Lately...
I am currently working on East Los High, a HULU-exclusive television show about high school students in East LA. It's the first-ever English language television show with an all-Latin@ cast, and we've had huge response (see articles from NPR, the Hollywood Reporter, and Latin Heat). I'm also continuing my work on Alternity. This semester, I'm taking a break from teaching at MIT.
About Me
I am a writer and transmedia storyteller with a longstanding interest in participatory culture. For many years, I've been active in fandom. I've run fanfiction websites and fan conventions, and I've even taught a class about fan culture at MIT. I'm also interested in electronic literature, especially visual novels and interactive fiction. I'm Chief Participation Officer of The Alchemists Transmedia Storytelling Co., and I live in Cambridge, Massachusetts with my husband Nick Montfort. If you find it useful, you may download a high-res photo of me.
Things I've Made or Written
- Alternity
A collaborative, transformative work of fiction based on JK Rowling's Harry Potter alternate universe, featuring both regular authors and special guests. It is currently in its sixth of seven planned years. - Muggle Studies
I designed, wrote and programmed this text adventure as an attempt at seriously critiquing the morality of the Harry Potter universe. Released 31 March 2012. - Ascendio
I was Minister of Magic (lead organizer) for this Harry Potter fan conference in 2012. - "Red Room"
I wrote this choose-your-own-adventure style story in the Undum framework for Yuletide 2011. It takes place in the Twin Peaks universe. - "The Life and Death of Patroclus Son of Menoetius"
A translation of selections from Homer's Iliad. Part of the HiLobrow EPIC WINS series. - "Fred and George"
A remix of Nick Montfort's landscape poetry generator “Taroko Gorge,” with a Harry Potter incest twist. - “Laugh Out Loud In Real Life: Twilight, Women's Humor, and Fan Identity.”
My master's thesis at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Advisor: Henry Jenkins. - The Sonnet Project
All of Shakespeare's sonnets, read aloud on video. As far as I am aware, they are the first complete audio-visual presentation of Shakespeare's sonnets that has ever been made freely available. - Civilité
I served as game designer, game master and lead writer for this pervasive game based on the novel The Count of Monte Cristo. It took place 18-24 January 2010 at MIT. For the endgame, I wrote >a short story based on in-game events in less than 24 hours. - Various fan fictions
Accessible at The Archive of Our Own. Short (and long) stories based on source texts such as The Count of Monte Cristo, Miss Madelyn Mack, the Lord Peter Wimsey series, Harry Potter and The Vorkosigan Saga. - “‘I Type the Amens and Think the Rest’: An Ethnographic Look at Religion in Virtual Reality”
My undergraduate thesis at Reed College. Advisors: Ken Brashier and Steve Wasserman. - Nimbus-2003
I served as web chair for this Harry Potter fan conference.
