Below you will find the full program item descriptions, sorted by language. If you are looking for the program schedule, it’s here:

Program items for Fantasticon 2025

Program in English

• Intro panel [Panel]
  Meet our Guests of Honour Aliette de Bodard and Jasper Fforde for a short introduction to their works and what to expect from them during the Fantasticon weekend.
  Aliette de Bodard, Jasper Fforde & Flemming Rasch.
• Guests of honor interview with Jasper Fforde interviewed by Jesper Rugård [Interview]
• Guests of honor interview with Aliette de Bodard by Niels Dalgaard [Interview]
• Special Guest interview with Guiseppo Festino by Federico Festino [Interview]
• Dragons! [Panel]
  Almost every culture has stories of dragons, possibly inspired by dinosaur bones. The dragons are wildly different, but all still clearly dragons. What is a dragon? Why do dragon stories continue to fascinate and sell when other creatures come in and out of fashion? and Why do some cultures see them as evil while others see them as good? The panel discusses their love for dragons in fiction and folklore.
  Aliette de Bodard, Lea Thume, Saija Kyllönen, Klaus Æ Mogensen, Sidsel Pedersen (M)
• Writing in English as a second language [Panel]
  For authors, the English language book market offers the potential for more readers and bigger advances. But how does one go about breaking into the biggest SF&F market if you are not a native English speaker? Which downsides and obstacles do you need to be aware of? Which tools exists to help you out? How does writing in a foreign language affect the writing process?
  Lars Ahn, Jacob Drud, Marie Howalt, Jane Mondrup & Tobias Bakmand Jungersen (M)
• Non-Human Minds [Panel]
  In his seminal essay “What is it like to be a bat?”, philosopher of mind Thomas Nagel argues it is impossible to imagine the experience of a mind whose perceptual/conceptual world is so different from our own. What does this mean for SFF’s rich tradition of encounters with the alien? Is it possible to depict authentically non-human consciousness? Is it desirable? What different approaches might we take? And why? This panel digs deep into the challenges and rewards involved in imagining minds that are literally not of this world.
  Aliette de Bodard, Sheri Singerling, Marke A Hansen, Jane Mondrup & Adam Bristow-Smith (M)
• Mobilising utopia? Climate fiction and climate action [Panel]
  Climate fiction creates powerful visions of possible futures – can these alternatives futures actually mobilise people toward meaningful climate action? This panel brings together authors, activists, publishers, and academics to explore the complex relationship between fictional climate narratives and real-world movements. We’ll disucss how stories can create spaces for alternative social and economic imaginaries and look at examples where fiction has influenced activism. Join us for an inspiring conversation about the power and limitations of storytelling in building the sustainable futures we desperately need.
  Shëkufe Tadayoni Heiberg, Jeppe Svan Sørensen, Adam Bristow-Smith, Ali Riza Taskale, Laura Horn (M)
• Romantasy [Panel]
  Romantasy is the new buzz word, but is it more than just dicks dragons and broody shadow daddies? What can this genre offer us, that we can’t get elsewhere?
  Mia Monza, C. A. Wolters, Liv Strom, Aliette de Bodard, Christina E. Ebbesen (M)
• Terry Pratchett and the humor of Discworld [Panel]
  Jakob Löfgren, Lea Thume, Adam Bristow-Smith, Tobias Bakmand Jungersen (M)
  Sir Terry Pratchett was the beloved author of more than 50 best-selling books. He broke through with the Discworld series of comedic fantasy stories filled with witches who prefer not to use magic, wizard who more than a little reluctant to leave the university’s many walls behind, and much, much more.
• Humor in fantasy [Panel]
  Carsten Fogh, Jasper Fforde, Klaus Æ Mogensen
  From the absurd logic of talking animals to the bureaucratic nightmares of immortal realms, fantasy literature has long embraced the ridiculous. This panel delves into why the collision of the fantastical and the funny resonates so powerfully with readers, exploring how humour acts as both a narrative tool and a subversive lens for examining reality.
• Laughing with Douglas Adams [Panel]
  Dani Fuentes, Jane Mondrup, Tue Sørensen, Nina Skovgaard Schneidermann
  Douglas Adams both wrote humourous fiction, and originated many long-living fandom memes and tributes. The panelists will talk about why his writing has managed to become so fundamental, how the various versions of his work compare to each other, the way the weird asides in the story manage to connect back up to the main plot, and why you should attend your next local towel day event.
• Fanfiction-karaokee: Sanna Bo Claumarch [With audience participation]
  Your host will guide you through the marvelous world of fanfiction, from comedy to cringe, from poetry to pining, with you, the audience, as the narrator. Audience participation is crucial (but not mandatory), acting skills dispensable, prior knowledge unnecessary. Let’a all have fun together!
• Casual Creative Workshop – Sarah Stoltze [Workshop]
  Do you enjoy folding spaceships out of paper, crafting cosplay with yarn, or painting gruesome horrors? Do you need a break from the tough con programme? Are you in the mood for some light socialising, with a convenient distraction you can focus on while you are talking?
  Then bring your crafting gear and show up for the creative workshop for a nice break. It’s a chance to meet cool people, and show off what you are working on.
• Sci-Fi Film Quiz – Tue Sørensen is quiz master
  Going to the con sunday morning, bright and early? Challenge yourself with a hellishly hard but fun quiz about obscure sci-fi films – and some TV shows, too – while you enjoy your morning coffee or tea in the café! ID the film poster! Guess the quotation! Win a giftcard for a sci-fi shop that doesn’t sell films! Come on, you can do it! Well, one of you, anyway…

Program in Danish

• Ekstrem horror, en litterær samtale [Samtale]
  Asta Jersø & Mariane Mide
  Hvad er ekstrem horror er for en størrelse og hvorfor den spiller en vigtig rolle i, ikke bare litteraturen, men alle genrer og vores liv uden for medierne?
  En samtale, der er rettet mod et voksent publikum med stærke maver. Eller som bare vil prøve deres grænser af.
• Podcast optagelse: Scifisnak [Podcast]
  Anders Høeg Nissen & Jens Hjerrild Poder
  De garvede podcast værter Anders Høeg Nissen og Jens Hjerrild Poder diskuterer månedens bog i en live udgave af Scifi Snak. De diskutere ‘The Restaurant at the End of the Universe’ af Douglas Adams.
• Drømmenes Pris: H.P. Lovecrafts liv og litteratur [Interview]
  I 2024 udkom Martin Wangsgaard Jürgensens Lovecraft-biografi, som det første længere værk på dansk om Lovecraft og hans værker. Martin er blandt andet også kendt for sit samarbejde med Jacob Krogsøe ud i den danske horrorlitteratur, som vi nok også vil komme lidt ind på, men ellers handler interviewet om H.P. Lovecraft som menneske og forfatter, ud fra det Martin har fundet frem til med sin grundige research.
  Martin Vangsgård Jürgensen interviews af Thomas Winther.
• Lige under overfladen retrospektive [Panel]
  Sidste år mistede vi Carl Eddy Skovgaard, som fra 2007 til sin død var redaktør på den årlige antologi med science fiction-noveller Lige Under Overfladen. Vi har samlet et panel af forfattere som bidrog til antologien gennem dens historie, og dem som nu fører traditionen videre. I løbet af panelet vil vi komme ind på hvilken betydning antologien fik for danske fans af science fiction og for de forfattere som bidrog, og forhåbentlig dele nogle anekdoter og gode minder om antologien og dens redaktør.
  Rene Roer Thygesen, Lars Ahn, Maria Aagaard, Helene Toksværd, Flemming Rasch (m)
• Humor i Marvel Universet [Panel]
  Carsten Fogh & Tue Søndergaard (M)
  Husker du dengang Deadpool fik Thom Cruz’s ansigt? Eller da Squirrel Girl overvandt Galactus? Komedieserier findes ikke bare på TV, men også i tegneseriehæfter. To garvede Marvel-fans kommer med deres yndlingseksempler på når både store, små og vildt obskure figurer går helt grassat i Marvels superhelteunivers – hvilket er en hæderkronet tegneserietradition.
• Interview med Lars Kramhøft med Dennis Rosenfeld [Interview]
  Tegneserieskaber Lars Kramhøft er ved at slå sit navn fast som det danske tegneseriemiljøs førende socialt bevidste kommentator med sin ’Byens Lys’-stribe i Information og grafiske værker som ’Husvild’ og ’Noget frygteligt er altid lige ved at ske’. Lyt med når forfatter, oversætter og kulturformidler Dennis Rosenfeld interviewer Kramhøft om samfundssatire, tendenser i tiden og selvbiografisk inspiration.
• Den gode Slutning [Panel]
  Anne-Marie Vedsø Olesen, Carsten Bossen Christiansen, Jacob Drud, Mariane Mide & Jesper Rugård (M)
  Panelet taler om hvordan man afslutter sin historie på en tilfredsstillende måde. Hvilke historier har brug for en “happy ending” og hvornår skal der efterlades løse ender og ubesvarede spørgsmål? Har panelet slutningen inden de går i gang eller er det den sværeste del af en historie? How do you write an ending that isn’t cliché and feels surprising yet inevitable?
• Lovecraft illustrationer
  Forlaget Afkom
  Hvordan oversætter man H.P. Lovecrafts kosmiske gru og rædsel til det visuelle sprog i tegneserier? Michael Lillegaard Larsen og Lauge Eilsøe-Madsen – begge bidragydere til antologien I ly af mørket – taler med Karsten Brandt-Knudsen om at gengive det usigelige i billeder, balancen mellem tekst og tegning, og kunsten at lade mørket tale.
• Filmatiseringer [Panel]
  Teddy Vork, Steen Langstrup, Lars Ahn
  Tre forfattere, hvis værker er blevet filmatiserede fortæller om deres oplevelser og erfaringer med filmprocessen. Hvad sker der med bogen når den skifter medie? Hvad er forfatterens rolle i dette? Hvad er oplevelsen bagefter, når man som den oprindelige skaber, ser sit værk (mal-)trakteret på en helt anden vis? Hvad skal man gøre, hvis der kommer nogen og vil bruge ens værk til deres film?
  Teddy Vork har senest fået sin roman Mulm filmatiseret, Steen Langstrup har fået en række af sine bøger filmet, og Lars Ahn, der har fået filmatiseret flere noveller.
• Satire by Maria O. Larsen & Karsten Brandt-Knudsen [Samtale/foredrag]
• Workshop i character building med Christina E. Ebbesen [Workshop]
  Karakteropbygning kræver overvejelser om den rolle de spiller – er de helt, skurk, sidekick? Man skal overveje hvilken type udvikling karakteren eventuelt skal gennemgå eller om de hjælper andres udvikling. Karakterernes stemmer må ikke lyde for ens, og man skal sørge for en god balance mellem at gøre karakteren ”likeable”, kompetent, handlekraftig, interessant og relatable. Derudover kan man overveje kultur-træk og personlighedstype.
  Der vil være mange små skriveøvelser og tips og tricks.
• Reception for SF-romanen ZOI
  ZOI er historien om mødet med en meget anderledes ikke-jordisk livsform, de cellelignende zoier. Fire menneskelige astronauter er på vej ud i rummet som passagerer i en zoi, da noget begynder at vokse frem ved siden af deres vægtløse kroppe og langsomt udvikler sig til kopier af dem. Det bliver en rejse med vidtrækkende konsekvenser for både mennesker og zoier.
  Jane Mondrup / ReadDieRepeat
• Auktion med Klaus Æ Mogensen som auktionarius
  Støtte auktion af antikvariske bøger, spil og tegneserier. Man kan donere til auktionen ved at tage tingene med til Conen, så opbevarer vi dem indtil lørdag aften.
• Dead dog party after the con is packed up we hangout and chat while drinking a soda or beer in the café. It’s a great place to exchange information with that person you meet two panels ago or to get a last hug from friends.

Roleplaying at Fantasticon

This year we have number of short roleplaying session throughout the convention.
Signup is required at the Bar

• Brindlewood Bay – GM: Sarah Stoltze
  Brindlewood Bay is a tabletop roleplaying game that combines Murder, She Wrote with H.P. Lovecraft. You play a group of elderly women, members of the local Murder Mavens Mystery Book Club, who help the authorities solve murder cases in a picturesque New England Town. The game is low-prep and easy to play no matter your experience with tabletop roleplaying games.
  Session: 2 hours
• Conspiracist – GM: Mikołaj Kowalewski
  In Conspiracist, you play as a henchman for the Illuminati: a vast organization that controls the world from the shadows.
  Session: 3 hours
• Godtale – GM: Nicklas Brandin
  Godtale is a Norse mythological micro RPG about escapades and rivalries, about cunning and vainglory. You portray aesir, asynjur and vanir of your own creation. Together you go on adventures in the Nine Realms. But each of you wants to be the deity who earns the most glory—not infrequently at the expense of your companions.
  Session: 2+ hours (potentially extended)

Library: Readings and other programing (No ticket required)

During the convention a number of authors will read from their work. No ticket required

• Beyond Diversifying the Fantastic: Presenting Africanjujuism [Talk]
  Africanjujuism, a term coined by Nigerian-American novelist Nnedi Okorafor to represent a subgenre of fantasy rooted in African spirituality and cosmology, has largely been underexplored in fantasy discourse. The genre which blurs the borders of fiction also complicates the core of fantasy by blending the real with the unreal. This has allowed readers to discover an alternate source of the fantastic thereby diversifying the genre on multiple levels. This presentation however argues that it does more than diversify, when Africans engage Africanjujuism, there is a reclaiming of a forgotten past, of a history long suppressed by colonialism. This presentation will discuss the decolonial strategies offered by the subgenre, present notable Africanjujuist authors and books, and highlight its implications for fantasy readers.
  Uchenna Emelife
• Vølvens vej (DK) [Interview]
  Anne-Marie Vedsø Olesen i samtale med Klaus Æ Mogensen om romanserien Vølvens vej:
  Det femte og afsluttende bind af Vølvens vej, der er inspireret af nordisk mytologi og dansk jernalder, udkommer til september. Hør om hvordan man gennemfører over 2000 sider på fem år og lander en episk ragnarokfortælling med bundtræk og originalitet. Vølvens vej har vundet DR Romanprisen, er oversat til otte sprog og er blevet en anmelderrost bestseller.
  Anne Marie Vedsø-Olesen & Klaus Æ Mogensen
• Readings by: Christina Ebbesen, AK Hauser, Mia Monza, Adam Bristow-Smith, Liv Strom, Klaus Æ Mogensen, Jannick Cornelius, Helene Toksværd, Lea Thume, Laura Horn, Jane Mondrup