Join Emily and Vee as they discuss the similarities and differences between fanfiction and original fiction, including worldbuilding, copyright, filing off the serial numbers and fanfic that becomes published, and the ever-evolving journey of the Mary Sue. 

Topics include: Publishing, legality of fanfiction, creative writing, Philip Roth shade 

If you heard on us the most recent episode of The Culture Study podcast, welcome! Check out our catalog of episodes here. 

Sources from today's ep:

Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you Ollie for editing our sound!

On this episode of Mind the Tags, Vee and Emily interview Dr. Alexis Lothian, Associate Professor at The Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Maryland. We chat with Dr. Lothian about her foray into fanfiction in the early 2000s, as well as her scholarly work around speculative fiction, feminism and racism in fanfiction, and the power of fandom to shape political awareness and movements. 

Sources from this episode:

Check out Dr. Lothian's faculty bio here.

Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. 

Join Emily and Vee as they chat about the long and intricate relationship between fanart and fanfiction, the different legal and financial considerations between them, fanart commissions, and Vee's new venture as a lego artiste. Philadelphia vernacular warning to listeners: Emily uses the word "jawn" at least twice in this episode.

Topics include: Fanart, commissions, digital media

Sources from today's ep:

Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. 

On this episode of Mind the Tags, Vee and Emily interview Elizabeth Minkel, fandom journalist, co-host/editor of Fansplaining, and co-curator of The Rec Center. We talk about Elizabeth's travels through Buffy GeoCities of yore, what she loves and has learned about fanfiction over the years, and the trends she's observed in AI in fandom spaces. Check out some of Elizabeth's articles that we discuss here:

You can find out about Elizabeth's projects here.

Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. 

Join Emily and Vee as they discuss how participating in fanfiction can support writers and readers during times of uncertainty, and how the fanfic community can respond to political developments that threaten our communities.  

Topics include: Pleasure activism, anti-capitalism, gift culture, LGBTQIA+ representation, fan activism

Sources from today's ep:

Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you Ollie for editing our sound!

On this episode of Mind the Tags, Vee and Emily interview Lindie and boy, two incredible podficcers from the Our Flag Means Death fandom. Lindie and boy share what got them into podficcing, tricks of the trade, and some of their favorite things about recording fanworks. We've included some of the fics discussed in this episode below.

You can find Lindie's podfics here:

You can find boy's podfics here:

Podfics mentioned and/or referenced in this episode:

OFMD Podfuckery: https://archiveofourown.org/series/4490566 

Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you Ollie for editing our sound!

Join Emily and Vee as they discuss "femmeslash" and some of the ships that paved the way for fanfiction centered around romantic relationships between female characters. 

Topics include: Women in media, gender, the trend of burying your (sapphic) gays, and the lasting influence of Xena: Warrior Princess

Sources from today's ep:

• Blorbo From My Shows on Fanlore

Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you Ollie for editing our sound!

On this episode of Mind the Tags, Vee and Emily interview Lani and Jo, co-hosts of The Fanfic Writers' Craft, a podcast that discusses all things fanfiction with a focus on the art and science of writing for the enjoyment of fan communities. We talk about Jo's fandom beginnings in American procedurals, Lani's journey through the RENT fandom community, and the topics that have surprised Jo and Lani as hosts of The Fanfic Writers' Craft. You can find their podcast on Spotify and Tumblr!

Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you to Ollie for editing our sound!

Join Emily and Vee as they discuss why some fanfic writers create stories centered around M/M (or "slash") romance. 

Topics include: Gender expression, queer representation in media and fanfiction, and late breaking news about the patriarchy

Sources from today's ep:

• Queerbaiting on Wikipedia

Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you Ollie for editing our sound!

On this episode of Mind the Tags, Vee and Emily interview Diana, a writer and editor interested in queer theory, feminist theory, and media studies. We talk about some of Diana's favorite fandoms (including Inuyasha and Star Wars) and discuss the importance of fandom community when writing fanfiction. Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you to Ollie for editing our sound!