Well Leakies, yesterday was yet another wonderful day at LeakyCon 2012. We attended panels, gave a panel of our own, and basked in the general glory of the Harry Potter fandom.
Among the many awesome events that happened, we started out at the Fandom on YouTube panel with Alex Carpenter, Hank Green, Kristina Horner, and Jason Munday. The well-known YouTubers discussed their favorite fandoms, shared some of their most embarrassing fan moments, and had a short fan Q&A. Both Hank and Kristina noted that they really stumbled on certain fandoms (Harry Potter and My Little Pony, respectively). Reminiscent of his recent interview with LeakyNews, Alex discussed that the Harry Potter fandom and Nerdfighters seem to be incredibly accepting of other fandoms, explainging that it is “cool that we’re able to expand our love.” Among some of the most interesting fan moments: a fan once asked Jason Munday if they could lick his sideburns. It happened. All four YouTubers agreed that their success on YouTube has led to great opportunities and projects.
In Living the Luna Way, Andrew Slack, Devin Lytle, and Evanna Lynch discussed the inspiration they found in Luna Lovegood, and are beginning a new project with the HPA under the same name. You can learn more about this project at lovegood.org.
A memorable panel from yesterday’s LeakyCon Lit was Girl Books and Boy Books with Maureen Johnson, Lev Grossman, Stephanie Perkins, Robin Wasserman, Megan Whalen Turner, and John Green. The authors covered the idea of girl books versus boy books and why that binary exists. Megan Whalen Turner pointed out that this concept “has nothing to do with the sex of the main character,” but rather the subject matter: introspective books versus adventures. Nearly all the authors agreed that a large issue is marketing, while Stephanie Perkins noting that much of the marketing panders to those adults who teach children. Another problem is the large bias to the majority of young readers being female, which often leads to the assumption that boys do not read at all. Megan explained “when we assume that boys don’t read, we are telling boys that they don’t read.” The panel concluded that this issue is damaging and problematic, but the solution is complicated.
And finally, we attended The Lizzie Bennet Diaries: Modern Fandom and Books on Screen, featuring Ashley Clements (Lizzie), Mary Kate Wiles (Lydia), Laura Spencer (Jane), Julia Cho (Charlotte), Bernie Su, Hank Green, and moderator Kristina Horner. The panel discussed the modernization of the story, establishing video blogging skills, and what to expect in the future. We got a sneak peek at the actor cast as Wickham (we can confirm that he has a set of incredible abdominal muscles), and a quick scene of Lydia teaching Mr. Collins how to vlog like Lizzie.
After the panels were over, LeakyCon descended on the second rock concert. Among the amazing performances by Gred and Forge, Lauren Fairweather, Alex Carpenter, The Whomping Willows, Hank Green, and Harry and the Potters, we are also excited to report that LeakyNews editor Brad Ausrotas successfully proposed to girlfriend Amanda Rumm! Congratulations Brad and Amanda! We will attend AVPSY today but just to prepare you: there will be no spoilers! So you can rest assured that the show will remain under wraps. Stay close to LeakyNews for more from LeakyCon, and be sure to check out our YouTube channel!
