This track celebrates the A Song of Ice and Fire book series, fantasy novels set in a vast and richly described world created by George RR Martin. Join us for academic-led talks, fannish discussions, and crafty socialising. All in Room 32 or Royal B.
Friday
Weirwood Eyes: Looking forward to The Winds of Winter
10.00am - 11.15am
Room 32
A fan discussion based on the currently published material from The Winds of Winter. Read summaries and find links to full published chapters here.
Academic Presentations
1.30pm – 2.45pm
Room 32
Identity in ASOIAF
Academic presentation from Andrew Jones.
In the series A Song of Ice and Fire, George RR Martin has highlighted the conflict of identity which results and promotes conflict with the unknown. Over the series almost every character encountered has an identity, therefore establishing an emotional connection between the reader and the character. Despite this extensive identification, the series is also well known for the use of otherisation. Portraying that which is identifiable through conflict with that which cannot be identified. Over the course of the novels this duality explores how those reading the novel encounter the relationship between the known and the unknown.
Sex Work and ASOIAF (panel)
Sex work is mentioned frequently in ASOIAF, but not all portrayals are good portrayals. We are joined by people from the Sex Workers Open University to give their opinions on the portrayals of sex work in the books.
Saturday
Sewing Circle
10.00am - 11.15am
Room 32
An informal space to tall about the books so far. Bring your own craft project to work on while we chat: colouring-in pages will be available for those between projects.
Writing Westeros: a Corpus Linguistic Study of A Song of Ice and Fire - with Matthew Voice
5.00pm - 6.15pm
Room 32
The University of Sheffield's Matthew Voice will be examining GRRM's use of language. Using linguistics software, we will explore the language associated with specific characters to discover the way the author creates an individual identity. Suitable for all levels of knowledge, and language enthusiasts generally as well as ASOIAF fans!
Sunday
Braids of Ice and Fire: Game of Thrones Hair Design Workshop
1.30pm - 2.45pm
Royal B
New for this year, the Cosplay Beyond team will bring you a very special workshop on recreating the hairstyles of Westeros and Essos. We'll start by demonstrating and guiding you through the basics of some key braiding techniques, so even if you've never done a simple plait, you'll be able to pick it up quickly and easily. From there, we'll show you how you can use and combine these methods to imitate styles worn by many beloved (and less beloved) characters. We will do our best to show you as many as possible in the limited time, and aim to include character styles suitable for a variety of lengths, from just above the shoulder down - and, if we have a suitable volunteer, maybe even a beard or two!
The Bards Speak: Authors views of the World of Ice and Fire – with Susan Bartholomew, Cristina Macía, Anne Perry and Adrian Tchaikovsky.
3.15pm - 5.00pm
Room 32
A panel of fantasy authors and experts from the publishing industry give their opinions on the world created by George RR Martin, talking about worldbuilding, foreshadowing, points of view and killing off your beloved characters.
