Finncon 2015 in Turku

Another thing that was discussed on Sunday (besides the Worldcon bid) was Finncon 2015. No longer on hold because of a possibility of a Worldcon in Finland in 2015, there’s been some initial discussion for a Finncon 2015 in Turku. We’re still in the planning and committee forming stage, but there’s definite interest in holding a Finncon here. We’ve also had lots of interest and support from the rest of the Finnish fandom, and are looking around for possible venues, so things are looking good.

Our plan is to hold a Finncon that will reach out to the international fandom, and to welcome everyone who was looking forward to coming to Finland in 2015 to come to Finncon!

There’s not much to report yet (as I said, still in the planning phase), but you can follow @finncon2015 on Twitter (and this space as well), and we’ll be sure to let you know when we have something more.

Lecture on Science Fiction Movies in Turku

Kimmo Ahonen is giving a public lecture in Turku on Monday, October 21. The topic is his PhD thesis, aliens in the 1950s science fiction movies as material for a historian studying the Cold War.

The talk takes place at Studio in the City Library main building, starting at 6 PM. It is part of the “History now” series, organised by the Turku Historical Society.

Helsinki Bids for Worldcon (Again)

The word got out a couple of hours ago, but now it is official: Helsinki is bidding again to bring Worldcon to Finland, this time going for 2017.

There was a meeting of fandom today in Turku, where lots of future plans were discussed and starting the bid was decided (so this time it wasn't a drive-by shooting decision). The bid website will be helsinkiin2017.org (once the DNS records have been updated), and you can follow the bid events on Twitter (@helsinkiin2017) and Facebook as well.

The initial press release follows.

October 13, 2013 Helsinki, Finland

Finland Bids for Worldcon in 2017

We are excited to announce that the Finnish fandom has today met and agreed to bid for Worldcon in Helsinki in 2017. Our proposed venue is the Messukeskus, Expo and Convention Centre Helsinki, and we will be bidding for the convention to take place in August, 2017.

The Chair of the bid will be Eemeli Aro with Karoliina Leikomaa acting as the Project Manager of the bid. The initial bid committee at the moment consists of Crystal Huff, Jukka Halme and Hanna Hakkarainen.

With the support of the rest of the Finnish fandom and our many friends from all over the world, we are determined to work towards bringing our corner of the world to Worldcon.

The year 2017 will also be special for the Finns: it will be the 100th anniversary of Finland's independence. We hope to celebrate it with all of you at Worldcon in Helsinki!

Eemeli Aro
Juha Autero
Tuomas Colliander
Hanna Hakkarainen
Jukka Halme
Benedict Hirvi
Crystal Huff
Tomi Junnila
Pasi Karppanen
Sanna Kellokoski
Harri Kiiskinen
Karo Leikomaa
Susanna Leppälahti
Mika Loponen
Hanne Martelius
Mitja "WuMing" Mieskolainen
Sini Neuvonen
Sari Polvinen
Ben Roimola
Mikko Seppänen
Vesa Sisättö
Shimo Suntila
Vilgot Strömsholm
Jukka Särkijärvi
Elisa Wiik
Tero Ykspetäjä 

www: http://helsinkiin2017.org
Twitter: @helsinkiin2017

FILI Award to Leena Krohn

The Finnish Literature Society has given their annual Aleksis Kivi Fund award to Leena Krohn.

Krohn receives the cash prize of 15,000 € in recognition of her lifetime work of high quality, ethically non-compromising literature. Krohn started publishing in 1970 an is still active. The jury commends the blend of scientific rationality and surrealist fantasy in her works that also ponder serious ethical questions and cares for the state of nature.

More info is available from FILI.

An English translation of Krohn’s Datura just came out, and is available as an ebook.

Photo by Soppakanuuna on Wikimedia Commons.

Datura

Leena Krohn’s novel Datura is out in English from Cheeky Frawg. You can get the ebook from Wizard’s Tower and other quality ebook stores.

Smoffing on Sunday

Next Sunday there will be an extra co-operation meeting for Finndom (or Finnsmofcon as I’ve taken to calling them). The point of the meeting is to plan and discuss various future events and projects. So far, these include at least the initial ideas for organising a Finncon in Turku in 2015, presentation about a completely new convention concept, and discussion on possible future Worldcon bids. So, if you find yourself in Turku next weekend and want to participate in con running discussion, welcome to Turku-sali (Yo-talo A, 2. krs) at 1 PM!

More info on the event is on Facebook. If you’ll be participating, please sign up at the meeting Doodle so we know who will be there!

Diversity Talk Next Week

In Helsinki next week: South African author Suzanne van Rooyen is giving a talk called Diversity in Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy. The talk examines why science fiction and fantasy is slow to evolve, why these genres are prone to white- and straight-washing, and why it is vital that young adult literature embrace diversity.

The event takes place in Arkadia International Bookshop next Tuesday, October 8, at 6 PM.