Pictcon

Off the back of the glorious mayhem that was the World Fantasy Convention down there in windy Brighton, I spent this weekend at an event that was both much cosier and closer to home, spiritually as well as geographically.

Pictcon is a brand new convention, celebrating the multi-faceted Scottish genre community. Not just the writers (of which there were many in attendance), but also the artists, the publishers, the book sellers, the academics, the commentators, the crafters and the fans. It was an excellent, chilled affair with many interesting workshops and discussions (the highlight for me being Dr Meg MacDonald’s interview with Francesca Barbini of Luna Press Publishing about her incredible career).

When I started out (in the dark, pre-internet days), there wasn’t much of what you’d call a community in Scotland, but it has grown year on year since then and what we have now is rich and flourishing, and it is very much worth taking a beat to gather together and celebrate that. Massive Kudos to Farah Mendlesohn (ably assisted by Michelle Drayton-Harrold) for getting Pictcon off the ground.

And thanks to them too for inviting me to be the guest of honour at Pictcon 2 in 2026. It feels weird to be noticed, but it’s an exceptionally nice kind of weird and I’m really looking forward to it.

Pictcon 2 is on Saturday 17 October 2026 at the Salutation Hotel in Perth. If you’re part of the Scottish genre community (or want to be) I heartily recommend buying a ticket without delay.