Curated by festival director Alan Baxter, the 2023 Speculative Fiction Festival program boasted some of Australia’s best fantasy, sci-fi and horror authors, discussing everything from craft and inspiration to publishing and industry.

‘Particularly with science fiction set in the far future where you can’t rely on contemporary political, technological or even environmental elements that are familiar, how do you create a whole universe with everything from power generation and mass transit systems right down to what people eat for breakfast?’