ (horse stew) with Faro beer
• cod with saffron sauce
• veal with Witkap Stimulo beer
• black and white pudding with apple sauce
• rollmop (herring), smoked trout and sprats
• potato salad and various kinds of bread
• vegetable ring
• rice porridge
• various flans
• three special beers (or if preferred non-alcoholic drinks)
Registered members should have received their email copy of our Progress Report, which tells them how to register for the banquet, organized walks, a hotel room etc.
Beneluxcon 2010 is run by experienced Flemish & Dutch organisers, including Guido Eekhaut
(Programme), Roelof Goudriaan (Venue), Frank Beckers (Finance), Ad Oosterling (Dealers).
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