In this episode, Holly brings their copy of Shakespeare's Histories as an entryway for us to talk about the history of Shakespeare. Get it? In history corner, Holly talks about what the Shakespeare Jubilee was, how it worked, and what it did for the history of fan conventions. We talk about conventions and how amazing they are, as well as how fan conventions function as spaces of imagination. And of course we get a little nerdy about Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and celebrity gravesites.

Holly's copy of Shakespeare's Histories

Reading List

Overview of the Shakespeare Jubilee

Shakespeare Jubilee Day One

Shakespeare Jubilee Day Two

Places of Imagination - Stijn Reijnders

Imagined Communities - Benedict Anderson

Our Socials

Vivian's instagram

Holly's instagram

The Pod's instagram

Music for this episode was Nowhere Land by Kevin MacLead Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

This episode was produced by Vivian Asimos and Holly Swinyard

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Vivian brings her handknitted Lord of the Rings scarf - a double knitted scarf with the One Ring rhyme and the Tree of Gondor. Vivian learned to knit in high school, and always enjoys making something related to her lovely fandoms. So we talk about it! We chat about communities of creativity, and the powerful bonds formed when you meet people who love making and your media choices, and how the process of creating draws a close relationship between the creator and the media.

A Pic of Vivian's Scarf

A Pic of Vivian's Bastion Cross Stitching

Reading List

The Practice of Everyday Life - Michel de Certeau

Our Socials

Vivian's instagram

Holly's instagram

The Pod's instagram

Music for this episode was Nowhere Land by Kevin MacLead Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

This episode was produced by Vivian Asimos and Holly Swinyard

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of I'm a Fan of That, Vivian brings a fringed eye mask worn by country singer Orville Peck. We talk about the masked country singer, and the power of that amazing fringed mask. Holly brings their love of folk music, and Vivian brings her obsession with Orville Peck, to talk about the way he tells his stories in such a way that it becomes tied intimately with the LGBT Community. An out-country singer and self-proclaimed gay cowboy, Orville Peck's music, and more importantly his mask, has come to represent the experiences of the gay community.

Orville Peck and His Lovely Mask

Reading List

A. David Napier - Masks, Transformation and Paradox

Daytona Sand by Orville Peck

Our Socials

Vivian's instagram

Holly's instagram

The Pod's instagram

Music for this episode was Nowhere Land by Kevin MacLead Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

This episode was produced by Vivian Asimos and Holly Swinyard

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Holly brings their Arc Reactor to the party, and a detailed conversation about the history of the growth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We also talk about the relationship grown with Disney and the formulaic nature of super hero films and stories. And Vivian teaches Holly the idea of the "Nigella Effect".

Pic of an Arc Reactor

(Holly accidently misplaced theirs)

Reading List

CNet article on the history of the MCU

"Myth Sells: Mattel’s Commission of The Masters of the Universe Bible" by Joseph Laycock

Henry Jenkins explains transmedia storytelling

Our Socials

Vivian's instagram

Holly's instagram

Music for this episode was Nowhere Land by Kevin MacLead Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

This episode was produced by Vivian Asimos and Holly Swinyard

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Vivian brings a copy of The Perilous Realms by J.R.R Tolkien, a wonderful gift from her mother-in-law, who is a member of the Tolkien Society. Holly has their own experiences with the Tolkien Society, so we talk about it! The Tolkien Society is a more academic based fan group of people who love Tolkien's writings and worlds. We talk about the perceived boundary between "play" and "serious", and the fight to make fantasy and genre-literature more generally to be seen as a legitimate field of study. But we also talk about the way different fan groups and individuals have different definitions for the same stuff, often resulting in conflict between individuals and groups.

The Perilous Realms by JRR Tolkien

Reading List

"Anthropology and Play" by Thomas Malaby

Our Socials

Vivian's instagram

Holly's instagram

The Pod's instagram

Music for this episode was Nowhere Land by Kevin MacLead Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

This episode was produced by Vivian Asimos and Holly Swinyard

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vivian comes to Holly demanding a Love Island water bottle! Not really, but we actually chat about Love Island today, one of Vivian's favourite reality shows in the UK. We talk about the notion of the "new" celebrity, and the accessibility of celebrity through social media. We talk about the creation of narratives and storylines, and how Love Island creates gossip and narratives through the presentation of the islanders.

Picture of a Love Island water bottle

Our Socials

Vivian's instagram

Holly's instagram

The Pod's instagram

Music for this episode was Nowhere Land by Kevin MacLead Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

This episode was produced by Vivian Asimos and Holly Swinyard

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Holly brings a D20 to the podcast, a 20 sided dice that has become a token symbol of table top role playing games like Dungeons and Dragons. We talk about the need for adult play - not that kind of adult play - and the way TTRPG players play with the boundaries of belief, and the creative and interactive way stories are crafted.

An image of a D20

Reading List

Gizmodo article about DnD's open gaming license

Gizmodo article about fan response to the license change

Polygon article about the u-turn on the license

Jane McGonigal's article "A Real Little Game: The Performance of Belief in Pervasive Play

Our Socials

Vivian's instagram

Holly's instagram

The Pod's instagram

Music for this episode was Nowhere Land by Kevin MacLead Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

This episode was produced by Vivian Asimos and Holly Swinyard

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Enjoy this teaser trailer for I'm a Fan of That! First episode drops just NEXT WEEK!!!

Our Socials

Vivian's instagram

Holly's instagram

Fandom's instagram

Music for this episode was Nowhere Land by Kevin MacLead Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.