Fact and Fiction

I’m pleased that I will be presenting on the subjectof Murderbot and AI at Estcon 2024. The conference is taking place in July at Udu Talu and I will post full details under events.

This is a fun presentation and I’m pleased for the opportunity to revisit it.

I am pleased that my proposal was accepted for Transitions, the SFRA 2024 annual meeting. I will be presenting my paper on The Journey into Old Age in ‘Star Trek: Picard.

The conference takes place in Tartu in May and I’m very happy that I’ll be attending in person. For more information on the conference, please see their website: SFRA 2024 | Transitions.

I’m going to be attending the AXALP ’23 Air Force display next month! This is a flight display and live-firing exercise run by the Swiss Air Force every year. The spectator areas are 2,200 metres amsl (7,200 feet) and although there’s a shuttle taking me from Briez to Axalp, I’ll be hiking the final 708 metres (2,320 feet). I cannot tell you how excited I am about this.

If you are interested in more detail, please read my newsletter post about it here: Wheels Up for Raclette

I’m thrilled to have another story in Nature Futures! I have to admit, this one has an author’s note that’s longer than the story.

“Don’t be mean, Paul. We’ve never had to live through data scarcity.” I cleared last week’s menu, as if that helped. Paul was right, Mom was getting worse. There was nothing so trivial that she wouldn’t save it to the cloud and then make a back-up.

You can read the entire story and author’s note at Nature.

I’m pleased to be presenting at Disruptive Imaginations, the Joint Annual Conference of the SFRA and the GFF in Dresden. I’ll be speaking on the subject of Murderbot and AI on Thursday morning in room ABS/114. I hope to see you there!

I am delighted to announce that I’ve been selected for a month-long writer’s residency on Hrísey Island in Iceland. Next May, I’ll be packing my bags and moving to the island! I’m very grateful to Gamli Skóli, a non-profit organisation supporting artists, photographers and writers, who are providing accommodation and working space. I’m hoping to get a grant to cover travel expenses. The residency will be focused on a narrative nonfiction project which I submitted as a part of my application and at the end of the month, there will be an exhibition on the island (I have no idea how I’m going to do this).

They’ve sent me the initial paperwork which points out three times that it is not possible to buy alcohol on Hrísey. However, the island does have forty species of nesting birds, a supermarket, two museums, a restaurant, a hundred and fifty plastic puffin decoys, and a resident ghost. There are also regular ferries to the mainland with a bus to Akureyri, a city with several breweries, shops and a thriving restaurant scene, so I don’t expect to be suffering overmuch.

Duolingo does not offer Icelandic, which means it is now 0 for 3 of the languages I have asked it for (Welsh*, Estonian, Icelandic)!

This was my second application to the residency. I was worried it would a tough sell, as an older woman working on narrative nonfiction. So I’m immensely happy that I get to have this opportunity!

*(to be fair, they added Welsh but not until after I’d left Swansea).

I’m excited to say that my latest story, Cyber Junk, has sold to Nature Magazine. Who decides what’s worth remembering? Cyber Junk explores the generational divide of data hoarding and information overload in the digital age. This will be my eighth appearance in the magazine.

Pilot Error is out now as an e-book at all good bookstores!

Buckle up for an exhilarating ride through the world of aviation mishaps in Pilot Error! Aviation expert Sylvia Wrigley provides an eye-opening exposé of mistakes made in the cockpit, ranging from comical blunders to catastrophic consequences.

Discover the man who crashed a vintage plane for YouTube views, the helicopter pilot who tried to defend receiving a blow-job in the cockpit, and the man who crashed his new plane seven times in seven days. From drunken escapades to mid-air collisions, this collection of true stories will leave you in awe and in stitches.

With vivid storytelling and a keen eye for detail, Sylvia captures amusing, infuriating and tragic screw-ups from all over the world. Pilot Error is a captivating and eye-opening read that will have you shaking your head in dismay with every turn of the page.

Interested? Choose your preferred retailer to buy it now!