"Just keep swimming," as the fish says. (You know what fish.) And here we are swimming from one year and into the next, and what a strange body of water it is. This week between Christmas and the New Year is a favorite week of mine. I teach, so I'm always off. But unlike other …
Category: true fan
Non-Book Happiness
The publication of my book makes me very happy. I could go on and on and on about it for days. As anyone who's been my friend for any length of time can attest, my ability to obsess over a topic knows few bounds. And this publication thing is taking up a great deal of …
Bad Stories and Good Fans
The other night I watch a documentary about a movie I haven't seen. Well, the title Best Worst Movie caught my attention. And I had, at least, heard of Troll 2. Have you seen Troll 2? Even if you haven't, watch the documentary. At one point, people in the film talk about how something badly …
Fandom
Are you a true fan of anything? Ever written fanfic? Worn a costume of a favorite character? Waited in line for hours to meet a singer, writer, actor you love? Or have you ever wanted to but didn't because you were afraid of the looks you'd get? In time for our housewarming party, I turned …
Kill the Ones They Love
Fans are a mixed blessing. I've been reading about True Fans and I've been reading commentary by the fans of Harry Potter, Doctor Who, and Torchwood. And it seems there's a lesson in there about Fan Rage. Fan Rage may be more prevalent in sci-fi and fantasy genres sicne they're the genres in which fans …
Coffee, Action Figures, and Love
The other day one of my students (remember, my students are all adults) said (with affection) that I was a child inside. This was because I said I was going to the midnight release of the last Harry Potter film. Since I don't have any friends who will stay up that late, I'm going on …
Marta Pelrine-Bacon 