An Evening with Allen Stroud

03rd November 2023
7:45PM

About this event

Allen is a science fiction, fantasy and horror writer, a lecturer and researcher at Coventry University, and Chair of the British Science Fiction Association. He has also been Chair for several Fantasycons. He writes in a variety of formats and has work published as novels, short stories and in computer games. His novel FEARLESS (2020 from Flametree Press) has been praised as hard SF that offers a glimpse of a vividly plausible future for humanity as it colonises the solar system, and in Adrian Tchaikovsky’s words, a “fast-paced, gripping hard SF with death in hard vacuum waiting at every turn.” The sequel RESILIENT was published in 2022.

Allen completed his PhD in 2017 at the University of Winchester. He specialises in the research and development of fictional worlds that provide opportunities for imaginative storytelling. He continues to research the nature of storytelling and regularly publishes papers on mythmaking, catharsis and immersion. His current work involves a research project called Creative Futures. This partnership between the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and Coventry University puts science fiction writers in conversation with the MOD to identify the challenges we will face in the future.

Allen is also a composer of science fiction soundtracks, creating orchestral synth tracks for audio dramas, podcast theme tunes and short films. His work on the computer game ELITE DANGEROUS involved a novel, an audio drama and music album completed in 2014.

Info from https://www.allenstroud.com/

BOOKING INFORMATION

IN-PERSON
Birmingham Science Fiction Group Members: £3 (inc. booking fee)
Non-members: £6 (inc. booking fee)

ONLINE
Members: Free
Non-members: £3.15 (inc. booking fee)

BIRMINGHAM SCIENCE FICTION GROUP MEMBERSHIP
For more information on joining the Birmingham Science Fiction Group click here or email contact@birminghamsfgroup.org.uk.

Getting to Millennium Point

Millennium Point is in the Eastside of Birmingham City Centre just 5-minutes walk from Moor Street and 15-minutes from Grand Central and the tram. There is also limited parking on-site which means we’re easy to find regardless of how you travel. For more information please click here.

 

UpLift Live

21st March 2024
9:00AM

About this event

UpLift Live is the UK’s first conference for LinkedIn specialists, power users & enthusiasts. Join them in Birmingham on 21 March 2024 for a whole day of learning delivered by some of LinkedIn’s apex operators from around the world.

Your ticket gets you in-person access to the UpLift Live event, plus you’ll also receive fully captioned and transcribed replays of all the talks.

 

Getting to Millennium Point

Millennium Point is in the Eastside of Birmingham City Centre just 5-minutes walk from Moor Street and 15-minutes from Grand Central and the tram. There is also limited parking on-site which means we’re easy to find regardless of how you travel. For more information please click here.

 

Cost of Living Conference

06th November 2023
9:30AM

About this event

Join us at the Birmingham City Partnership – Cost of Living Conference!

It has been over a year since a Cost of Living emergency was declared in Birmingham. Since then, a city-wide coalition of partners has helped to deliver an unprecedented response – helping to deliver a network of 243 warm spaces across the city; cash contributions to over 100 foodbanks; energy bill top-ups to 3,400 households; and at least £1,717,285 in income and benefits maximisation for our most vulnerable residents. This could not have been delivered without the contributions of partners from across the city – business, public and voluntary sectors working together to demonstrate the power of partnership working.

At the Birmingham City Partnership – Cost of Living Conference, we want to continue the conversation with partners from across the city. What challenges and opportunities face our city? How can we learn from each other and share best practice? What do we want the future of Birmingham to look like?

The Birmingham City Partnership – Cost of Living Conference kicks off Birmingham Cost of Living Week, a week of activity taking place across the UK’s second city to recognise, promote and shape the city’s response to the Cost of Living emergency.

Why Attend?

Connect and Collaborate – Network with partners from across the city, members of the public, and change-makers who are committed to making Birmingham more affordable and equitable for all.

Unite for Change – Learn how you and your organisation can play a vital role in addressing the challenges our city faces. Your ideas and contributions are essential to our collective success.

Shape the Future – Be part of the conversation about Birmingham’s future, the challenges we face and the opportunities that we can unlock together.

 

What to Expect

Join organisations from across Birmingham, including leaders from the public, voluntary and community, and private sectors, to help shape the city’s continuing response to the Cost of Living Crisis.

The wide-ranging agenda will include:

  • A look back on Birmingham’s Cost of Living response so far – including examples of best practice from across sectors
  • The latest insight into the impact of the crisis on Birmingham
  • Break-out sessions focusing on different sector responses and challenges
  • Panel discussions mapping the way forward for Birmingham, including how we want to work together as a city
  • A mini cost of living ‘marketplace’ for delegates and partner organisations to promote their work

Agenda

Detailed agenda and timings to be confirmed shortly, including registration for break-out sessions.

Conference Partners

The Birmingham City Partnership brings together stakeholders from many sectors to discuss Birmingham’s key opportunities and challenges and considers how the city responds to them. It includes representatives from across key sectors in Birmingham, including health, community safety, further and higher education, business and voluntary and community sector organisations.

Any Other Questions?

Please contact Mary Crofton at mary.crofton@birmingham.gov.uk or the Strategic Partnerships Team at strategicpartnerships@birmingham.gov.uk

Together, we can make a difference and create a brighter future for Birmingham.

Getting to Millennium Point

Millennium Point is in the Eastside of Birmingham City Centre just 5-minutes walk from Moor Street and 15-minutes from Grand Central and the tram. There is also limited parking on-site which means we’re easy to find regardless of how you travel. For more information please click here.

 

West Midlands Veteran’s Fair

01st November 2023
10:00AM

About this event

West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and Veterans Advisory and Pension Committee (VAPC) are pleased to announce the inaugural West Midlands Veterans’ Fair at Millennium Point, on Wednesday 01 November 2023.

Hosted by Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, and Professor Simon Brake, the chairman of the West Midlands VAPC, this event will bring together hundreds of Armed Forces personnel or veterans who are seeking to transition into civilian employment.

There are more than 150,000 veterans living within the West Midlands. In the WMCA conurbation alone there are an estimated 76,000 veterans, of which more than 21,500 are of working age. Despite possessing a huge array of transferable skills, the transition to civilian life can present challenges to our Armed Forces community.

The WMCA and VAPC are committed to working together to tackle this, and this fair aims to provide an opportunity for employers and veterans to engage, network, and grow. Taking place in the build up to the Act of Remembrance, it will act as a key demonstration of our Region’s commitment to our service and veteran communities.

We are also very pleased to announce that Corporal Andy Reid MBE will be attending this event as one of the key speakers.

In October 2009, he stepped on a Taliban improvised explosive device while on patrol in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. However, Andy defied the odds and has since gone on to set up the Standing Tall Foundation, which aims to help fellow veterans with their mental health, addiction issues, and wellbeing.

Getting to Millennium Point

Millennium Point is in the Eastside of Birmingham City Centre just 5-minutes walk from Moor Street and 15-minutes from Grand Central and the tram. There is also limited parking on-site which means we’re easy to find regardless of how you travel. For more information please click here.

 

An Evening with Stephen Palmer

13th October 2023
7:45PM

About this event

The Birmingham Science Fiction Group present an evening with  acclaimed author Stephen Palmer.
Stephen first gained attention in 1996, when Orbit published his unique, far-future debut Memory Seed, and its sequel Glass. Since then he has carved out a career in science fiction, dark fantasy, steampunk, AI-themed near-future science fiction, and, more recently, a move into narrative nonfiction. His work deals with themes of human consciousness, the environment, the development and use of AI, and various social issues.

Stephen is the author of twenty genre works with his other titles including Flowercrash, Muezzinland, Hallucinating, The Rat And The Serpent, Urbis Morpheos, and the Factory Girl series. A move to nonfiction led to his book Tangerine Dream In The 1970s. Stephen lives and works in Shropshire, UK.

BOOKING INFORMATION

IN-PERSON
Birmingham Science Fiction Group Members: £3 (inc. booking fee)
Non-members: £6 (inc. booking fee)

ONLINE
Members: Free
Non-members: £3.15 (inc. booking fee)

BIRMINGHAM SCIENCE FICTION GROUP MEMBERSHIP
For more information on joining the Birmingham Science Fiction Group click here or email contact@birminghamsfgroup.org.uk.

Getting to Millennium Point

Millennium Point is in the Eastside of Birmingham City Centre just 5-minutes walk from Moor Street and 15-minutes from Grand Central and the tram. There is also limited parking on-site which means we’re easy to find regardless of how you travel. For more information please click here.

 

An Evening with Adrian Tchaikovsky

08th September 2023
7:45PM

About this event

A unique opportunity to hear directly from Arthur C Clarke Award winning author Adrian Tchaikovsky.

Adrian is the award-winning and highly acclaimed science fiction and fantasy author with works published at home in the UK and internationally. He is probably best known for his Children of Time science fiction series and his debut fantasy series, Shadows of the Apt.

Adrian has won many awards including the Arthur C Clarke Award (for Children in Time in 2016), the British Fantasy Award (for The Tiger and the Wolf in 2017) and the Sidewise Award (for The Doors of Eden in 2020). He is a three-times winner of the British Science Fiction Association Awards (BSFA) for Children of Ruin (2019), Shards of Earth (2021), and City of Lost Chances (2022).

Apart from the two series mentioned above, Adrian has written many other novels (both series and stand-alone), novellas and short stories. He  primarily explores deep themes, such as artificial intelligence and alien awareness within epic galactic and fantastical settings. He has a deep interest in the animal world specifically insects from his studies in Zoology and has a particular penchant for spiders.

There will also be an opportunity to discuss all the latest news in the world of science fiction with members of the legendary Birmingham Science Fiction Group.

If you are not able to join the event in-person. There will be an opportunity to join online via Zoom.

BOOKING INFORMATION

IN-PERSON
Birmingham Science Fiction Group Members: £3 (inc. booking fee)
Non-members: £6 (inc. booking fee)

ONLINE
Members: Free
Non-members: £3.15 (inc. booking fee)

BIRMINGHAM SCIENCE FICTION GROUP MEMBERSHIP
For more information on joining the Birmingham Science Fiction Group click here or email contact@birminghamsfgroup.org.uk.

Getting to Millennium Point

Millennium Point is in the Eastside of Birmingham City Centre just 5-minutes walk from Moor Street and 15-minutes from Grand Central and the tram. There is also limited parking on-site which means we’re easy to find regardless of how you travel. For more information please click here.

 

An Evening with Tim Major

14th July 2023
7:45PM

The Birmingham Science Fiction Group welcomes author Tim Major

About this event

A unique opportunity to hear directly from science fiction author Tim Major.

Tim is the acclaimed author of Snakeskins and Hope Island, plus several sci-fil mystery novels and three Sherlock Holmes books. He’s also a professional editor working with emerging genre writers, focusing on both craft and writing habits.

Tim’s short fiction has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies, and has been selected for Best of British Science Fiction, Best of British Fantasy and The Best Horror of the Year. His upcoming novel Jekyll & Hyde: Consulting Detectives will be published in 2024.

There will also be an opportunity to discuss all the latest news in the world of science fiction with members of the legendary Birmingham Science Fiction Group.

If you are not able to join the event in-person. There will be an opportunity to join online via Zoom.

BOOKING INFORMATION

IN-PERSON
Birmingham Science Fiction Group Members: £3 (inc. booking fee)
Non-members: £6 (inc. booking fee)

ONLINE
Members: Free
Non-members: £3.15 (inc. booking fee)

BIRMINGHAM SCIENCE FICTION GROUP MEMBERSHIP
For more information on joining the Birmingham Science Fiction Group click here or email contact@birminghamsfgroup.org.uk.

Getting to Millennium Point

Millennium Point is in the Eastside of Birmingham City Centre just 5-minutes walk from Moor Street and 15-minutes from Grand Central and the tram. There is also limited parking on-site which means we’re easy to find regardless of how you travel. For more information please click here.

 

An Evening with Alice James

09th June 2023
7:45PM

The Birmingham Science Fiction Group welcomes author Alice James

About this event

A unique opportunity to hear directly from fantasy author Alice James.

We are pleased to welcome author, Alice James who writes urban (or rather rural) fantasies set in the Staffordshire countryside. The Lavington Windsor Mysteries series, published by Solaris, are fun books with a protagonist who is an estate agent by day and raises the dead at night. The first novel, Grave Secrets was published in September 2020 and the sequel Grave Danger was published in May. The third book, Grave Suspicions is due to be released this August.

Alice was born in Staffordshire and, after studying maths at university and training to be a Cobol programmer, became a writer. Her first venture into science fiction, the short story Breaking and Exiting features in the new issue of Andromeda Spaceways magazine.

There will also be an opportunity to discuss all the latest news in the world of science fiction with members of the legendary Birmingham Science Fiction Group.

If you are not able to join the event in-person. There will be an opportunity to join online via Zoom.

BOOKING INFORMATION

IN-PERSON
Birmingham Science Fiction Group Members: £3 (inc. booking fee)
Non-members: £6 (inc. booking fee)

ONLINE
Members: Free
Non-members: £3.15 (inc. booking fee)

BIRMINGHAM SCIENCE FICTION GROUP MEMBERSHIP
For more information on joining the Birmingham Science Fiction Group click here or email contact@birminghamsfgroup.org.uk.

Getting to Millennium Point

Millennium Point is in the Eastside of Birmingham City Centre just 5-minutes walk from Moor Street and 15-minutes from Grand Central and the tram. There is also limited parking on-site which means we’re easy to find regardless of how you travel. For more information please click here.

 

Here We Are: Screening and Q&A with Oliver Jeffers & Philip Hunt

10th June 2023
10:00AM

A little bonus event to finish off BDF 2023 – and what a bonus it is. On Saturday 10th June, Oliver Jeffers will be back on stage to present the 2020 film Here We Are: Notes For Living on Planet Earth based on the book of the same name alongside Director Philip Hunt.

About this event

We’ve got a little bonus event to finish off BDF 2023 – and what a bonus it is. On Saturday 10th June, Oliver Jeffers will be back on stage to present the 2020 film Here We Are: Notes For Living on Planet Earth based on the book of the same name alongside Director Philip Hunt.

Oliver and Philip first worked together on BAFTA-winning Lost & Found, an adaptation of one of Oliver’s first picture books 15 years ago. After the screening of Here We Are, held at the majestic Giant Screen, we’ll be delving deeper into the relationship between Oliver and Studio AKA and the process of bringing his wonderful picture books to life.

This event will be free to attend, and we encourage families to join us for the screening, which will be roughly 35 minutes. Once the film has finished, there will be a short break, after which we will be sitting down for a Q&A with Oliver and Philip. The Q&A will be aimed at folks looking to learn more about the development process of the film, so may be uninteresting for young children.

Getting to Millennium Point

Millennium Point is in the Eastside of Birmingham City Centre just 5-minutes walk from Moor Street and 15-minutes from Grand Central and the tram. There is also limited parking on-site which means we’re easy to find regardless of how you travel. For more information please click here.

 

An Evening with Stephen Aryan

11th August 2023 11th August 2023
7:45PM

The Birmingham Science Fiction Group welcomes the award-winning author Stephen Aryan to discuss his career and books.

About this event

A unique opportunity to hear directly from award-winning fantasy author Stephen Aryan.

Stephen Aryan is the author of the Age of Darkness and Age of Dread trilogies. His first novel, Battlemage, was a finalist for the David Gemmell Morningstar Award for best debut fantasy novel. It also won the inaugural Hellfest Inferno Award in France.

In 2020, Stephen was picked up for a new duology by Angry Robot Books, set in a new world. The first novel, The Coward, was published in June 2021 and it received a Starred Review from Publishers Weekly. The sequel, The Warrior, was published in August 2022. In 2022, Angry Robot signed The Judas Blossom, the first instalment in a Persian inspired fantasy trilogy set in the 13th century.

There will also be an opportunity to meet other members of the legendary Birmingham Science Fiction Group.

If you are not able to join the event in-person. There will be an opportunity to join online via Zoom.

BOOKING INFORMATION

IN-PERSON
Birmingham Science Fiction Group Members: £3 (inc. booking fee)
Non-members: £6 (inc. booking fee)

ONLINE
Members: Free
Non-members: £3.15 (inc. booking fee)

BIRMINGHAM SCIENCE FICTION GROUP MEMBERSHIP
For more information on joining the Birmingham Science Fiction Group click here or email contact@birminghamsfgroup.org.uk.

Photograph of author Stephen Aryan

Getting to Millennium Point

Millennium Point is in the Eastside of Birmingham City Centre just 5-minutes walk from Moor Street and 15-minutes from Grand Central and the tram. There is also limited parking on-site which means we’re easy to find regardless of how you travel. For more information please click here.