Call for Book Chapters: "Fix It Fics: Challenging the Status Quo through Fan Fiction"

Vernon Press invites chapter proposals for the volume: Fix It Fics: Challenging the Status Quo through Fan Fiction edited by Kaitlin Tonti (Albright College).

This edited collection of essays is seeking chapters that consider fan fiction as a force for change, a response to trauma, and a way of encouraging inclusivity. It will also consider how performed fan fiction, or fan fiction acknowledged by the original creators impacts fandom canon.

Many fan fiction writers know the hashtag #fixitfic to describe fan fiction that is recreating or challenging the original author or creators’ intent and purpose. Sometimes it is for fans to alter storylines that were dissatisfying to viewers and readers, or to account for the sudden death of a beloved character. Recently, fix it fics have been essential to writing as a form of activism in how fan fiction addresses an original creator’s missteps that result in the harm or degradation of others. In other words, fan fiction reimagines the status quo. One significant example occurred at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic when actors Alexander Siddig and Andrew Robinson resumed their roles as Julian Bashir and Elim Garak from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Together, they performed a fic by A03 author, Almaasi, titled “Little Achievements.” In the play, Bashir and Garak are married, confirming what fans had known for decades but what the show failed to acknowledge: Bashir and Garak are in love.
Fix it fics have even allowed people to confront recent traumas by creating absurd, laughable scenarios. For instance, in 2020 Slate reported on fan fiction that imagined Donald Trump and Joe Biden declaring their love for one another at the end of a debate. Although an unlikely occurrence, the action of writing a new version of the event into a complicated world demonstrates how fan fiction often aims to fix what is difficult to understand.

In the advent of performed fan fiction, and fan fiction as an outlet for advocating change, this edited collection seeks chapters considering the following:

• The role of fan fiction and fan interaction in establishing canonicity and authorial agency through fan fiction outlets such as fanfiction.net, An Archive of Our Own, and Tumblr.
• Anonymity and fan fiction
• Fan fiction and the LGBTQ experience
• Fighting racism and ethnic bias
• Fan fiction and gender identity
• Canonicity: who gets to make the decisions?
• Do actors performing fan fiction establish canonicity? If so, what happens to other interpretations?
• Covid-inspired television and movie cast reunions
• Meanings of authorship in fan fiction communities
• Any television shows and movies are welcomed for consideration

Please submit 1-page proposals and a short biography to Kaitlin Tonti at ktonti2@gmail.com.

Deadline for abstracts submission: November 2, 2022