I was so happy to participate in Virtual Jane Con this year, not only as a viewer and a volunteer, but also as a presenter! I talked about one of my favourite things: Jane Austen fan fiction (JAFF), which is very near and dear to my heart. (It’s where I got my start editing!)
I’ve always been interested in how this long-running fanfic fandom (the oldest fanfic fandom!) developed over the years and I’ve been doing lots of research into that, so it was time to put some of it out there. I traced the origins of fanfic back to Austen’s family, then to early sequels and retellings, to the Austen boom in 1995 that coincides with the rise of the internet, to the thriving publishing industry around Austen fanfic. It’s a ride!
It’s available on YouTube now, along with a bunch of other fascinating presentations from Virtual Jane Con all about Austen—the books, her life, the Regency, fashion, pop culture, and the fandom at large. Check out the presentations in this playlist, and you can see mine below!