Mind the Tags

It'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!

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!

Slashing 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!

Interview with Diana: Fanfic Writer and Researcher

On this episode of Mind the Tags, Vee and Emily interview Diana, a writer and editor interested in queer theory, feminist theory, and media studies. We talk about some of Diana's favorite fandoms (including Inuyasha and Star Wars) and discuss the importance of fandom community when writing fanfiction. Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you to Ollie for editing our sound!

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.