Virtual Futures presents Near-Future Fictions on the theme of 'Virtual Persons.'
The digital world is a personality playground that offers us an unprecedented ability to curate and create a public persona — but what does this ability mean for the future of personhood? As the digital world expands around us and the Internet of Things combines the physical and virtual do we have a moral obligation to represent ourselves with truth and integrity in the digital realm, or should we view it as an opportunity to explore new and radical ontologies?
Join us for an evening that incorporates original reading, performance and live art as Virtual Futures continues its mission to to reassert the significance of science fiction as a tool for navigating the increasing technologization of society and culture.
Special Presentation
Keynote Presentation by Laurie Penny, Writer
Laurie Penny is an award-winning journalist, essayist, public speaker, writer, activist*, internet nanocelebrity and author of six books, including Unspeakable Things (Bloomsbury 2014), Everything Belongs To The Future (Tor, 2016) and Bitch Doctrine (Bloomsbury, 2017). Laurie writes essays, columns, features and gonzo journalism about politics, social justice, pop culture, feminism, technology and mental health. When she gets time, she also writes creepy political science fiction.
Authors & Contributors
A C Tyger: “Aldebaran”
Anne McKinnon: “Memory Inc.”
Britta Schulte: “iDentity”
C R Dudley: “The Test”
Jamie Watt: “Conjugal Frape”
Jane Norris: “Beautiful Mirror Being”
Marc Böhlen: “With a robot on the last day”
Sophie Sparham: “Concrete Genocide”
Stephen Oram: “From Dust to Digital and Back”
Curators
Britta Schulte is a PhD student by day and a science-fiction writer at night. She thinks about the technologies we have, those we are likely to get and those we might not want. She publishes on wattpad.com as well as in zines online and in print
Stephen Oram writes science fiction. He’s been a hippie-punk, religious-squatter and a bureaucrat-anarchist; he thrives on contradictions. He has two published novels, Quantum Confessions and Fluence and is in several anthologies. His recent collection, Eating Robots and Other Stories, was described by the Morning Star as one of the top radical works of fiction in 2017.
Schedule
18:30pm - 19:00pm: Registration & Drinks19:00pm - 19:25pm: Special Presentation by Laurie Penny19:25pm - 19:45pm: Science Fiction Readings19:45pm - 20:00pm: Break20:00pm - 20:30pm: Science Fiction Readings20:30pm - Close: Drinks & Networking
About the Venue
The LIBRARY London is a members' club tailored to the design, literary and theatre worlds. Find out more: http://LIB-RARY.com
Follow the Discussion
Follow the discussion on Twitter here: #VFFiction @VirtualFutures
More Information
Virtual Futures (Est.1994) is a Community Interest Company (CIC). Ticket sales help to cover costs of the event including filming and documentation.
