Episode #007: We Need To Talk About J.K Rowling: An Interview with Heidi Tandy AKA Heidi8
We need to talk about J.K. Rowling and what the heck to do now after a lifetime of loving Harry Potter! In this very special episode of I Met You On LJ, Maggie and V interview someone right in the thick of things: FictionAlley creator, OTW volunteer, and intellectual property attorney Heidi Tandy, also known as Heidi8. Tandy has worked on behalf of fandom in fair use and copyright cases for the last two decades, and talks with V and Maggie about early Harry Potter fan conventions, the dark ages of FanFiction.net, and what to do now that J.K. Rowling has revealed herself to be as dark and twisted as a horcrux.
This Episode Covers…
harry potter • j.k. rowling • intellectual property • fair use • copyright law • fanfiction • fan conventions • @copperbadge • azkatraz • lumos • nimbus 2003 • livejournal • infinitus • sirius black • the peril of spoilers • creator responsibility • death of the author • ao3 • fiction alley • schnoogle • f•r•i•e•n•d•s • organization for transformative works • cockygate • harry potter for grown-ups • yahoo! groups • fanfiction.net
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Show Notes & Resources Under the Cut.
Daniel Radcliffe’s full response to J.K. Rowling for The Trevor Project.
I realize that certain press outlets will probably want to paint this as in-fighting between J.K. Rowling and myself, but that is really not what this is about, nor is it what’s important right now. While Jo is unquestionably responsible for the course my life has taken, as someone who has been honored to work with and continues to contribute to The Trevor Project for the last decade, and just as a human being, I feel compelled to say something at this moment.
Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo or I. According to The Trevor Project, 78% of transgender and nonbinary youth reported being the subject of discrimination due to their gender identity. It’s clear that we need to do more to support transgender and nonbinary people, not invalidate their identities, and not cause further harm.
I am still learning how to be a better ally, so if you want to join me in learning more about transgender and nonbinary identities check out The Trevor Project’s Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Youth. It’s an introductory educational resource that covers a wide range of topics, including the differences between sex and gender, and shares best practices on how to support transgender and nonbinary people.
To all the people who now feel that their experience of the books has been tarnished or diminished, I am deeply sorry for the pain these comments have caused you. I really hope that you don’t entirely lose what was valuable in these stories to you. If these books taught you that love is the strongest force in the universe, capable of overcoming anything; if they taught you that strength is found in diversity, and that dogmatic ideas of pureness lead to the oppression of vulnerable groups; if you believe that a particular character is trans, nonbinary, or gender fluid, or that they are gay or bisexual; if you found anything in these stories that resonated with you and helped you at any time in your life — then that is between you and the book that you read, and it is sacred. And in my opinion nobody can touch that. It means to you what it means to you and I hope that these comments will not taint that too much.
In which we explore the intersection between activism and fandom, interview the author behind the recently published Sherlock's World, and watch the first episode of the newest Doctor Who! We also pay tribute to Chuck and their legacy in fandom. Show notes and direct download information are available at http://three-patch.com/2019/01/06/episode-88/
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Featuring:
@headcumbernerd, @sundayduck, and @thescienceofobsession and @crobabies‘ handler, Michelle, talk about how fandom has altered their perspectives on significant topics
@iamjohnlocked4life, @heidi8, Janae, @redscudery discuss the intersection of fandom and activism
We get an update on @fandomtrumpshate from its organizers @tiltedsyllogism and @captainbunnicula
We interview Rebecca Katz, a member of the OTW Legal Advocacy Committee to discuss their work in supporting the legal status of fanworks
@sundayduck @thescienceofobsession and @iamjohnlocked4life watch the first episode of the 11th season of Dr. Who and share their reactions for this special edition of Fandoms of Interest!
@drinkingcocoa-tpp interviews Ann McClellan, the author of Sherlock’s World which includes discussion of fanfics by authors including @emmagrant01 @earlgreytea68 @jupiter-ash @madlori @splix71 and more!
@thescienceofobsession, Vanetti, the-koontzy, @jaradel pay tribute to Chuck and their loving legacy
A special TMD featuring favorites from charity auctions
@redscudery reads Top Ten Sherlockian Protest Signs and Charities that Sherlock Characters Would Support!
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“At ComicCon in July of 2015, I hosted an amazing panel of insightful people to talk fandom. All of us agree that fandom isn't just one thing these days, and it never was—so we spent almost an hour discussing what fandom—and the platforms, sites and communities that host fandoms—are today. Now that fans and their creativity, content, and consumption are something for media companies to understand, PR people to focus on, social media to thrive on, and news organizations to report about, what happens to the "traditional" fan community and the fanboys and fangirls that create their culture and content? Are follow-on works like fanart, vids, and fanfic to be mocked, tracked, supported, and enjoyed within an organic community, or considered a stepping-stone to a creative career? What if the answer is "sometimes one, sometimes all, and sometimes something more?" The panel takes a look from deep inside popular fandoms, the media companies that work with them, and the sites that host them with Amanda Brennan (community and content associate tumblarian, tumblr), Flourish Klink (Chaotic Good, Inc., Transmedia producer for East Los High), Meredith Levine (Fanthropologist, ZEFR), Aron Levitz (head of business development, Wattpad), Elizabeth Minkel (writer, New Statesman, The Millions), Betsy Rosenblatt (legal committee chair, Organization for Transformative Works), and Jules Wilkinson (manager, SuperWiki) in a panel moderated by Heidi Tandy (founder/essayist, FYeahCopyright.tumblr.com).”
Fans, Fanfiction and the Media, Publishing, and Entertainment Industries
March 25, 2015 • 7:00-8:30 pm
Princeton University
Since the publication of the fanfiction-based blockbuster Fifty Shades of Grey, the world has turned its attention to fanfiction as never before. In 2010, most of the publishing world had never heard of its existence. In 2013, a Hollywood Reporter review could begin with the lines “you may have, somewhere, encountered the word ‘fanfic’.” Today, stars routinely read from fan-penned sex scenes for the laughs of late night talk show hosts. Bands, movie franchises, and even Cosmopolitan host fanfiction contests, and television shows such as Sherlock and Supernatural have represented fans and their stories in controversial episodes. It’s only beginning. The next generation of cultural producers—current Princeton students among them—grew up not only reading Harry Potter but also sharing stories and artwork inspired by it online. Not everyone—on either side—sees these all as positive developments. How can competing interests—journalists looking for clicks on their stories, publishers looking for a sure thing, websites looking for traffic-driving content, films and television franchises looking for buzz—interact with a global, not-for-profit, predominantly female community whose members are often anonymous, marginalized, young, and (if older) fearful of discovery? And yet these are active, critical readers and viewers, they are far more diverse than media representations of them suggest, and they are increasingly not just demanding a voice, but finding one and using it, loudly. How will fans be satisfied when their desires run contrary to a paid creator’s vision or industry data about the bottom line? How will the crowdsourcing of content and the willingness of amateur writers to share their work for free impact the compensation structure of professional writers trying to make a living? And how, in a world of copyright, is any of this legal?
This panel brings together fans, journalists, and other industry observers to discuss the changing relationships among fans and their fanworks, the industries that sell them the stories they love, and the journalists trying to cover it all while adjusting to their own transforming industry. Join us as we look at where we have come and try to answer the question: where do we go from here?
Confirmed Panelists:
Emily Nussbaum, television critic for The New Yorker
Jamie Broadnax of the podcast and website Black Girl Nerds
Elizabeth Minkel of The Millions and The New Statesman
Heidi Tandy, intellectual property attorney and longtime fan
Moderator: Anne Jamison *01, Visiting Professor, Princeton graduate alumna, and author of Fic: Why Fanfiction is Taking Over The World (2013).
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, SEATING LIMITED. CONTACT ANNE JAMISON IF YOU ARE NOT IN THIS CLASS AND WOULD LIKE TO COME.
Great review that also acknowledges some of Fic's wonderful essayists including heidi8 and aimmyarrowshigh and, later on, gives a big shoutout to the OTW.
There’s also a ridiculous amount of talent contributing to Fic, and author Jamison made an apt decision by including recognizable names in both Geekdom (such as Amber Benson of Buffy and Brad Bell of Husbands) as well as celebrities of the fanfic world [including Jen Zern (a.k.a. NautiBitz), Heidi Tandy (a.k.a. Heidi8), and others]. There are also a number of Smart Pop MVPs in the line up, as well, including V. Arrow, the talented individual behind another absolutely amazing Smart Pop book, The Panem Companion: An Unofficial Guide to Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games. (Read my review of the gem here.)
In this round table discussion, fanfiction scholar Anne Jamison (Fic: Why Fanfiction is Taking Over the World), intellectual property lawyer and long-time fandom acivist Heidi Tandy (Organizaiton for Transformative Works), and noted avant-garde poet and scholar Craig Dworkin (No Medium; Against Expression) come together to discuss what is "new" in fanworks and experimental writing, highlighting some of the new forms their respective areas have generated. What value do these "new" forms of "old" (existing) works bring? What new forms of knowledge and criticism can be activated by these reworkings? How have existing copyright laws (or their enforcement) interfered with the creation of these forms, and why should (or why shouldn't) writers and creators of culture be threatened by the transformation and sharing of their copyrighted works?
