The Fandom Saved My Life Project

[tjs_whatnot]

Originally posted by wordvagabond at The Fandom Saved My Life Project

THE FANDOM SAVED MY LIFE PROJECT

One statement I have heard over and over during my years in fandom is, “Fandom saved my life.”  Sometimes this is a starkly literal statement.  Literal or not, the truth that many fans know is that a fandom, at its best, can provide a strong, supportive community that can make a real difference in its members’ lives.  Many people who would otherwise feel isolated, depressed, or even suicidal find a home in its ranks.  After all, we engage in the most interactive and fundamental of all human activities- sharing stories.  Whether we write fanfic, make art, or simply read and watch, we are sharing stories that transform our lives.

Now the Fandom Saved My Life Project wants to help you share your story.

What it is:

Fandom Saved My Life will be an anthology of personal essays about peoples’ strong, positive experiences with fandom and on-line communities.  Any positive stories are welcome, but stories about transformative or even literally life-saving circumstances will be preferred.  All fandoms and types of fans are welcome! 

Who I am:

My name is Alexis Arendt. I am freelance editor, operating the book review and editing website Word Vagabond.  I’ve been in fandom for 22 years, starting off-line with Star Trek: The Next Generation, and continuing through Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Doctor Who, Torchwood, Merlin, Sherlock (books, movies, and BBC), Avengers, and Once Upon a Time, among others.  I’ve been a professional and semi-professional editor for nearly that long (my first gig was a ST:TNG fanzine).  Please feel free to check out my website, http://www.wordvagabond.com, for more information about me and to see my editing credits.

Submission Guidelines:

We are looking for submissions of personal essays 2,000-6,000 words in length.  No explicit materials will be accepted; essays containing explicit materials may still be considered if the explicit material can be edited out without compromising the narrative.  Submissions must be in Word-compatible format.  Not all submissions will be accepted.  The submission deadline is at 12:00 a.m. EST, 5/15/2013.  No submissions will be accepted after this deadline.

Authors who are chosen for the anthology will be required to sign a waiver with their legal names, but their essays may be published under a pen name if requested by the author.

Authors will receive free editing, a copy of the anthology (digital or paperback, as preferred), and credit for their work.  Authors will have final approval of their edited manuscript before publication.  Authors will not receive royalties or other compensation.

Please send all submissions to Alexis Arendt at: fsml@gmail.com as attachments.

Comments

[bm-shipper.livejournal.com]

Personally, I can't say Fandom has saved my life because I'm not that deep into any fandom at all... not anymore... not since the bad experiences I made in my first fandom, Queer as folk. I never let myself get that deep into a fandom anymore for exact that reason...so I probably made experiences the exact opposite from what this site is standing for... Queer as folk and the fandom had taken over my life and because I let it get to me that much, it definitely inluenced my real life, and the "fandom wars" made me cry and being depressed a couple of times, so I decided at some point, enough is enough... I will still be a fan of tv-shows but never let myself get into it that much again, so while I'm still into tv-shows and such, I'm not that much in any fandom anymore :) it's better that way! But that's just me :)

[tjs-whatnot.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

I'm sorry your first experience was so bad. I guess for me, I was lucky mine was Harry Potter. It's just so freakin' huge that you can like anyone and find a gazillion other fans who feel likewise and never really have to bother with the ones who don't. I was in HP fandom for a very long time before I discovered there were people that actively hated Ron Weasley who, for me, is one of the best characters in the books. So, I never got to be involved in wars, and yet, still got to laugh at stupid wank and ridiculous BNFers and whatnot. Best of both worlds.

But no, I don't think fandom saved my life--which is why I won't be participating other than spreading the word and stuff--but it did (does) make it worth living sometimes. :))

♥