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Writing as activism: Examining social justice isn’t new for many writers, but what impact does this have? How can SFFH support activist ideals? What is needed for writers to motivate communities and highlight the intersectionality between people across the world?
Join moderator Stewart Hotston and panellists Joseph Elliott-Coleman, Malka Older, and Stephen Oram for a discussion on writing as activism.
Joseph Elliott-Coleman (he/him): Joseph Elliott-Coleman was born in Oxford, Carterton and lives in Croydon, London. A graduate of Solent University in Illustration and now a student of MA creative writing at Brunel University he’s been published by Rebellion Books, 2000AD, and Newcon Press. He spends far too much money on artbooks, comics, manga, bande dessinée, as well as novels and hopes the sales of his books will allow him to feed his habit. He wishes you all well. Connect with Joseph on Bluesky.
Malka Older (she/her): Malka Older is a writer, aid worker, and sociologist. She is the Executive Director of Global Voices, a community of writers, editors, and translators providing community journalism from all over the world and advocating for Indigenous and minority languages, media literacy, digital rights, and online freedom of expression. Her science-fiction political thriller Infomocracy was named among the best books of 2016 by Kirkus, the Washington Post, and Book Riot; with sequels, it was a finalist for a Hugo award. The Mimicking of Known Successes, a murder mystery set on Jupiter, was on four best of 2023 lists and was a finalist for the Nebula, Hugo, Locus, and Ignyte awards for Best Novella. The sequel, The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles, was named one of the best science-fiction books of 2024 by Esquire, and the third book in the series, The Potency of Ungovernable Impulses, came out in June 2025. She is a Faculty Associate at Arizona State University, where she teaches on predictive fictions. Find out more about Malka on her website. Grab her books here and here.
Stephen Oram (any): Stephen Oram writes speculative novels and short stories, often exploring the intersection of messy humans and imperfect technology in the near future. As Ken MacLeod said of Stephen’s recent novel, We Are Not Anonymous: “Now that we’ve lived into the future that cyberpunk projected, we urgently need to fight our way out. This book imagines and encourages that fight.” He is also a leading proponent of applied science fiction, using bespoke fiction to explore possible futures for different communities. His latest novella is the futuristic fable, Brain Fruit. Find out more about Stephen on his website, connect on LinkedIn, or follow him on Instagram and Facebook. Find his books here.
Stewart Hotston (he/him): Stewart Hotston lives in Reading, UK. With a Celtic-Indian mother and a father of North African/Roma descent, Stewart is a somewhat confused second-generation immigrant living in the UK who has written several novels with Project Hanuman out Nov 2025 as well as three other as yet unannounced novels coming over the next 18 months. When he’s not writing he can be found working as a financier in the City of London. Beyond that rather questionable career choice, he is treasurer for the British Fantasy Society and a Councillor for the BSFA. A lifelong roleplayer and LARPer he is also a happy long-distance runner with a PhD in theoretical physics. Oh, and he has a dangerously fanatical love for ice cream, sword fighting and Studio Ghibli. Feel free to ask him why Porco Rosso is the best. Connect with him on Bluesky or find out more on his website. Books: The Entropy of Loss; Project Hanuman; Tangle’s Game.