Octothorpe

145: James Bacon and His Enthusiasms

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John might, Alison won’t, and Tommy would (in a heartbeat).

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to [email protected], 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: Animal torture (aftershow)

  • Letters of comment
    • Brian Nisbet (Bluesky)
    • Chris Garcia (email)
    • Jonathan Baddeley (Facebook)
    • Paul Weimer (Bluesky)
    • Scott Edelman (Bluesky)
    • Tommy Ferguson (email)
    • We also heard from Caroline Mullan, DC, Farah Mendlesohn, Ivan Sinha, and Neil Ottenstein
    • Octocon 2025 in Dublin
    • Tommy’s fanzines:
      • TommyWorld
      • Götterdämmerung
      • Götterdämmerung Redux
      • Prolapse’s issue for Irish Fandom Day
        • James Bacon’s article on the fan history starts on page 5!
        • Corflu 2023 in Belfast: Corflu Craic
          • Corflu Craic’s programme book
            • Including the con report of the Leeds Corflu that Tommy mentions
            • Marcin Kłak’s con report
            • Eastercon 2025 in Belfast: Reconnect
              • Eastercon 1986 in Glasgow: Albacon III
              • Previous Belfast conventions:
                • Nicon
                • MeCon
                • TitanCon
                • Replay is not quiiiiite ready yet, sorry listeners, it’ll be there soon!
                • Pictcon 1 in Perth (8 November 2025)
                • Novacon 54 in Buxton (7–9 November 2025)
                • Norncon 2026 in Belfast (8–9 May)
                  • GoHs: Anna Smith Spark and Adrian Tchaikovsky
                  • The Norn Scene from Wagner’s Götterdämmerung
                  • Eastercon 2027 in Glasgow: Unconfined
                    • Tommy is working on Communications
                    • Worldcon bid for 2029 in Dublin
                    • Picks
                      • John: Spirit Island
                        • App Store
                        • Steam
                        • Alison: Strong Message Here
                        • Tommy: Sleeper Beach by Nick Harkaway
                          • The sequel to Titanium Noir
                          • Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford
                          • Credits
                            • Cover art: “Norns Weaving the Rope of Fate” by Alison Scott
                              • Alt text: John, Alison and Tommy are weaving ropes of fate as norns. The ropes lead to little spools, above their heads, reminiscent of a sculpture called Umbilical by Conrad Shawcross which Alison will explain in more detail in Octothorpe 146. The words “Octothorpe 145” appear at the top, and “Looking forward to Norncon” at the bottom.
                              • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)
                                • ...more
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                                OctothorpeBy John Coxon, Alison Scott, Liz Batty
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