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YOUTH ARE AWESOME

Youth Are Awesome, commonly referred to as YAA, is a blog written by youth for youth. YAA provides the youth of Calgary a place to amplify their voices and perspectives on what is happening around them. Youth Are Awesome is a program of Youth Central.

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HomeEventsA Q&A with Author and Geek Extraordinaire: Sam Maggs

A Q&A with Author and Geek Extraordinaire: Sam Maggs

The other day, I was lucky enough to come into contact and interview author, writer, host, feminist, and expert in all things geek, Sam Maggs. In addition to writing for a gaming company, having her work featured across the web in publications like the Mary Sue, and hosting the Cineplex preshow, Sam has recently taken the next step forward in her career and released her new book: The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy: A Handbook for Girl Geeks. The quirky and crash course-esque novel encourages women and girls everywhere to embrace and take pride in their interests, explains fangirl terminology and lifestyle for rookie geeks, and offers firsthand advice and guidance on how to make your voice heard and respected in the nerd community.

Thanks to the lovely people at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo and Wordfest and of course the amazing Sam Maggs, I was able to have the opportunity to interview Sam about her new book, childhood, and trials and tribulations as a fangirl in the modern world:

Sam MaggsHow were you first introduced to the geek world?

My parents are huge geeks – they saw Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope over 20 times in theatres. So I was toast from the start.

When you were younger, were you ever teased by your peers for your interests? If so, how were you able to persevere and would there be anything that you would like to say to younger geek girls going through the same thing?

I mostly hid my interests from other people, because I was afraid of being judged. I wish I could go back and tell myself to just be who I am and like what I like, because that makes you so much happier. You can find so many people with similar interests online and in comic shops now!

Do you have a favourite comic series or fandom?

This is such a hard question! I really love the Dragon Age fandom, the Valkyries (the collective of ladies who work in comic book shops), and the Stargate SG-1 fandom, though it’s a little empty these days.

Is there anything you would recommend to newcomer fangirls or others just getting into the world of geekdom?

Try a little bit of everything! Go online for recommendations, and once you find something you like, try to get involved in the fan community on Twitter or Tumblr to make new friends.

As a passionate LGBTQ+ activist and feminist, I greatly admire your work and your writing has truly inspired me, and lots of others I’m sure, to be my unapologetic self. Are there any strong female or queer individuals who have had a significant influence on your life and your writing?

Thank you so much! There were a lot of indie webcomic artists and publishers, like Kate Leth and Janelle Asselin, who were very vocal about their sexuality in their work and online when I was in my early 20s. They helped me realize I could really examine myself and the things that I was feeling and really made me see myself as “normal.”

Do you have a favourite fan experience or a moment in which you were really glad to be able to spread messages of positivity and empowerment to young fangirls?

Whenever a girl tells me that Fangirl’s Guide made her feel understood or accepted, I cry a little bit. It’s so humbling. I am so glad to be able to give that experience to other girls.

Often fandoms and other subdivisions of geekdom can be quite exclusionary and patronizing towards minorities like women, people of colour, people with disabilities, as well as people of the queer community. What are the major issues that you think need to be addressed and brought to light in regards to intersectionality and inclusion in nerd culture?

Of course! I think that it’s really important that we have these conversations, especially in social media spaces where they become very visible, because it allows us to educate people about what intersectionality and intersectional feminism actually are. We need to keep clamoring for better representation in games, comics, TV, and movies for people of all genders, races, ethnicities, classes, abilities, etc. The more we are clear with our voices and our money what we are looking for in media, the more we’ll get through to the people responsible for creating it.

Photo Credit: Candice Ward
Photo Credit: Candice Ward

I understand that you have some very interesting tattoos that have been inspired by or represent some of your geekier interests. Would you mind maybe explaining your connection to one of these tattoos and what made you want to get it?

Sure! My most recent tattoo by Suspiria is a portrait of Veralidaine Sarrasri, the main character from my favorite book series of all time, Tamora Pierce’s The Immortals. Daine is a young woman who comes from nothing, discovers her special powers, and goes on to save the world in her own very special way. She’s so inspiring to me and one of my all-time favorite female characters, and I really wanted her on me forever! That being said, I don’t think you should need a special connection to something to get a tattoo of it – even if you just think something looks cool, you can totally go for it!

I personally have never tried cosplay myself but I have always found the concept to be very intriguing, and I think it’s such a creative and unique platform to express your love for something. What significance does cosplay have to you and do you have a favourite costume or persona that you have taken up through cosplay in the past?

It’s really fun! I particularly enjoyed dressing up as Booker from Bioshock Infinite because I like Rule 63 cosplay. Cosplay is amazing because it’s just another way in which fans can express their love for something; some people write fanfic, some people create fanart, some people craft and sew and fabricate incredible outfits. Plus, you can really become that character for a day, which is really freeing and exciting!

For me, writing and literature is and always has been a very important part of my life. As I got older, I soon realized I wanted to pursue a career in the field of journalism. However, from hearing what others sometimes have to say about the reliability of the career path and seeing how the industry seems to be going downhill, I get a little discouraged from time to time. Do you have any advice for me and other budding authors on how to stay focused and make our voices heard in the vast world of writing?  

I think that any arts field is always going to be a little bit difficult to break into, and you really have to forge your own path. But the great think about social media and the internet as it stands now is that there’s no barrier to entry to getting your work out there; you don’t have to sell a book to have people read your fiction, or be hired by a big paper to write about the things about which you’re passionate, or get a call from Marvel to make a comic. You can just make the things you want to make and bring them directly to the audience that wants them. So just start creating what you want to create and never stop.

Are you excited to see how the nerd community is becoming a more and more inclusive and diverse space with the progression of time? Is there anything else you would like to see result from this collective and societal movement for freedom of expression and accessibility for all?

I am absolutely excited about it! Though we no doubt have a long way to go, the progress we’ve made in such a short period of time is really remarkable. Hopefully we’ll start seeing more female leads, and more diverse female leads, in starring roles in books and games and comics. Everyone benefits from diversity in storytelling. It’s so much more interesting and representative of the real world!

wonderwomen4_0310-1

What’s next? Is there anything new and exciting that we can look forward to seeing from you in the near future?

Yes! My next book from Quirk Books, Wonder Women, comes out on October 18th and features profiles of 25 amazing women throughout history who were scientists, doctors, inventors, spies, and explorers. Plus, I just started a job as an Assistant Writer for a video game company called BioWare, so hopefully you’ll see some games work from me soon as well. Hooray!

Overall, it was an absolute pleasure getting to know Sam and I am so thankful to have had the chance to interview such an amazing, powerful, intelligent, and innovative woman. If you haven’t already, I definitely recommend getting your hands on The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy: A Handbook for Girl Geeks, it’s an absolute must-read for seasoned nerds and newbies alike!

Sam will also be attending the upcoming Wordfest right here in Calgary on April 27, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm for an audience Q&A and book signing! If you are interested, the Calgary Expo has organized an exclusive giveaway for Youth Are Awesome readers in which 2 lucky people will get the opportunity to attend this event! For a chance to win a ticket, you can enter below!

 

[rf_contest contest=’2089′]

 

[header image // source] [image 1 // source] [image 2 // Candice Ward] [image 3 // source]
Dhriti Gupta
Dhriti Gupta
Hi there! My name is Dhriti and I'm currently a grade 11 partial I.B. student at Sir Winston Churchill High School. I'm a vegetarian, avid reader, chocolate-eater, feminist, LGBTQ+ activist, and aspiring journalist. When I'm not doing homework, you can probably find me taking photos of my cat, finding more obscure (and pretentious) music to listen to, or blogging for YAA! Thanks so much for taking the time to read my posts!
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