As an author of historical fiction, there are several debates about what to do and what not to do as an author that I don’t hear as much in regard to other genres.
Read MoreStatistics vs. Story‘Why bother?’
It may seem innocuous, but this question is one of the most prevalent — and sometimes most damaging — when it comes to social activism. In fandom activism specifically, it can be a death knell to any campaign that seeks better and more diverse representation in its entertainment media.
Read MoreFandom Activism for Change in Visual Entertainment Media: We Have the PowerIf this was a movie, there would be a flashback to my freshman year in high school when Alanis Morisette’s “Ironic” was playing on the radio, Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness was the craze, and the 33.6k modem had just been released.
Read MoreHow to Live Safely in an Online UniverseGame of Thrones? Forget that… if you want to watch a sci–fi/fantasy show with unquestionable feminist bona fides, look no further than BBC America’s Orphan Black.
Read MoreThe Testosterone Injection That Could Ruin Orphan Black…And how to make sure it doesn’t“We Are Comics” was born from frustration.
In April of 2014, every woman in comics was talking about Janelle Asselin: one of us, an editor and writer who’d been getting a nonstop barrage of graphic rape threats and other harassment in response to an article where she criticized the hypersexualization of a teenage girl on the cover of Teen Titans.
Read MoreWe Are Comics: A Visual Message for Visual MediumA past’s vision of the future can teach us something about its present, or, in the case of the “Big Two” superhero comic book publishers, about how it ever was and sometimes seems like it ever will be.
Read MoreBlack Communities of the 30th Century: Racial Assimilation and Ahistoricity in Superhero ComicsOne of the many perks afforded a journeyman writer/producer in television is receiving scripts for network television pilots as they are being made. It’s like the best possible version of the TV Guide Fall Preview Issue I used to compulsively reread under the covers with a flashlight as a kid.
Read MoreFinding the Next Lost: What Is an “Operational Theme” and Why Don’t I Have One?Humans are ridiculous and wonderful. We are incandescent spirits walking around inside clumsy, fragile meat–puppets, and we are such clever creatures that we routinely exceed the survivability limits of our bodies.
Read MoreAfter Our Bodies FailOne of the best moments in any episode of Doctor Who is in “The Doctor Dances” when the Doctor explains to Rose that their new friend, Captain Jack Harkness, is “flexible” with his sexuality. Jack doesn’t restrict himself to monosexuality.
Read MoreInvisible Bisexuality in Torchwood