109: But Also a Worrying One

Octothorpe

John is middle, Alison is even sadder, and Liz is sorry.

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to [e-mail], and tag @OctothorpeCast (on X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: Discussion of access issues (chapter 2), wealth privilege (chapter 6)

• Letters of comment
  • Abigail Nussbaum
  • Ali Baker Brooks
  • Andrew January
    • The Eastercon members’ portal
  • Caroline Mullan
  • DC
  • Farah Mendlesohn
    • Critical Friends 8
  • Jacob Holder
  • Mark Plummer
  • Meg MacDonald
• Doc Weir award
  • Dave Langford receives the trophy
    • Alt text: Dave Langford triumphantly lofts a blue Bag for Life from Tesco, which we are expected to believe contains the Doc Weir trophy. He is standing in front of a house.
• GUFF
  • The results
• Chengdu 2023
  • “The Pidu district of Chengdu announces a 10-year science fiction plan”
• Glasgow 2024
  • Town Hall Event: Hugo, Lodestar, and Astounding Awards Glasgow
  • Town Hall Event: Site Selection Glasgow 2024
• Eastercon and money
• Picks
  • John: Dredge
  • Alison: Hopeland by Ian McDonald (paper, epub, audiobook, Amazon)
  • Liz: Starling House by Alix E. Harrow (paper, epub, audiobook, Amazon)
• Credits
  • Cover art: “Voyagers” by Ulrika O’Brien
    • Alt text: The background is a starry, lightning-filled square in blues, purples, and yellows. Atop that, there is a spaceship, somewhat like a rocket, with engines coming out of the sides. There are yellow lights shining from it, and a ladder reaches up to a central archway. John, Alison and Liz are depicted as silhouettes, regarding it with wonder. Their shadows stretch off the canvas, and they look faintly alien or futuristic in a hard-to-define manner.
  • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)