University of Iowa Libraries Begin to Digitize Decades of Fan Fiction
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A note to media fans: the collection that is being digitized is a collection of amateur fanzines focusing on original science fiction and fantasy writing and not the type of fan fiction media fans have been producing for decades (fiction based on TV, movie and books using pre-existing characters)*. The Hevelin Collection has an awesome tumblr where you can follow along and see parts of the collection: http://hevelincollection.tumblr.com/
A sample photo from their tumblr
*For many decades media fans struggled to find acceptance amongst the older male dominated literary science fiction and fantasy communities. However, many common terms and phrases are shared by both communities From Fanlore: “The term fan fiction is from science fiction fandom and according to Brave New Words antedates 1939. However, fan fiction originally meant either amateur science fiction published in a fanzine by a fan or fiction by a fan about fans…. Post-Star Trek, the original meaning of the term appears to have been completely supplanted by the new definition–fiction by fans using pre-existing characters and/or settings.”