If you’re curious to dive deeper in to the connections between teen literature and fan works, join me for the Simmons Graduate School of Library and Information Science continuing education class Teen Lit Boot Camp: Fan Works and Teen Literature starting August 1st for a more on depth look at the interactions between fan culture and teen literature. We’ll read and discuss Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl, all of the ins and outs of fandom’s connections to the teen literature world through authors, fans, and readers, and yes, we’ll even read some fanfiction.
The Young Adult Literature Symposium Presentation
I was lucky enough to present at YALSA’s 2012 Young Adult Literature Symposium in St. Louis. It was a fantastic weekend of networking, encouragement, information sharing, and delightful conversations with authors and all of my colleagues. The YA Lit Symposium always allows me to make new friends, especially those fellow colleagues who I may never see at the larger annual conferences, and of course I get to catch up with old friends too.
What follows are the components of the presentation give by myself and three colleagues, Liz Burns, Leslee Friedman, and Aja Romano, on the connections between young adult literature and fandom. I wish I could say we had audio of the entire presentation, but alas, you will have to make do with the handout, presentation, and my teen interviews. Hopefully it will give those who couldn’t attend at least an idea of what we discussed.
Much of the presentation contains data from the survey I conducted this year (which you can still see and take here).
HUGE thanks to my fellow panelists: Liz Burns, Leslee Friedman, and Aja Romano. I couldn’t have done it without you all!
YA Fandom Handout (PDF)
The presentation:
Teen Interviews:
Presentation Slides
YA Literature and Fandom Slides originally presented at the Masschusetts Teen Summit 2013
Fan Culture Articles
- Teen Literature and Fan Culture by Robin Brenner, Young Adult Library Services, Summer 2013.
- A Beginner’s Guide to Fandom by Aja Romano Daily Dot, August 7, 2012.
- How to Speak Fangirl, by Aja Romano Daily Dot, August 6, 2012.
- The Boy Who Lived Forever by Lev Grossman, Time, July 7, 2011.
- I’m Done Explaining Why Fanfic is Okay by Aja Romano, May 5 2010.
- In Defense of Fanfiction by Becca Schaeffer, The Horn Book, November/December, 2009.
- When Harry Met Bella by Liz Burns and Carlie Webber, School Library Journal, August 1, 2009.
- All Shapes of Hunger, Teenagers and Fanfiction by Rebecca C. Moore, VOYA, April 2005.
- Too Good to be True: 150 Years of Mary Sue, by Pat Pflieger American Culture Association Conference March 31, 1999, San Diego, CA.
Fan Works Archives and Resources
- Archive of Our Own (created through the Organization of Transformative Works)
- DeviantArt
- Fanfiction.net
- Fanlore
- Authors: Fans turned Pro
- Organization of Transformative Works (OTW)
