This book presents an ethnographic and discourse analytic study of a highly popular online fan fiction writing space. Its analyses highlight the range of sophisticated literacy practices that English language learning youth engage in through their fan-related activities. Discussion also centers on how opportunities for language socialization, literacy, and identity development converge and diverge between academic settings and informal learning contexts such as fan fiction sites.

The Author: Rebecca W. Black is Assistant Professor in the Department of Education at the University of California, Irvine. Her research centers on the literacy and socialization practices of adolescents from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds who are writing and participating in online, popular culture-inspired environments.