Mind the Tags

The Multiverse of Fanfic: The History of Alternate Universe

Join Emily and new co-host Vee as they discuss alternate universes (AUs), including their own experiences reading and writing AUs.
Topics include: Canon and cannons, Gulliver's most...interesting travels, and the limitless possibilities of expanding universes to infinity and beyond.
Sources from today's ep:
Alternate Universe on Fanlore
In Favor with Their Stars by mxmollusca
Fanfiction episode of the "Let's Learn About..." podcast
William Hogarth's piece in the British Museum
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you Ollie for editing our sound!

You, Me, and Ao3 with Guest Host Jay Castello

Join Emily and Jay Castello as they discuss Jay’s 2022 article on The Verge: Archive of Our Own’s 15-year journey from blog post to fanfiction powerhouse. Emily and Jay dive into their own fanfiction experiences and share their perspectives on Ao3's important history and future.
Topics include: The mysterious business of tag wrangling, what makes AO3 different from all the fanfic sites that came before, and why Emily still hasn’t written Spirk fic.
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design.

Interview with Elf Herself: OTW Contributor

On this episode of Mind the Tags, Kristin and Emily interview Elf Herself, a fandom archivist who supports the Organization of Transformative Works (OTW), where she works on the Fanlore and Open Doors projects. We talk about Elf's own fandom journey, her involvement with the OTW at its launch, and her ongoing work for the organization.
Follow Elf on Tumblr here and on Dreamwidth here.
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you to Ollie for editing our sound!

Welcome to the Internet: The Early Days of Online Fic

Join Kristin and Emily as they talk about a quirky invention called the World Wide Web, and how the internet changed the landscape of fanfiction. We talk about Usenet groups, Fanfiction.net, and The Great Purge of 2002.
Sources from today's ep:
A Brief History of Modern Fanfiction: the Migration of Online Communities by Katherine
alt.tv.x-files (ATFX) on Fanlore
ATFX Newbie Kiosk
The Internet is for Fic by Jill Bearup
Fanfiction.net on Fanlore
Moving Across Lands: Online Platform Migration in Fandom Communities by Casey Fiesler and Brianna Dym
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you to Ollie for editing our sound!

Interview with Jay Castello: Fandom Journalist

On this episode of Mind the Tags, Kristin and Emily interview Jay Castello, a freelance writer who covers fandom among other topics. We talk about Jay's own fandom journey, some of her journalistic work, the importance of fanfic preservation, and the future of fanfic. 
Follow Jay on Bluesky here and on X here.
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design.

From A to Zine: A History of Fanzines

On this episode of Mind the Tags, Kristin and Emily discuss the history of fanzines, their rise in popularity, and the changing landscape of zines during the age of the internet. Today's word of the day is "tropes!"
Sources from today's ep:
Trope definition on Fanlore
History of Media Fanzines on Fanlore
Zines and the Internet on Fanlore
Star Trek Usenet Group
Alien Romances Blog
Meta: Profiting from Fandom
Portions of Textual Poachers by Henry Jenkins accessed via UW Libraries
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design.

Interview with Killabeez: Creator of the K/S Archive

On this episode of Mind the Tags, Kristin and Emily interview Killabeez, creator of the K/S Fanfiction Archive. We talk about Killa's fanfiction journey and her love of Star Trek.
Follow Killabeez on Bluesky here and on Dreamwidth here.
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design.

Where No Fan Has Gone Before: Kirk/Spock and the Genesis of Slash

Fandom. The final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship fanfiction. Its continuing mission: to explore the love fans have for their favorite characters in media; to connect with other people who are also feral for their ships of choice; to boldly go where no fan has gone before! Join Kristin and Emily as they talk about the legacy of Star Trek in fanfiction, particularly the Kirk/Spock relationship and its influence on "slash" writing. Today's word of the day is "fanfiction!"
Sources from today's ep:
StarTrek.com article
History of K/S on Fanlore
MarySue article about K/S
Polygon article about Star Trek fanfiction
Fansplaining podcast about slash
Jill Bearup video about K/S
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design.

Interview with Alexandra Edwards: Author of Before Fanfiction

On this episode of Mind the Tags, Kristin and Emily interview Alexandra Edwards, author of Before Fanfiction: Recovering the Literary History of American Media Fandom. We talk about Alexanda's fanfiction research and her own experience as a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan on The Bronze. 
Check out Alexandra's book here!
Follow Alexandra on X here.
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design.

Fanfiction by Any Other Name: Diving into the Early Days of Fanfiction

On the first full-length episode of Mind the Tags, Kristin and Emily dive into the origins and early history of fanfiction and showcase their first word of the day: "fandom!"
Sources from today's ep: 
Fanlore.org pages:
Fandom
Fanfiction
The Three Generations of Fanfic
Before Fanfiction by Alexandra Edwards
"Fan Fiction Was Just as Sexual in the 1700s as It Is Today" by Shannon Chamberlain
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design.