Mind the Tags

Interview with Freya Marske: Romance and Fantasy Author

On this episode of Mind the Tags, Vee and Emily interview author Freya Marske. We chat with Freya about her history of writing fanfiction, the fandoms that shaped her, and the emerging popularity of sapphic romance and fantasy.  Sources from this episode:Freya's Ao3
A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske (first in the Last Binding trilogy)Gaywyck by Vincent Virga
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
All Fours by Miranda July 
Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell
 
Check out Freya's bio here.

I Want to Believe: The Limitless Possibilities of Fanon

Join Emily and Vee as they dive into the world of fanon and the ways in which fans interpret and transform the stories they love. Vee describes their three categories of fanon, and Emily climbs up on her perennial soapbox about her OTP. Both hosts challenge JJ Abrams to join the pod and DEFEND HIS HONOR.
Topics include: Fanon, Star Wars, Star Trek, shipping, yaoi, yuri
Want to support Mind the Tags? Sign up for our Patreon!
Sources from today's ep:
Yaoi on Fanlore
Yuri on Fanlore
Why Magic, Dragons and Explicit Sex Are in Bookstores Everywhere by Alexandra Alter
Fanon on Fanlore
The Flop House podcast
New essay on midrash and fanworks by Velveteen Rabbi
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you Ollie for editing our sound!

Interview with Marc Greenberg, Esq.: Fandom Law Scholar

On this episode of Mind the Tags, Vee and Emily interview Marc Greenberg, Esq., a practicing attorney with an expertise in intellectual property and entertainment law. We discuss Marc's experience representing creators and researching the legal implications of fanworks in the United States, the ongoing challenge of AI in the creative space, and his surprising rendezvous with Carlos Santana.  
Sources from this episode:
Acafan on Fanlore
Copyright on Fanlore
Copyright registration portal
Ao3 Terms of Service
Fair Use on Fanlore 
Cariou vs. Prince case
Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts, Inc. v. Goldsmith: 
Axanar has settled its lawsuit with Paramount over its Star Trek fan film by Andrew Liptak
'Monkey Selfie' Lawsuit Ends With Settlement Between PETA, Photographer by Jason Slotkin
Marc's books:
Fandom and the Law
Comic Art, Creativity and the Law
Copyright Termination and Recapture Laws: Good Intentions Gone Awry
Check out Marc's bio here.
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you Ollie for editing our sound!
Check out the Mind the Tags Patreon here. 

Ready or Knot: Our Deep Dive into the Omegaverse

Join Emily and Vee as they explore the fascinating world of the omegaverse, including its common tropes and origin in Supernatural real person fanfiction (RPF). Emily discusses some of the motivations authors have shared for writing omegaverse fics, and both Emily and Vee wax poetic about the magical time that was 2010.  
Topics include: Omegaverse, alpha/beta/omega dynamics, Supernatural, inaccurate wolf science
Want to support Mind the Tags? Sign up for our Patreon!
Sources from today's ep:
[Data] The 100 most popular tags on AO3 in 2024 by batcat229
Alpha/Beta/Omega on Fanlore
a (very necessary) deep dive into the omegaverse by Rowan Ellis 
The Unofficial Guide to the Omegaverse by Velvelyami
Starbucks Slick Recipe 
Who Invented the Omegaverse Anyway? by Cherry
Supernatural kink meme from 2010
I ain't no lady, but you'd be the tramp. by tehdirtiestsock (thatotherperv)
Omegaverse Litigation on Fanlore
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you Ollie for editing our sound!

Interview with Tara: Novelist and Fanfic Author

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:
Prove It by KnivesInFeet
Old Bae Season by nomadsland
not pickles by smallestchurch
In Favor with their Stars by mxmollusca
fast car by smallestchurch
Books mentioned in this episode:
The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow
The Favorites by Layne Fargo
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you Ollie for editing our sound!
 

The Hippogriff in the Room: The Harry Potter Problem

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
Want to support Mind the Tags? Sign up for our Patreon!
Content warning: this episode discusses transphobia
Sources from today's ep:
Emily's Gritty/Phanatic slash fic
Guide to Beta Reading by theirprofoundbond
A timeline of JK Rowling's anti-trans shift by Brendan Morrow
Top UK court says definition of woman based on biological sex, excludes transgender people by Brian Melley, Jill Lawless, and Sylvia Hui
Transmissions: JK Rowling and the outdated, dangerous trope by Gwendolyn Ann Smith
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you Ollie for editing our sound!

Interview 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.

Fic 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!

Interview 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. 

The (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.