incidents and accidents, hints and allegations

Panel report one of two. Description:

Fanfiction is being produced online at a rate of millions of words per month. Fanfiction can expand on a shorter work, change a work’s themes, or even attempt to “fix” things the author is felt to have done “wrong” (e.g., provide a backstory to explain otherwise undermotivated behavior). These dynamics are not unheard of outside of Internet fandom communities—Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway attempts to “fix” James Joyce’s Ulysses (which itself retells Homer’s Odyssey). In what ways can fanfiction be a valuable part of the criticism of a text? Can it appeal as criticism to readers outside the fanfiction community? If so, how can they find the most interesting works?

Victoria Janssen (L), Alaya Dawn Johnson, Erin Kissane, Ken Schneyer, Cecilia Tan.

( important note about pseudonymity )

( panel notes )

( a very very short reading list )

1. White man to black woman: "So, you must be Nalo" (Hopkinson, one of the two Guests of Honor).

In fact, she neither must be nor is.

2. Person upon being introduced to me: look of recognition followed by, "you have a stuffed Appa."

Which is not what I was expecting, but is pretty awesome all the same.

And now, bed.