As the premier award for speculative writing, recognising outstanding works of science fiction, fantasy and horror, it just seems appropriate that they will celebrate with the dress-up theme of "weird as you like".

"We decided after the last few years that the new 'unnormal' was the way to go," author and Aurealis Awards committee chair Paula Boer says.

"Myself, I'm going as a giant spider. That'll keep people away from me."

While this weekend's awards ceremony sees the author don an extra six legs, the world she usually lives in is filled with unicorns and dragons.

Boer is behind the series The Equinora Chronicles, an adult horse fantasy series that was her first foray into the world of speculative fiction.

Having already written the Brumbies series, an adventure series focused on horses in regional Australia, the author wanted to approach adult topics such as suicide, using equine characters as the focus.

But from the moment this introduced her to the speculative fiction community, and in particular the Canberra Speculative Fiction Community, Boer knew she had found her tribe. And what a diverse tribe it is.

"We're a mixed bunch of what we write about, which is why we're not so competitive, too, because we're all doing something different," Boer says.

"But it's all about the ability to escape the real world because life can be tough. And in the speculative fiction area - though maybe not so much horror - you lose yourself in a different world.

"You don't have to worry about paying the bills, or whether your car is going to pass the pink slip or whatever. You just live in that other world with this fantasy. And as a writer, you can make it whatever you want it to be. You can throw rocks at your villains, and you can make your heroes have a very magic sword - that sort of thing."

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The Canberra Speculative Fiction Guild will also host a writers' development afternoon before the ceremony. The event will feature discussion panels, and will include a craft workshop presented by Canberra horror author Kaaron Warren. In addition to being a chance to hear from some of the community's best-known writers, for most this will be the first face to face gathering of "spec fic" writers since COVID-19 forced regular events online.

And to put a real Canberra stamp on the workshop, Warren will also be incorporating her other job at The Green Shed.

"She's going to bring lots of different things from there and use them she uses them in her workshop to get people to create characters and situations," Boer says.

"She is a fantastic horror writer. She's got awards internationally, and she's such a lovely gentle person. You wouldn't think some of the stories that come out of her could come out of somebody so nice."

The Aurealis Awards are on Saturday at 5pm at the Hellenic Club City. The writers' development afternoon is on from 12pm, also at the Hellenic Club. For tickets to both events go to Trybooking.

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