Frequently Asked Questions
What is FSNNA? What kind of work do you do?
The Fan Studies Network North America is a yearly conference dedicated to all things fan and fan cultures. We seek to create a supportive, welcoming community for developing and sharing research in the interdisciplinary field of fan studies.
When/where does the conference take place? Why don’t you do in-person events?
FSNNA is an exclusively online event, which takes place via Zoom (where we host talks) and Discord (where we host text-based conversations, casual hangouts, and asynchronous catching up). We first made the decision to move online in 2021, following the example of other academic conferences in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic’s emergence. Over the ensuing years, we’ve experimented with platforms like Gather, but ultimately landed on our current set-up based on accessibility standards and participant feedback.
In an effort to keep our conference as accessible as possible to a range of international participants, we have remained virtual while working to foster opportunities for socialization at various scales during the conference days. Our choice to stay virtual reflects a recognition of the ongoing realities of the Covid pandemic, as well as the social precarities exacerbated by the current political landscape that disproportionately affect participants outside of the US and the global north. Moreover, Zoom and Discord allow us to keep our operating costs low, which keeps FSNNA an affordable event for our attendees.
While we are not ruling out all in-person events for the future, our choice at this time to run our primary annual conference virtually reflects our investment in accessibility defined broadly.
Where can I stay up to date with FSNNA announcements?
In addition to subscribing to our newsletter, you can find regular updates and announcements about the conference and fan studies CFPs on our Bluesky (@fsnnorthamerica.bsky.social).
What kind of community does FSNNA have outside of this conference?
FSNNA doesn’t have an ‘official’ community outside of this conference, but you might want to consider joining the ‘Fan Studies’ discord (co-founded by our very own Effie Sapuridis), which runs all year round for discussion and networking.
Is FSNNA open to independent scholars or non-academic participants?
FSNNA is primarily an academic conference, in that we host work which engages with the scholarship of our subject area and makes critical arguments about its past, present, and future. That said, some of our previous invited speakers have come from alt-ac careers, and we absolutely welcome a wide range of participants: independent and precariously-employed scholars, undergraduate and graduate students of any level, and faculty. If you’re interested and engaged in the world of fan studies but are seeking something a little more analytically inclined than a con or fan meet-up, FSNNA is likely a fun place for you to be.