

Octothorpe
John Coxon, Alison Scott, Liz Batty
A Hugo Award-winning podcast about science fiction and SF fandom from John Coxon, Alison Scott, and Liz Batty.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 28, 2025 • 1h 11min
142: A Lot of Double-Sided Bra Tape
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)

Aug 14, 2025 • 1h 3min
141: A Whole Episode Without Business Meeting Content
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 JOF
Jesi also posted a small table on our Facebook of attendances back to 2014 and John made them into a graph
NASFiC 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 convention
The Westercon by-laws have been repealed
Wiscon has not got enough volunteers to run an in-person convention
Gallifrey One is coming to an end, Showmasters Events are running a commercial replacement
GeekGirlCon and Penguicon are struggling
Arisia, Baycon, Boskone, Loscon have all shrunk (anecdotally)
The end of fan-run conventions more widely?
New Zealand: Fan-run conventions have been struggling since CoNZealand
Finland: 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 Tchaikovsky
Alison: 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)

Jul 31, 2025 • 1h 14min
140: Nerdiest Nerds Who Ever Nerded
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 July
YouTube recordings: 4 July, 19 July, 25 July
13 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 Whyte
University of Cambridge’s Single Transferable Vote regulations
There’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 imply
Nicholas Whyte pointed out this would accidentally hugely disenfranchise Attending Memberships
Meg 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 Fawkes
Alison: Bitter
Liz: 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)

Jul 17, 2025 • 1h 15min
139: Mostly Just a Wide Spot on the Road
John was at the business meeting, Alison was at the cricket, and Tammy is Liz.
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
Find Tammy at her podcast, my tiny bottles
Letters of comment
Chris Garcia (email)
Colette Reap (email)
Farah Mendlesohn (email)
Ivan Sinha (Facebook)
Mike Glyer (email)
Niall Harrison (email)
Here are Niall’s 10 recommendations for you, listeners! [Interestingly, Niall did not mention any of the translators except for one, and so I had to go and look them all up—John]
A Thousand Blues by Cheon Seon-ran, translated by Chi-Young Kim
Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori
Under the Eye of the Big Bird by Hiromi Kawakami, translated by Asa Yoneda
Dengue Boy by Michel Nieva, translated by Rahul Bery
Sea Now by Eva Meijer, translated by Anne Thompson Melo
House of Day, House of Night by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones
The Place of Shells by Mai Ishizawa, translated by Polly Barton
Sympathy Tower Tokyo by Rie Qudan, translated by Jesse Kirkwood
Blood for the Undying Throne by Sung-Il Kim, translated by Anton Hur
Ice by Jacek Dukaj, translated by Ursula Phillips
Raj (Mastodon)
We also heard from Ali Baker Brooks, Brian Nisbet, Fredrik Coulter, Neil Ottenstein, and Sandra Bond
2027 Worldcon: Montreal bid
The timeline so far:
Terry Fong steps down, replaced by Darin Briskman
CanSMOF adds Bruce Farr as bid co-chair
Tammy writes “The Worldcon is in Trouble” on File 770
Site selection
2025 Worldcon: Seattle
Business Meeting, part 1
Business Meeting, part 2: this was entirely in executive session and so none of it ended up on YouTube. Sorry, listeners! You had to be there…
Further meetings will occur on 19 July and 25 July at 17:00 BST/09:00 PDT
2023 Worldcon: Chengdu
Chris Barkley’s 100th column
Picks
John: DIE by Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans and Clayton Cowles
Read the first issue free!
Future issues will eventually be available on Sweet Shop
My First Dungeon
Alison: After Us, the Flood and We Are Aliens
Tammy: The Nine Worlds by Victoria Goddard
The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
Credits
Cover art: “Our Tiny Bottles” by Alison Scott
Alt text: The words “Octothorpe 139” appear at the top and the words “…our tiny bottles…” appear at the bottom. Three bottles are drawn in the middle. The left-hand bottle is a Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge Coca-Cola bottle. The middle bottle is a bottle that looks a bit like a moose. The right-hand bottle is Bottle #18, “The Original Canton Delicate Ginger Liqueur”.
Theme music: “Surf Shimmy” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

Jul 3, 2025 • 1h 5min
138: A Tedious Number of Questions About What It’s Like to Run a Games Shop
John chaired, Alison is off on holiday, and Liz has the agenda.
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
Ang Rosin (Facebook)
Andrea Bell and Derek Hockridge
Bridget Bradshaw (Facebook)
Chris Garcia (email)
Farah Mendlesohn (email, Facebook)
Jake Casella Brookins (Bluesky)
Louise Hughes (Bluesky)
Neil Ottenstein (Facebook)
Paul Weimer (email)
Roseanna Pendlebury (Bluesky)
Shi Lala (Facebook)
Worldcon 2027: Montreal bid
Terry Fong has stepped down
There has been some news since, but we’ll discuss it next episode…
Worldcon 2025: Seattle
The results of the consultative votes
The Business Meeting agenda
Instructions on how to attend the virtual Business Meeting
Kate Secor’s annotated Business Meeting agenda
Picks
John: All the Ghosts in the Forest by Lorraine Wilson
Alison: A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
Liz: Old Soul by Susan Barker
Credits
Cover art: “Whizz-Fizz Agenda Time” by Alison Scott
Alt text: A famous photograph of Margaret Hamilton standing beside printed outputs of the code that took the Apollo spacecraft to the Moon, overlaid with the words “Octothorpe 138” and “Whizz-Fizz Agenda Time!”.
Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

Jun 18, 2025 • 1h 1min
137: My Brain Automatically Goes to Sandwiches
John is well-read, Alison played a game, and Liz needs an Allen key.
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
One hour of Mon Mothma dancing
Letters of comment
Andreas Davour (Mastodon and Mastodon)
Andy Openshaw
Jez Lowe
Ang Rosin
David Bamford (Bluesky)
Ed Morland (Bluesky)
Farah Mendlesohn (Facebook)
Jake Casella Brookins
Nuala Fahey (Bluesky)
Raj (Mastodon)
Roseanna Pendlebury (Bluesky)
and replies by Niall Harrison
Shi Lala (Facebook)
Tammy Coxen (Facebook)
“The Evolution of the Art Hugo Categories” on File 770
British Fantasy Society
One-day convention called “BFS Online: World Fantasy Convention 2025”
Saturday 21 June, 10:00–18:00 BST
Free for BFS members, £5 otherwise
World Fantasy Convention 2025: Brighton
British Science Fiction Association/Science Fiction Foundation AGM
Sunday 22 June
SFF’s “Latest News” page has some details
It’s also in the BSFA newsletter if you are a member
Jake Casella Brookins suggests a Hugo Award for Best Translated Work at Ancillary Review of Books
Hugo Award statistics from LAcon IV in 2006
William Weaver
Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky
Picks
John: A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall
Sylvie Cathrall’s website
Alison: Sci-Fi London
Blue Prince
Liz: Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand
Credits
Cover art: “Ahmon Kwasson Incorporates” by Alison Scott
Alt text: An image of the well-known fantasy hero Ahmon Kwasson, holding his trusty croissant-shaped sword and his trusty croissant-adorned shield, with his trusty croissant-coloured hair, which obscures the words “Octothorpe 137”. At the bottom is text: “Ahmon’s Quest: Your perfect cosy breakfast listen”.
Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

Jun 5, 2025 • 1h 9min
136: When Do You Not Want to Talk About Games?
John is ambivalent, Alison is against, and Liz is hangry.
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 X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media.
Content warnings this episode: None
Letters of comment
Ali Baker Brooks (Facebook)
Chris Garcia (email)
2008 Worldcon site selection
Farah Mendlesohn (email)
Dream Foundry
The original announcement of the Carole Goldman Fund
Con or Bust
“If you are Palestinian, or identify as a member of the Palestinian diaspora … you may qualify for a larger grant from the [Carole] Goldman Fund.”
The deadline for the 2025 round seems to have been October 2024, so it might be worth checking before October 2025 if you’re interested in the 2026 round
2026 Eurocon: Metropol Con in Berlin
Jan Harley (Facebook)
Kin-Ming Looi (Facebook)
Looi
Raj (Mastodon)
Tammy Coxen (Bluesky)
We also heard from Lynelle Howell, Peter Sullivan, Sam Skipsey, Sandra Bond, and Shi Lala
Eastercon 2025: Reconnect in Belfast
Rattlebag has won Best Bar in Northern Ireland at the CLASS Awards
Worldcon 2025: Seattle
Consultative votes on Retro Hugo Awards and Best Professional/Fan Artist
New Business Meeting business had to have been submitted by 4 June 2025
Apparently WSFS is pronounced “whiz-fizz”?!
“About Choosing Convention Program Participants” by Erin Underwood
“Genre Grapevine’s Deep Dive into the Use of ChatGPT by Seattle Worldcon” by Jason Sanford
Picks
John: Welcome to Forever by Nathan Tavares
Alison: Andor
J Michael Straczynski is moving to the UK to write British TV shows
Liz: The Incandescent by Emily Tesh
Novacon 54
Credits
Cover art: “Liz Hits the Smörgåsbord” by Alison Scott
Alt text: Liz, depicted as the Incredible Hulk, comes across a table on which lie many items of food (sketched in black and white) including John (a sausage roll) and Alison (an almond croissant), rendered in colour. The words “Octothorpe 136” appear at the top and “You won’t like Liz when she’s hangry” appear at the bottom.
Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

May 22, 2025 • 15min
135: Very Slightly Soggier
Alison describes her perfect almond croissant.
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 X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media.
Content warnings this episode: None
Idea, ed. Geri Sullivan
Lune Croissanterie
Chocolatine
Blondies
Ado Campeol died in 2021
Pink Lane Bakery
Credits
Cover art: “Almond Croissant Engineering” by Alison Scott
Alt text: A blueprint of an almond croissant with “Octothorpe 135” written at the top and “almond croissant engineering” at the bottom.
Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

May 15, 2025 • 59min
134: In the Framework of Linear Time
John has shortlisted, Alison has worked in large organisations, and Liz has done a spot-the-difference.
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 X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media.
Content warnings this episode: LLMs
Letters of comment
Chris Garcia
Clarrie Maguire
Colette Reap
Roseanna Pendlebury
Her Death of Stalin review
Tobes Valois
We also heard from Ali Baker Brooks, Ang Rosin, Brian Nisbet, Caroline Mullan, DC, Doug Faunt, Ed Morland, Esther MacCallum-Stewart, Farah Mendlesohn, Gareth Kavanagh, Ivan Sinha, Jonathan Baddeley, Jonathan Cowie, Kin-Ming Looi, Lilian Edwards, Meg MacDonald, Neil Ottenstein, Phil Dyson, Raj, Sandra Bond, Shi Lala, Tammy Coxen, Tony Keen, TrishEM, Zoë O’Connell
Corflu
FAAn Award Winners
Ada Palmer runs a class called “The Italian Renaissance: Dante, Machiavelli, and the Wars of Popes and Kings,” better known by students as “pope class” or “pope LARP”
Archive.is
Chris Barkley has sued Dave McCarty
Shot
Chaser
Locus
2025 fundraiser
Revenue is flat and costs are up 21%
Clarke Award
The shortlist has been announced
Worldcon 2025: Seattle
“Statement from the Worldcon Chair”
“Apology and Response From Chair”
“May 6th Statement From Chair and Program Division Head”
Resignation statement from WSFS division
Picks
John: The Mark by Frìða Ìsberg
Alison: Sinners
Liz: Blue Prince
Credits
Cover art: “Sample FAAn Award” by Alison Scott
Alt text: A photograph of a yellow square on a mantlepiece. On the yellow square is black text and a red shape with yellow text. The text reads “Corflu 42. 2025 FAAn Awards. Best Immutable Object: Octothorpe”. Text overlaid on the photograph reads ‘Octothorpe 134. “Don’t believe everything you read on ChatGPT.”’
Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

Apr 24, 2025 • 1h 2min
133: I Understand That Alison Has Never Been Pope
John, Alison, and Liz are live from the Belfast Eastercon!
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 X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media.
Content warnings this episode: It’s a live recording!
Eastercon 2026: Iridescence in Birmingham
Guests of Honour
R J Barker
Karen Lord
Emma Newman
John Wilson and Serena Culfeather
Prices
Adult: £80
Low income: £50
Child/teen: £20
Supporting: £40
Eastercon 2027: Unconfined in Glasgow
Guests of Honour
P Djeli Clark
L R Lam
Mark Meenan
Tamsyn Muir
Prices
Adult £85
Discounted adult: £60
Young person: £20
Child: £5
No supporting rate has yet been announced
Eastercon 2028: BSFA v Marcus Streets
Eastercon 2029 and 2030: Rumours abound
Picks
John: Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster
Alison: Er. Steak? Spending too much? Unclear
Liz: Karaoke and ThinkBox Belfast
Credits
Cover art: “Octothorpe at Reconnect” by Andrew Hogg
Alt text: John, Alison and Liz are sat behind a table at Reconnect doing a live podcast. The words “Octothorpe 133” appear at the bottom.
Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)