Octothorpe cover art

Octothorpe

Octothorpe

By: John Coxon Alison Scott Liz Batty
Listen for free

About this listen

 A Hugo Award-winning podcast about science fiction and SF fandom from John Coxon, Alison Scott, and Liz Batty.© John Coxon, Alison Scott, Liz Batty Science Fiction
Episodes
  • 142: A Lot of Double-Sided Bra Tape

    142: A Lot of Double-Sided Bra Tape
    Aug 28 2025

    John is going to have lunch, Lori is going to brunch, and Liz is not hungry?

    An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media.

    Content warnings this episode: Mispronounced names (chapter 4), class structures (chapter 7)

    • Worldcon 2025: Seattle
      • Hugo Awards
        • The ceremony
          • Pronunciations
          • Grigory Lukin
          • Nisi Shawl on Bluesky: first, second
          • K Tempest Bradford on X in 2020: first, second
          • K Tempest Bradford on Bluesky
        • The winners
        • Billy on the Street
          • “For a dollar, name a woman!”
        • Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
    • Worldcon 2030: Edmonton bid
    • Picks
      • John: The Sentence by Gautam Bhatia
        • The Wall and The Horizon
        • Andrew Openshaw’s review
      • Lori: The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson
      • Liz: The Friend Zone Experiment by Zen Cho
    • Credits
      • Cover art: “Ceremony Script Revealed” by Alison Scott
        • Alt text: A picture of a book entitled “Hugo Award Pronunciation Guide” written by George R R Martin. The cover design is in the style of the A Song of Ice and Fire series, with an Iron Throne made of Hugo Awards. The words “Octothorpe 142” are at the top in a Game of Thrones-y typeface.
      • Theme music: “Surf Shimmy” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 11 mins
  • 141: A Whole Episode Without Business Meeting Content

    141: A Whole Episode Without Business Meeting Content
    Aug 14 2025
    John is worried, Alison volunteers, and Liz is warm. An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media. Content warnings this episode: None Letters of comment Chris Hurley (email)Dave O’Neill (Bluesky, DM)Ivan Sinha (Facebook)Jesi Lipp (email, Facebook)John Hertz (typewritten letter with pasted image from File 770 scanned by Fedex and sent by email)Mike Glyer (email)Neil Ottenstein (Facebook)Nicholas Whyte (email)Nuala (Bluesky)Paul Weimer (Bluesky)Rory Hennell James (Bluesky)Tammy Coxen and Jesi Lipp (Bluesky)We also heard from Doug Faunt and Farah Mendlesohn Worldcon 2025: Seattle Business Meeting Jesi Lipp posted some excellent infographics on JOFJesi also posted a small table on our Facebook of attendances back to 2014 and John made them into a graphNASFiC is gone The USA has a national con now and it’s Dragon Con, so why compete? We will return to this question…The end of fan-run conventions in the USA NASFiC is gone, leaving Dragon Con as the de facto national conventionThe Westercon by-laws have been repealedWiscon has not got enough volunteers to run an in-person conventionGallifrey One is coming to an end, Showmasters Events are running a commercial replacementGeekGirlCon and Penguicon are strugglingArisia, Baycon, Boskone, Loscon have all shrunk (anecdotally) The end of fan-run conventions more widely? New Zealand: Fan-run conventions have been struggling since CoNZealandFinland: SMOF News recently reported that Finncon is not running due to lack of volunteers More widely to do with volunteering? Maybe more true in the UK? Picks John: The Tyrant Philosophers by Adrian TchaikovskyAlison: Control Room B at Battersea Power Station (and Battersea Power Station Station)Liz: Woodworking by Emily St. James Credits Cover art: “Mildly Wes” by Alison Scott Alt text: A photograph of a cocktail bar at Battersea Power Station. The words “Control Room B” are above the cocktail bar, and the words “Octothorpe 141” overlaid in similar style. Theme music: “Surf Shimmy” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 3 mins
  • 140: Nerdiest Nerds Who Ever Nerded

    140: Nerdiest Nerds Who Ever Nerded
    Jul 31 2025
    John is laughing, Alison is coughing, and Liz has already eaten. An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media. Content warnings this episode: Coughing (aftershow) Letters of comment Ali Baker Brooks (Facebook)Constanze Hofmann (Facebook)David Bamford (Bluesky)Farah Mendlesohn (Facebook)Jake Casella Brookins (Bluesky)Jonathan Baddeley (Facebook)Tommy Ferguson (email)We also heard from Olav Rokne, Shi Lala, Tammy Coxen 2025 Worldcon: Seattle Business Meeting Business Meeting Agenda and Recaps File 770 reporting: 4 July, 19 July, 25 JulyYouTube recordings: 4 July, 19 July, 25 July13 July was not reported/recorded because of executive session Trial Committee Doctor Science, España Sheriff, Ian Stockdale, Kat Kourbeti, Kris “nchanter” Snyder Mark Protection Committee Nicholas Whyte, Alan Bond, and Chris Rose have benefitted quite massively from shortcomings in the WSFS voting mechanism, reports Nicholas WhyteUniversity of Cambridge’s Single Transferable Vote regulationsThere’s a new way to remove MPC members Ben Yalow jumped before being pushed E.2 got ratified and then un-ratified again Andrew January visualised what the changes implyNicholas Whyte pointed out this would accidentally hugely disenfranchise Attending MembershipsMeg MacDonald pointed out in the Business Meeting that Glasgow had 1390 “First Worldcon” members We should vote with “Everybody Votes” style Smofcon 42 bursaries are available 2027 Worldcon: Montreal bid The prospective co-chairs have been announced Picks John: One Soul by Ray FawkesAlison: BitterLiz: Superman Credits Cover art: “WSFS Everybody Votes Channel” by Alison Scott Alt text: Three Miis in the style of John, Alison and Liz on a background reminiscent of the Everybody Votes Channel from the Nintendo Wii. The words “Octothorpe 140” appear at the top and “WSFS Everybody Votes Channel” at the bottom. - Theme music: “Surf Shimmy” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 14 mins
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.