“Geeks on a Mission” is a new Anomalous Musings blog series. Every week, I’ll introduce you to another intriguing blog or podcast. Be sure to check these geeks out!

Her Story Arc. They’re Geeks on a Mission…

Her Story ArcToday, I’m talking to Lindsey from Her Story Arc. I first learned about Her Story Arc, when Lindsey ReTweeted one of our episode announcements on Twitter. I clicked on her profile and discovered a web site devoted to promoting women and girls in media. It’s a very cool web site. Check it out and subscribe!

When did you start Her Story Arc?

Her Story Arc started out as my personal blog, under a different name, back in March 2014. After a few months of flying solo I wasn’t satisfied it. I felt like I was talking to a brick wall; no one was listening. Instead, I wanted to create a platform for multiple women to write from, and to lend an air of authenticity to our writing that would get people’s attention. So one evening last June I was sitting in my Marketing class (part of the University of St. Thomas Evening MBA program) and learning about branding. Inspired by the class discussion, I ended up writing down a list of words I felt embodied the spirit of my idea. When I put together “Her Story” and “Story Arc” side by side, I knew this was it. This was a name I could rally behind. When I got home that night I registered the domain name and the rest is history.

What is your mission? Why did you start it?

Her Story Arc is dedicated to finding and praising honest and progressive stories of women and girls in the media. I came up with the idea after getting depressed with all the negative content getting recycled through the feminist section of the internet. Don’t get me wrong – there are a lot of things to be mad about, and I still get mad about those things, but there isn’t nearly enough celebration! There are a lot of people out there doing really good work and creating the kind of content we are so thirsty for. We need to help them rise to the top. We can lead by example, voting with our time, words and dollars, to really show investors out there that what we want is both good for our culture and good for their pocketbooks.

Tell us a little about your geek history. Did you grow up geek or did you come to it late in life?

I grew up geek for sure. I kept my nose buried in library books, amassed quite a large collection of figurines, and stayed up late into night more than once watching Sailor Moon VHS tapes. I even wrote a short Batman play when I was in the 4th grade (after falling in love with Poison Ivy in the Batman & Robin movie).

Who’s your favorite author?

This is a tough one, but it has to be Anne McCaffrey. I know this must be true because I have more books by her than any other author on my bookshelf. This is saying a lot because I only buy print books I know I’ll read two or more times.

Got a favorite genre?

I love mashups of multiple genres, so I guess you could say I sit firmly under the “speculative fiction” umbrella.

Is the Doctor the reason Bill Murray’s character in Groundhog Day lived the same day over and over again?

If he is, then the Doctor is also responsible for Xena reliving the day over and over again in the Xena: Warrior Princess episode “Been There, Done That”. By the way, you know about the #XenaMovieNow campaign right? Help us spread the word!

Who do you think has a Dungeons and Dragons group on board Battlestar Galactica while everyone else is playing poker or dying?

Um… How do I put this delicately? I’ve never, um…. I’ve never actually watched Battlestar Galactica. It’s on my to-do list! Please don’t hurt me!

If you could gender swap one sci fi character who would it be and why?

I would gender swap F’lar, one of the main protagonists in Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern books, because I would love to see more women of Pern in places of power. Anne McCaffrey’s writing is brilliant, but the gender politics of the time period she wrote in are very much reflected in the pages. If F’lar was a woman it would give the first three books a different feel. Can you imagine if a female F’lar coupled with Lessa? If a female F’lar fought Fax to the death? It would change the tone of the story completely.

How often do you release your podcast?

The first handful of podcasts we did had a bit of a learning curve, but now that we’ve got our format, equipment, and hosts down we plan to make this a monthly affair.

Where can people find your podcast?

Currently the best place is on our website, but we will be on iTunes very soon!

Thanks for the interview, Lindsey! Now go watch some Battlestar Galactica! ;)

About the Author

Jen
JenCo-Host / Anomaly
Jen teaches her 4-year-old son nerd basics, like the difference between droids and robots. Not the same thing people… NOT the same.