Holly Swinyard
Author, Games Writer, Journalist
A History of Fans and Fandom: Out Now!
Do you have a Google alert for you favourite band going on tour? Or maybe you have a pull list at your local comicbook shop? Or perhaps you’ve got a season ticket to your sports team of choice? That would make you a fan, whether you realise it or not, and there’s a lot more to fan culture than you might think.
In the 21st century pop culture is everywhere; you can’t move for a new superhero film or major franchise appearing in our lives and we love it. We’re just jumping into the media landscape headfirst in order to get more of our favs, track down spoilers and deep dive about plot lines on social media. It’s hard to deny fan culture as part of the world now, there’s a fandom for everyone, but what does that actually mean, and where did it come from?
From ancient times to modern media humans have shared their love for the stories that mean something to them and brought in others to be fans of them too. We’ve written ourselves in, made art of, and celebrated with others who love the same things as us all in the name of being a fan, even before the word fan existed. There’s a whole lot of who, where, what, when, why, how and huh to look into when it comes to fan culture.
From Shakespeare to Superman, Dickens to Daleks, and fanfiction to Frodo there is so much more to fandom than meets the eye. And a whole lot of references to pack in too.
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I’m A Fan of That!
Welcome to I'm a Fan of That Podcast! Where we talk about the wonderfully complicated worlds of fandom through the objects we love. Hosted by Holly Swinyard and Vivian Asimos.
From what the D20 tells us about storytelling in table top role playing games, to how Taylor Swift crafts her own narrative, to Love Island water bottles and the power of the celebrity, no fandom is off limits. We discuss the history, sociology and anthropology of our fandoms, and always have a bit of fun along the way.
An eclectic group of cosplayers travel to conventions around the world to share their knowledge and experiences with others while exploring their own origin stories.
Geek is not a bad word in the Cosplay Community. Here, it’s all about inclusion, finding yourself, and finding your tribe. Alter Egos is a six-part docuseries that follows a collection of Cosplayers, from professional veterans to up-and-comers across a variety of different conventions around the world.
Learn their origin stories as they explore what it takes to be a professional cosplayer and watch them transform from the ordinary to the extraordinary.
Project: Daydream
A new-weird queer audio adventure podcast. Veteran of Agent 4815 is joined by Newcomer Agent 0625 as they work for the clandestine government organisation "Project: Daydream", investigating the strange, the supernatural, and the unexplainable. But in dealing with secrets and less, is everything all it seems, just who can you trust?
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![Alter Egos Docuseries logo in pink with "Alter Egos World Premiere" written on a black background Holly Swinyard writer]()
Alter Egos Docu-Series
Geek is not a bad word in the Cosplay Community. Here, it’s all about inclusion, finding yourself, and finding your tribe. Alter Egos is a six-part docuseries that follows a collection of Cosplayers, from professional veterans to up-and-comers across a variety of different conventions around the world.
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A Guide to Cosplay
Do you find yourself sat at home wishing you could be in your favourite video game? Or dream of a time when you pretended you were Sailor Moon? Or do you want to embody your Dungeons and Dragons character for real? What’s holding you back? Maybe you need to introduced to cosplay!
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Journalism
Gaming, pop culture, fashion and more. Take a look at some of my journalist work.
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Games
TTRPGs, choose your own adventure, and boardgames.
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![Podcasting Holly Swinyard]()
Podcasts and Talks
Podcast hosting and guesting, in person talks, radio and TV appearances, and more!
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![Holly Swinyard Blog]()
Blog and Archive
Thoughts, opinions, discussion and blog archive from LilPrince Says.
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![The Cosplay Journal Holly Swinyard]()
The Cosplay Journal
The Cosplay Journal is a magazine focused on the art, craft and diversity of this exciting modern subculture and creative community.
New Review...
New Review...
“…Swinyard takes us through it with a very calming and relaxed way of writing that feels less like reading an academic paper or a simple retelling of history. Swinyard writes like you're sitting down with them and having a chat. It's very conversational, very chill, and it eases you into a book that you'd expect to be a heavy going examination of this global phenomena in a way that makes the topic that much easier to digest. Swinyard's writing might not be what everyone would expect, but I found it to be a great mixture of informative and friendly.”
“The Romans loved this merchandise, they were very innovative,” said Holly. “Although it goes back to the Greeks and the Romans, the idea of being a fan, although the word didn’t appear until it was used to describe those following a baseball team in Kansas City, goes back almost as long as humans…It’s not new, we’ve always felt that people or stories inspire us. On the one hand we have sports fans, but then, it was combined with celebrity and fandom seemed to become something else.”
- Interview at The Sunday Post
“This book also takes a look into the cultural and emotional connection that humans have with storytelling and popular culture in all its forms, as well as how we form bonds with each other and the world around us through them.
Offering an approachable look into a complex subject, accessible to those who have an understanding of fandom and pop culture on every level, the exclusive interviews are with creators, YouTube stars, pop culture journalists and podcasters, discussing their journeys through fandom and being fans themselves.