Jack Dann - Contribution To Australian Speculative Fiction Culture

Contribution To Australian Speculative Fiction Culture

Since his move to Australia, he has become a major influence and much respected figure in the speculative fiction field in Australia. He has frequently attended conventions, as guest of honour, speaker and panelist, and has played an active role in encouraging the development of the field, including running and contributing to seminars and workshops on writing, such as Clarion South.

He has also raised the profile of Australian writers by publishing anthologies of their work. He co-editor (with Janeen Webb) of World Fantasy Award winning Australian anthology Dreaming Down-Under, which Peter Goldsworthy called "the biggest, boldest, most controversial collection of original fiction ever published in Australia." More recently, Dann edited Dreaming Again, a second anthology of Australian fantasy and speculative fiction, which was released in Australia in July 2008. The collection includes a number of stories produced by graduates of the Clarion South workshops and a mix of new and well known Australian writers.

A third volume, produced in editorial partnership with Jonathan Strahan, entitled Legends of Australian Fantasy was published in June 2010.

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