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Fan Fiction 101: Ship, Slash, and Scrub

  • Hungry Brain 2319 W Belmont Ave Chicago, IL, 60618 United States (map)

Relief flooded through him and Kirk stopped for a moment, just holding Spock in his hand, not daring to look at him, just letting the knowledge be there between them, that this was going to work...’Welcome to bisexuality, Captian Kirk, where gender has nothing to do with who you want’”  - The Cosmic Fuck by Gayle Feyrer (1986)

Homeroom’s “101” lecture series explores the world of fandom and fan fiction with its latest installment. Writer, musician, and self described “fan-girl” Keidra Chaney will present a history of modern fandom using academic texts as well as first-person narrative. Blogger and fan fic writer Ray Van Fox will give an account of the evolution of fan fiction, from Kirk and Spock’s first kiss, through 50 shades of irresponsible BDSM, up to the bleeding edge of the explicit slash fic blowing up ao3 (the internet’s premier site for self-published fanfic). Both will talk  with hosts Seth Vanek and Fred Sasaki about their own experiences in the current fan culture as well as the particular challenges and advantages of being a fan in the media-saturated era of 2014. 

Homeroom’s "101" is an informal lecture and discussion series which takes place in front of a drinking crowd on occasional Tuesdays at the Hungry Brain in Roscoe Village.

Keidra Chaney is a writer and editor. Her music and pop culture writing has appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times, Newcity, Time Out Chicago, ALARM Magazine, Bitch: Feminist Response to Pop Culture, and more. She is the co-founder and managing editor of The Learned Fangirl, a website focused on pop culture, fandom, and online community. Her first foray into fan-fiction was writing real-person fic about her favorite heavy-metal bands as a teen. Check out her writing and blog posts at keidrachaney.com.

Ray Van Fox spends way too much time in front of a computer, but at least 25% of it is spent actually writing (links and excerpts at rayvanfox.com). Ray grew up in Chicago, came out in Iowa, changed pronouns in Seattle, and finds family in queerdom.

101  is an informal lecture and discussion series in which experts and enthusiasts explore popular and subculture in front of a drinking crowd. It takes place on occasional Tuesdays at the Hungry Brain in Roscoe Village.