Steampunk Thursday: Asylum Steampunk Festival 2016

Despite having given attendees a sneak preview of Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland at the Asylum last year, I'm afraid that I'm not actually attending the event this year. (It seems that every event this year clashes with some other commitment.) However, if you are there, there are a number of literary-themed events that you should check out.

HOW NOT TO WRITE A STEAMPUNK NOVEL
WHEN: 27th August 2016 @ 11:00 am – 11:45 am
WHERE: Cathedral Centre
Join Steampunk author, Rob Harkess, as he shares his experiences to educate and inform those who wish to undertake this perilous enterprise.

TELOS PUBLISHING – MEET AND MERCH
WHEN: 27th August 2016 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
WHERE: Castle
Thanks to the lovely team at Telos Publishing, Asylum goers will be able to purchase some of their titles at very special Festival rates. Joining them are Sam Stone, bestselling and award-winning author of the Vampire Gene series, the Kat Lightfoot Steampunk adventure series and the Jinx Chronicles alien invasion Series. Also attending will be Raven Dane, another award-winning author and popular Asylum speaker. Top DOCTOR WHO historian and author David J Howe will also be on hand with copies of several factual tomes associated with the series. So come along and browse some great titles, chat to the people to publish, edit, write and create the books, and pick up some bargains!

STEAM IS MY MIDDLE NAME
WHEN: 27th August 2016 @ 1:30 pm – 2:00 pm
WHERE: Assembly Rooms
Join the quizmaster for some frantic buzzer action, as our Steampunk authors and members of the audience take on the ultimate fun quiz on Steampunk writings. One to watch, or possibly take part in if you can drag yourself away from the latest Steampunk tome. (I wonder if Pax Britannia will feature in any of the questions?)

A HISTORY OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE FROM GRAVITY NULLIFICATION TO THE OUTBREAK OF THE MODERN WAR (1843-1911)
WHEN: 27th August 2016 @ 3:30 pm – 4:15 pm
WHERE: Cathedral Centre
Steampunk author, Steve Turnbull, takes you on a journey through the alternate history of his Steampunk worlds. Discover something new and let your imagination take a holiday on someone else’s planet.

I’M SORRY, I HAVEN’T A STEAMPUNK
WHEN: 28th August 2016 @ 12:15 pm – 1:00 pm
WHERE: Assembly Rooms
Time for a round of Mornington Crescent, but we’ll be using the 1905 Rules! Join our panel of Steampunk authors, as they try to work out if they can be as funny as a bunch of comedians.

STEAMPUNK INSPIRATION
WHEN: 28th August 2016 @ 1:00 pm – 1:45 pm
WHERE: Cathedral Centre
Take it where you can get it and make it your own. This thoughtful and informative session will look at where the inspiration comes from and where it can take you. Literature, comics, TV, Literature, comics, TV, games and film, all have crossover and “mash-up” opportunities, so how do you take your Steampunk?

HOW TO BUILD A STEAMPUNK NATION
WHEN: 28th August 2016 @ 3:00 pm – 3:45 pm
WHERE: Cathedral Centre
No, we are not planning a revolution, but whether you are creating a backstory or writing a novel, creating your own steampunk nation is a fun exercise, and a much better time-waster than the Internet!

SAM STONE AND GUESTS
WHEN: 28th August 2016 @ 4:00 pm – 4:45 pm
WHERE: Cathedral Centre
Join author Sam Stone, as she brings together a panel of Steampunk authors to talk about the creation process, how to get published and what projects they are currently working on that might be your next big summer read.

Interestingly, this year there is also a discussion about Dieselpunk, which is one of the influences on The Wicked Wizard of Oz...

MORE ANACHRONISTIC HISTORY – FORWARD UNTO DIESELPUNK
WHEN: 27th August 2016 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
WHERE: Assembly Rooms
Steampunks love to explore and discover new things and with proliferation of time travel and other temporal experimentation they will eventually either by design or accident find themselves viewing something that is not quite steampunk but oddly familiar and very intriguing. Come along and find out more as the Major lifts the veil and peers at the world of dieselpunk.

And don't forget to visit the Telos Publishing stand and Steampunk Authors' stand at the Steampunk Market.