Judges: The Genesis of the World of Judge Dredd

In a time of widespread poverty, inequality and political unrest, protests and violence meet the first Judges as they hit the street to enforce the Law. The cure, it’s clear, is far worse than the disease. The ‘Judges’ novellas allow for an unprecedented opportunity to delve into the history of this future fictional police state.…

Octocon 2022 is now supported by Dublin UNESCO City of Literature and Dublin City Council

Octocon, the National Irish Science Fiction Convention, is delighted to announce that we were approved for the Dublin UNESCO City of Literature small grants scheme supported by Dublin City Council.  The grant is provided to support literary activities and projects with special interest in projects that display innovation and diversity in line with the objectives…

Dare to Speak Their Name: Including the Queer in Worldbuilding

This panel from Octocon 2020 is brought to you in honour of International Transgender Day of Visibility 2022. To find out more about it, visit our 2021 charity: BeLonG To Youth Services is the national organisation supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI+) young people in Ireland. Panel Description Speculative fiction can give us…

4th Wave Feminism in Science Fiction and Fantasy

No one is just one thing, and intersectionality teaches us that the overlapping pressures from society affect us all in different ways. Fourth wave feminism seeks to address these pressures on women without excluding other aspects of identity. The demand for more diverse creators and content, and the centering of women and minorities as superheroes,…