The MSFC (Melbourne Science Fiction Club) ran a fabulous Minicon last Saturday. If you run or are a member of a science fiction club in Melbourne then you should have been there. If you’re not a member of a science fiction club and want to consider joining one you should have been there and if you’re just interested in science fiction then you should have been there. Basically, it was a must attend event for all interested in science fiction.
I was there selling books. I had a table full of Science Fiction and Fantasy magaines, Fantastic Stories, If Science Fiction and some Analogue magazines. On my right was a man selling off some of his Star Wars collection, on my left was the Doctor Who Fan Club of Victoria. We also had SpacedOut, the Australian Science Fiction Foundation, Austrek, Scienceworks, Andromeda Spaceways In Flight Magazine, Slow Glass books and maybe Star Walking, but I don’t recall seeing them.
I’ll expand on these clubs at a later date and try and get a representative to come along and talk about their club as well.
I had a fabulous time. I was in the perfect position to see and hear the Guest of Honour, Kim Westwood, the author of The Daughters of Moab. She read parts of her book and also answered questions. I think she asked more questions than she answered. I’ll be adding this book to my reading list and you’ll see a review in due course.
I’m not excited by Trivia Quizes and tend not to join in. I was able to watch from my table and listen to people answering the questions very loudly and very wrongly in order to put off their opponents. The answer ’42’ came up many times. There was much laughter and hilarity. I was very surprised to find I could answer many more questions than usual. I’m sure that’s due to my knowledge and not the simplicity of the questions. It was great fun.
The MSFC run one of these every year. Situated in a church hall in Brunswick the cost is low and the fun level is high. Put it in your calendar for next year to check out their website before April so you don’t miss it. Better yet, join the MSFC so you know exactly what is happening. Here’s the url for you: http://msfc.sf.org.au