There are 365 days in every year (366 every four years), but unfortunately, not every day can be a holiday. Except… it is. Somewhere in the world, there is something to celebrate every day. Only looking at holidays “observed in the United States” (meaning observances recognized by the U.S. government, including nonreligious events), there are a myriad of days that you likely have not heard of. Jan. 13 is Stephen Foster Memorial Day (Stephen Foster was an American songwriter). March 25 is Maryland Day, celebrated in, wouldn’t you know it, Maryland. May 1st is… Loyalty Day? Also, Law Day. They seem to be the same thing: a day dedicated to reaffirming nationalist sentiment. Dec. 17 is both Wright Brothers Day and Pan American Aviation Day (not to be confused with National Aviation Day, which falls on Aug. 19). There are so many holidays that tend to pass by uneventfully because there are so niche, but I would like to draw attention to one day that just passed: Feb. 15, International Fanworks Day.
What is International Fanworks Day? It was created by The Organization for Transformative Works (the creators of Archive Of Our Own, one of the largest hosts for fanfiction) in 2015 to celebrate fanworks: those creations inspired by preexisting properties.
Even if you have not created a fanwork, chances are you know someone who does. That’s because people are naturally inspired by creative works that they like. However, those creations are not protected by the law. Writer Kristina Butke in a blog post for the Seton Hill University Writing Popular Fiction program, Yes, fanworks are illegal: harsh truths about copyright & Fair Use, explains the fine details of how it works legally, but her conclusion is a warning to fans: Don’t try to fight copyright holders if they make a claim. Big corporations, like Disney, have an army of lawyers. You (in all probability) don’t. So don’t choose that battle to fight.
Except… That doesn’t seem right, does it? Luckily, most fanwork creators are never confronted in this way, and there are some authors that support fanworks. There are others, on the other hand, that are vehemently opposed to it, like George R.R. Martin. There are others, who, while they don’t personally have a problem with fanworks, their publishers, agents or licensees do (there are many people who surround an author’s work), so the author takes their side, like Ursula le Guin. The Organization for Transformative Works maintains a list of authors’ statements about fanworks, on their Fanlore Wiki.
Authors have every right to oppose fanworks, but there are many who appear to not understand the concept, and confusion can lead to fear.
Regardless of your opinion, there is one thing that is true about all fanworks: They are created from a close reading of the source. As college students, isn’t close reading exactly what we’re told to do?
Writer Kristina Butke, who began writing by writing fanfiction, gives a passionate defense of fanworks within her advisory: “Fanfiction is amazing because it allows you to be experimental in safe parameters, and indeed write things you never thought your brain could pump out. Fanfiction is a great way to learn to write, and a great way to learn about directly connecting to an audience and fulfilling their needs, which is key if you want to break out into commercial fiction. Fanfiction communities can provide great support and direct feedback. And above all else, fanfiction is incredibly fun…”
So if you value fan creativity, what can you do? First, you can engage with fanwork creators. Second, you can spread the word on what fanworks are. Third, you can support The Organization for Transformative Works, which seeks to provide access to and protect the history of fan cultures, which are often rooted in socially marginalized communities (for instance, the first fanzine was dedicated to gay shipping, the romantic pairing of two character, James Kirk and Spock from Star Trek). Finally, don’t stop creating! Fanworks are an excellent testing ground for one’s skills, and all forms of creation can be valuable in one’s mental health.
