Friday

Workshop: Swordfighting

Lisa Lagergren

Want to learn the art of swordplay? Come find out how to do awesome things with the gentleman of weapons!

Watching it Ironically

Stephanie Lai, Dee Pirko, John Richards

So bad it’s good? So bad it’s really bad, but you promised to live-tweet it and you can’t back out now? A chance to confess that you secretly think Plan 9 From Outer Space had some redeeming qualities, or that you have every SyFy Original TV movie on DVD.

Games Room

Board and card games provided – or bring your own!

Continuum 101

Hespa, Nicole Canal, David McDonald, Brendan Podger

For anyone new or relatively new.

New in 2013

Danny Fahey, Richard Harland, George Ivanoff, Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff, Ander Louis, Cat Sparks

Debuts and new titles coming out in 2013. Come and hear the authors talk about their work.

Meet and Greet

If you’re new to Continuum, or just feeling social, come along and meet some people!

The Art of Cosplay

Hespa, Dorian Ellis, Rachel Holkner, Dee Pirko

From sewing to soldering to scrounging at Savers, people who like dressing up talk about how and why they do it (and how you can too).

Rants

m1k3y

Mutant Movies, Man & Machine

Opening Ceremony

Chronos Awards

The Great Debate

Paul Collins, George Ivanoff, N. K. Jemisin, Josh Kinal, Ian Mond, Katherine Phelps

Sure, science fiction might make space travel look glamorous, but what would it really be like? Would you rather bum around on a smelly space station or rattle around on a classic tramcar? Which is scarier – being lost in space or braving the Sandringham line after dark? Our quick-witted contestants debate: Public transport is more exciting than space travel.

Friday Night Cocktail Party

Wear your cocktail best and come hang out in the bar in the Ether Foyer! Nicely priced drinks at the open bar and a whole lot of fans, it’s a great way to start your Continuum weekend.

The Happiness Patrol: Squee v Hate

Liz Barr, George Ivanoff, Ben McKenzie, John Richards, Julia Svaganovic

Think Doctor Who jumped the shark when it went into colour? Wish Rose would come back forever? Do you have very strong feelings about Amy Pond? Join us for a fight to the death! Or, um, until we agree to disagree.

Effective Habits for Emerging Authors

Pete Aldin, Steve Cameron, Amie Kaufman, Michael Pryor, Michael Pryor

So you want to be an author. You have an idea, you have a word processor … maybe you need another cup of coffee? How to overcome procrastination, interact with readers and other authors and generally be a pro.

Reinventing the Fairy Tale

Danny Fahey, Stephanie Lai, Amanda Pillar, David Witteveen

Folk tales have always changed to suit the era and culture in which they’re being told, but more than ever, we’re seeing deliberately revisionist accounts of classic fairy tales. How do they change? How do they stay the same? What do they tell us about our own culture?

Screening: The Hunt for Gollum

Written, starring and filmed by fans, this is a prequel to The Lord of the Rings in the style of Peter Jackson.

Talking Shadows

Robert Datson, Talie Helene, Robert Hood, Kirstyn McDermott, Jason Nahrung

Winners of the Australian Shadows Award for horror fiction talk about work and careers, read from their winning publications and take your questions.

Sci-Fi With Subtitles

m1k3y, Liz Barr, Nicole Canal, Stephanie Lai

Great speculative fiction is by no means limited to the Anglophone world. From Chinese steampunk to Swedish robots, a look at the best genre films and television in languages other than English.