The Fantasy and Sci-Fi Spotlight takes place on Sunday 29th September at the Nerdy Café in Mardol, Shrewsbury, bringing a day of panels, workshops, traders’ tables and activities all about books and writing to the town.

The event will be headlined by Emily Inkpen, writer and co-director of the British Science Fiction Association award-winning audio drama The Dex Legacy. Written by Emily and produced by Alternative Stories, the drama has been downloaded over 200,000 times internationally since the launch of its first season in 2022, placing it in the top 3 percent of podcasts worldwide.

Other authors taking part include David Gemmell Morningstar Award finalist Stephen Aryan and Tim Hardie, finalist in the 2021 Self-published Fantasy Blog Off competition, a competition run annually by acclaimed author Mark Lawrence. Both Tim and Stephen will be leading workshops at the event designed to help aspiring authors plan and improve their writing.

Joel Smith, known as The Shropshire DM, will add a narrative touch to the event by taking on the role of MC and hosting the live panels and interviews.

Event organiser and fantasy author HL Tinsley said: “We’re excited to bring some of the best fantasy and science fiction writers to the NERDY Café. Attendees will have the chance to discover amazing books and authors they may not have otherwise known about, and get tips on how to get started in writing. Gaming and writing often go hand in hand – it’s about telling great stories and sharing that passion with others.”

Entry to the event is free, however capacity is limited and booking is recommended. Secured tickets cost £2.49 and include a standard drink from the cafe menu. The first 30 guests to arrive will receive a gift bag of book-related goodies. You can follow the event on X/Twitter – @SFFspotlight24

To secure entry to the event, please visit fantasyandscifispotlight.co.uk/

By Holly Tinsley – Contributor