9/20/21

For my LEAP, I'll be looking at how subtle representation of real world issues in fantasy media affects a reader/viewer's mindset. I'm a writer and a reader, and my first exposure to a queer relationship was in an urban fantasy novel. It helped me understand the idea, and when I eventually questioned my own sexuality, it was a book that I turned to for help. My hope is that I can help readers and viewers understand real world issues better. By looking at real world issues through a fantasy lens, I hope to educate people and teach acceptance, respect, and understanding without them feeling like they're being lectured or attacked. By taking the issues out of context, people could see and understand them in a new light.

10/19/21

I was writing my fantasy novel one day and I wrote a scene in which a male character said something vaguely sexist, and the two female characters pointed it out and corrected him. This got me thinking: can reading about real-world issues in fantasy literature change how a reader thinks about those issues? As an avid writer and consumer of fantasy, I've also struggled to see myself reflected in the books I love, but when I do, it brings me so much joy. For me, the impact of seeing myself reflected (or not) was instrumental in my coming out journey. I want to look at how representation affects marginalized readers' views of themselves. The questions I came up with are: How does representation of real-world issues in fantasy literature impact the mindset of American readers on those issues? If American voters are exposed to real-world issues in fantasy literature, will that change how they vote in the next election? What are the long-term impacts of representation in fantasy literature on American readers? How does seeing oneself reflected in fantasy literature impact a marginalized reader's view of themself? Representation includes representation of issues as well as identities. I want representation and diversity in fantasy literature to both educate readers without them feeling attacked, as well as validate readers' identities. I want to look at the impacts of both, both short and long term. I'm leaning towards the first question, and I feel pretty good about it, but I think I just need to tweak it a little.

10/21/21

EQ: How does representation in fantasy literature impact the mindset of American readers?

My EQ is interesting to me because it combines my love for fantasy literature with my interest in the psychology of political views. It's interesting to other people because I feel like those are two concepts people wouldn't typically think to connect, but literature has such a huge impact on our lives. My EQ is arguable because you could say that representation in fantasy doesn't impact readers' mindsets or that art imitates life more than life imitates art. My EQ is answerable because I could have readers take a survey asking them about their demographics, their political views, views of themselves, etc. then have them read a fantasy story with a diverse cast and representation of real-world issues and have them take the survey again to see if things changed.

12/16/2021

Today, I began work on my Review of Literature. I wrote about research for my first subtopic and part of my second subtopic. I think I now have a better grasp on what a Review of Literature actually is and how to write it. I had a little trouble getting going, but now it's just a matter of getting everything in. I'm finding that some of my resources will be useful down the road, but they're not quite what I need for this part of the journey. I am a little worried that I won't have enough refutations because they aren't useful for this part, but I'll definitely still use them in primary research. Overall, I think today was very productive, and I feel much better about my Review of Literature.

2/3/2022

Doing the Moth story was super fun. I initially had difficulty coming up with a topic, but once I started listening to other people's stories, I came up with so many ideas I wanted to share in a Moth story. I had a lot of fun thinking up my story and then telling it, and now I want to go to an actual Moth event and do more of this. I've always been a storyteller, so I was right in my element here. It sort of reminded me of something I did at camp a few years ago. To get my Sky (the highest award) in Improv, I had to tell a story for five minutes, but none of it could be planned. I told the story of how I fell on a metallophone (a metal xylophone) in music class in fifth grade and had to get four stitches. I was super nervous, but people laughed, and I realized that I was actually funny. The same thing happened here. I've learned how to work an audience and how to get the laugh at the right time, while still telling a true story with no fabrications or exaggerations. It was really fun overall, and I'd love to do it again some time.