You can now keep up to date with Aussiecon 4 news, announcements and chat over at Twitter (Aussiecon4) and Facebook (Aussiecon4).

Aussiecon4 has a travel livejournal set up for Aussiecon 4 members to exchange travel tips, hints and information  - a4_travel 

Aussiecon 4's Author Guest of Honor has several enlightening videos exploring his philosophy of environmentalism, climate, and social organization.
.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-jz86gMiHw
1:14:56 Speech before friendly Google employees, good place to start.

http://oregonstate.edu/media/tgchw
54:51 Speech at Oregon S.U. about "The Commons." Social and economic justice vs private property and the free market.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaIR2Y0eZyM
1:05:41 Speech at Missouri State U.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAu5PD4OS-w
28:53 Literary interview at UCSD. Robinson has his PhD in Literature.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eueCR1KvdBM
8:34 Fannish interview at Norwescon 30, also with Greg Bear and Gordon Van Gelder

Orbit has agreed to a three-book deal with internationally bestselling author and Aussiecon 4 GoH Kim Stanley Robinson. The first novel, scheduled for publication in 2012, has the working title 2312.

For more information, visit the Orbit website.

If you are planning to stand for GUFF then nominations are due to close at midnight (GMT) on Friday 13th November. The candidates are due to be announced at some point during Sunday 15th November.

If you have been thinking about standing and have been umming and ahhing about it then you really do need to contact me before Friday. It is a wonderful opportunity and I would hate for you to miss it because you thought you had lots more time. Also: I can delay the announcement if I have good reason (i.e someone did want to stand but hadn't heard back from a nominator in time) BUT ONLY IF YOU TELL ME.

lister@liv.ac.uk for GUFF race communication, please. More details on the website:

http://pcwww.liv.ac.uk/~lister/guff/

Aussiecon 4 Guest of Honour Shaun Tan’s award-winning book The Arrival has been transformed into a wordless stage production, which is to be performed as part of the 2010 Sydney Festival.



More information is available via The Sydney Festival webpage .
(Photo taken from Sydney Festival webpage)

The New York Times Book Review has a glowing review of Aussiecon 4 GoH Shaun Tan's Tales from Outer Suburbia. The first sentence of the review calls him a genius!

We cannot go to Australia in 2010.  Alas.

Two attending memberships for sale.  $160 USD each.

Paypal accepted.

Thanks!

Comprehensive information about disability services at Aussiecon 4, the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre and Melbourne in general is now available from the Aussiecon 4 website.

Fares to Australia from North America and Europe are historically low right now thanks to airlines newly
entering the market. You can book your ticket 330 days ahead of your return date so consider buying
your tickets now - fare wars don't last forever!

It is with great pleasure that the committee of Aussiecon 4 send their birthday greetings and best wishes to author Ursula Le Guin as she celebrates her 80th birthday on October 21 (US/Terran time).
 
Ms Le Guin was the Guest of Honour at Aussiecon, the first worldcon held in Australia in 1975, where her novel The Dispossessed won the Hugo Award for Best Novel.  She is held in great esteem by those lucky enough to see her at that convention, and we consider ourselves fortunate that she is still producing such fine work as her most recent novel Lavinia.
 
May she have many more such celebrations.
 
Happy Birthday.
 
Perry Middlemiss
Co-Chair Aussiecon 4
(on behalf of the committee)
 

Aussiecon 4 is now taking bookings for the Art Show and the Dealers Room.

Please see the relative pages under the Exhibits section.

Please direct any queries to Steve Francis (Dealers Room Manager) or Emma Hawkes (Art Show Curator).

We're looking for a person to provide Admin Support to our agents, based all over the world. The commitment required would probably be no more than 2-3 hours a month if that. We're looking for a someone with organisational and PA/customer service skills.

Interested parties should contact Rose Mitchell for further info – rose.mitchell@aussiecon4.org.au

Will there be a membership list? I was reading Publishers' Weekly and noticed that a new author, Erica Hayes, had written an urban fantasy that takes place in Melbourne. I was hoping that she would be in attendence since her novel is about Melbourne.

Nominations are now open for the 2010 Down Under Fan Fund a.k.a. DUFF. Prospective candidates will have until January 31st 2010 to file the documents required to have one’s name placed in nomination and added to the ballot. The ballots will be published and distributed in early February, 2010. The voting period will run from February 10th thru March 31st, 2010.

Candidates should file the following documents:

A brief letter stating one’s intent to run for DUFF 2010.

Five letters of nomination, three from North America and two from Australia or New Zealand. E-mailed letters are acceptable.

A 100 word or less platform statement specifying the candidate’s reasons for running and qualifications for becoming the 2010 DUFF delegate.

An entry fee of $25.00USD (which will be added to the current DUFF account).

The duties of the winning candidate will be as follows:

Travel to Australia and attend Aussiecon 4, the 68th World Science Fiction Convention on September 2-6, 2010 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Visit and get to know as many Australian Science Fiction fans as time will permit.

Become the DUFF administrator for the term running from Aussiecon 4 thru the 51st Australian National Convention (NatCon) to be held in 2012.

Raise funds and maintain an account to be used by the next southbound delegate(s) in 2012.

Publish a trip report covering the time of one’s travels in Australia and attendance at the convention.

Please send all documents and fees to the current DUFF administrators:

Steve and Sue Francis
PO Box 58009
Louisville KY 40268-0009
sjf1138@aol.com
sfsue@aol.com

GUFF is the Going Under (or Get Up and Over) Fan Fund and transports Fans from Europe to Australasia (and vice versa). Nominations are now open for the Southbound race to transport an European fan (or fans) to Aussiecon 4 the 68th World Science Fiction Convention in Melbourne, Australia.

If you wish to stand please contact me at the postal or email address below. You will need three European and two Australasian nominators, a 100 word platform as well as a bond of £15 (25 AUD). If you wish to stand and are unsure about how to go about getting any of these things, what the fund pays for or the duties of a GUFF delegate then feel free to contact me in confidence at the email address below.

Nominations are open until the Friday before Novacon 39 (13th November) and candidates will be announced on the Sunday (15th November). Voting will then run until the Monday of Eastercon 2010.

Please disseminate widely.

Ang Rosin
email: lister@liv.ac.uk
post: 26 Hermitage Grove, Bootle, Merseyside, L20 6DR, UK.
http://pcwww.liv.ac.uk/~lister/guff/

I was wondering when hotel information will be available. I realize that it is too early to actually make reservations, but I would like to know the rates at least so that I know how much I'll be spending. And knowing which hotels will be the convention hotels would also be nice.