BFS Online: Power in SFFH – Power Crushes

Grab your ticket here

Hail the rebel cause! We’re all familiar with stories of protagonists set against seemingly insurmountable odds, but what sparks a revolution? Is this just Newton’s Third Law in action? When power goes too far, what does it take to stop it?

Join moderator Adrian Fletcher and panellists Berna Hudson, Sid Jain, and Elle Machray for a discussion on writing rebellion.

Berna Hudson (she/her): Berna Hudson is the author of the Hand of Reason series, a tale of rebellion and resistance in the face of the expansion of a totalitarian regime. She was born in Chile and lives in London with her family. Find out more about Berna on her website. Or connect with her on Facebook, Bluesky or Instagram. Get her book here.

Sid Jain (he/him): Sid is a biotechnologist and writer from New Delhi, India, now living in North Carolina, US. His twice-British Science Fiction Award-longlisted short fiction and non-fiction has appeared in, among others, Uncanny Magazine, Podcastle, and Phase Changes, an anthology of climate fiction. Sid is a graduate of the Viable Paradise writing workshop. Find out more about Sid on his website.

Elle Machray (she/her/they/them): Elle Machray grew up in Birmingham to St Lucian and Scottish parents. Elle’s debut novel, Remember, Remember, is an alternative history which reimagines the gunpowder plot. The novel follows Delphine, a formerly enslaved woman as she takes on the British Empire to save her brother. Elle is an Observer Top 10 Debut Novelist, winner of the Somewhere: For Us Culture Award and featured on The List‘s Top 100 influential creatives. Remember, Remember was longlisted for the Mslexia Novel Prize, judged by Dame Hilary Mantel and was shortlisted for Scotland’s National Book Award. Her latest book Havisham, is a queer feminist ‘untelling’ in which Dickens’ most infamous female character tells her side of the story at last. Find out more about Elle on their website. Get their books here and here.

Adrian Fletcher (he/him): Adrian grew up in Warrington in the North-West of England. He read The Chronicles of Narnia as a child and has loved fantasy ever since. He moved away for University and work (in IT, far less interesting than talking, allegorical Lions). It wasn’t until after Covid that Adrian discovered the wonders of the BFS and a space for people who share a love of great stories. He’s hoping to share that as much as he can as Reviews Editor.