It's a Thing

07/02/2021

This special episode of "It's a Thing!" features a conversation with Dr. Rebecca Wanzo, Professor and Chair of the Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and author of the paradigm-shifting fan studies essay, "African American Acafandom and Other Strangers: New Genealogies of Fan Studies," and the SCMS Katherine Singer Kovács Book Award-winning book, The Content of Our Caricature: African American Comic Art and Political Belonging ...

http://itsathing.net/2021/02/06/episode-12-rebecca-wanzo-at-fsnna/

This special episode of “It’s a Thing!” features a conversation with Dr. Rebecca Wanzo, Professor and Chair of the Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and author o…

11/10/2020

I'm delighted to announce a special episode of "It's a Thing!" featuring Dr. Rebecca Wanzo of Washington University in St. Louis in the Keynote Event of the 2020 Fan Studies Network North America Conference. Live broadcast on October 13 for registered conference attendees and interview available in late October on the podcast.

06/07/2020

On this special episode of "It's a Thing!" I'm talking with Dr. Crystal Anderson, Assistant Director for Teaching Excellence at the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning at George Mason University about online pedagogy in the time of the Covid-19 pandemic. We also talk about her forthcoming book, Soul in Seoul: African American Popular Music and K-pop.

On this special episode of “It’s a Thing!” I’m talking with Dr. Crystal Anderson, Assistant Director for Teaching Excellence at the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning …

23/06/2020

Next time on "It's a Thing!" I'm talking with Crystal Anderson about fan practices in pandemic pedagogy! We'll also be discussing her forthcoming book, Soul in Seoul - listen in!

18/06/2020

On this episode of "It's a Thing!" I talk with Dr. Ross Garner about collecting and material fan cultures, dinosaur fandom and Jurassic Park, and his experiences at Tokyo's otaku haven, Nakano Broadway.

On this episode of “It’s a Thing!” I talk with Dr. Ross Garner about collecting and material fan cultures, dinosaur fandom and Jurassic Park, and his experiences at Tokyo’s …

28/05/2020

"It's a Thing!" is a one-woman show - prep, interviewing, and mixing, the whole shebang! Please consider supporting that one woman in bringing you conversations with fan studies scholars about what we do and how it's a thing - one-time and regular contributions are available! Go to http://ko-fi.com/lorimorimoto to donate!

Buy a Cup of Tea for LoriMorimoto with Ko-fi.com

26/05/2020

"It's a Thing!" wants your support!

I've switched from Patreon to Ko-fi, which has the benefit of not requiring tiers and rewards for same. When you buy me a "cup of tea" on Ko-fi, you're supporting the work I do in recording and editing episodes of "It's a Thing!" as well as the paid subscriptions I use to bring it to you (Cast for recording and Wordpress.com for posting audio, links, and transcripts). But even more than that, you're showing me that there ARE people listening to the podcast, and that's truly priceless.

For more information or to donate, please go to http://ko-fi.com/lorimorimoto

20/05/2020

Posting next week! I talk with Dr. Ross Garner about material fandom and collecting, Jurassic Park, Doctor Who, and gashapon vending machines in Japan - listen in!

14/05/2020

I began "It's a Thing!" in September 2019, at about the same time as I was starting a one-year teaching job at University of Virginia, and I've been both delighted by the enthusiastic response to it and mildly dismayed by my own shortcomings in putting it together. Microphones and recording quality have been an issue from the beginning - one that I'm still struggling with - and, of course, regular listeners are familiar with my difficulties in keeping to anything resembling an actual schedule. [ 153 more words ]
http://itsathing.net/2020/05/14/reflections/

I began “It’s a Thing!” in September 2019, at about the same time as I was starting a one-year teaching job at University of Virginia, and I’ve been both delighted by the en…

11/05/2020

Transcript Coming Soon! Music: “Neck Pillow,” by Silent Partner To cite (Chicago): Morimoto, Lori. 11 May 2020. “Benjamin Woo.” Podcast audio. It’s a Thing! MP3, 1.9. .
http://itsathing.net/2020/05/11/episode-9-benjamin-woo/

On this episode of “It’s a Thing!” I talk with Dr. Benjamin Woo about comic books, conventions, race and whiteness in fandom and fan studies, and the study of geek cultures.

07/05/2020

While I'm working to get the next episode posted (apologies for the delay!), I would be really grateful if listeners could fill out this very short questionnaire about the podcast and its future - THANK YOU! https://forms.gle/JZiB4MYbFW4qfL7v9

29/04/2020

On the next episode of "It's a Thing!" I'm talking with Dr. Benjamin Woo, author of "Getting a Life: The Social Worlds of Geek Culture"! Posts next Monday!

18/04/2020

In this episode of "It's a Thing!" I talk with Dr. Paul Booth about being a prolific writer, life after tenure, fan studies pedagogy and, of course, Doctor Who.

In this episode of “It’s a Thing!” I talk with Dr. Paul Booth about being a prolific writer, life after tenure, fan studies pedagogy and, of course, Doctor Who.

17/03/2020

GIVEAWAY! My (revised) epub book, "An Introduction to Fan Studies" is now available to download for free. It's a short overview of the origins and early concerns of fan studies; in other words, it's about how fan studies became a Thing! https://tinyurl.com/wgn8qwl

Shared with Dropbox

16/03/2020

In this episode of "It's a Thing!" Paul Booth of DePaul University interviews me! We talk about transcultural fan studies, scholarship, and even a bit about genealogy.

In this episode of “It’s a Thing!” Paul Booth of DePaul University interviews me! We talk about transcultural fan studies, scholarship, and even a bit about genealogy.

26/01/2020

The episode scheduled to post tomorrow has been delayed, due to my persistent inability to manage time effectively and the essay I absolutely have to get done first. Updates as they occur!

14/01/2020

"It's a Thing!" is back with an interview with Yours Truly, Lori Morimoto, hosted by a Mystery Guest Interviewer! Posts Monday, Jan 27 - see you then!

02/12/2019

In this episode of "It's a Thing!" I'm talking with Dr. Alfred L. Martin, an assistant professor at the University of Iowa. We talk about ballet fandom, Tyler Perry, and cultures of race in fandoms and fan studies.
http://itsathing.net/2019/12/02/episode-6-alfred-l-martin/

In this episode of “It’s a Thing!” I’m talking with Dr. Alfred L. Martin, an assistant professor at the University of Iowa. We talk about ballet fandom, Tyler Perry, and cul…

18/11/2019

On this episode of "It's a Thing!" I'm talking with Dr. Louisa Stein, an Associate Professor at Middlebury College. We talk about fanvids and even a bit about Yiddish women's erotic poetry.
http://itsathing.net/2019/11/18/episode-5-louisa-stein/

On this episode of “It’s a Thing!” I’m talking with Dr. Louisa Stein, an Associate Professor at Middlebury College. We talk about fanvids and even a bit about Yiddish women&…

15/11/2019

Next time on "It's a Thing!" I'll be talking with Louisa Stein, Associate Professor in the Department of Film & Media Culture at Middlebury College, posting Monday, November 18!

29/10/2019

Transcript Lori Morimoto: Welcome to “It's a thing!”, the podcast where we talk about fan studies and how it's a thing. I'm your host, Lori Morimoto. [music] LM: On this week's episode of “It's a Thing!” I'll be speaking with Mel Stanfill, an assistant professor at the University of Central Florida and author of Exploiting Fandom: How the Media Industry Seeks to Manipulate Fans… [ 4,970 more words ]
http://itsathing.net/2019/10/29/episode-4-mel-stanfill/

Transcript Lori Morimoto: Welcome to “It’s a thing!”, the podcast where we talk about fan studies and how it’s a thing. I’m your host, Lori Morimoto. [music] LM: On this week& #821…

22/10/2019

Coming Monday, October 28, Mel Stanfill of the University of Central Florida - join us!

16/10/2019

In this episode of "It's a Thing!" I talk with Dr. Kavita Mudan Finn and EJ Nielsen about acafandom, fanfiction, AUs [alternate universes], academic publishing, and the TV show Hannibal.
http://itsathing.net/2019/10/16/episode-3-kavita-mudan-finn-and-ej-nielsen/

In this episode of “It’s a Thing!” I talk with Dr. Kavita Mudan Finn and EJ Nielsen about acafandom, fanfiction, AUs [alternate universes], academic publishing, and the TV show Ha…

13/10/2019

This is just a quick note to say that this week's episode will be a couple of days late, due to a massive editing snafu that I need to get sorted. First time I've edited three people at once, and... yeah.

05/10/2019

Coming on Monday, October 14!

30/09/2019

In this episode of "It's a Thing!" I talk with Dr. Rebecca Williams about theme parks, ontological security and fandom, the ineffable pull of fan tourism, and the state of media studies in the UK. And the Tree. Transcript (with links in lieu of notes) Lori Morimoto: Welcome to "It's a Thing!", the podcast where we talk about fan studies and how it's a thing. [ 7,257 more words ]
http://itsathing.net/2019/09/30/rebecca-williams/

In this episode of “It’s a Thing!” I talk with Dr. Rebecca Williams about theme parks, ontological security and fandom, the ineffable pull of fan tourism, and the state of media s…

29/09/2019

Episode 2 posts tomorrow! I talk with Dr. Rebecca Williams about theme parks, ontological security and fandom, the ineffable pull of fan tourism, and the state of media studies in the UK. And the Tree.

27/09/2019

I'm delighted to welcome Dr. Rebecca Williams of the University of South Wales to It's a Thing! Posts Monday, Sep 30, or get it early by becoming a Patron! patreon.com/itsathingpodcast

16/09/2019

In the inaugural episode of "It's a Thing!", I talk with Suzanne Scott about cosplay, embodied fandom, and bringing Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer into the fan studies fold. I also talk with Lesley Willard about Tumblr, fan labor, working behind-the-scenes of academic conferences, and mentor/mentee relationships in fandom and academia. Show Notes I'll tell you now, this episode is an editing mess. [ 10,244 more words ]
http://itsathing.net/2019/09/16/suzanne-scott-lesley-willard/

In the inaugural episode of “It’s a Thing!”, I talk with Suzanne Scott about cosplay, embodied fandom, and bringing Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer into the fan studies fold. I also talk with Les…

15/09/2019

13/09/2019

Interested in supporting "It's a Thing!"? Check out the Patreon page for details!

Become a patron of Lori Morimoto today: Read 7 posts by Lori Morimoto and get access to exclusive content and experiences on the world’s largest membership platform for artists and creators.

13/09/2019

As I do last-minute editing on Episode 1, I'm very pleased to say that Michael Morimoto (aka Mr. Acafanmom) listened to the rough cut and enjoyed it - and he's a tough crowd on a good day! Three more days until "It's a Thing!" goes live!

09/09/2019

"It's a Thing!" - a podcast where we talk about fan studies and how it's a thing - kicks off with Dr. Suzanne Scott and Lesley Willard of the University of Texas, Austin Department of Radio-Television-Film on September 16!

08/09/2019

“It’s a Thing!” is a podcast that introduces new and historically significant work in the field of fan studies to all comers. It features accessible interviews with established and up-and-coming fan studies scholars, as well as fan studies-adjacent journalists, critics, writers and fans, all in hope of demonstrating that fan studies is indeed a thing.

08/09/2019