Community Corner

May The Fandom Be With You

The Mandel Library is hosting a month-long celebration of all things geek.

Press Release Desk, News Partner

From the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach:

April 25, 2021

By Antoinette

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What Is a Fandom?

A fandom, according to Merriam-Webster, is “the state or attitude of being a fan.” Originally, it meant “all the fans (as of a sport),” but it has evolved quickly into being a word that people in the pop culture world have adopted and nourished. A “fandom” in the new sense of the word is a group of people of a similar interest who connect through their love, enthusiasm, and passion for that interest or interests. Did you know that fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "Sherlock Holmes" books are considered to be the first fandom? They wrote fan fiction and even put so much pressure onto Doyle and the publisher when they killed off Holmes in 1893 that the author later brought the character back to life.

Fandoms tend to form, according to Wikipedia, “around any area of human interest or activity. The subject of fan interest can be narrowly defined, focused on something like an individual celebrity, or encompassing entire hobbies, genres or fashions.” Wikipedia’s article notes that “Many fandoms overlap. There are a number of large conventions that cater to fandom such as film, comics, anime, television shows, cosplay, and the opportunity to buy and sell related merchandise.” This is what we here at the Mandel Public Library are attempting to accomplish. We are launching our first-ever month-long convention to celebrate all things geek: May the Fandom Be with You!

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A Month-Long Fan Convention

Keynote Speakers

During our month-long convention, we are celebrating all things geek... or at least, as much as we can in a month! There is so much to cover, and we have some amazing speakers to help kick off, enhance, and close our celebration, all live on Zoom. Our opening speaker for May the Fandom Be with You is the “Queen of Geeks” herself, Felicia Day! She will be talking about her books, Embrace Your Weird and You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost),and so much more. Join us in welcoming her on Friday, May 7 from 6:30 – 8:00 PM. Our closing speaker is TEDx-talker Julian Chambliss discussing Equality in Pop Culture and Comics on Thursday, May 27 from 6:30 – 8:00 PM.

More Special Guest Speakers

Not only do we have amazing keynote speakers, but we also have some great virtual breakout speakers as well! Gabriela Coleman will host an “Inside the Fandoms” lecture series as she looks at the power behind the characters of Studio Ghibli on Tuesday, May 4 and the Psychology of Video Game Music on Tuesday, May 18 from 7:30 – 8:30 PM.

We will then be celebrating the Revenge of the Sixth with the Star Wars cosplay group, the 501st Everglades Squad on Thursday, May 6 from 6:30 – 8:00 PM as they discuss how they make their cosplays, what it takes to join their squad, and other work they do as a group.

And lastly, but not any less important, we will be hosting Kristin Durfee as she discusses how Forensic Evidence is Uncovered for the true crime fans. She will be speaking on Wednesday, May 26 from 6:30 – 8:00 PM.

What Other Fandoms Are We Highlighting?

We tried our best to fit in as many fandoms as we could over the course of the month. Besides highlighting Studio Ghibli, video games, Star Wars, and overall geekdom, here is the list of all the events and their fandoms that you can enjoy!

In-Person Events

Virtual Events

Want to learn more about how to attend? Click the programs above to view our online calendar, where you can find information on how to join in! Are we missing a fandom you love? Let us know for next year by emailing us at refdesk1@mycitylibrary.org! And May the Fandoms Be with You!

This press release was produced by the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach. The views expressed are the author's own.

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