Murray writes:
Our next guest at the Nova Mob is a multiple winner of the Hugo Award!
As reported by David Langford in Ansible’s Fanfundery column: _GUFF:_ Alison Scott, the 2020 winner, is at last making her delayed Australian trip — arriving in Sydney on 24 September, flying home from Perth on 30 October.
Alison is our guest in person at the Nova Mob on Wednesday 4 October, along with her husband Steven Cain. Amid a whirl of Melbourne fannish socialising, of which more below! Expect adrenalin highs and mirth.
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MOB CALENDAR
4 October – Alison Scott, GUFF Winner “Zines and Me”
1 November – Ian Mond’s Mondial best books of the year: the world of sf, horror, and fantasy in 2023
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Alison Scott – GUFF Winner “Zines and Me”
Anzapa member and Hugo winner tells all (or much of it, anyway)
As reported in Fancyclopedia:
Alison Scott is a British fan active since 1983, first as a member of the Cambridge University SF Society (CUSFS) from 1983–1986 and attending Seacon ’84 (the 1984 Eastercon and Eurocon). She was chairbeing of CUSFS 1985–86; CADS (Chester And District Sfgroup), 1986–88ish; Warrington Group, 1988–1994. Member of the Plokta Cabal. and an editor of the Hugo– and Nova Award-winning fanzine Plokta. She is a member of ANZAPA.
She was on the committee for ConSept (the 1986 Unicon), Follycon (the 1988 Eastercon), Fourplay (a 1991 Filk Con), and chaired Confabulation (the 1995 Eastercon). In 2020 she organized the online convention Punctuation.
She is a member of the League of Fan Funds and won the 2020 GUFF trip, but had to postpone her trip because of the Covid-19 epidemic. She ran a virtual trip and is waiting for the moment when it’s safe to travel to Australia and New Zealand. [Ednote: that time has arrived]
She says that she “can be heard every fortnight pontificating about the state of science fiction and fandom on the podcast Octothorpe,” which she does along with John Coxon and Liz Batty.
She was married to UK fan Mike Scott from 1986–95 and has been married to UK fan Steven Cain since October 1998.
Meeting details Nova Mob Wednesday 4 October 2023 –
Alison Scott – A Life in Fanzines
Face to face
You are invited to an in-person Nova Mob meeting at:
Wednesday 4 October 2023 8.00pm – 9.15pm or so, first floor Conference Room
Kensington Town Hall 30 – 34 Bellair St, Kensington Melbourne VIC 3031
By Zoom – simulcast
For those who prefer not to travel or are unable to attend face-to-face. Zoom session broadcast from the Kensington Town Hall. Questions or comments typed into the Zoom chat will be discussed as the opportunity permits, and you’ll have as much airtime as the other Mob members at the venue.
You are invited to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Wednesday 4 October
8.00pm – 9.00/9.30 pm Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney time
7.30pm – 8.30/9.00pm Adelaide time
11:00am UK London time, 3.00am USA Mountain View
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 417 758 3193
Passcode: nova
This is the wholly reliable web link. By now one surely has added it to one’s bookmarks.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4177583193?pwd=VjdPL1BhSTBNclN2YnRsejN3Y1hlUT09
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Australian fantasy from Hollywood studios: A Boy Called Sailboat
Director and writer Cameron Nugent’s Nova Mob night a success
Cameron Nugent’s night was a delightful success and Cam’s joined the Mob!
“Thank you 🙂 It was awesome… LOVED it 🙂
Great people 🙂
Cam”
Did you know you can watch A Boy Called Sailboat for free? It can be seen on Tubi.
https://tubitv.com/movies/622962/a-boy-called-sailboat
G rating. It requires an email signup and then you can watch the 3rd most popular downloaded movie in Latin America.
https://tubitv.com/signup?redirect=/movies/622962/a-boy-called-sailboat
Tubi’s business model is that you get the movie for free but they ask you to sit through adverts. The TV and film studios pay for the adverts, rather than the consumer paying for the film.
The ARIA-award winning soundtrack by the Grigoryan Brothers is available here. Click on TIDAL and wait to see the track listing. Flamenco versions of out-of-copyright classics and it all just works.
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Ian Mond’s Year’s Best SF, Fantasy, and Horror
1 November – Lucy and Julian chairing
Lucy Sussex and Julian Warner will be reprising their quarter-century-long role as Nova Mob co-ordinators for the night of 1 November. That’s the night of Ian Mond’s annual talk. I apologise for my absence on that night, I regret missing Ian, he always delivers a fine informative entertaining evening.
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Vale Helena Binns
Helena Binns died on the night of 18 September, at the age of 82. She was a Life Member of the Melbourne Science Fiction Club and I remember her delight at being nominated and awarded that status (I was the MSFC President at that time and nominated her). She spoke well and with feeling about what it was like in the 1950’s believing that amazing things were about to happen in science, space, and technology, and the opprobrium that those days had for science fiction fans and for female science fiction fans in particular. As Dick ‘Ditmar’ Jenssen wrote at the time, the bestowal recognised Helena individually and wimmen’s voices in the Melbourne fannish narrative generally. Helena was conscious of both aspects. Rest in peace.
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Gillian Polack shortlisted for Sideways Award, World Fantasy Con
Fingers crossed for Gillian – announcement on 29 October AEST
Here’s the shortlist and the link to the Sideways Awards. That Mr Turtledove is pretty good company… Shortlist with thanks to Dave Langford at Ansible. Gillian’s in Melbourne in October!
http://www.uchronia.net/sidewise/
Sidewise (alt-history) finalists: LONG Appliance by J.O. Morgan; Babel by R.F. Kuang; Beat the Devils by Josh Weiss; Begin the World Over by Kung Li Sun; The Peacekeeper by B.L. Blanchard; Three Miles Down by Harry Turtledove.
SHORT ‘Kingsbury 1944’ (9/22 Analog) by Michael Cassutt; ‘A Sky and a Heaven’ (Other Covenants ed. Andrea D. Lobel and Mark Shainblum) by Eric Choi; ‘Why the Bridgemasters of York Don’t Pay Taxes’ (ibid) by Gillian Polack; It’s Real Life by Paul Levinson; ‘Dreams of Electric Mothers’ (Africa Risen ed. Sheree Renee Thomas, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki and Zelda Knight) by Wole Talabi.
“Hi Murray, Does this give me an excuse to talk to Nova Mob? I haven’t been asked any questions by anyone at all about that short story and I’d so love an excuse. I don’t think I’m going to win either the Sidewise or the William Atheling Jr (I think my book is suitable for the Atheling, but no-one’s read it!) so I’m rejoicing in being shortlisted and not thinking beyond that. But I’m an actual Medieval historian (I know my first PhD was decades ago, but I’ve kept up that side of my life) and the story in Other Covenants is a Medieval one and it would be so much fun to chat about.
In other news, I’ll be in Melbourne for a few days in October for a conference. I can’t do things with big crowds, but am very happy to meet with small groups of friends for dinner, especially if it’s outside. I’m still COVID-vulnerable but being a bit daring… my health is just a little better than it has been and it’s time to find out if there still is a world outside my loungeroom.
Gillian”
The Adelaide Fan Review 
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