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  • 163: Board Games 💋

    163: Board Games 💋
    2026/07/02
    John couldn’t check, Alison was wrong, and Liz is accurate. 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 Ali Baker (Facebook) One-day Frances Hardinge symposium Chris Garcia (email)Frederik Coulter (Facebook)Jake Casella Brookins (email) “Hugo Overlaps: Some Comparisons” on Ancillary Review of BooksCasella’s SFF Award Comparator Kate Macdonald (email)Kin-Ming Looi (Facebook)Mike Scott (Facebook)Neil Ottenstein (Facebook)Niall HarrisonPaul Weimer (email)Raj (Mastodon) The World’s 100 Best Coffee ShopsEuropean Coffee Trip Scott Edelman (Facebook) Broken Clock Café (Facebook, Instagram)Tantrum DoughnutsPastéis Lisboa Tammy Coxen (Bluesky and Facebook) Meg MacDonald’s offer on Bluesky Trish Matson (Bluesky)We also heard from: DC, Farah Mendlesohn, Ivan Sinha, Karen Schaffer Worldcon 2026: LAcon V in Los Angeles It’s that special time of year again, the WSFS Business Meeting Agenda is out!Business Meetings at LAcon V17 July, 26 July, 1 August, 9 August, 30 August Eating the Fantastic Tammy Coxen wrote about TGI Fridays being American and how Alison “couldn’t be more wrong” Eurocon 2026: Metropol Con in Berlin, GermanyEurocon 2027: Fórum Fantástico in Lisbon, Portugal Fantasycon/World Fantasy Con Eurocon 2028: Bid for CroatiaEurocon 2029: Bid for Warsaw, PolandEurocon 2030: Bid for Birmingham, EnglandBid for Copenhagen, Denmark Other things Liz thinks are neat: Eddie Clark has finished the Queersar not-an-award blog series Picks John: Widow’s Bay Katie Dippold as the BabadookHugo, Girl!’s episode on Widow’s Bay Alison: PortmeirionLiz: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Credits Cover art: “Alison the Goldfish” by Sue Mason Alt text: A goldfish with the head of Alison wearing goggles and swim headphones. The words “Moist Ear Tunes*” appear at the top and the words “SF Fandom’s Premier Swim Headphone Podcast”, “Fun Fact: Moist Ear Tunes is a nonogram of Octothorpe 163” and “Sue Mason art appears courtesy of Plokta (thanks guys)” appear at the bottom. I know that Alison has forgotten to include the asterisk on the footnote, but since she also has the memory of a goldfish maybe it’s a delightful and multilayered joke. Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)
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    1 時間 3 分
  • 165: E Ese Efe Ese

    165: E Ese Efe Ese
    2026/07/30
    John is big-headed, Alison has a right of reply, and Liz explains how voting should work. 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. Letters of comment Brian Nisbet (Facebook)Chris Garcia (email) Eurocon 2029: Bid for Warsaw, Poland Constanze Hofmann (email) ESFSESFS statues Gareth Kavanagh (Facebook)Ivaylo Alekseev (email)Leigh Edmonds (email) Digger by Ursula Vernon Neil Ottenstein (Facebook)Renay (Bluesky)Shi Lala (Facebook)Alison: Scott Edelman (Bluesky)We also heard from Constanze Hofmann, Farah Mendlesohn, Ivan Sinha, Jonathan Cowie, Kev McVeigh, Lilian Edwards, and Paul Weimer Worldcon 2026: LAcon V The WSFS Business Meeting AgendaWSFS Business Meeting Recaps from LAcon VF.7 Limitation on Listed Contributors for Hugo Award Finalists This was withdrawn by Olav Rokne at the Preliminary Business Meeting“Role Creep in the Hugo Awards Semiprozine Category” by Tammy Coxen on File 770“Role Creep and the Numbers Game: A Measured Response” by Kat Kourbeti on File 770 F.8 Purposeful Proportionality [Alison told me that we should link a CGP Grey video here but then didn’t put it in the show notes, so good luck finding it, listeners—John] History of Hugo Category Definitions by Tammy CoxenUnofficial WSFS Business Meeting Browser by Andrew January Locus Locus Best Science Fiction & Fantasy of the Year: Volume 1 on Kickstarter Picks John: Mothership CompanionAlison: Strange HorticultureLiz: Moderation by Elaine Castillo Credits Cover art: “Stand Up and Be Counted”, found art détourned by Alison Scott Alt text: 72 assorted LEGO minifigs in a 6x12 grid. Words above read “Octothorpe 165” and below read “WSFS Business Meeting Register: Stand up and be Counted”. The title case on the part of the sentence after the colon is, frankly, bananas, and it certainly isn’t aligned with the Octothorpe style guide. Theme music: “Surf Shimmy” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)
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    1 時間
  • 164: WSFS and ESFS and All Sorts of SFSes

    164: WSFS and ESFS and All Sorts of SFSes
    2026/07/16
    John is not quite awake, Alison’s off to the cricket, and Liz is doing it in an unusual order. 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: Letters of comment Ali Baker Brooks (Facebook)Chris Garcia (email)Farah Mendlesohn (Bluesky)Jake Casella Brookins (Bluesky)Paul Weimer (email)Kevin Anderson (Bluesky)Roseanna Pendlebury (Bluesky) GeForce NOW We also heard from Doug Faunt, Jonathan Baddeley, Kev McVeigh, Kin-Ming Looi, Lilian Edwards, and Scott Edelman Eurocon 2026: Metropol Con in Berlin, Germany Thanks to James Bacon for some fantastic reporting on File 770: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4Eurocon Eurocon 2027: Forum Fantástico in Lisbon, Portugal (23–26 September)Eurocon 2028: SFeraKon 50 in Zagreb, Croatia (probably the second weekend in May)Eurocon 2029: Bids for Warsaw, Poland and Sofia, BulgariaEurocon 2030: Bids for Birmingham, England and Fuiggi, ItalyEurocon 2031: Bid for Belgrade, SerbiaEurocon 2032: Bid for Copenhagen, DenmarkThe Andreas Kuschke Prize was awarded to Constanze Hofmann Berlin Ehl-i KebapFABELEI WombatsWorldcon 2026: LAcon V The WSFS Business Meeting Agenda Picks John: On the Calculation of Volume by Solvej Balle, translated by Barbara Haveland (I and II) and Jennifer Russell & Sophia Hersi Smith (III)Alison: Abstract Play BoardGameArenaGerrymandleTabletopiaYucata18xx.Games Rollway Station Liz: Cinder House by Freya Marske Credits Cover art: “Summer of Fun” by Alison Scott Alt text: John and Liz are behind two large stacks of paper with text reading “WSFS Agenda… D… E… E… F… F7… more F7… secret squirrel” whilst Alison sits in the stands of Lord’s. Words above say “Octothorpe 164” and “It’s the summer of fun!”. Theme music: “Surf Shimmy” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)
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    1 時間 17 分
  • 162: Do You Have Stirrups on Your Bicycle?

    162: Do You Have Stirrups on Your Bicycle?
    2026/06/18
    John wasn’t overcrowded, Alison likes it small, and Liz has never been. 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: Drug use, war (John’s pick) Letters of comment Christopher J Garcia (email)DC (Bluesky)Els (Bluesky)Ivan Sinha (Facebook) Premier Inns in Llandudno Jonathan Harden (Bluesky)Nicholas Whyte (email) “Best Related Work eligibility for the Hugo Awards” Scott Edelman (Bluesky) Eating the Fantastic Tommy Ferguson (email)Trish Matson (Bluesky) Shokz OpenSwim Pro Alison: Raj (Mastodon)We also heard from Ali Baker Brooks, aoanla, Jonathan Baddeley, Neil Ottenstein Satellite 9 Ottoman CoffeehouseBlood on the ClocktowerBristol 1350Codex Naturalis Farah Mendlesohn is running a one-day event about Frances HardingeWorldcon 2028: Former bid for Nuremberg, GermanyWorldcon 2028: Bid for Brisbane, Australia Paul Weimer (email)Clouds and stuff UK Games Expo 2026 “UK Games Expo 2026 breaks NEC attendance records as infrastructure buckles under massive crowds” at GeekNative by Andrew Girdwood“Stupid Games, Stupid Prizes” by Tim ClareSome discourse on Bluesky Picks John: Starship Salvager by Jarrom StrongAlison: Hades IILiz: Play Nice: The Rise, Fall and Future of Blizzard Entertainment by Jason Schreier Game Over by David Sheff Credits Cover art: “Scenes of the Village” by Alison Scott Alt text: A photograph of Portmeirion made to look like a stamp or a postcard, with words overlaid saying “Holiday greetings from Portmeirion, be seeing you…”. Above reads “Octothorpe 162” and below reads “Alison has gone on holiday again”. Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)
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    1 時間 11 分
  • 161: You Pay Your Money, You Send Your Books

    161: You Pay Your Money, You Send Your Books
    2026/06/04

    John, Alison and Liz read the Clarke Award shortlist.

    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: Gun control and dystopian government (The Dream Hotel), body dysmorphia (Luminous), child abuse (The Salt Oracle)

    • The Arthur C Clarke Award
      • Medium
      • Substack
      • Website
    • This year’s shortlist
      • Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
      • The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami
      • Luminous by Sylvia Park
      • There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm
      • When There Are Wolves Again by EJ Swift
      • The Salt Oracle by Lorraine Wilson
    • This year’s submission list
    • Credits
      • Cover art: “Judge Coxon’s Last Stand” by Alison Scott
        • Alt text: John, wearing a Judge Dredd-style helmet with the Clarke Award logo on it and holding a lightsaber, dispenses judgement from behind a wall of books. The words “Octothorpe 161” appear above him, whilst words below say “Arthur C. Clarke Award 2026: Judge Coxon’s Last Stand”.
      • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)
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    48 分
  • 160: Global Nando’s Correspondents

    160: Global Nando’s Correspondents
    2026/05/21

    John is not firing on all cylinders, Alison has a code, and Liz downloaded the packet.

    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: Worms (Alison’s pick)

    • Letters of comment
      • Andrew Thompson (Mastodon 1, 2)
      • Chris Garcia (email)
      • Farah Mendlesohn (Facebook)
        • BSFA accounts
      • Jake Casella Brookins (Bluesky 1, 2)
      • Kate Macdonald (email)
      • Kiesa (Mastodon)
      • Mike Scott (Facebook)
      • Patrick Garvey (email)
      • Paul Weimer (email)
        • The Theory of Related-ivity by Heather Rose Jones
        • “Seattle Worldcon Poet Laureate Brandon O’Brien’s Opening Ceremonies poem”
        • Also pointed out by Kathy Bond (Bluesky)
      • Raj (Mastodon 1, 2)
      • We also heard from Ali Baker Brooks, Ang Rosin, Caroline Mullan, Constanze Hofmann, Dave Mansfield, DC, Duncan MacGregor, Els, Ivan Sinha, James Shields, Jonathan Baddeley, Kev McVeigh, Lilian Edwards, Phil Dyson, Tammy Coxen
    • Hugo Awards
      • Intergalactic Mixtape #50
      • Intergalactic Mixtape #53
    • Tim Vine is Plastic Elvis as Sam Salono in Rocker ‘Brella Fella
    • Picks
      • John: Citizen Sleeper
      • Alison: Falmouth Worm-Charming Championships
      • Liz: Hades II
    • Credits
      • Cover art: “Cover-Mounted CD-Rom” by Alison Scott
        • Alt text: A drawing of a CD-Rom with the words “Octothorpe 160” and “New!! Exclusive Octothorpe cover-mounted CD-Rom”.
      • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)
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    1 時間
  • 159: Taking a Stand

    159: Taking a Stand
    2026/05/07

    John ran the Games Room, Alison ran the Newsletter, and Liz was on holiday.

    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:

    • Ancillary Review of Books
      • Kickstarter ending at 04:59 BST (UTC+1) on 14 May 2026
      • “First of May”
    • Eastercon 2026: Iridescence in Birmingham
      • Batik
      • ConRunner
      • Daves Hot Chicken [do not get me started on the lack of apostrophe—John]
      • HaruhiCon
      • Alison’s 365 Play challenge
    • Eastercon 2027: Unconfined in Glasgow
    • Eastercon 2028: Contract in Birmingham
      • Guests of Honour: Adam Roberts, Aliya Whiteley and Chris Lintott
    • Eastercon 2029: Bid for Chronologicon in Chester
      • Aiming to cap at 650 people
    • Eastercon 2030: Bid from BSFA to join with Eurocon
      • British Science Fiction Association
    • Eastercon “early 2030s”: Rumblings from Northern Ireland
    • Picks
      • John: Scavengers Reign
      • Alison: What We Are Seeking by Cameron Reed
        • The Fortunate Fall by Cameron Reed
      • Liz: Slow Gods by Claire North
    • Credits
      • Cover art: “Thanks Guys” by Alison Scott (comic by Randall Munroe used under a CC BY-NC 2.5 licence, typeface by Phil Elson used under a CC BY-NC 3.0 Unported licence)
        • Alt text: A stack of grey blocks being held up by two small stacks underneath. The stack is labelled “all current Eastercon digital infrastructure”, while the two small stacks are labelled “bits being thanklessly maintained by Andrew January” and “bits being thanklessly maintained by James Shields”. The words “Octothorpe 159” appear at the top.
      • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)
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    1 時間 11 分
  • 158: I Am the Worldcon Chair in Avignon

    158: I Am the Worldcon Chair in Avignon
    2026/04/21
    John, Alison and Liz dissect this year’s Hugo Awards finalists! 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 Hugo Awards Best Novel A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson BennettDeath of the Author by Nnedi OkoraforShroud by Adrian TchaikovskyThe Everlasting by Alix E HarrowThe Incandescent by Emily TeshThe Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson Best Novella Automatic Noodle by Annalee NewitzCinder House by Freya MarskeMurder by Memory by Olivia WaiteThe River Has Roots by Amal El-MohtarThe Summer War by Naomi NovikWhat Stalks the Deep by T Kingfisher Best Novelette “Kaiju Agonistes” by Scott Lynch“Never Eaten Vegetables” by H H Pak“Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy” by Martha Wells“The Girl That My Mother Is Leaving Me For” by Cameron Reed“The Millay Illusion” by Sarah Pinsker“When He Calls Your Name” by Catherynne M Valente Best Short Story “10 Visions of the Future; or, Self-Care for the End of Days” by Samantha Mills“In My Country” by Thomas Ha“Laser Eyes Ain’t Everything” by Effie Seiberg“Missing Helen” by Tia Tashiro“Six People to Revise You” by J R Dawson“Wire Mother” by Isabel J Kim Best Series Emily Wilde by Heather FawcettOctober Daye by Seanan McGuireOld Man’s War by John ScalziThe Chronicles of Osreth by Katherine AddisonThe Craft Wars by Max GladstoneWhite Space by Elizabeth Bear Best Graphic Story or Comic Absolute Wonder Woman Vol. 1: The Last AmazonA Girl and Her FedA Wizard of Earthsea: A Graphic NovelThe Invisible ParadeThe Power Fantasy Volume 1: The SuperpowersThe Space Cat Best Related Work Colourfields: Writing About Writing About Science Fiction by Paul KincaidInventing the Renaissance: The Myth of a Golden Age by Ada PalmerLast War in Albion: “The Cuddled Little Vice (Sandman)” by Elizabeth SandiferPositive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E Butler by Susana M MorrisHistory of Westeros: “Ragnarök vs the Long Night”The Hugo Spreadsheet of Doom, maintained by Renay Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form Andor (season 2)FrankensteinKPop Demon HuntersMickey 17SinnersSuperman Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form Doctor Who: “The Story & the Engine”Murderbot: “All Systems Red”Murderbot: “The Perimeter”Pluribus: “We Is Us”Severance: “Cold Harbor”The Wheel of Time: “The Road to the Spear” Best Game or Interactive Work Blue PrinceCitizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector “Tabletop roleplaying in the world of Citizen Sleeper 2!” on Quinns Quest Clair Obscur: Expedition 33DispatchHades IIHollow Knight: Silksong Best Editor Short Form Scott H AndrewsJennifer BrozekNeil ClarkeLee HarrisMichael Damian ThomasSheila Williams Best Editor Long Form Carl Engle-LairdJaymee GohLee HarrisJenni HillJoe MontiDiana M Pho Best Professional Artist Lulu ChenKelly ChongDave KellettTran NguyenJohn PicacioTom Roberts Best Semiprozine Escape Podkhōréō magazineOn Spec: The Canadian Magazine of the FantasticStrange HorizonsThe DeadlandsUncanny Magazine Best Fanzine Ancillary Review of BooksAn Unofficial Hugo Book Club BlogGalactic JourneyIntergalactic MixtapeJourney Planetnerds of a feather, flock together Best Fancast A Meal of ThornsEating the FantasticHugo, Girl!OctothorpeThe Coode Street PodcastWorldbuilding for Masochists Best Fan Writer Jay Brantner for “Tar Vol”Alex BrownJames Davis NicollRoseanna PendleburyJason SanfordÖrjan Westin Best Fan Artist Terri AshGeneva BowersSara FelixRichard ManEspaña SheriffYuumei Best Poem “Care for Lightning” by Mari Ness“Hex Supply Customer Support Log” by Elis Montgomery“How to Become a Sea Witch” by Theodora Goss“Landing: Seattle” by Brandon O’Brien“The Mourning Robot” by Angela Liu“The World to Come” by Jennifer Hudak Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book Among Ghosts by Rachel HartmanCoffeeshop in an Alternate Universe by C B LeeHoly Terrors by Margaret OwenOathbound by Tracy DeonnSunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne CollinsThey Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran Astounding Award for Best New Writer Sophie BurnhamKamilah ColeAntonia HodgsonMolly O’NeillH H PakJared Pechaček Credits Cover art: “Vibrant Award Culture” by Alison Scott Alt text: A cartoon. John, Alison and Liz are wearing Octothorpe T-shirts and matching purple baseball caps while standing behind a market stall clad in a very slightly different purple and with various delicacies upon it. The sign above the stall reads “Octothorpe 158 Hugo HOT takes”, with “HOT” in a little tiny fire. The sign below the stall reads “Always half-baked! Fresh off the griddle! Three-pack special!” Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)
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    1 時間 18 分