(Dis)ease of the i-Mortal
Virtual Futures presents Near-Future Fictions Vol. 04 on the theme of ‘(Dis)ease of the i-Mortal.’
Born of earth or brought back from far away, biological or viral invasions or diseases can affect humans on any scale; from protecting or plaguing an individual to becoming an epidemic that affects us all. Our authors take on a topic that Literature has meditated on from its inception; from Defoe’s Journal of the Plague Year, to Mary Shelley’s The Last Man, to Marquez’s 100 Years of Solitude, to Camus’s The Plague, to King’s The Stand.
They will show us the good, the bad, but not the bland; and predict the future of infection and infestation in any of its various forms. What is the nature of the diseases, contagions or contaminations have in store?
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 Geoff Ryman, Science Fiction Author
Geoff is a multi-award winning author of science fiction and non-fiction, including the Arthur C Clarke Award twice and the Philip K Dick Memorial Award. He is the author of the series in Strange Horizons, “100 African Writers of SFF” which won the 2017 British Science Fiction Association Award for Best Non-Fiction.
Authors & Contributors
Allen Ashley: “Do Not Exceed Stated Dose”
Allen Ashley is a British Fantasy Award winner. He is the author or editor of fourteen published books, the most recent being the updated version of his novel “The Planet Suite” (Eibonvale Press, 2016). He works as a critical reader and creative writing tutor. He runs Clockhouse London Writers.
Antoine Saint Honore: “Cholesterol 5.9 BigFLY”
Antoine Saint Honore studied Literature at University. For many (pleasant) years he worked as a receptionist. Since 1998 he has been writing a book about Goa and the death drive. He is very influenced by Borges, Isabelle Eberhardt and Basho. He once had the support of a literary agent but failed (through extreme slowness) to supply precis/sample chapters when asked.
C. R. Dudley: “Toxic Duck Inc”
C.R. Dudley is a visual artist, writer, and mind-explorer. She is fascinated by the human psyche, particularly the way future tech might affect our ontology. Her recently published collection, Fragments of Perception and Other Stories, has been described as ‘a philosophical masterpiece’ and a ‘labyrinth of psycho-techno thrills’. Her first novel is planned for release later this year.
David Turnbull: “The War that Ended Yesterday”
David Turnbull is Scottish by birth but has lived in London most of his adult life. He is a member of the Clockhouse London group of genre writers. He writes mainly short fiction and has had numerous short stories published in magazines and anthologies.
Ian Steadman: “Transmissions from the Vitality Pod”
Ian Steadman is a writer from the south of England. His fiction appears in Black Static, Unsung Stories, Speculative 66 and The Year’s Best Body Horror, amongst others.
Jessica Laine: “L-One-LY Virus”
How do we determine causation? This and other questions about disease plague Jessica Laine’s visceral brain. She recently joined Imperial College London as a postdoctoral researcher, after completing her PhD in Epidemiology and moving across the pond from the US. Her work usually graces the pages of scientific journals, but she is seeking to expand into fictional and poetic prose to express thoughts on humanity and philosophy.
Mark Huntley-James: “Fat of the Land”
Mark Huntley-James has a PhD in Physics, worked in R&D and then financial software, as well as doing the usual mundane things like traditional English clog dance, amateur theatre stage crew, keeping bees, historical re-enactment, and writing science-fiction and fantasy. He lives on a small farm in Cornwall with his partner and a menagerie of cats, poultry and sheep.
Stephen Oram: “The Queen’s Heart”
Curators
Allen Ashley is a British Fantasy Award winner. He is the author or editor of fourteen published books, the most recent being the updated version of his novel “The Planet Suite” (Eibonvale Press, 2016). He works as a critical reader and creative writing tutor. He runs Clockhouse London Writers.
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.