Speculating on SpecFic: How Imaginary Worlds Influence Our Own
Event Details
When science fiction and fantasy authors talk about “worldbuilding”, people usually assume it means the craft of building imaginary worlds to set stories in. But
Event Details
When science fiction and fantasy authors talk about “worldbuilding”, people usually assume it means the craft of building imaginary worlds to set stories in. But worldbuilding can and does apply in real life too. We are collectively creating our modern world every day—and speculative fiction plays a surprisingly strong part in that! Join authors Peter Counter, K.J. Aiello, and moderator Amanda Leduc as they explore how sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and other SpecFic helps to shape our social and cultural imagination, and the ways that can empower us to build a better tomorrow.
Speakers for this event
-
Amanda Leduc
Amanda Leduc
Moderator
Amanda Leduc is the author of the novel THE CENTAUR’S WIFE and the non-fiction book DISFIGURED: ON FAIRY TALES, DISABILITY, AND MAKING SPACE, which was shortlisted for the 2020 Governor General’s Award in Nonfiction. She is also the author of an earlier novel, THE MIRACLES OF ORDINARY MEN. Her new novel, WILD LIFE, is forthcoming in spring 2025. She has cerebral palsy and lives in Hamilton, Ontario.
Moderator
-
K.J. Aiello
K.J. Aiello
K.J. Aiello is a mentally ill, award-winning writer based in Toronto, ON. Their work has appeared in the Globe and Mail, Toronto Life, Chatelaine, The Walrus, and This Magazine. They are still waiting for their very own dragon. Sadly, this has not happened, so their cats will have to suffice.
-
Peter Counter
Peter Counter
Peter Counter writes about television, video games, film, music, mental illness, horror, technology, and the occult. He is the author of two essay collections that blend criticism and memoir: How to Restore a Timeline: On Violence and Memory (2023, House of Anansi) and Be Scared of Everything: Horror Essays (2020, Invisible Publishing). His nonfiction has also appeared in The Walrus, All Lit Up, Motherboard, Art of the Title, Electric Literature, Open Book, and the anthology Empty the Pews: Stories of Leaving the Church (2019, Epiphany Publishing). He lives in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, with his spouse and two cats.
Books
Be Scared of Everything
AuthorPeter Counter
Disfigured
On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space
AuthorAmanda Leduc
The Centaur's WIfe
AuthorAmanda Leduc
The Monster and the Mirror
Mental Illness, Magic, and the Stories We Tell
AuthorK.J. Aiello
