Okay, i believe i’ve resolved the problems we were having with our shop.  I am so sorry we didn’t notice that sooner!  (And huge thanks to Alex Wrekk for alerting us!!)  If you were someone who had problems trying to order from us recently, please do drop us a line at shop@crabbymedia.org — i’d love to know what issue you ran into so that i’m sure i’ve solved things properly, and i’m also glad to give you a little “thank you” for your patience.

Thanks, everyone!

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Margin Release: Exploring the Possibilities & Problems of Fannish Documentation

Jess (raanve.dreamwidth.org), johanna (littlebutfierce.dreamwidth.org), and Chris (wrdnrd.net) are delighted to invite you to submit material to a new comp zine project! We are interested in writing or art that looks at all aspects of what we’re calling (for brevity’s sake) “fannish documentation” — fic and fanart, zines, vids, fandom archives, and so forth. What are the histories, the personal stories, the possibilities and problems in fannish documentation? We’ve suggested some topics (see reverse side), but they’re merely the tip of the iceberg and we look forward to seeing what you come up with — show us your creativity!

We are open to previously published works, so if you’ve written something for your LiveJournal/Dreamwidth, blog, fanzine that you think would fit this compilation, please send it along!

Everyone whose work is chosen will receive a copy of the finished paper zine. We also plan to make the zine available as a PDF download.

This zine will premier next year at Wiscon 36.

If you have questions, you can contact us at the email below or any one of us individually.

deadline: 1st January 2012  Still open!  More details in our forum.

email: marginrelease @ crabbymedia . org

article length: up to 3,000 words. Please query us at the email address above if you have something longer in mind.

abstract: Fannish documentation can play a powerful role in the SF community — using a pen name to subvert expectations of perceived gender or race/ethnicity, broadening the community’s boundaries beyond convention attendance by involving place-bound fans. What roles have fannish documentation played over the years? Has it truly allowed greater access, or does it fall short of its own possibilities? How has fannish documentation changed over the years — from the paper fanzines of the 1920s to the 2008 opening of the Organization of Transformative Work’s AO3 archive?

possible topics (but feel free to surprise us!):

• What are the histories of fannish documentation? Of fanzines and fanart, of fic and vids and other transformative works/methods of fannish commentary, of fandom archives themselves? How have these mediums evolved over time — independently around the world, internationally across borders — and from print to online? What have been the effects of evolutions in technology? Who has been involved in or excluded from these evolutions, and how might fandom communities look different now than at various points over the 20th century? What are differences/similarities of fannish documentation around the world, across languages?
• Modes of fannish documentation can offer valuable avenues of interaction, but has fannish documentation always lived up to the promise? How have fanzines (paper, online), fan vids, fic, &c. given you the opportunity to engage with fandom? What barriers have these modes of fannish documentation erected? Can you enjoy a fanvid that isn’t subtitled? Have fanzines helped you participate with fandom as a location-bound fan, or emphasized your exclusion from con attendance?
• How does documentation of fannish practice shape the image of fandom? Should everything be documented? How do we decide HOW to document, who to document, who should be doing the documenting, &c.? What gaps exist in current documentation of fannish practice, what’s been overlooked/under-archived? How can we document fandom (in archives, on wikis) without reproducing the same oppressions from the societies we live in?
• What is the importance of fandom meta discussions? Are online communities like LiveJournal/Dreamwidth, Tumblr, &c. — even Facebook and Twitter — places of significant fan conversations? Are these conversations accessible to fen outside of these networks — should they be, and how can that happen? Should meta conversations be archived so that they don’t disappear with the journals, Twitters, &c. where they occurred?
• Fandom and modes of fannish documentation have the capacity to connect fans and fandoms around the world and across cultures/languages, but does this always live up to the possibilities? Does this connection always happen? Do all cultures and fandoms *want* to be connected? Are connections mutually respectful, or do inequalities continue to exist? What are the challenges and complexities of connecting fandoms globally — of documenting fannish practice globally — of connecting across borders of language and culture?

Ask questions in the forum!