Mind the Tags

By mindthetagsofficialTV & Film Leisure Fiction Hobbies

Mind the Tags episodes

May 09, 2025Interview with Naomi Jacobs: Design Researcher
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:
The Design of Printed Fanfiction: A Case Study of Down to Agincourt Fanbinding by Naomi Jacobs and JSA Lowe
The Renegade Bookbinding Guild
17776
Check out Dr. Jacobs' faculty bio here.
53 min
April 18, 2025Fic is (like totally) Lit: Fanfic vs. Original Fiction
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:
The Big Difference Between Original Fiction and Fanfiction by Margery Bayne
Mary Sue on Fanlore
E44: More Than The Text Of Our Book, ft. Greatest Author Chuck Tingle from the Publishing Rodeo podcast
What Are Derivative Works Under Copyright Law? by Edward A. Haman, J.D.
Filing Off The Serial Numbers on Fanlore
10 books you didn't know started out as fan fiction, from 'Twilight' to 'Star Wars'-inspired stories by Lauren Arzbaecher
Why All Fiction Writers Should Be Learning From Fanfiction by Margery Bayne
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you Ollie for editing our sound!
56 min
March 28, 2025Interview with Alexis Lothian: Fandom Scholar
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:
Vidding: A History by Francesca Coppa
AI Hype Enters Its Geopolitics Era w/ Timnit Gebru from the Tech Won't Save Us Podcast
An archive of whose own? White feminism and racial justice in fan fiction’s digital infrastructure by Alexis Lothian and Mel Stanfill
End OTW Racism: A Call To Action
Archival anarchies: Online fandom, subcultural conservation, and the transformative work of digital ephemera by Alexis Lothian
Fandom Is Ugly: Networked Harassment in Participatory Culture by Mel Stanfill
Old Futures: Speculative Fiction and Queer Possibility by Alexis Lothian
Check out Dr. Lothian's faculty bio here.
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design.
47 min
March 06, 2025The (fan)Artist's Way: The Friends to Lovers Relationship between Fanart and Fanfiction
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:
The OFMD Craft Fair Auction
Big Bang on Fanlore
Fanart on Fanlore
Zine on Fanlore
The OFMD Fine Frames Project
Vee's lego art
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design.
46 min
January 31, 2025Interview with Elizabeth Minkel: Fandom Journalist
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:
Why Generative AI Won’t Disrupt Books
Lots of People Make Money on Fanfic. Just Not the Authors
The Endless Appetite for Fanfiction
You can find out about Elizabeth's projects here.
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design.
1 hr 8 min
January 13, 2025Fic de Resistance: How Fanfiction Can Create Community and Fight Oppression
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:
Kudos on Fanlore
Alexis Lothian lecture from the University of Maryland Arts & Humanities YouTube channel
Pleasure Activism by adrienne maree brown
The Best Organizing Strategy You’ve Never Heard Of: Why Fan Activism Has the Power to Radically Change Our World by Fandom Forward
Fellowship of the Fans article by Anne Ford
Open Letter to the OTW on Racism in Fandom
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you Ollie for editing our sound!
1 hr 2 min
December 11, 2024Interview with Lindie and Boy: OFMD Podficcers
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:
Ao3
Soundcloud
You can find boy's podfics here:
Ao3
Soundcloud
Podfics mentioned and/or referenced in this episode:
No one would riot for less written by sacrificethemtothesquid
Prove It written by KnivesInFeet
Hell or High Water written by Mottlemoth
Life Finds a Way written by ClaireGregory
The Long Gap written by Deanbird
Wave Hello to the Void written by eefaevie, mxmollusca, and zacharybosch

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!
1 hr
November 13, 2024It's a Femmeslashinomenon: Shipping Female Characters in Fanfiction
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
All 240 Dead Lesbian and Bisexual Characters On TV, And How They Died from autostraddle
TV Characters' Rising Death Toll Reveals Troubling Pattern from NPR
The 10 greatest episodes of Xena: Warrior Princess by Sara Century
Ao3 Ships Stats 2024 by centreoftheselights
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you Ollie for editing our sound!
50 min
October 31, 2024 Interview with Lani and Jo: Hosts of The Fanfic Writers' Craft
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!
48 min
October 09, 2024Slashing Through the Binary: Gender and M/M Fanfiction
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
How Do We Solve A Problem Like “Queerbaiting”?: On TV’s Not-So-Subtle Gay Subtext by Rose
Please Do Not Bait the Queers by Emmett Scout
Ao3 Demographics survey by centreoftheselights
The Bechdel Test on Wikipedia
Performance, Property, and the Slashing of Gender in Fan Fiction by Sonia K. Katyal
Tumblr post by prokopetz
'The Tent’s Big Enough for Everyone’: online slash fiction as a site for activism and change by Lucy Neville
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you Ollie for editing our sound!
59 min

About Mind the Tags

From the publisher's feed

Welcome to Mind the Tags, where we talk about the history and evolution of fanfiction. Join Emily and Vee as they dive into a new fanfiction topic each episode and interview authors, researchers, journalists, and fans.