Over the summer I had the pleasure of attending a panel about fandom. It kindled an interest in the history of fandom that I’ve had for a while now. What I’ve spent a lot of time wondering about specifically is: “fanzines? (pre-internet fanfiction, how does it work?),” “is there any body of work that chronicles the history of old fandoms?” and “is anybody chronicling fandom now?”
I have recently learned about a wiki, where I can read all about these questions and more
squee!What’s more, the Fanlore Wiki is maintained by The Organization for Transformative Works (who you can follow on tumblr @ transformativeworks)
Maybe this is old news to some people, but it’s new to me!
The OTW is responsible, among many other things, for AO3! Which, imo, is the best thing to happen to fic since the word processor!
I didn’t get to read too much on the OTW web page today, but would definitely be interested in volunteering in the future, reading the academic journal and I’d love to see them have a booth at Denver Comic Con!
And in my infinite free time I’d love to be a tag wrangler for AO3!
[lays down and cries on the floor because free time what is that]My fan tendencies have been with me for a long time, and they aren’t going away any time soon. Community has always been super important to me, and fandom is no exception. I’m always looking for positive ways to promote fandom and be a part of it, so I was really excited to learn about OTW.
I hope you guys learned something by reading this! Educator out!