Introduction

Catherine Tosenberger — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 07:55:15 +0000

I figured I should have an Official Academic Blog, where I can talk about Official Academic Things under my real name. I have my fannish blog, where I post mainly in ALL CAPS about TV shows and books I like, research I’m doing, controversies in my fandoms of choice, and various and sundry. I will not be using this space to inflict my fanfiction upon the world, but otherwise, this blog will be much the same.

So! here are the basics:

Name: Catherine Tosenberger

Title and Affiliation: Assistant Professor of English, University of Winnipeg

Research Areas: Children’s and YA literatures and cultures, folklore, fandom studies, television and media studies, Neo-Paganism, gender and sexuality, pornography and erotica. Yeah, my job is awesome. I’ve published articles on Harry Potter fanfiction, the television series Supernatural — I just guest-edited a special issue of the fandom studies journal Transformative Works and Cultures focused on the show – and soon, on the Grimms’ story “Fitcher’s Bird.”

Future Projects: Turning my dissertation on Harry Potter fanfiction into a book. After that, I have projects on erotic boarding school narratives, Neo-Pagan texts for teens, and gender and sexuality in Glee lined up. Did I mention my job is awesome? They’re actually paying me to do this.

Classes I Have Taught/Will Be Teaching: Field of Children’s Literature; Disney, Folklore, and Popular Culture (grad); Fairy Tales and Culture; Children, Desire, and Fear (grad)

Fandoms: Harry Potter, Supernatural, Lord of the Rings, House, Jeeves and Wooster, Glee. You’ve been warned.

Favorite Authors: Angela Carter, Terry Pratchett, Zora Neale Hurston, L. M. Montgomery, J. K. Rowling, Jorge Luis Borges, Francesca Lia Block

Why “Rum, Sodomy, and the Slash”? I like pirates. And gay fanfic.