Tom Hunter, on behalf of the Arthur C. Clarke Award Foundation, has launched a Kickstarter campaign to both fund and publicize Write The Future, “a new micro-conference on science, technology, communication and fiction.” At press time, the conference has already broken its pledge goal of £2,001, but Hunter notes that the Kickstarter campaign also “offers the chance for all of you early adopters, creative-thinkers and future geeks out there to book super-discounted advance-priced tickets before the event is publicly announced.”

“Write The Future is a programme of creative talks and presentations taking place on the afternoon of Wednesday 1st May this year, organised by the Arthur C. Clarke Award for science fiction literature and taking place at the Royal Society in London. We’ve put together a great line-up of speakers, a fantastic and deeply historical venue in the Royal Society, and all we need now is you – an amazing audience – to help make this a truly inspirational event.”

The conference is planned as “a programme of creative short talks on the transformative power of science, technology, communication and speculative fiction – drawing parallels between these interconnecting disciplines and showcasing the power of the human imagination.

“The concept is inspired by the life and work of science fiction author, inventor and futurist Sir Arthur C. Clarke, with each talk seeking to encapsulate a single inspirational and innovative idea from the fields of scientific research, digital disruption, creative communications and science fiction publishing.”

The speakers will be chosen “from a deliberately eclectic range of disciplines and backgrounds, including Royal Society Fellows, senior publishing industry experts, digital innovators, renowned science fiction authors and filmmakers.”

In addition to purchasing tickets through Kickstarter support, Hunter writes, “Our [[[Fables from the Fountain]]] reward is an anthology of original fiction written as a homage to Arthur C. Clarke’s famous short story collection, [[[Tales from the White Hart]]], and we’re delighted to be able to offer everyone who pledges their support a copy of this great collection.

“The book includes eighteen original stories by top genre writers including Neil Gaiman, Stephen Baxter, Charles Stross, James Lovegrove, Adam Roberts and Ian Watson, and is published by NewCon Press in partnership with the Arthur C. Clarke Award.”

To support the conference/reserve your tickets, see this Kickstarter page.