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Posted by therealmorticia

Every month the OTW hosts guest posts on our OTW News accounts to provide an outside perspective on the OTW or aspects of fandom. These posts express each individual’s personal views and do not necessarily reflect the views of the OTW or constitute OTW policy.

Karis Jones, PhD (she/her) is an educator, literacy consultant, public humanities scholar, and community activist, as well as Assistant Professor of Secondary English Language Arts at Baylor University. She has published widely, including in the journal of Transformative Works and Culture, and won several scholarly awards from the American Educational Research Association.

Scott Storm, PhD (he/him) is an Assistant Professor of Literacy in the School of Education at the University at Albany, State University of New York. Scott is a former high school teacher with 15 years of experience designing, founding, and sustaining urban public schools; his work has appeared in Journal of Literacy Research, Literacy Research: Theory, Method, and Practice, Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, and English Teaching Practice & Critique, among others.

Today, Dr. Karis Jones and Dr. Scott Storm, authors of the book Fandoms in the Classroom: A Social Justice Approach to Transforming Literacy Learning—join us to talk about how bringing fandom into the classroom can turn student passion into real learning.

How did you first find out about fandom and fanworks?

As fans of fantasy and science fiction genres ourselves, we have long been interested in fandoms and fan cultures. Even as teens, we wrote our own creative fanworks inspired by the stories that we loved. Once we became teachers, we noticed that our students had incredible passionate intensities around the fandoms that they loved. Moreover, they were participants in fan cultures, reading memes, analyzing discourse, and writing fanfiction. As English language arts teachers, we noticed that students were not only excited about participating in fandoms, but also that these were spaces of rich literacy learning. For example, students posting their original writing online often revised their stories based on feedback from the community in order to strengthen the writing and deepen connections. Reflecting on how important fandoms had been to us and in seeing how important fandoms were to our students, we knew that we had to think about how to make school a place that could support these passionate student interests for literacy learning.

Your book highlights how bringing fandoms into the classroom can shift the focus toward student experiences and interests. How does this approach support a more student-centered form of pedagogy, and what kinds of transformations have you seen as a result?

Many English teachers create lectures focused on the teacher’s interpretations of often-read canonical literature. This puts the thrust of intellectual work on teachers. However, it is students who need to be doing the learning and who should therefore do much more of the daily intellectual work of the classroom. We use students’ interests in fandoms in order to center student expertise. Students come with much knowledge about how the texts that they love were created and about some of the different ways to interpret those texts. We have students lead inquiry-based discussions with their peers to dig even deeper into these texts. Then they build off these discussions by reading extensively, writing analytic papers, and presenting their work to the local community. As students engage with fandoms they love, we note when they are using literary elements to create deeper interpretations. For example, sometimes a student will trace the metaphors or characterization in a fandom but might not use those exact words to do so. During student-led class discussions, we sit in the circle with students and chime in when they are using an analytic tool and that literary scholars have given a special name like metaphor, hyperbole, archetypes, or tropes. In this way, over a few weeks, we build a large set of analytic tools that students use to make sense of texts. Thus, throughout all the discussion, reading, and writing that students are doing in our classes, students are learning deeply because it is the students who are doing the crux of the intellectual work.

One of the intriguing ideas in your book is the reframing of academic disciplines as fandoms. How might this way of thinking open up new possibilities for teaching across different disciplines?

In Chapter 6 “Imagining Academic Disciplines as Fandoms,” we give examples of ways that teachers can put their academic disciplines in conversation with media fandoms. This helps students navigate across disciplinary practices, which may at first feel distant or strange, by comparing them with media fandom practices, which may feel more familiar. Guiding youth to compare communities and think through ways to improve or remix their practices can be a productive pathway for making sense of the academic disciplines. For example, teachers can take up a participatory fandom lens to help youth understand disciplinary conversations happening on social media (e.g. the controversy around Charlotte the Stingray’s pregnancy in March 2024), or schools can take up fandom formats like conventions to help youth dialogue around current disciplinary topics (e.g. a school academic history conference including symposium panels moderated by historians at local universities).

Integrating fandom into the classroom sounds exciting—but we know it’s not always straightforward. From your perspective, what are some of the challenges educators face when trying to incorporate fandom-based practices in their teaching?

As educators who have been teaching with fandoms for a long time, we absolutely understand the challenges. In Chapter 8 “Tackling Barriers to Fandom-Based Teaching,” we walk readers through a series of questions that educators have asked us about this kind of work. We give strategies for advocating with one’s administration, even in light of standardized curricula. We talk about ways that educators can bring fandom media into classroom spaces even if they are not familiar with those fandoms themselves. We consider how to balance issues of mature content with issues of censorship. We guide readers through issues of student resistance to publishing their work in fandom communities. We talk readers through suggestions of ways to engage youth with local conventions — or ways to create your own!

How did you hear about the OTW and what do you see its role as?

We are obsessed with OTW! This may not be surprising, but we first encountered OTW as fanfiction readers. We love how this platform is built for fans by fans, and have a special appreciation of how it is organized in a bottom-up way that lifts up fan-created genres (e.g. Magnifico & Jones, 2025). Additionally, Karis is a big fan of Naomi Novik’s writing. At a local author talk, she learned more about Novik’s role in the platform’s founding. This led her to explore current academic work on fandoms in the JTWC. Later, Karis went on to publish her own work in the JTWC. We hope that new trajectories of media and fandom studies continue to remain in close conversation with the field of education, engaging in interdisciplinary conversation and research, because we believe this strengthens our understanding of fandoms and their implications across fields.

What fandom things have inspired you the most?

We have been most inspired by fan acts that move the world toward justice. We are excited by fandoms that bring attention to issues of representation and work to make sure that all kinds of people are represented in creative and fanworks. We love fandoms that think about how to make communities more inclusive and are drawn to fan communities that focus on opening doors for everyone to participate instead of being gatekeepers who want to limit fandoms to only the most diehard fans or exclude groups of people from participating. What inspires us most is when fandoms can be spaces that bring people together in order to follow their passions, and perhaps even change the world.


We encourage suggestions from fans for future guest posts, so contact us if you have someone in mind! Or if you’d like, you can check out earlier guest posts.

The Generation Crack

Sep. 13th, 2025 02:30 pm
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Read The Generation Crack

Me: "See anything you like?"
Kid #1: "There was a cheap MacBook. It was, like, a hundred."
Me: "That's really cheap!"
Kid #1: "Yeah, but it's broken. It's got some big crack on the side!"

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Sep. 13th, 2025 01:55 pm
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We have taken my 7 year old cousin out for the day to an amusement park. On the way back it is myself, our granny and him in the car. I pass my granny back a new photograph of my dad for her to look at, and she shows it to my cousin and asks […]

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Read And That’s How The Fairness Cookie Crumbles

After a couple of hours, the neighbor's son decides he's bored and wants to go home, so he tells my kid:
Neighbor's Son: "When you're done, come by and deliver half the money."
My Son: "Hey, that's not fair, if you're leaving, we should split the money now."

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Up in Smoke Before It Even Starts

Sep. 13th, 2025 01:00 pm
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Read Up in Smoke Before It Even Starts

Customer: "Hey, you got [Brand I’ve never even heard of] cigarettes?"
Me: "Nope, we don’t carry those."
He stares at me like I’ve just confessed to murder. His frown deepens.
Customer: "Aren’t you even going to check?"

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Sep. 13th, 2025 12:45 pm
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After two weeks in a cast, due to tendonitis, the cast will need to be replaced by a brace, made from the same material. I’m in hospital waiting for my apointment. Across the room is a girl, about 10 years old, also with her arm in a cast. She’s bawling her eyes out and screaming […]

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Sep. 13th, 2025 11:45 am
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When I was growing up I had the sweetest cat ever named Monet. Monet loved cuddles and purred like crazy, especially when on a blanket and being patted by multiple people at once. However: The moment my brother or I started to cry, Monet would RUN from whatever she was doing toward us to comfort […]

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Sep. 13th, 2025 11:00 am
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I overheard this conversation on my school bus today: Boy 1: My sister’s birthday is tomorrow. She’s going to be three! And when it’s my birthday, I’ll be eight. Girl 1: I’m going to be eight on my birthday! Girl 2: I turn seven last month. Boy 2: My dad just had a birthday. He’s […]

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Sep. 13th, 2025 10:00 am
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The store I work has a fabric counter where the fabric is measured, cut, and then priced by whoever is working the counter that day. As a cashier I have no control over what the fabric ladies write on the fabric tickets, it is simply my job to type in the prices I see on […]

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Sep. 13th, 2025 09:00 am
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(Every year, my mom and her friend meet up to go to a local festival. They’ve been going for decades, and when I was born, my mom started taking me. Every year, my mom’s friend likes to tell the same story. One year, my mom had to stop to use the restroom, so she left […]

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Bath tub with flower petals and lemon slices. Book, candles and beauty product on a tray. Organic spa relaxation in luxury Bali outdoor bathroom.Welcome back to Whatcha Reading! Here’s how we’re kicking off the month of September:

Lara: I’ve totally given in to the impulse to read the rest of the Guild Hunter novels. I’m currently reading Archangel’s Light. ( A | BN | K )This series is big and comforting and cathartic. I’m so thankful to have another quiver to my bow of therapy reads. Good people doing good things, defeating evil and loving each other while they do it. Balm for the soul.

Sarah: I tried that series so many times and the violence was too much for me – which is a wild thing for me to say since the Psy-Changelings are also violent and are among my comfort re-reads. Isn’t that curious.

A Dragon Rider’s Guide to Retirement
A | BN
Lara: I plan to give the Psy-Changeling series a go soon. I read one book randomly late in the series and even though I was confused, I loved it. I’m so excited to have a whole massive series to indulge in at some point

Amanda:  A coworker who shares the same reading tastes as me brought me Camera Shy by Kay Cove. ( A | BN ) She specifically mentioned it has some great body positive messaging.

Sarah: I have bounced off so many books my kindle thinks it’s a trampoline. But I just started A Dragon Rider’s Guide to Retirement and so far I’m maintaining a lateral trajectory.

Amanda: Oh that’s a fun title.

Maya: I’m listening to I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com by Kimberly Lemming. ( A | BN | K | AB ) There are also dinosaurs. I’m obsessed!!

Lara: Maya, I had so much fun with that book!

The Wicked Lies of Habren Faire
A | BN | K | AB
Sarah: Update: The war witch had a hot flash and I am in.

Carrie: I’m almost done with The Wicked Lies of Habren Faire and enjoying the Welsh folklore of it.

Shana: I just finished An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) and really enjoyed it, proving books written by men can occasionally make me happy.

Amanda: I’ve started Willing Prey by Allie Oleander ( A | BN | K | AB ) and it’s a very cute and funny dark-ish romance with characters in their 30s. Really loving it so far.

Whatcha reading? Let us know in the comments!

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Sep. 13th, 2025 08:00 am
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(I am about 5 months pregnant. My boyfriend and I have been very selective about who we tell, and we are not planning any announcement or party. About 2 weeks ago, I finally told my best friend. She is excited, but often has a habit of getting ahead of herself and goes a bit overboard. […]

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Read You Can Only Espresso Yourself In Proprietary Eponyms

Customer #1: "Do you sell Starbucks?"
Me: "Uh… no, this isn’t Starbucks."
Her companion quickly jumps in.
Customer #2: "Sorry about my sister. She calls all coffee 'Starbucks.' She’ll take an almond caramel latte, and I’ll just have a regular americano."

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And Our Bellhop Is From Bedlam!

Sep. 13th, 2025 01:00 am
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Read And Our Bellhop Is From Bedlam!

Me: "I'm afraid the day manager won’t be in until the morning, ma’am."
Guest: "Then what room are they in? I’ll go wake them!"
Me: "…Ma’am, the manager isn’t here. She’s at home, not sleeping on the premises." 
Guest: *Shocked.* "What do you mean she’s not here? Don’t you all stay at the hotel?"

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No Fortitude For Longitude, Part 28

Sep. 13th, 2025 12:00 am
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Agent: "You are in luck, Mrs [Wife's Name], there are seats for you and your family. However, you will need to call back within twenty-four hours of your original flight departure in order to do this."
Wife: "…But I did? It is 8pm; the original flight departs at 7:15pm tomorrow."

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Cold Cuts For Spring, Groundbreaking

Sep. 12th, 2025 10:00 pm
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As I was getting my floral shipment from receiving, deli was getting theirs too. The deli guy and I are pretty friendly with each other.
Deli Guy: "Move! You're in my way!"

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You Say Tomato, I Say Pay Up!, Part 2

Sep. 12th, 2025 09:00 pm
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Read You Say Tomato, I Say Pay Up!, Part 2

Me: "Are these the vine tomatoes or the slicer tomatoes?"
Customer: "There's ten of them."
Me: "Do you happen to know which variety of tomato they are?"
Customer: "They're $0.99 a pound."

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Refuse… To Listen

Sep. 12th, 2025 08:00 pm
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I have two pieces of furniture that I want to throw away, so I looked online for disposals. My trash collection company’s website said they will haul one large piece per week with at least three day’s advanced notice. Since my trash is picked up on Friday, I called first thing Monday morning. The employee’s tone implied that I was inconveniencing her for the entire call.

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