Lee Murray author, editor
NEWS & EVENTS
Conferences, workshops, book launches, readings, school visits — read about upcoming events here, or check out my gallery for past events.
Appearances 2024
MARCH 2024
6 March, Litopia Colony Southern Huddle.
8 March. International Women's Day Poetry Readings. Greerton Library, Tauranga, 12-2pm.
9 March, Third Culture Film Festival on stage in conversation event with Life's Work presenter Steve Worley. In person event.
United Cinema's Bayfair, 5.30pm-6.30pm. $5.
MAY 2024
10-12 May Featherston Booktown, in person event.
SATURDAY 11 MAY 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM FEATHERSTON SCHOOL HALL
The Write Stuff: Making Writer Dreams Come True
Catherine Robertson, Lee Murray and Isa Pearl Ritchie stuck to their dreams to write in the genres they love – romance, popular fiction, horror and speculative fiction – and, despite the naysayers, have managed to build a fan base, make a living from their writing and win awards. They share what they’ve learnt. Moderated by Lynn Freeman.
SUNDAY 12 MAY 2024: THE ROYAL HOTEL / JOY COWLEY ROOM 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Giants and the Fox Spirit: the power of magic and social realism in storytelling
Lee Murray (Fox Spirit on a Distant Cloud) and Pip Adam (Audition) are the authors of two extraordinary books that call on magical realism to tell stories that are powered by rage against social injustice: in the past and in the future. Moderated by Kiran Dass.
16-19 May, Auckland Readers and Writers Festival, in person event.
Homegrown Frights
What scares Aotearoa New Zealand? Is it the bloodthirsty, mutant livestock in Black Sheep or is it the rural, looming farmhouse in Butcherbird? Whatever it may be, there is no denying that our horror stories are something special. Award-winning horror writer, Tabatha Wood remarked that “New Zealand Horror offers a unique perspective that can’t be seen anywhere else in the world”.
We bring together Aotearoa’s foremost horror writers and filmmakers to dissect the style, stories, and scares of our local horror scene. In conversation with horror academic, Lorna Piatti-Farnell, join the multiple award-winning writers Lee Murray, Cassie Hart (Kāi Tahu) and Kathryn Burnett as they explore the rise of horror’s popularity, why 2023 was such a great year for horror in Aotearoa New Zealand, and where the genre might be going next.
Beef: Writing Asian Female Rage
When the Emmy-Award Winning Netflix series, Beef screened in 2023, the story was overwhelmingly praised by the Asian diasporic community. But why did a series about two Asian American characters in a road-rage incident mark such a turning point in Asian representation? Writer and journalist Ian Kumamoto said it best when he wrote: “Finally, a show about angry Asians. Netflix’s Beef shatters so much of what we, as Asian Americans, were taught about holding in our rage”.
Nahyeon Lee joins Celeste Ng, Amanda Chong, and Lee Murray to talk about writing rage as East Asian women. Spanning novels, poetry, horror writing and theatre making, together these women discuss the power of stories to deconstruct and confront harmful stereotypes and reflect on the past and future of representation.
23 May Other Voices: Uncovering Women's Narratives
An 'in conversation' with Fox Spirit on a Distant Cloud author Lee Murray, and poet and playwright, Renee Liang, hosted by Tauranga Girls' College. Followed by poetry readings with Lee and Renee and student poets.
Tauranga Girls College Library, Cameron Road, 5.30-7pm, free entry.
MAY-JUNE
May 30 to June 2 StokerCon, San Diego Mariott, in person and virtual event.
Virtual:
Flipping the Lid on Mental Illness in Horror
Our expert panellists discuss tools and techniques for addressing mental illness in horror. Fresh approaches for depictions that are authentic and affective. Moderated by Lee Murray with Lauren Elise Daniels, John Palisano, Lauren McMenemy and Angela Yuriko Smith.
Friday 31 May Librarians Day, 2pm.
Folklore and Fairy Tales in Modern Horror.
Panel discussion with Gwendolyn Kiste, Yaika Sabat, Lee Murray, and Cina Pelayo.
Take a Stanza: The Poetry of Culture and Causes
Panellists discuss the role of poetry in expanding important discussions around cultural tension, social change, conflict, and more. (Poets may share a single stanza from a work which speaks to this theme). Mderated by Geneve Flynn.
JULY
13 July, Queensland Writers Centre, 3-hour online webinar
Poetic Alchemy
Best-known for her fiction, international award-winning poet Lee Murray facilitates a virtual workshop for writers of prose and poetry, offering recipes for conjuring poems from fiction, breathing new life into old narratives using poetic forms, and revealing how to sharpen your prose with poetic expression.
Appearances 2023
MARCH 2023
Litopia Pop Up Submissions Guest with Peter Cox, March 2023
JUNE 2023
Litopia Pop Up Submissions Guest with Peter Cox, 11 June 2023
STOKERCON Pittsburgh, USA, 15-18 June
I'll be appearing at 6 in-person panels / events at StokerCon:
Midnight Special Monster Mash
Thursday, June 15 • 11:00pm - Friday, June 16 •12:00am
A fun, late-night programming piece, not at all a serious discussion--though it might just get intense!
Moderated by James Chambers, with Lee Murray, Brian Matthews, Clay McLeod Chapman, Mary SanGiovanni, Cynthia Pelayo, Kevin Wetmore Jr, Owl Goingback & Wraith James Wright.
Nine participants and one host. Two teams of three. Three judges. An intrepid group who will strive to answer the age old question: "Which monster would win in a fight?" In each round, each team will randomly be assigned a monster out of classic horror or folklore and a random setting will be chosen (or provided by the audience). Each team will then make their case for why their monster would defeat the other team's monster, how their powers or characteristics would match up, and how their environment might be a factor. After the cases are presented, the judges will assess the arguments and decide the winner! Tongue-in-cheek! Outlandish! Deeply meaningful! Place yer bets and let fate decide!
Perspectives on Mental Health in Horror
Friday, June 16 • 9:00am - 9:50am
Moderated by Lee Murray, with Anton Cancre, Brian Matthews, Sumiko Saulson, Jessica Peters, and Tim Waggoner.
World Health Organization data estimates that one in eight people live with a mental disorder (2022), and since literature reflects society, our characters and plots will also include mental illness. Panelists discuss what writers can do to reduce stigma and create understanding through the lens of horror literature, including cultural perspectives, lived experience, research, and learning.
The Anthology: More than the Sum of its Parts
Friday, June 16 • 11:00am - 11:50am
Moderated by Lee Murray, with Geneve Flynn, Sara Tantlinger, L.E. Daniels, Tamika Thompson, Christi Nogle & Christa Carmen
What is involved in an anthology’s creation, and where does one begin? Our panelists, both anthologists and contributors, discuss the role of anthologies as vehicles for finding a community, developing craft, supporting causes, and creating critical mass.
Everything, Everywhere, All at Once: Asian Narratives in Horror and Speculative Fiction
Friday, June 16 • 2:00pm - 2:50pm
Moderated by KP Kulski, with Lee Murray, Geneve Flynn, Rena Mason, Alma Katsu, & JAW McCarthy.
Like the landmark film, Everything, Everywhere All at Once, Asian identity is complex and varied, existing in a multiverse of histories and cultures. With a plethora of stories depicting stereotypes and in the face of rising anti-Asian violence and hate, Asian storytellers are increasingly taking back control of our narrative. Within the horror community a movement has sprung up, born from the award-winning anthology Black Cranes. Panelists will discuss representation, being part of a movement, the importance of Asian narratives and… learning to become unquiet.
Articles of the Damned: Writing Nonfiction
Saturday, June 17 • 9:00am - 9:50am
Moderated by Kevin J Wetmore Jr, with Lee Murray, L Marie Wood, Meg Elison, John Kachuba, RJ Joseph
Articles and essays within horror allow writers to explore a range of topics, from academic to personal. We can share a fascinating new take on a classic scary film, or share an experience that might spark conversation and awareness. What elements are needed to make nonfiction memorable? Why is the horror community a perfect place to explore the many directions nonfiction can go in?
Asian Horror Reading Slot
Saturday June 17• 3:00pm - 5:00pm
Moderator Lee Murray, with Geneve Flynn, JAW McCarthy, KP Kulski, Yi Izzy Yu, Rena Mason, Ai Jiang, & Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito.
You can also find me at the following virtual panels:
Out of the Attic: Sisters of Foreboding
Moderated by Kyla Lee Ward, with Lee Murray, Anna Taborska, Carol Gyzander, & Cindy O'Quinn.
Take Their Hands: Ancestry as Source.
Moderated by L.E. Daniels, with Lee Murray, Craig Gidney, Pamela Jeffs, Eugen Bacon & Cindy O'Quinn.
JULY 2023
In Your Write Mind Virtual Conference
Panel: A Spoonful of Sugar
Panellists discuss the role of author endorsements, including book blurbs and introductions, from their perspectives as authors, editors, and publishers of horror. Who should you ask, how to approach your heroes, what makes a good blurb/intro, and does it really matter?
Moderator Lee Murray.
Panellists: Lisa Morton, Lisa Kastner (Running Wild Press), Kenneth Cain, and Jennifer Barnes (RDSP)
Rotorua Writers' Group WORKSHOP, full day
29 July 2023. To be Announced
AUGUST 2023
HAMILTON BOOK MONTH
Fiction Panel Moderator: Elizabeth Kirkby McLeod. Panellists Catherine Chidgey, Brannavan Gnanalingam, and Lee Murray
Tuesday 1 August at 6.30pm at the Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts at Waikato University
Workshop: Writing in the Dark
Join four-time Bram Stoker Award-winner Lee Murray for a workshop on infusing horror and suspense into your writing, covering what makes a scary story, developing the tale’s emotional core, conjuring monsters and villains, atmosphere and setting, as well as pacing, style, and language. Don’t be afraid. Spattered with examples and exercises, with time set aside for questions, this session is perfect for both emerging and established writers.
Saturday 5th August from 9.30-12.30pm at Trust Waikato
NATIONAL POETRY DAY
Everything, Everywhere: A Journey in Asian Speculative Poetry.
International award-winning poet Lee Murray discusses her personal exploration of generational trauma and expectation through Asian speculative poetry. With readings from Lee's Bram Stoker Award-winning collection Tortured Willows and forthcoming prose poetry work Fox Spirit on a Distant Cloud, winner of the 2023 NZSA Laura Solomon Cuba Press Prize.
Friday 25 August, @ Tauranga City Libraries (Central, Devonport Road), 12-12.45 Bring your lunch. Free event.
OCTOBER 2023
HALLOWEEN SpecFicNZ Virtual Webinar.
Writing on the Dark Side
Five-time Bram Stoker Award-winner Lee Murray facilitates a session for speculative writers on incorporating horror and suspense in your writing, covering what makes a story horror, developing the emotional core of your story, conjuring monsters and villains, atmosphere and setting, and pacing, style, and language.
Sunday 29 October, 2pm. Details here: https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/writing-on-the-dark-side-tickets-670573071107
Appearances 2022
JANUARY 2022
Literary Goal Setting WORKSHOP for Idaho Writers Group -- Virtual
18 January (19 NZDT)
The Modern Horror Renaissance TBRCon PANEL -- Virtual
Watch the show HERE.
FEBRUARY 2022
HWA Horror University / Spring Session -- Virtual
Manuscript Magic -- Angela Yuriko Smith & Lee Murray
Monday, February 7th, 8 P.M. EST
Practical tips and strategies for polishing and presenting your manuscript in a professional manner. Suitable for writers of short story through to complete series, and supported with concrete examples, information, and hand-outs, this workshop will arm you with actionable tasks to help get your manuscript off the slush and into the hands of readers.
MAY 2022
StokerCon, Denver USA, 12-15 May (in person and virtual)
Classic Monsters Revisited (virtual): Moderator Rena Mason, with Mark Abbott, Jonathan Lees, Cina Pelayo, Angela Yuriko Smith, L. Marie Wood, and Lee Murray.
Editing Isn't the Scariest Part (virtual): Moderator Lauren Elise Daniels, with Geneve Flynn, Angela Yuriko Smith, and Lee Murray
Writing Action and Fight Scenes (virtual): Moderator Teel James Glenn, with Jonathan Maberry, Alan Baxter, Steve Van Patten, and Lee Murray.
In the Name of Service Community Building in Horror (virtual): Moderator Angela Yuriko Smith, with Maxwell Ian Gold, Carol Gyzander, and Lee Murray.
Horror from Down Under (virtual): Moderator Al Baxter, with Aaron Dries, Joseph Ashley Smith, and Lee Murray.
How to Curate Anthologies (virtual): Moderated by Sumiko Saulson, with Nicole Givens Kurtz, Linda D. Addison, and Lee Murray.
More than a Paper Clown: Dealing with Imposter Syndrome (in person): Moderator Jeff Strand, with Marc Abbott, Sephera Giron, Bridgett Nelson, and Lee Murray.
Professionalism in Writing: How Not to be That Person ( in person): Moderator Brian Matthews, with Carol Gyzander, Alec Shane, Cina Pelayo, Michael Arnzen, and Lee Murray.
Horror and Hope: Writing in the Age of COVID (in person): Moderator Lee Murray, with Kate Maruyama, Mark Matthews, and Angela Yuriko Smith.
MAY 2022
BaltiCon 56 , Baltimore USA 28-30 May (virtual)
JUNE 2022
In Your Write Mind (virtual conference).
Horror and Hope: Mental Health and Writing
Angela Yuriko Smith interviews HWA Wellness Committee co-chairs, Dave Jeffery and Lee Murray, who discuss the Horror Writers Association’s Mental Health Initiative to foster positive representations of mental health/illness in fiction, reduce stigma, and promote wellbeing.
Unquiet Whispers: How to Start a Revolution
Rena Mason (moderator) with Lee Murray, Geneve Flynn, Angela Yuriko Smith, K.P. Kulski, and Frances Pai.
When Publishing has traditionally been less than diverse, how do you make space for new perspectives? Using the Asian diaspora in horror as an example, we discuss the groundswell that can rise from visionary works and the support of an amazing community. Like a game of Chinese Whispers turned on its head, each iteration can bring clarity, inspire other creators, reach a greater audience, and empower quiet voices.
JULY 2022
Litopia Pop Up Submissions
Sunday 10 July (British Summer Time), wee small hours for the Kiwis
I'll be appearing as a regular guest on Peter Cox's dragon's den for writers.
AUGUST 2022
Auckland Writers Festival, 23-28 August
I'll be appearing at New Zealand's largest Readers & Writers event, the Auckland Writers Festival. As well as appearing on the youth/school's programme earlier in the week, I'll be discussing the role of speculative and horror genres in creating new futures with iconic NZ writer, Elizabeth Knox. You'll also find me at the Train to Somewhere reading at the Northern Line Bar on Friday from 6.15pm. The festival event link is here: https://www.writersfestival.co.nz/
SEPTEMBER 2022
Galactic Imaginarium Film Fest, Romania, 2022, virtual Guest of Honour.
In conversation, 23 September, 8pm, NZST.
Previous appearances...
2021 Appearances (Virtual and in-person)
VARIOUS DATES:
Litopia Pop Up Submissions (VIRTUAL)
Dragon’s den-style analysis of real book projects hosted by UK literary agent Peter Cox
Guest appearances on Sundays 5pm London Time on January 2, March 21, and June 27 and September 19, and 19 December.
For a sampler, here's the latest episode where I'm a guest. Grab a coffee and have a watch:
JANUARY:
Crystal Lake Publishing Patron Guest of Honour for January (VIRTUAL)
Galactic Terrors Reading Series January 14 (VIRTUAL)
HP Lovecraft Podcast with Michele Brittany and Nicholas Diak (VIRTUAL)
FEBRUARY:
Tauranga Writers’ Sunday Focus Session (IN PERSON)
Goal-setting for Writers: Lee Murray
Sunday 21 February 2-4pm @ Greerton Library. $5 Members, $10 Non-members
Literary Goal Setting by Lee Murray
MARCH
Young New Zealand Writers Facilitator Retreat, Matamata, March 13-14
AllAccessCon Writing in the Dark Symposium Spring Edition, March 26-28 (VIRTUAL)
Behind the Keyboards with RF Blackstone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogWkq9ktVSs
APRIL:
Run the World Adventure Summit (VIRTUAL)
Panel Discussion: Fight Scenes that Pack a Punch
Time: 5:00pm EDT(US) Location: Princess Leia Room
What makes a good fight scene? How do you balance authenticity with entertainment? How much detail is too much? Authors provide tips to writing a scene that’ll have your enemies running scared.
Panellists: Lee Murray, K. Moore, Alan Baxter, Nick Thacker Mod: Nick Thacker
MAY:
StokerCon 2021 (VIRTUAL) May 20-23 (VIRTUAL)
Horror University Session Thursday, May 20, 3 P.M. EST (VIRTUAL)
Manuscript Magic presented by Lee Murray and Angela Yuriko Smith (7am Friday 21, NZST)
Practical tips and strategies for polishing and presenting your manuscript in a professional manner. Suitable for writers of short story through to complete series, and supported with concrete examples, information, and hand-outs, this workshop will arm you with actionable tasks to help get your manuscript off the slush and into the hands of readers.
Librarians’ Day Panel Friday May 21 (Sat 22 6.30am in NZST)
2:30-3:30: Meet the Press: Omnium Gatherum: Konrad Stump, Moderator. Lee Murray, Lisa Morton, Kate Maruyama, Donna JW Munro, S. Alessandro Martinez
Mentorship in the HWA May 23 9 A.M. EST (VIRTUAL) (24 May NZST 1am!)
Panel Discussion
Panellists: Lee Murray, Angela Yuriko Smith (and others)
Reading Slot Virtual (on demand )
Writing the Creature Feature (on demand)
JG Faherty, Lee Murray, Jeff Strand, Christine Whitlock, F. Paul Wilson, Tim Waggoner (moderator)
What makes a good creature feature and how to meet reader expectations while still delivering a fresh and original story.
Reinventing the Classics: How Modern Horror Is Transforming the Tropes (on demand)
Carina Bissett, Rhonda Garcia, Naching Kassa, Gwendolyn Kiste, Lee Murray, Gordon B. White, L. Marie Wood, Christa Carmen
A focus on different retellings of classic horror stories as well as how modern authors are adapting other classic monsters and tropes in their work today.
Horror Pods and Vlogs Go Viral: The Pandemic and Beyond (on demand)
R.F. Blackstone, Michele Brittany, Nicholas Diak, Carol Gyzander, Kathryn McGee, Lee Murray (moderator)
How have some of our favorite pods and vlogs established or reinvented themselves during the pandemic?
Balticon 55 Convention 29-31 May 2021 (VIRTUAL)
Friday, May 28 2:30pm EDT
Traditional Storytelling and Genre Fiction
Lee Murray (moderator), Tom Doyle, Sherri Cook Woosley, Valerie Frankel
There is a strong tradition of oral storytelling in many cultures. In what interesting ways have these traditions been incorporating into written fiction or visual media?
Friday, May 28 10pm EDT
Otherness Through the Lens of Asian Horror
Lee Murray (moderator), Geneve Flynn, Angela Yuriko Smith, Rena Mason
Black Cranes: Tales of Unquiet Women is a recent anthology featuring horror fiction by female writers of Southeast Asian descent, exploring the cultural and familial tensions of the authors' backgrounds. Contributors to this anthology will discuss the horror genre’s role in opening dialogue and promoting diverse voices.
Saturday, May 29 11:30am EDT
Affirming Representation of Marginalized People
Gabriella Etoniru (moderator), Devin Randall, Mary Fan, Lee Murray, D.A. Xiaolin Spires
Whether it's yet another coming out story or about Black America fighting racism, the "issue story" absolutely has its place. Yet, many people want to read stories that allow them to escape these issues. What are some good examples of characters that "just happen" to be marginalized and the stories that place them in affirming roles, and how can writers (whether or not they are marginalized themselves) do this kind of representation right?
Saturday, May 29 5:30pm EDT
Mary Shelley and the First Pandemic SF Novel
Liz Bosarge (moderator), Mildred Cady, Elora Malat, Lee Murray, Nicole Givens Kurtz
In 1826, Mary Shelley published The Last Man, now considered to be both the first work of dystopian fiction and the first depiction of an imagined pandemic. 195 years and numerous real-world pandemics later, what does The Last Man say about the time in which it was written, and what aspects have proven timeless after almost two centuries?
Sunday, May 30 2:30pm EDT
The Motivations of Monsters
Jean Marie Ward (moderator), John Walker, Sherri Cook Woosley, Lee Murray, John L. French
Science fiction and fantasy have always featured "monsters," going all the way back to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. While some are mindless destroyers, many are written with relatable motivations and desires. What are some monsters who have connected with audiences, and what are ways creators can make their monsters sympathetic while keeping them in an antagonistic role?
JUNE:
Young New Zealand Writers Youth Day Out 2021 (IN PERSON)
Friday June 18 All Day NZST
Full Day Workshops and Book Launches (including Not There But Somewhere youth anthology)
WorkShop: The Almost Instant Fairytale Factory. A blueprint for creating engaging fairytales (material by Grace Bridges).
Workshop: It's Showtime! Using ‘Show and Tell’ techniques to add suspense to your fiction.
In this workshop, authors Lee Murray and Denika Mead reveal how to ramp up the tension and make your readers shiver. Inject some terror into your writing -- if you dare!
Panel Discussion. The Art of Being a Writer
Moderator Jean Gilbert. With Helena Andrews, Julie Oliver, Lee Murray, and Lewis Morgan.
Tauranga Writers Sunday Focus Session (IN PERSON)
Sunday 20 June, 2-4pm NZST @ Greerton Library. $5 Members, $10 Non-members
Worldbuilding: A Panel Discussion. Sunday2-4pm @ Greerton Library. $5 Members, $10 Non-members.
Join our expert panel of speculative writers as they discuss how they create plausible engaging worlds for readers of all ages. Moderated by SpecFicNZ president Grace Bridges, with panellists, Karen Cossey, Sharon Manssen, and Jean Gilbert.
JULY:
AllAccessCon Launch Event Like Sunshine After Rain, edited By Heidi Ruby Miller (VIRTUAL)
Panel Discussion
Seton Hill IYWM Conference 9-11 July (VIRTUAL)
Women in Horror.
Moderator Michelle Renee Lane, with Linda D. Addison, Lucy N Snyder, Stephanie Wytovich, and Lisa Morton,
Word that Work, South Auckland Writers Festival (IN PERSON)
Saturday 24 July 2021 at Nathan Homestead, 70 Hill Rd, Manurewa. 1:30 to 3pm NZST.
Accessing speculative narratives—Lee Murray
Part presentation and part workshop, in this session writers will explore ways in which speculative content can enrich and inform our narratives, with practical exercises and ideas for writers to develop and expand their own writing practice.
Flash Fiction panel discussion with moderator Anita Arlov ‘How to fly in a small space’
AUGUST:
August – November: Grimshaw Sargeson Writer Residency, Auckland.
Writefest 2021 (IN PERSON)
Saturday 14 August, St Columba Centre, Auckland.
In-person three-hour workshop and panel. For full details see https://bit.ly/2SUMUtz
OCTOBER:
Massey University Off the Page (IN PERSON) -- postponed
Friday 1 October, Massey University
An ‘in conversation’ with Lee Murray
Go West Literary Festival (Auckland) (IN PERSON) -- virtual
8 October. Panellist
Project Tempest Podcast with Coin Roswell, 16 October 2021
Kawerau Self-editing Workshop (IN PERSON)
30 October, Kawerau Library
2020 Appearances
April - UK StokerCon, Scarborough, 17-19 April **** now postponed due to COVID-19 precautions
Rescheduled for August.
May - NZ Featherston Booktown, Featherston, 8-10 May **** cancelled due to COVID-19 precautions.
Virtual programmng anticipated for June. ****now cancelled.
May - USA BaltiCon 54, Baltimore, Maryland, 22-25 May **** virtual only due to COVID-19 precautions.
Friday, May 22, 10PM (Eastern) FREE
So What is Horror?
Chad Eric Smith (Moderator), L. Marie Wood, Lee Murray, Alan Smale, John Wiswell
What is it that makes horror a distinct genre, and what experience are audiences seeking to get out of it? How has our definition of what constitutes "horror" changed over time? How do ideas and concepts break out from horror into other genres, such as paranormal romance and urban fantasy, and what makes horror's use of them different?
50 minutes
Literary
Saturday, May 23, 9PM (Eastern) FREE
Getting the Most From a Writers’ Association
Jean Marie Ward (Moderator), Bud Sparhawk, Jamaila Brinkley, Sarah Pinsker, Lee Murray
Genre association groups such as the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) and the Romance Writers Association (RWA), as well as more local groups like the Maryland Writers Association (MWA), can offer benefits and perks. Panelists talk about what different groups have to offer and how to get the most out of your membership.
50 minutes.
Writing
June - NZ Young New Zealand Writers' Youth Day, 19 June **** virtual event only. FREE
July - NZ South Auckland Writers’ Festival, Auckland **** cancelled.
July - NZ ConZealand, Wellington, 28 July 0 3 August **** virtual event only
Book launch: Somewhere Else by Sally McLennan. Format: Launch. 29 July 2020, Wednesday 11:00.
Nevertheless, She Persisted: The Explosion of the Heroine in the 50 Years Since Mia Havero Format: Panel
30 Jul 2020, Thursday 15:00 - 15:50, Programme Room 3
Protaganists in SF and fantasy used to be primary male. Heinlein’s juveniles, for example, although featuring a strong female secondary character (who arguably was the one who actually was the smarter and more able character) had male leads. This began to change in the late 1960s, with books like Rite of Passage, and now non-male protagonists are common. The panel looks at the trend, discusses its implications, and talks about some of their favorites.
Serious imposter syndrome as I’ll be joining Maiya Ibrahim, Rebecca Kuang (Harper Voyager), Catherine Lundoff (Queen of Swords Press), and Glenda Larke for this highly topical subject.
Asian Women of Horror: The Experience of Perpetual "Otherness" Through the Lens of Dark Fiction Format: Panel
30 Jul 2020, Thursday 17:00 - 17:50, Programme Room 3
Asian women of horror dissect their experiences of "otherness." Whether in the colour of their skin, the angle of their cheekbones, the things they dare to write, or the places they have made for themselves in the world, how does dark fiction let us explore their very real experience?
For this one, I’ll be joining my Black Cranes co-editor Geneve Flynn, and award-winning Japanese fantasy author Umiyuri Katsuyama.
Reading: Lee Murray Format: Reading
31 Jul 2020, Friday 15:30 - 15:55, Reading Room 1
Walking the Journey: The Role of Nature and Place in Speculative Fiction Format: Panel
1 Aug 2020, Saturday 13:00 - 13:50, Programme Room 3
How do we use our sense of place and our awareness of the natural world in our storytelling? There’s the place of our ancestry with its traditional stories; there’s the place of our birth and upbringing; and there’s the place where we live now. All play a part in shaping how, and what, we write. Often our spiritual beliefs and practices are anchored by the place of our origins. What happens to our stories when we move away from that place? In this panel, writers from Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia discuss what place means to them, and its role in shaping their creative writing.
I’ll be joining my Kiwi colleagues Juliet Marillier and Dan Rabarts, and Australian academic and community-builder, Gillian Polack, for this topic.
August - Quills (Utah) Conference, 13-16 August, virtual event
Sept - NZ New Zealand’s National Writers Forum, Auckland, 4-6 September **** cancelled, rescheduled for 2021
Sept - NZ Manuwatu Writers' Festival, Public Library, Feilding, 11-14 September
Saturday, September 12th, 2:45pm - 4:00 Presentation: ‘Speculative futures’ by Lee Murray
Saturday 12th Sept, 4:30 - 6:30 pm. Speculative Fiction Panel with panellists Octavia Cade, Melanie Harding-Shaw, Cassie Hart, and Laura McKay.
Sept - Beginners Guide to Writing, virtual event.
THE ART OF SELF-EDITING
In this half-day session, award-winning writer-editor, Lee Murray, presents her tips and strategies for whipping your manuscript into shape and making your prose pop. Find out what to cut and why. Feel free to bring along your work in progress (and a red pen
Now a full-day free-to-access webinar series for youth, including workshops, interviews, readings, and book launches from award-winning New Zealand writers, including Lee Murray, Mandy Hager, Jean Gilbert, Piper Mejia, and William Dresden, and Sharon Manssen, & Denika Mead.
Lee Murray and Denika Mead present Poetry in Prose, a six-part webinar series including three craft sessions, two readings, and an author interview.
ALL WELCOME!
From Slush to Shine: Self-editing Your Manuscript: 10am-1pm MST, 4am-7am NZT.
In this three-hour workshop, multi-award-winning writer / editor Lee Murray (HWA Mentor of the Year) offers practical techniques to reduce your editorial costs and make your prose shine.
Previous Appearances
Grand Rapids, Michigan
08 May 2019
With guests, panels, readings, Horror University, the Final Frame Film Competition, the Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference, the Bram Stoker Awards® … StokerCon™ is a premier event on any horror writer's calendar. I'll be attending for the fourth time, and I'll be looking for word to participating in some panels, organising the reading slots, attending some workshops to sharpen my skills, heading to the awards banquet, and generally catching up with friends and colleagues. This year, Chair Brian Matthews and his team are putting together a fantastic convention. I'm thrilled to see my dear friend Kaaron Warren billing as one of the Guests of Honour and Jonathan Maberry taking over from Jeff Strand in the emcee role. Check my blog for my schedule.
Rotorua, New Zealand
31 May 2019
I'm the Programme Director for New Zealand's national science fiction, fantasy an horror conference, GeyserCon. A great team of volunteers who are already hard at work planning the convention, which will he held in Rotorua over Queen's Birthday Weekend, 1-4 June, 2019. A one-day youth workshop will be held on the Friday before the conference, followed by two days of varied and engaging programming, including gaming and cosplay, a radio show, presentations, and culminating in the Sir Julius Vogel Award presentations. See the website for details.
Tauranga Writers' Sunday Workshops
2-hour local writing workshops
Throughout the year, Tauranga Writers, New Zealand's longest running writing group, holds monthly focus workshops on aspects of writing and publishing. Held 2-4pm on the the Third Sunday of the month at the Greerton Library in Tauranga, I'll be presenting two of these during the year. Watch this space for topics and details.
20 May, 2018: Writing Fantasy and Fiction of the Future. Discussion, Q&A, and a writing exercise.
Conflux:14
An Unconventional Hero
27 Sep 2018
By an unfortunate (and fortunate accident), I was the Guest of Honour for CONFLUX 14: The Unconventional Hero,
Canberra September 20 thru October 1, 2018, where I appeared on panels about Writing for Youth, No Really - Giant Monsters are Real, and Can Horror be Funny? as well as a Guest of Honour speech in conversation with Kaaron Warren. I also heard pitches for Omnium Gatherum, celebrated the launch of Kaaron Warren's fabulous Tide of Stone, and attended the conference dinner in the company of fellow Guest of Honour and world kaiju expert, Robert Hood.
National Writers Forum
Making Magic Everyday - Workshop
22 Sep 2018
“Magical realism is a literary device or way of seeing in which there is space for the invisible forces that move the world: dreams, legends, myths, emotions, passion, history…When you allow dreams, visions, and premonitions to enter into your everyday life and your work as a writer, reality seems to expand.” —Isabel Allende
This practical workshop explores tools and techniques for stretching the boundaries of reality in fiction from our own backyard.
Conclave III
New Zealand National Conference, 2018
29 Mar 2018
New Zealand's 39th National Science Fiction and Fantasy convention will be held over Easter weekend at the Surrey Hotel in New Lynn, Auckland. Guests include Steve Wheeler and Karen Miller. I will appear on two panels:
Saturday 3pm. OTHER VOICES Science Fiction is no longer confined to works in English from Western Countries, if it ever was. What should you look for, and can you get it in English?
Sunday 11am. FOOLS IN SF&F. It's April Fools Day, so let’s discuss the foolish, the silly and the downright funny side of SF&F!
In addition, I'll be attending the launch of SpecFicNZ's inaugural showcase anthology, Te Korero Ahi Ka, to be held at 1pm on Saturday. All welcome!
Biltmore, Rhode Island, Providence
28 Feb 2018
With guests, panels, readings, Horror University, the Final Frame Film Competition, the Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference, the Bram Stoker Awards® … StokerCon™ is a premier event on any horror writer's calendar. I'll be attending for the third time, and I'm be looking for word to participating in some panels, doing a reading, attending some workshops to sharpen my skills, heading to the awards banquet, and generally catching up with friends and colleagues. This year, it sounds as if there will be quite the antipodean contingent attending, most of whom share my cute accent! Check my February blogpost for my schedule.