It is not uncommon for Glee fans to trade quips about all that fandom has taught them—especially regarding analytical reading and writing. Comments along the lines of “I learned more on Tumblr than in any of my English classes” speak to fans’ perceptions of the value of meta writing in particular. The richness of the fandom experience as it pertains to Glee-related meta reading and writing has much to do with the nature of the series itself, which relies heavily on visual shorthand, often-subtle allusion, and the intertextuality of song lyrics. Glee fandom—and its generally supportive community wherein knowledge is constructed and shared together—is another reason fans “write essays to each other for fun.” This presentation will consider the ways Glee meta writing is similar to and different from traditional academic composition as well as the ways Glee fans rigorously, and often playfully engage in knowledge-building together, with the end result being the establishment of a truly mentoring environment, where younger writers are encouraged dip their virtual toes into the water to engage in meta writing with the fandom at large.
This presentation is part of a panel, “ ‘The Show Must Go All Over the Place’: Glee and Offscreen Cultural Transformations.” Other presenters include Beth Downey, Emily Hamilton-Honey, and Connie Shih.
About the presenterSheryl Bundy
Sheryl Lyn Bundy is Associate Professor of Communication and Literature at Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, Illinois, where she also serves as Co-Director of the Speaking & Writing Center. She has presented at the Two-Year College Association and the National Council of Teachers of English conferences on the subjects of collaborative teaching in the First Year Composition classroom as well as on department-wide methods for the assessment of student writing. She holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from American University in Washington, D.C. Her forthcoming essay, “Doppelgängers in Lima: Glee, Gendered Sexuality and Divided Selves,” will appear in the collection, Queer in the Choir Room: Essays on Gender and Sexuality in Glee.