Media Fandom Oral History Project

The Media Fandom Oral History Project is an audio record of media fans telling their fandom history in their own words. The goal is to preserve a record of media fandom for future generations. 
The project was launched by Morgan Dawn and Franzeska Dickson, with the additional encouragement of the Organization for Transformative Works. 
It underwent a pilot test at Escapade 2012 under the Escapade convention sponsorship, and has expanded to include other venues and locales, switching to interviews over the phone and via Zoom. In the summer of 2017, graduate student Megan Genovese secured a paid internship from her university and was able to conduct 23 interviews. 
Beginning in 2015, many of the recordings were made available at the University of Iowa as part of their Digital Library Collection - Media Fan Oral History. Most interviews will offer a written transcript. The availability of these transcripts is directly related to the ability of the project heads' ability to find people to transcribe them.
In September 2016, the organizers began exploring ways to transition the project into a DIY mode, allowing fans to interview themselves and their friends directly. More about the project in the post by Mee Dee Tumblr's profile.
A 2023 interview with the two founders of this project is ; archive link.
The project needs volunteers to conduct additional interviews and transcribe existing interviews. Contact info: oralhistoryfandom at gmail dot com.
==Similar Projects==
* Organization for Transformative Works/Fan Video & Multimedia, aka The Vidding History Project (2009)
* Vidding Oral History Project (dates unknown)
* Fan Fiction Oral History Project (2012-ongoing)
==Project Origins==
As Morgan Dawn recalls, the project began over a kitchen table. Sandy Herrold, who had already participated in the Vidding Oral History Project, and Morgan Dawn were discussing how difficult it was to persuade some fans to add content to Fanlore. There were many barriers to recording one's own history on Fanlore – unfamiliarity with wiki coding and wiki culture, physical disabilities and aging might make online participation difficult, the lack of outreach, and fandom’s inherent reticence to talk about fandom. But most importantly, many people freeze when confronted with the idea of summarizing the entirety of their fannish life. However, conversations around kitchen tables – or convention tables – are much more natural and accessible. What if fans could record some of these convention conversations much like the thousands of other oral history projects currently underway across the world? And what if the oral history was conducted by fans – for their fellow fans – as opposed to being done as part of a research project?
 
From there, the project germinated as other events, including Sandy Herrold's passing, temporarily took over. However, at Bascon 2011, Franzi and Morgan Dawn began discussing whether a fandom oral history project was viable and whether it could be started with just a small investment of time and money. Megan Kent, the Escapade convention organizer, was also attending Bascon that year and agreed to sponsor the project with the initial pilot planned for Escapade 2012. On February 24-25, 2012, the first set of interviews successfully took place at Escapade. Subsequent interviews took place between 2012 and 2015 at Tribal Forces, MediaWest, Con.txt, Sharecon, Vividcon and other venues. Later interviews were conducted over the phone and via Zoom and most recently by the interviewees themselves. 
==Project FAQ==
==Interviews==
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Alan Koslow, interviewer is Clare McBride (2013)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Alayne Gelfand, interviewer is Franzeska Dickson (2014)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Amy D, interviewer is Franzeska Dickson (2012)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Ari, interviewer is Clare McBride (2012)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Barbara Storey, interviewer is Megan Genovese (2017)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Bren Antrim aka Glacis, interviewer is Franzeska Dickson (2012)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with CatalenaMara, interviewer is Franzeska Dickson (2012)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Celeste Hotaling-Lyons, interviewer is Megan Genovese (2017)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Charlotte Hill, interviewer is Franzeska Dickson (2012)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Connie Faddis, interviewer is Megan Genovese (2017)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Chi1013, interviewer is Franzeska Dickson (2012)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Christie Young, interviewer is Franzeska Dickson (2014)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Creatch and nitebird, interviewer is Franzeska Dickson (2012)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Devra Langsam, interviewer is Megan Genovese (2017)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Doctor Beth, interviewer is Franzeska Dickson (2012)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Eileen Roy, interviewer is Megan Genovese (2017)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Eileen Salmas, interviewer is Franzeska Dickson (2013)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Flamingo, interviewer is Franzeska Dickson (2013)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Gayle F and Caren P, interviewer is Morgan Dawn (2013)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Jan Levine, interviewer is Franzeska Dickson (2013)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Jane Mailander, interviewer is Megan Genovese (2017)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Joan Marie Verba, interviewer is Megan Genovese (2017)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Joy Harrison, interviewer is Megan Genovese (2017)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Judy Chien, interviewer is Franzeska Dickson (2012) 
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Kandy Fong and Marnie, interviewer is Franzeska Dickson (2012)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Kathleen Reynolds, interviewer is Megan Genovese (2017)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Katharine Scarritt, interviewer is Franzeska Dickson (2015)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with KimE, interviewer is Clare McBride (2012)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with KrisserCI5, interviewer is Franzeska Dickson (2013)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with lferion, interviewer is Franzeska Dickson (2014)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Lee & Barry Gold, interviewer is Megan Genovese (2017)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Leslie Fish, interviewer is Megan Genovese (2017)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Leslye Lilker, interviewer is Megan Genovese (2017)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Linda Deneroff, interviewer is Megan Genovese (2017)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Linda McGee, interviewer is Megan Genovese (2017)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Lorraine Brevig, interviewer is Megan Genovese (2017)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with M. Fae Glasgow, interviewer is Franzeska Dickson (2014)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Maggie Nowakowska, interviewer is Megan Genovese (2017)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Maygra, interviewer is Franzeska Dickson (2013)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Nancy B., interviewer is Franzeska Dickson (2015)
 
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Pat Massie, interviewer is Franzeska Dickson (2012)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Paula Block, interviewer is Megan Genovese (2017)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Rachael Sabotini, interviewer is Franzeska Dickson (2015)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Randy Landers, interviewer is Megan Genovese (2017)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Rebecca Oroukin, interviewer is Megan Genovese (2017)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Roberta B , interviewer is Franzeska Dickson(2012)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Roberta Rogow, interviewer is Megan Genovese (2017)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Roberta Stuemke, interviewer is Franzeska Dickson (2012)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with SH, interviewer is Morgan Dawn (2013)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Shoshanna, interviewer is Franzeska Dickson (2015)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Signe Danler (Signe Landon), interviewer is Megan Genovese (2017)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Snow White, interviewer is Franzeska Dickson (2012)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Suzan Lovett, interviewer is Megan Genovese (2017)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Susan R. Matthews, interviewer is Megan Genovese (2017)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with TM Alexander, interviewer is Franzeska Dickson (2012)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Vel Jaeger, interviewer is Megan Genovese (2017)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Vonne Shepard, interviewer is Franzeska Dickson (2012)
==Media Fandom Histories by Email==
These interviews were part of the project, but were not oral; they were conducted by email. They are not archived at the University of Iowa Special Collections.
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Ruth Berman, interviewer is MPH (2017)
* Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Sheila Clark, interviewer is Morgan Dawn (2017)
==Reactions and Reviews==
==References==
Category:Media Fandom
Category:Fan Activities
Category:Interviews by Fans
Category:2012 Fan Interviews
Category:2010s Fan Interviews
Category:2020s Fan Interviews