FANgirl at GeekGirlCon 2013

Last year when my panel at GeekGirlCon used the fairy tale archetypes of the princess and witch to explore the many great female characters of Star Wars, little did I know that Disney would step forward to bring the Galaxy Far Far Away into the future. At first I worried that without a magic ball to see into the future, a direction for a panel for this year’s con would prove challenging. There is a cyclical nature to the saga of Jedi and Sith, and I took that lesson into my proposal. The fandom has actually been in this position before, when the Prequel Trilogy brought Star Wars back to the movie theater. So why not, I thought, have some fabulous fangirls share their lessons learned from the past and point excited existing, returning, and new fans in the direction of the many ways to enjoy Star Wars!

Star Wars: More Than A Boys’ Franchise
Sunday, October 20, 2013 at 3 p.m.
Room 301/302

Star Wars has long been considered a boys’ franchise, even though women have been fans from the opening scroll in 1977. Now the perception is finally changing. New Star Wars stories – from comics and novels to television and feature films – offer exciting avenues for female fans to experience the galaxy far, far away. Sometimes the scope of the existing franchise, and even the number of websites about Star Wars, can seem daunting to newcomers. From cosplay to collecting to casual fandom, this panel will discuss the many opportunities for new and existing fans to enjoy Star Wars – and make new friendships along the way. Planned topics for the panel discussion include: what the new Lucasfilm movie team (Kennedy, Arndt, and Abrams) brings to the franchise, including credibility telling stories with impactful female characters; how The Clone Wars television series changed the landscape for female characters in Star Wars, and what to expect from future animated shows; the Princess Leia novel Razor’s Edge; and the popular Legacy comics series featuring Leia’s descendant Ania Solo.

If there is any breaking news, I’m sure the panelists will be ready and able to share everything we know, as well. Programming information for the convention is now available at the GeekGirlCon website. Check back next week to meet the panel.

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Tricia Barr took her understanding of brand management and marketing, mixed it with a love of genre storytelling, and added a dash of social media flare to create FANgirl Blog, where she discusses Star Wars, fandom, and strong female characters. She also writes about Star Wars for Random House’s science fiction and fantasy blog Suvudu.com and Star Wars Insider magazine and is a contributor for Her Universe’s Year of the Fangirl.

Tricia is putting the finishing touches on her first novel, Wynde – a military science fiction with a fantastical twist that features heroines Vespa and Gemini. For excerpts and tales of her adventures in creating a fictional universe, hop over to TriciaBarr.com.

For updates on all things FANgirl follow @FANgirlcantina on Twitter or like FANgirl Zone on Facebook. At times she tries the Tumblr.

Fangirl

Fangirl

Tricia Barr took her understanding of brand management and marketing, mixed it with a love of genre storytelling, and added a dash of social media flare to create FANgirl Blog, where she discusses Star Wars, fandom, and the intersection of women within Star Wars fandom. She is co-author of Ultimate Star Wars and Star Wars Visual Encyclopedia from DK Publishing, a featured writer for Star Wars Insider magazine with numerous articles on the Hero's Journey. Her FANgirl opinions can be heard on the podcasts Hyperspace Theories and Fangirls Going Rogue. Tricia Barr's novel, Wynde, won the 2014 Independent Publisher Book Award Gold Medal for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror Ebook. She was also part of Silence in the Library's successful all-female creator science fiction and fantasy anthology Athena's Daughters, which is available now. For excerpts and tales of her adventures in creating a fictional universe, hop over to TriciaBarr.com.