About The Maven Herself
maven /ˈmeɪv(ə)n/ noun, informal: an expert or connoisseur
Welcome, one and all! I’m the Doctor. But Doctor Who?
My name is Emma, or as some know me, Doctor Em, and I’m a professional geek. I keep myself busy with a number of geeky pursuits. Here’s just some of what I do: I co-host and write for the Whatcha Show (a pop-culture podcast); I have a doctorate in transmedia storytelling; I work with a talented group of fans who promote, host and finance science-fiction conventions; I consult on a variety of creative projects; and, I teach university students about media and communications.
I was a child of the 80s, which meant two things: one, rocking a side pony-tail like no-ones business (thankfully, there is no digital evidence of this); and, two, watching an obscene amount of fantasy films, like Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal and The Never Ending Story. I also watched a lot of science fiction/action films, like Star Wars, Back to The Future, Predator and Alien (those last two were my Dad’s fault and I thank him for it).
As I got older, I soon discovered that whilst watching 80s sci-fi adventure films in my youth was perfectly acceptable, continuing the habit into adult-hood was simply not what young women did . This curious denial of the grown geek-girl has become a recurrent theme throughout my life and I dare say, throughout the lives of countless other geek-girls. Of course, this only intensified my determination to geek out HARD.
Today, I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by an entire community of amazing geeks, one of whom with I even live out my Bowie-Labyrinth fantasy. Ok, maybe not, but we do cohabit in peaceful geeky bliss and he doesn’t talk through the funny bits in Alien.
The rest, as they say, is history. From humble beginnings I now live and breathe geek. This site is a testament to my unyielding geek spirit and a tribute to my fellow geek-girls. Boys, feel free to join in, but this one goes out to all the ladies in the house.
From the Maven herself: be kind, geek out and pat cats often.
About the Geek Maven Site
The aim of this blog is simple: to provide a space that caters to geeks as girls. Geek culture still typically caters to men and boys. Women and girls tend to occupy one of two roles: one, the convenient geek (i.e. the girl or woman who happens to like the same things that have traditionally been marketed to boys and men); or, the novelty geek (i.e. the mythical “other”, the rare “girl geek” who marketers try to sell to by turning women into a niche class). My aim is to use this site as a space where women can just be geeks, whatever that means for them.
Most people I know have been supportive co-conspirators in creating a friendly, diverse and welcoming environment for geeks of all genders. Now that I work in the media industry and have successfully insinuated myself in the local geek scene, I feel that I have a responsibility to provide a space and a voice for my fellow fan-girls. My hope is that we can use this space to share stories, celebrate our idols and express ourselves creatively. I’m not 100% sure how this will work, but I imagine that the site will evolve organically over time based on the needs and desires of our community.
Girl geeks also need more role models. Growing up, I lacked encouragement to pursue geeky interests and knew little of where to find like-minded folk (this was pre-internet, people). Perhaps it’s the teacher in me, but I want to encourage and facilitate sharing of wonderful things. At the very least I can share my passion with you and provide you with a supportive outlet for indulging in yours.