Announcing our
Spring 2023 Online Writing Workshops
Saturday 18 February 2023: Worldbuilding 101 with Jeanne Adams
Saturday 11 March 2023: Finding Your Voice with MK Hardy
Saturday 22 April 2023: Creating Compelling Characters with David Bishop
We want YOUR stories!
The Cymera Prize for Speculative Short Fiction is now open for submissions.
Back for 2023 and now open to published writers.
Introducing our electronic Giftcards
Stuck for that last-minute gift for the SFFH lover in your life? How about one of our electronic Cymera Giftcards?
Redeemable against anything on our website, from our tote bags (great for carrying books) to our 2023 weekend pass!
Cymera will return 2nd to 4th June 2023
in Edinburgh and Online.
Edinburgh Comic Art Fair
We’re excited to be joining forces with BHP Comics and Out of the Blue Drill Hall to host this year’s ECAF.
What to expect
25+ comic creators and makers
comic panels and talks
workshops
Portfolio Reviews
FREE ENTRY,
Saturday 19 November, 11AM to 4PM
Out of the Blue Drill Hall, Edinburgh, 8RG (Get directions to the venue here)
Access: Access to the venue is level and all activities take place on the Ground Floor. There is a disabled toilet, with extra wide door and pull cord alarm system
Scroll down for the programme
…..
Programme
FREE ENTRY, NO TICKET REQUIRED
11:15am to 12:15pm: The New Scottish Myth (Panel)
How do contemporary creators interpret and bring to life new and old stories.
With Caitlyn Bannatyne, Ell J. Walker and Paul Tonner, chaired by Heather Palmer
12:45pm to 2:15pm: Create A Poetry Graphic Novel (Workshop)
Join poet Russell Jones and artist Aimee Lockwood, the creative team behind The Wilds, to learn how to turn a piece of poetry into a graphic novel.
Poetry and all other materials will be provided.
1pm to 2pm: What’s next for crowd-funding? (Panel)
With changes at Kickstarter causing concerns and audiences more strapped for cash than ever before, we take a look into the future of crowdfunding and new funding streams for comics.
With Dave Cook and Eve Greenwood
1:30pm to 3pm: Portfolio Reviews (Drop-in)
Drop in and get some feedback on your portfolio from David Bishop, comics writer and former editor for 2000 AD and Judge Dredd
2:15pm to 3:15pm: Creating Non-Fiction Comics (Panel)
When the characters you’re writing about really existed, what is the writer’s role in telling the story? Do ‘creative liberties’ really exist? ‘Poetic licence?’ How do you tell stories when you are the main character? Our panel of non-fiction creators tell us all about it.
With Tom Humberstone, Nat Walpole and Steven Fraser
2:30pm to 3:50pm: Workshop with Maria Stoian (Workshop)
Join artist and writer Maria Stoian for this workshop.
Please note the programme may be subject to change at short notice.
VENUE: Out of the Blue Drill Hall, Edinburgh, 8RG (Get directions to the venue here)
ACCESS: Access to the venue is level and all activities take place on the Ground Floor. There is a disabled toilet, with extra wide door and pull cord alarm system
Can Science Save Us?
Helen Sedgwick with Jane Alexander, Rachelle Atalla and Ever Dundas
Thursday 10 November at 7:30pm (60 minutes)
Join authors Helen Sedgwick, Jane Alexander, Rachelle Atalla and Ever Dundas as they explore the current and future roles of science, technology and medicine in their speculative work.
Complimentary Tickets
We recognize that financial reasons may prevent someone from attending our events. Please request a free ticket to the event you'd like to attend using our request form. Requests are kept strictly confidential. Tickets are limited.
#Cymera2022 in pictures
Photocredit Chris Scott @chrisdonia
Cancellations
Please note we’ve had the following changes to the programme.
Dan Hanks is no longer able to join us. The event is going ahead with C.F. Barrington and Josh Winning.
Even vampires can catch Covid. Unfortunately the entire run of Dracula has been cancelled as several members of the cast have tested positive for Covid-19. We will refund your ticket automatically over the next few days
Welcome to #Cymera2022, our first hybrid festival!
It’s been much too long since we’ve seen you all in person, so we are extra excited. But have no fear, for those of you that can’t travel to Edinburgh, we have lots of events lined up too, either fully digital via Zoom, or via our festival livestream on YouTube.
Browse our programme
BY AUTHOR
Browse our events A-Z by author.
BY EVENT
Browse our events chronologically
EVENTS FOR WRITERS
Includes in-person and digital workshops
FIND OUT ABOUT ACCESS
Includes venue information, BSL and online access
We’re still tweaking a few things, so keep checking back in. Also, it’s been three years since we last got together in person, so we may have forgotten how to do this. Please get in touch if you have any questions/concerns/comments - info@cymerafestival.co.uk
Check out our Covid-1o policy.
Join our Discord
Want to connect to fellow #Cymera2022 attendees online? Join our Discord for friendly genre chat.
Cymera is an inclusive and accessible festival and please do your part in creating a fun, safe and respectful space for everyone. Please report any issues to the Admin/Moderator team @Admin and @ Moderators in the #Help text channel on the Discord.
Tickets
Tickets are now on sale
Weekend Pass VS individual tickets
All events are individually ticketed. By purchasing a weekend pass, you automatically get access to all our events as well as the catch-up. Please note that workshops and the plays are not included in the weekend pass.
Access to our festival venue, the Creators Hall and the bookshop is free, and there are also some free events in the programme, like our Open Mic, the Quiz and our RPG strand. We also offer free tickets for those who are unable to join us for financial reasons. Find out more here
Cymera would not be possible without the fantastic people that donate their time and expertise to the festival. We are now looking for volunteers to help us over the festival weekend (Friday 3rd June till Sunday 5th June 2022).
You will be essential in keeping the crowds safe, the tech running and our authors in the right place. We have a variety of shifts available to choose from, and every little helps!
Applications are now open for our Creators Hall.
WEEKEND PASSES NOW ON SALE
The weekend pass includes
Entry to all our panels, in-person and digital. Please note the writing workshops, the Agent one to one and the play are not included.
Access to the recording catch-up until 3rd July 2022
Early booking access from Monday 11th April 2022 - more info on this will follow at the beginning of April
As our venue has a limited capacity, we ask that you book tickets for all in-person events you wish to attend.
We recognize that financial reasons may prevent someone from attending the Festival. This year, in addition to free individual tickets, we are offering complimentary weekend passes. Request yours here
Counting down to #Cymera2022
Not long to go now until we are back in the Pleasance, Edinburgh. We are busy putting the programme together, but here what we can already tell you
it will be a busy weekend with over 30 in-person events, and almost a dozen digital ones
all in-person events (except workshops) will be livestreamed (technology willing)
all events will be available to catch-up until 3rd July 2022. Catch-up Access will automatically be included in each ticket.
there will be in-person and online writing workshops. Make sure you book off Friday 3rd June 2022, as the afternoon has two brilliant workshops scheduled in (and yes, they clash, so you can probably only go to one).
the quiz is back on Friday 3rd June 2022 but it will be in-person only
there will be no Ceilidh. With Covid-19 still going strong, we’d rather not risk it.
as always, you can buy a weekend pass that covers all our events (except workshops), or individual tickets for single events. There will be a digital only pass, and an in-person one.
while it is the Platinum Jubilee weekend, we’re going to stick with the celebration of SFFH writing.
Your #Cymera2022 dates
Early-bird Weekend Passes will be on sale from 1st March to1st April 2022.
Official Programme Launch will be Saturday 9th April 2022, and tickets will go on sale on Monday 18th April 2022. Our weekend pass holders, members, our Cymera champions and patrons will get early access to booking.
Applications for our Creators Hall will open early April 2022.
We would be nothing without all our fantastic volunteers, and Volunteer sign-up will open late April 2022.