Conferences

  • Events Calendar for February

    Von Janita Burgess am Samstag, 31 Januar 2015 - 6:38pm
    Nachrichtenart:

    Banner by caitie of curtains opening to show a stage with the words OTW Events Calendar

    Welcome to our Events Calendar roundup for the month of February! The Events Calendar can be found on the OTW website and is open to submissions by anyone with news of an event. These can be viewed by event-type, such as Academic Conferences, Fan Events and Fests, Legal Events, OTW Events, or Technology Events taking place around the world.

    • International Fanworks Day is on February 15th. The OTW's celebrations include a live chat with fic/pro authors on February 8 and a short-form fanworks challenge among other activities. We are also collecting events from fans, so comment and let us know how you will be celebrating!
    • The theme of the 36th annual Southwest Popular Culture and American Culture Association Conference is Many Faces, Many Voices: Intersecting Borders in Popular and American Culture, and its goal is to "embrace the scholarship addressing the ways we cross borders in our everyday lives." This year's event, February 11-14 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, includes a Pop Culture Game Night.
    • NordicFuzzCon bills itself as "Scandanavia's largest furry convention," and this year's theme is the Enchanted Forest. Events include dances with live DJs, tabletop gaming, and panels discussing art and costuming. Guests of honor are artist EosFoxx and video producer EZwolf (Bitter Lake). The event is in Stockholm, Sweden, February 26-March 1.
    • Armageddon Expo. The Dunedin, New Zealand, event, February 28-March 1, is the first in the celebration of 20 years of the Armageddon Expo. Guests include DJ Qualls (Z Nation and Supernatural), Simon Fisher-Becker (Doctor Who), and Alaina Huffman (Supernatural, Smallville, and Stargate Universe). The Expo has additional dates and different lineups in Christchurch and Hamilton in March.

    Calls for Papers this month come from:

    • The "Transitions, Endings, and Resurrections in Fandom’" Edited Collection will focus on transitions and their effects on fans: actors or characters leaving television shows, shows' cancellations, the deaths of famous people, and more. Submit an abstract of 300 words, along with a 150-word author biography, by February 15.

    • SFRA 2015. The theme of this year's Science Fiction Research Association Conference is "The SF We Don't (Usually) See: Suppressed Histories, Liminal Voices, Emerging Media." The conference is issuing a call for papers and panels on the three guests of honor as well as topics including feminist and queer SF, SF and ability/disability, liminal or marginal voices in canonical SF texts, and online SF fandoms and fan fiction. The conference is at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York, United States, in June. The deadline for paper and panel submissions is March 1.

    • Transformative Works and Cultures is issuing a special call for papers. Fan fiction is often compared to the literature of Greco-Roman antiquity. Both fan writers and classical authors use the techniques of allusion, appropriation, and transvaluation to expand on and/or to critique existing works. Final papers are due March 1.


    The OTW encourages anyone to submit an event that's not already listed, and to check out the calendar throughout the year!

  • OTW Fannews: Profiles in Marketing

    Von Claudia Rebaza am Sonntag, 14 Dezember 2014 - 6:32pm
    Nachrichtenart:

    Banner by Erin of Barbie working at a computer with the OTW logo on it, with two adults looking on in the background. The banner reads 'OTW Fannews: Profiles in Marketing'.

    • An increasing number of companies are marketing toward girls and women in tech, but not every attempt to capitalise on the trend is well-executed. NPR covered widespread criticism of Mattel's Barbie: I Can Be A Computer Engineer. “‘It starts so promising; Barbie is designing a game to show kids how computers work,’ said Ribon. […] Brian and Steven take over — and, at the end of the day, Barbie takes credit for the boys' work.” OTW Legal staffer Casey Fiesler, whose feminist remix went viral and was featured in the NPR story, took to her own blog to explain why non-commercial remix is allowed under US copyright law. "It is so amazing how many people care about representation of women in computing, and I’m thrilled and humbled that something I created helped to expand this conversation. I wrote a piece for Slate about the process and the ideas behind Barbie, Remixed, but something I wanted to discuss in more detail was the act of remix itself rather than the critique behind it."
    • TribLIVE reported on a new TV network focused on fandom. "When Pop, a cable network most people probably refer to as TVGN, launches Jan. 14, it will do so with programs that celebrate the continuing ability of such, well, institutions, as New Kids On the Block and 'Everybody Loves Raymond' to cut a swath through popular culture."
    • UK site YouGov researches audiences to determine the characteristics of people with particular interests or fandoms. By using their profiler you could discover that Good Omens fans are more likely to be 40-59 year old males who work in IT, are left leading when it comes to politics, and also are fans of John Barrowman, Stephen Fry, James May, Nathan Fillion and Patrick Moore.
    • The publishing industry is among those wanting to target fans, and a recent conference on the children's book trade included a panel on fanfiction. Meanwhile Wikia is declaring itself "the ultimate source for powerful and relevant pop culture, entertainment and game expertise" and is producing a video series on fandom in 2014 along with Disney's Maker Studios. The idea is to create amateur/professional partnerships. "The partnership has already resulted in some quirky combinations, including one pairing of a devotee of the AMC period drama Mad Men with the creator of the Drinks Made Easy YouTube channel. 'We hope to continue to define projects that allow for creators and super fans to come together and be in the spotlight.'"

    What marketing efforts utilizing fans have you spotted? Write about them in Fanlore! Contributions are welcome from all fans.

    We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, podcast, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent OTW Fannews post. Links are welcome in all languages! Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a Fannews post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.

  • Events Calendar for November

    Von Jennifer Rose Hale am Samstag, 1 November 2014 - 3:20pm
    Nachrichtenart:

    Banner by caitie of curtains opening to show a stage with the words OTW Events Calendar

    Welcome to our Events Calendar roundup for November! The Events Calendar can be found on the OTW website and is open to submissions by anyone with news of an event. These can be viewed by event-type, such as Academic Conferences, Fan Events and Fests, Legal Events, OTW Events, or Technology Events taking place around the world.

    • The Lois & Clark Fanfic Archive is challenging fic authors to rewrite an episode set during U.S. Thanksgiving. The holiday-centric challenge is just one month of the archive's annual author inspirations. Submit your stories during the month. (Read about Lois & Clark on Fanlore!)

    • FANdom Con is an anime-focused convention that includes a regional qualifier event for the World Cosplay Summit. Con guests include Scott McNeil (Dragon Ball Z and Gundam), Chuck Huber (Soul Eater and Shin Chan), and Robert Axelrod (Power Rangers and Digimon). It is November 7-9 in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.

    • Shatterdome Con is a fan-run event celebrating Pacific Rim but welcoming other fandoms as well. Guests include Robert Maillet and Heather Doerksen (the Kaidanovskys from Pacific Rim) and Tim Russ (Star Trek: Voyager). It is November 7-9 in Herndon, Virginia.

    • The 2nd Global Conference on Fan Communities and Fandom: Practices and Participatory Cultures facilitates deeper engagements involving participants from across disciplinary and professional backgrounds in explorations of the nature, meaning, and implications of fandom as it impacts individuals, fan communities, and the societies in which they operate. It takes place November 7-10, in Prague, Czech Republic.

    • Supanova Adelaide and Brisbane are billed as "Comic-con, Australian style! Supernova is where the adoring public comes face to face with Supa-Star celebrities and the creative talent that inspire their imaginary worlds under one big roof. The event includes comic books, animation, science-fiction, TV/movies, toys, gaming, fantasy, technology, books, internet sites and fan-clubs, the result is an amazing atmosphere tailor made for expressing your inner geek and where getting into cosplay obvious thing to do!" The Adelaide event is November 21-23, and Brisbane is November 28-30. (Add your Supanova experiences to Fanlore!)

    • The Otherness and Transgression in Celebrity and Fan Cultures conference will look at the emerging fields of celebrity studies and fan studies in a new light, through the veil of otherness and transgression. This conference will bring together scholars to look at the cross-section of these fields, the intersection of their own interests, and hopefully the network of these scholars will form a bridge through which these fields can become more interlinked within scholarship. It's November 21-22 in Aarhus, Denmark.


    The OTW encourages anyone to submit an event that's not already listed, and to check out the calendar throughout the year!

  • Events Calendar for September 2014

    Von Jennifer Rose Hale am Montag, 1 September 2014 - 2:21pm
    Nachrichtenart:

    Banner by caitie of curtains opening to show a stage with the words OTW Events Calendar

    Welcome to our Events Calendar roundup for the month of September! The Events Calendar can be found on the OTW website and is open to submissions by anyone with news of an event. These can be viewed by event-type, such as Academic Events, Fan Gatherings, Legal Events, OTW Events, or Technology Events taking place around the world.

    • A Fantastic Legacy: Diana Wynne Jones Memorial Conference honors the life and work of the 20th century writer of British children's fantasy. The conference, for both scholars and fans, is hosted by Newcastle University and Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children’s Books, and takes place September 5-6 in Newcastle, England.

    • HawaiiCon bills itself as the "first sci-fi, science, and fantasy tropical vacation convention." This year's event is scheduled for September 12-14 on the Kohala Coast. Guests include Jane Espenson, Walter Koenig, and Cree Summer.

    • Fanlore's Stub September encourages fans to contribute their expertise to the site. A stub is an article on Fanlore that is under-developed and missing important information. Right now, there are over 1,600 pages on Fanlore already identified as stubs. You’re invited to use the list to find a page where you know something about the topic, and edit the page to add your new information. Need help getting started? The Wiki Committee will host an editing party on Sunday, September 14, at 19:00 UTC.

    • The Metafandom Unconference is being hosted by the University of Waterloo’s Games Institute and the IMMERSe Research Network September 18-19 in Ontario. Unconferences are "gatherings of interested scholars and experts, where they have informed conversations on a particular topic--fandom and fan studies, in this case!"

    • Wolf Moon Con is the first unofficial Teen Wolf fan convention in Spain! Scheduled for September 19-21 in Madrid, the con will host actors of this series, including Tyler Hoechlin, Ian Bohen, and JR Bourne.

    • Rose City Comic Con takes place September 20-21 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, and will be co-produced by both Emerald City Comicon and Rose City Comic Con, combining the talents and organizational efforts for one event. Celebrity guests include Michael Biehn, Ernie Hudson, Wil Wheaton, and Sean Astin.

    Calls for Papers this month come from:

    • The Cultural Transformations Research Group, Aarhus University, is hosting Otherness and Transgression in Celebrity and Fan Cultures in November and is soliciting papers by September 5. Topics may include "the Construction of Otherness in Fandom and Fan Works," "Monstrosity, the Abject, and Uncanny in Fan Fiction, Fandoms, and Celebrityhood," and "the (Im)Material Other Worlds of Fandoms and the Alternative Spaces of Fan Communities."


    The OTW encourages anyone to submit an event that's not already listed, and to check out the calendar throughout the year!

  • Events Calendar June 2014

    Von Angela Nichols am Sonntag, 1 Juni 2014 - 4:10pm
    Nachrichtenart:

    Event Calendar Icon

    Welcome to our Events Calendar roundup for the month of June! The Events Calendar can be found on the OTW website and is open to submissions by anyone with news of an event. These can be viewed by event-type, such as Academic Events, Fan Gatherings, Legal Events, OTW Events, or Technology Events taking place around the world.

    • Archive of Our Own is the site for the Crossovering Challenge. Crossovering is a multi-fandom crossover exchange. It’s your opportunity to request crossovers between your favorite fandoms and to write them too! Sign ups are open June 4-13. If you do not have an AO3 account and would like to participate, please let the mods know before sign-ups and they can get you an invitation.

      More about Crossovers on Fanlore

    • Alpha Con on June 6th is an unofficial Teen Wolf & Vampire Diaries Convention in Vösendorf, Austria. At AlphaCon fans will have the opportunity to meet your favourite actor/actress first-hand, attend Q&A panels and themed parties, get autographs and photo shoots and participate in a few more surprises!

      More about Teen Wolf on Fanlore
      More about The Vampire Diaries on Fanlore

    • Sinpozium, aka “Sinpoz” is a multifandom Sydney slash gathering. It is a fan-run, not-for-profit weekend-long slash slumber party! Activities will include discussions, fandom pimping, games, vid watching and more. Sinpozium is open to programming ideas. You must be 18 or older to attend.

      More about Sinpozium on Fanlore

    • VuPop2: An Academic Conference Where YOU are the Hero: Interactive Fiction in Print and Online For several decades gamebooks like Choose Your Own Adventure and Fighting Fantasy have been finding ways to directly involve the reader in the narrative of the book and to encompass multiple possibilities within a single volume. Computer games and other digital media have brought fiction into new and infinitely variable realms. On 9 June in Villanova, PA VuPop2 conference will examine the evolution of interactive fiction and discuss ways in which it can be studied and used pedagogically.
    • Supanova is Comic-con, Australian style!
      Supernova is where the adoring public comes face to face with Supa-Star celebrities and the creative talent that inspire their imaginary worlds under one big roof. The event includes comic books, animation, science-fiction, TV/movies, toys, gaming, fantasy, technology, books, internet sites and fan-clubs, the result is an amazing atmosphere tailor made for expressing your inner geek and where getting into cosplay obvious thing to do! Notable Guest include Jon Heder, Michael Rosenbaum, Robin Hobb, and many more! Supanova will be in Sydney June 13-15 and Perth June 20-22!

      More about Supanova on Fanlore

    • EyeCon is well known for bringing our attendees the absolute most "personal" time with the stars is announcing their first ever convention devoted to the fandom surrounding the epic, ultra popular MTV series Teen Wolf! Meet and mingle with Tyler Posey, Tyler Hoechlin, Adelaide Kane, and more! at Q&As, Autographs, parties, and more in Atlanta, Georgia on June 13-15.

      More about Teen Wolf on Fanlore

    • CON.TXT on June 13 in Silver Springs, Maryland id a place to gather and celebrate the joy of slash fandom. Indulge in endless conversation about your favorite guys (or girls), debate metaslash topics of great import, and squee over the pretty, all in the company of like-minded folk.

      More about CON.TXR on Fanlore

    • Cakebang: The Supernatural and Supernatural RPF Podfic Big Bang Cakebang is open to podficcers and artists. Podficcers can submit 10,000 word minimum for the Mini Bang and/or a 20,000 word minimum for the Big Bang. Artists may check out the claims post and claim any available podfic. If you wish to create art or can sign up and make note that you would like to be alerted when a new podfic is added to the list. Cakebang will be accepting new sign-ups until Friday, June 13 with posting scheduled to begin Monday, June 16.

      More about Big Bang challenges on Fanlore
      More about Supernatural on Fanlore

    • Join tens of thousands of fans as they converge on the Pennsylvania Convention Center June 19-22 at Philadelphia Comic Con to celebrate the best in pop culture. Philadelphia Comic Con brings it all - Movies, Comics, Toys, Video Gaming, Games, TV, Horror, Wrestling, MMA, Original Art, Collectibles, Anime, Manga & More! Guests include Cast from Marvel Films, Doctor Who, the Whedonverse, The Walking Dead, and more
    • Days of the Wolf Join Teen Wolf fans from around the in celebrating this fantastic MTV hit show on June 28-29 in Chicago. Join guests Tyler Hoechlin, Holland Roden, JR Bourne, and Linden Ashby for on stage events, Cosplay, Music Video Contest,Gala Party, Trivia and more!

      More about Teen Wolf on Fanlore

    Calls for Papers this month come from:

    • Manga Futures Postgraduate Workshop Manga Futures is hosting a postgraduate workshop entitled, “Research and Career Futures in Japanese Popular Culture Studies”. Postgraduate students who are currently working on topics related to contemporary Japanese popular culture and are looking for an open space where they can share their knowledge and experience in their respective fields are welcome to submit a proposal on the following themes: Commonalities and differences in fandom-based creation and criticism between Japan and other countries, Ethical and legal challenges in the production and consumption of manga, The use of popular culture in Japan studies and Japan language pedagogy. The due date for proposals is 13 June 2014
    • Intellect's Fan Phenomena book series is now seeking chapters for a new volume on fandom and James Bond. Phenomena: James Bond is aimed at both fans and those interested in the cultural and social aspects of James Bond. As such the book is intended to be entertaining, informative, and accessible to a broad audience. Suggested topics include: Bond as lifestyle icon, Bond merchandise, memorabilia and collecting, Bond fans’ use of different media to create community, etc. Please send a 300 word abstract and a short bio by 30 June 2014 to be considered.

      More about James Bond on Fanlore


    The OTW encourages anyone to submit an event that's not already listed, and to check out the calendar throughout the year!

  • Events Calendar for May 2014

    Von Claudia Rebaza am Donnerstag, 1 Mai 2014 - 6:22pm
    Nachrichtenart:

    Banner by caitie of curtains opening to show a stage with the words OTW Events Calendar

    Welcome to our Events Calendar roundup for the month of May! The Events Calendar can be found on the OTW website and is open to submissions by anyone with news of an event. These can be viewed by event-type, such as Academic Events, Fan Gatherings, Legal Events, OTW Events, or Technology Events taking place around the world.

    • Free Comic Book Day takes place on "the first Saturday in May each year - when participating comic book shops across North America and around the world give away comic books absolutely FREE to anyone who comes into their stores."

      More about Free Comic Book Day on Fanlore

    • M/M Rares

      M/M Rares is an annual fanfiction exchange for rare slash pairings. Participants write a fic at least 1000 words long focusing on a slash pairing another participant has requested. As this is an exchange, they receive a 1000+ word fic featuring a slash pairing they requested in return.

      Nominations Open: 13 April
      Nominations Close: 3 May @ 8:00pm PDT
      Signups Open: 5 May @ 8:00pm PDT
      Signups Close: 23 May @ 8:00 PDT
      Assignments Sent: No later than 30 May @ 8:00pm PDT
      Fics Due: 25 July @ 8:00pm PDT
      Fics Revealed: 1 August @ 8:00pm PDT
      Authors Revealed: 8 August @ 8:00pm PDT

      More about M/M Rares on Fanlore

    • LexiCon

      LexiCon is an open-to-all gaming convention. Visitors can learn to play new games like Gravwell, Sentinels - Vengeance, Jupiter Rising, Relic Runners, City of Iron, and BioShock Infinite: The Siege of Columbia. LexiCon also will have family gaming events like "Learn 5 Family Games in 90 minutes" and Adult Party nights Friday and Saturday. There will also be a Magic the Gathering Tournament with $1,000 1st prize, plus lots of extras.

    • BLush Convention

      BLush Convention is a biennial not-for-profit event organized for Philippine and Asian fans of Boys' Love and Yaoi. The first event was held last 8th December 2012 at Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila. This year it will take place on May 3 in Manila. It will feature panels and talks, merchandise booths, the much-anticipated butler cafe, La Vie En Rose, and more.

    • Open Doors chat with fans

      OTW's Open Doors committee will be holding two public chats on Campfire (the online chat platform the OTW uses) in order to discuss the import of the Yuletide archives to the AO3. The second will be held on May 4, 1am UTC (see when the chat is held in your timezone)

    • VidUKon 2014

      Vidukon is a fan run convention in the UK where fannish vidders and vid watchers get together to OD on vids and vid talk and have the fun times. Aside from video shows, panels and workshops will run for those interested in the whys and wherefores. A Vid Bazaar is also included in the con-suite where DVDs are up for sale or swap. You can get a spot on the table for a flat fee, payable at registration. Registration is £40 for an attending membership, which includes two and a half days.

      VidUKon is also accepting Premieres and submissions to their Vidder's Choice show - a chance for any member (attending or supporting) to show a vid of their choice during the opening evening. Deadlines for these are 11th May 2014.

      Starting in 2014, a virtual convention will be running alongside the physical convention. If you buy a supporting membership, you will be able to watch the vidshow, including Premieres, streaming, in real time, with comments enabled to discuss the shows with your fellow virtual attendees! After the convention, this will be available to everyone. They are also considering streaming some panels, depending on interest.

      More about VidUKon on Fanlore

    • WisCon

      Running since 1977, WisCon is the first and foremost feminist science fiction convention in the world. WisCon encourages discussion, debate and extrapolation of ideas relating to feminism, gender, race and class. WisCon honors writers, editors and artists whose work explores these themes and whose voices have opened new dimensions and territory in these issues.

      Special events include the Tiptree bake sale and auction, a writer's workshop and a Dessert Party, as well as a vid party. The deadline for submitting a vid is Friday, May 9, 2014, two weeks before the con.

      More about WisCon on Fanlore

    Calls for Papers this month come from:

    • Stardom and Celebrity in Contemporary India

      The forthcoming issue of Indian Journal of Comparative Literature & Translation Studies is opening submissions on "Stardom and Celebrity in Contemporary India". The informing assumption is that there is no single culture of celebrity and the issue will endeavor to highlight the co-existence of multiple domains of celebrity culture in India. IJCLTS invites original, unpublished and innovative work from across the disciplines and across the world. The extent of the essays should be between 3000-5000 words or shorter but rigorously analytic pieces (500-1500 words) whose scope is less extensive than that of an essay but which raises a pertinent point regarding celebrity culture. The pertinent master categories of India studies.

      Besides the articles, IJCLTS is looking for translations, interviews, and book reviews. Submit by 31st May 2014.

    • CFP: My Little Pony: A Transcultural Phenomenon

      "This one day conference seeks to place the 30 year long ‘My Little Pony’ series within critical, cultural and creative contexts, exploring the brand from a multi-disciplinary range of perspectives. 300 word abstracts are invited." The conference will be held at University of Brighton – Grand Parade on Saturday 28 June 2014. Please send abstracts and enquiries to Ewan Kirkland at e.kirkland [at] brighton.ac.uk.

      Deadline for abstracts: 28 May 2014

    • CFP: Queer Fan Cultures in Greater China

      Queer fandom nowadays has become a global phenomenon. The blooming of Chinese queer fandoms in the past two decades has also offered rich sites of queer representations of gender and sexuality. Yet, research explicating Chinese queer fandoms is still far from adequate. The editors seek chapter contributions that elaborate the cultural specificities, significances, transformativity, hybridity, historicity, and futurity epitomized by Chinese queer fan cultures. We are especially keen to receive manuscripts that consider the queer dimensions of gender, sexuality, desire, and fantasy from a wide range of Chinese temporal and geographical settings. We also very welcome submissions that employ interdisciplinary and/or comparative approaches.

      To submit chapter proposal submissions for consideration, please send a 1000- to 1500-word abstract with working bibliography and a CV by May 30th, 2014 to queerfandom2014 [at] yahoo.com.

    • CFP: The Mystery of Edwin Drood: Solutions and Resolutions

      Charles Dickens’s last novel, unfinished as it is, has become a call to arms to a legion of fans, academics and authors to solve the mystery and complete the uncompleted. The Victorian Popular Fiction Association will publish The Drood Inquiry, which will investigate and celebrate the many weird and wonderful responses to Dickens’s story, exploring the ways in which these solutions reflect upon the authors’ attitudes to Dickens and his legacy, and how Dickens’s story and characters exist both within the boundaries of the original text and without in the numerous spin-offs that have arisen.

      Proposals are welcome for 20 minute papers to be presented at a one day conference on the themes of the book or the insights its subsequent treatment can provide on Dickens’s reputation, as well as any discussion of theories on how the story ends. Proposals (up to 500 words) and a brief biographical note should be sent by 31 May 2014.

    • CFP: Golden Age or Gilded Age? Fan Cultures, Past, Present, and Future

      Fan culture has been intimately linked with mass media since the beginning of the movies in the late 1800s and early 1900s. As various technologies have pushed media evolution along – sound, color, television, and internet – fan culture has kept pace and fueled not only consumption but also developed communities. First in fan magazines, then at conventions, fan culture has spread and inspired fans to celebrate the media they loved. This love frequently leads to the development of derivative works such as fan fiction and fan editing—the expansion of existing media elements into whole new worlds.

      Is this the Golden Age of Fan Culture, as brought about by the internet’s ability to transmit media and foster communities, or is this a Gilded Age, where fan culture has gone postmodern, sometimes eclipsing the objects and subjects of fan desire? This area welcomes proposals on a diverse range of topics pertaining to fan culture, both present and historic, with a particular emphasis on visual media such as film and television.

      2014 Film & History Conference is looking for submissions of 200-word proposals by 1 June 2014.


    The OTW encourages anyone to submit an event that's not already listed, and to check out the calendar throughout the year!

  • OTW Fannews: Acafans of today and tomorrow

    Von Claudia Rebaza am Donnerstag, 17 April 2014 - 5:39pm
    Nachrichtenart:

    Banner by caitie of the OTW logo wearing a mortarboard with the post title written on lined paper

    • For those fans who enjoyed the OTW's academic panel chat you may also want to look at Participations: Dialogues on the Participatory Promise of Contemporary Culture and Politics. This conversation among seven academics included Sarah Banet-Weiser, Nancy Baym, Francesca Coppa, David Gauntlett, Jonathan Gray, Henry Jenkins and Adrienne Shaw. Coppa discusses Welcome to Night Vale: "[I]t looks to me like something that could have been invented by an artist trying to imagine Henry’s definition of transmedia’s best self: radio, so giving fans an opportunity to imagine the visuals individually and collectively, which they have done with gusto; central characters who are queer and of color; an open invitation to make other things for and in the world (I wouldn’t even say 'an invitation to fans,' because, in a way, we’re not fans; we’re explicitly framed as citizens of Night Vale)."
    • Anna Von Veh presented Beyond the Text at the “Books in Browsers IV” conference in San Francisco in October 2013 and it is now available online as part of the Conference Proceedings which were published in The Journal of Electronic Publishing. "The technology of the Internet is perfectly in tune with Jacques Derrida’s notion of 'difference'...where meaning is always deferred; and where, in a postcolonial understanding...meaning and agency are to be found in the gaps between locations of power and certainty. The Internet allows a metaphorical and literal leaking of content from the container and from those who 'own' it. So just as the conventional two-dimensional format of the book (or I believe its digital facsimile, the ebook) is no longer the appropriate technology for content in a networked world, the understanding of the ‘contained’, owned, settled story is no longer the appropriate concept of text in such a world."
    • The Examiner.com paired fandom and education in its report on the Chesterfield Library's Comic-Con 2014. "[T]he concept of a Library System sponsoring a Comicon is unique enough to elicit more than passing interest, especially when that system holds more than 11,000 graphic novel volumes in circulation." In addition to comics vendors, a cosplay contest, and the participation of local artist Chris Otto, of "A Dog's Life" web comic, local teachers and school clubs contributed content.
    • Master's degree student Tara Popp shared her capstone project on fandom where she "created and narrated a PowerPoint presentation on the 6 Cs of fanworks and its impact on youth development from a technological viewpoint." These 6 Cs were Cognitivity, Communication, Community, Contribution, Character, and Cheer. "[F]anwork is a 'spark' for young people. Sparks are special interests and abilities that inspire youth to pursue their passion on their own, and Benson (2008) advocates that parents and other youth professionals encourage them to do something they enjoy. For some youth, their spark may not advance further than their adolescent years, but for others, it is a life-long endeavor."

    What fandom research or academic discussion has grabbed you? Write about it on Fanlore! Contributions are welcome from all fans.

    We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, podcast, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent OTW Fannews post. Links are welcome in all languages! Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.

  • Events Calendar Post for April 2014

    Von Angela Nichols am Dienstag, 1 April 2014 - 10:59pm
    Nachrichtenart:


    Welcome to our Events Calendar roundup for the month of April! The Events Calendar can be found on the OTW website and is open to submissions by anyone with news of an event. These can be viewed by event-type, such as Academic Events, Fan Gatherings, Legal Events, OTW Events, or Technology Events taking place around the world.

    • This month, bring us fannish April showers by digging out those old zines, memories of past cons, archived personal webpages, tales of shipwars and fannish events, works on slowly-decaying archives, and more! Upload your old works to the AO3 and tell your tales on Fanlore.

      More about April Showers on Fanlore

    • 2014 Supanova Conventions are kicking off this April in Gold Coast April 4-6 and Melbourne April 11-13.

      Comic-con, Australian style! Supernova is where the adoring public comes face to face with Supa-Star celebrities and the creative talent that inspire their imaginary worlds under one big roof. The event includes comic books, animation, science-fiction, TV/movies, toys, gaming, fantasy, technology, books, internet sites and fan-clubs, the result is an amazing atmosphere tailor made for expressing your inner geek and where getting into cosplay is an obvious thing to do. Notable Guests at both events include Peter Mayhew, Lucy Lawless, Gethin Anthony, and many more!

      More about Supanova on Fanlore

    • International Quidditch Association World Cup VII the IQA’s championship tournament is an international event featuring the best 80 teams in the sport, held annually since 2007.Quidditch is a co-ed contact sport with a unique mix of elements from rugby, basketball, and dodgeball. A quidditch team is made up of seven athletes who play with brooms between their legs at all times. World Cup VII will be held on April 5-6, 2014, at the brand-new North Myrtle Beach Park and Sports Complex in North Myrtle Beach, SC.
    • Conglomeration 2014 is Louisville, Kentucky's own fan-run multimedia science fiction and fantasy convention and has been held off and on since 2001. This year the convention will take place April 11-13 2014. It includes an Art Show, Game Room, Dealer's Room, Masquerade and more and features various science fiction and fantasy authors and artists as guests of honor.
    • Keen to add your fannish memories to Fanlore but not sure where to start? Need your hand held as you make your first wiki edits? Or keen to share your skillz as an experienced Fanlore editor? On Saturday, 19 April, beginning at 20:00 UTC come to the Fanlore chatroom for The April Showers editing party on Fanlore. You'll be able to get help making your first forays into editing Fanlore, toss around ideas for new pages, and ask questions. Everyone is welcome!
    • OTW's Open Doors committee will be holding two public chats on the import of the Yuletide archives to the AO3. The first will be held on April 26, at 4pm UTC.

      More about Yuletide on Fanlore

    A Call for Papers this month comes from Anime and Manga Studies Symposium. Papers are welcome on all aspects of Japanese popular culture and the worldwide anime/manga fandom's activities and practices. Participants in the Symposium will be able to meet leading scholars at the Anime Expo convention in Los Angeles, CA, on July 3-6, contribute to the developing "anime and manga studies" community, present their work to an interested and appreciative audience, and interact directly with anime fans from around the world. Presentations on transformative works and cultures have always been welcome at the Symposium. Submit abstracts by May 1, 2014.

    This month we have also received a request for research participation from Dr Emerald King of the School of Languages and Cultures, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.

    The research results will be presented at the “Women and their Comics” symposium to be held at the Comix Home Base, Hong Kong in March 2014. Eventually the findings of the study will be used as the basis for a book project looking at costume in anime, manga and JRPGS.

    This study has been approved by the Victoria University of Wellington Human Ethics Committee and a consent form is available at the start of the survey, which can be accessed at the SurveyMonkey website.

    If you have any questions you may contact Emerald at +64 4 463 5293 during office hours: 9.00 am-4.30 pm (NZDT) Monday to Friday, or directly on +64 463 6467 during office hours: 10.00 am-6.00 pm (NZDT) Monday, Wednesday, Friday or via email: emerald.king [at] vuw.ac.nz

    If you have requests for research participation, please view our policy for inclusion at our website.


    The OTW encourages anyone to submit an event that's not already listed, and to check out the calendar throughout the year!

  • OTW Fannews: Doing the research

    Von Claudia Rebaza am Sonntag, 30 März 2014 - 7:55pm
    Nachrichtenart:

    • Geek Anthropologist posted a video of Charlotte Fillmore-Handlon, a PhD Student at Concordia University, Montreal, presenting her paper on Fan Fiction, Fan Autoethnography, and Everyday Life. "I define fan fiction more broadly to include stories written both in and outside of fandom communities. In order to illustrate my argument, I will employ an autoethnographic approach, recalling my own experiences writing fan fiction as a young pre-teen. In light of the recent trend of positioning oneselves as an aca/fan (Academic/Fan) in fandom studies, I differentiate between fan fiction and fan autoethnography."
    • Video game scholar Victoria Hungerford wrote about The SwanQueen Fanfiction Community’s Non-Philosophy. "This paper hopes to explore what SwanQueen fans are doing and how fanfiction acts as a philosophy in itself, as a way to understand and interpret media production, representation, creative economies, culture, communication and existence. The SwanQueen community is a generative community that subverts dominant ideology while at the same time clinging on to some traditional notions of relationships as 'end game'...Fanfiction embodies fandom as a fundamental aspect of every day life and is political. The SwanQueen community is a non-philosophy community that tries to understand their relationship to one another, as well as their relationship to the greater OUT fandom, and the larger Geek, Nerd, Dork (GND) communities of the Internet."
    • Columnist Stephen Downes of Ireland's TheJournal.ie could have used some academic research when discussing why fanfic is making people nervous. From claiming that "FanFic is split evenly between the genders, with just as many girls as boys engaging in writing...although popular topics are largely split between sci-fi-fantasy (boys) and erotic-paranormal-fantasy (girls)" to saying that "it will be an interesting journey to see where we end up when the author of a story featuring Captain Kirk has never seen Star Trek", it is perhaps unsurprising that his conclusion is "FanFic’s impact on young people, in particular, is slowly rotating from the positive to the negative, as young readers stop reading, watching and learning from mainstream mediums and begin to solely enjoy and mimic FanFic."
    • Women Write About Comics wrote about some statistics on female comic fans. "Graphic Policy has been updating data, accessible via Facebook, for the past several months using data visualization with graphs and charts as part of their Facebook Fandom Spotlight series...This month’s post showed that women comics readers hit approximately 47% of all self-identified Facebook comics fans, which puts a very different spin female comics fans on the well-known 2012 survey completed after DC’s new 52 reboot saying that of the respondents saying that 93 percent of the respondents were male."

    What fandom research has grabbed you? Write about it on Fanlore! Contributions are welcome from all fans.

    We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, podcast, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent OTW Fannews post. Links are welcome in all languages! Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.

  • OTW Fannews: Discussing fandom

    Von Claudia Rebaza am Freitag, 21 März 2014 - 1:29am
    Nachrichtenart:

    Banner by Erin of a message form with the OTW logo on a megaphone and a form saying 'You:Discussing Fan: Fandom' with a send button next to 'OTWFannews'

    • Not Another Teen Wolf podcast posted about their interview with OTW legal staffer Heidi Tandy. Among other things "We learn about the Organisation for Transformative Works and the basic legality behind being a fan creator. We also reminisce about the early days of the internet, when there was a lot of scaremongering surrounding fanfiction in terms of copyright. Why was AO3 started – what was the initial gameplan? Why did a resource like AO3 become necessary?”
    • Although the NATW podcast chat spent only a bit of time on copyright, Copyrightuser.org posted the video ‘Copyright & Creativity’ to make "copyright compelling to creators and average Internet users, trying to demonstrate that it is not just a set of rules but an interesting world worth exploring. To this end, we approached leading copyright experts and sent them a short questionnaire about the relationship between copyright, creativity and technology, with the idea of writing an accessible script based on their answers." The site is "an independent online resource aimed at making UK Copyright Law accessible to creators and members of the public. The goal is to provide answers to the most pressing concerns creators have about copyright, helping them understand their rights."
    • Heidi Tandy and recent OTW academic chat panelist, Anne Jamison, were at South by Southwest discussing fanworks. The importance of internet platforms in allowing non-celebrities to develop their own fandom took a different tack on creativity. When asked, "What is the secret sauce to creating good content?" BuzzFeed’s EVP of Video, Ze Frank replied that content "must represent a part of your individual identity better than you can talk about it. Second, your content needs to be an emotional gift, and should make your audience feel a certain way. And third, your content should provide a social role of information. Frank continued by explaining that your content should prove an argument that people have been having all along or play a part in real world conversation."
    • Joystick ran an article exploring the fandom of Twitch Plays Pokemon. "Taylor started doing Internet research in the 1990s, and turned to video games in 1999. Her studies resulted in books such as Play Between Worlds and Raising the Stakes, which explore virtual worlds, MMOs and e-sports. Those examinations bear relevance to Twitch Plays Pokemon, as the same elements of extended narratives and player curation could be found in the earlier days of EverQuest."

    What stories have you come across about storytelling platforms? Write about them on Fanlore! Contributions are welcome from all fans.

    We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, podcast, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent OTW Fannews post. Links are welcome in all languages! Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.

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