In this episode of Mind the Tags, Vee and Emily interview Tara, a novelist and fanfiction writer. In this interview, we discuss similarities and differences between writing for traditional publication and for fandom. We also chat with Tara about their fandom journey, including their entree into fanfic-writing through Our Flag Means Death.

Fics mentioned in this episode:

Books mentioned in this episode:

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 tackle how Harry Potter fic writers have responded to J.K. Rowling's public shift to transphobia in recent years. Vee shares their own experiences as a Harry Potter fic writer, and Emily adds some unasked-for attacks on long-dead composer Richard Wagner.  

Topics include: Orphaning fics, the relationship between creators and fic, and fond memories of wizarding childhoods

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Content warning: this episode discusses transphobia

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. Naomi Jacobs, Lecturer in Design Policy and Futures Thinking at Lancaster University. In this interview, we discuss the printing and binding fanfiction ("fanbinding") and the ways in which creating physical copies of fanfiction is another type of transformative fanwork. We also chat with Naomi about her fandom journey, including her entree into fanfic through Doctor Who novels. 

Sources from this episode:

Check out Dr. Jacobs' faculty bio here.

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!