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September 15, 2024

Dr. Hiroko Inose is currently working as a senior lecturer in the Japanese department at the Dalarna University (Sweden), where she teaches courses on Japanese-English translation and Japanese popular culture. Her main research interest includes translation of culture, literary translation, and translation of works of popular culture (especially manga). The language combination she mainly works with include Japanese-English and Japanese-Spanish. Website (Dalarna University) https://www.du.se/en/profile-page/?userId=1998841069...

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September 15, 2024

Kyoko M is a USA Today bestselling author and a fangirl. She is the author of The Black Parade urban fantasy series and the Of Cinder and Bone science-fiction series. The Black Parade has been reviewed by Publishers Weekly and New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews. Of Cinder and Bone placed in the Top 30 Books in Hugh Howey's 2021 Self Published Science Fiction Contest. Kyoko M has appeared as a guest and panelist at such conventions as Geek Girl Con, DragonCon, Blacktasticon, Momocon, JordanCon, ConCarolinas, and MultiverseCon. She is also a contributor to Marvel Comics' Black Panther: Tales of Wakanda (2021) anthology as well as the Captain America: The Shield of Sam Wilson (2024) anthology. She has a Bachelor...

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September 15, 2024

Renato Rivera Rusca is a writer, researcher, and producer, focused on Japanese popular culture and its relationship to society. He is a graduate of Japanese Studies from Stirling University in Scotland and has conducted postgraduate sociology research in Osaka University and Kyoto University. He has participated in many academic projects involving the Kyoto International Manga Museum since its inception, having lectured at the Manga Faculty at Kyoto Seika University, Meiji University, Waseda University, Senshu University, and many more. In 2018 he was involved in a regional economic revitalization plan for the region of Takahashi in Okayama, which used animation education and production as its central driver. He is currently an Adjunct Lecturer at Meiji University, Rikkyo University, Seijo University, and Okayama University;...

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September 15, 2024

Jindong Liu (Publication name: Jindong Leo-Liu) is an assistant professor in new media and social media at the Education University of Hong Kong. His research interests include human-machine communication, critical and cultural studies, mediated intimacy, AI companions, VR/AR/Metaverse, and Asian pop culture.  ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5456-0148...

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September 15, 2024

Self-proclaimed nerd and licensed psychotherapist, Charlene MacPherson uses nerd culture to create a safe and fun environment to explore the therapy process. She's also a mother, wife, podcaster, and owner of Nerd Adventure Therapy 20 (NAT20). Charlene's been playing Role Playing games for 20 years and Game Mastering for 8 years. She's been in the mental health field as a Licensed Certified Social Worker- Clinical for 15 years. Charlene offers Therapeutically Applied Role Playing Game social skills therapy groups for teens age 13-16 and adults age 25 and up as a part of her therapy services in Linthicum, Maryland. She's a certified Therapeutic Game Master in the Game to Grow method of TTRPG therapy and by Geek Therapeutics.  And she has a...

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September 15, 2024

Daniel Hand is a British author, historian, game designer and therapeutic counselor in private practice.  His fiction has appeared in venues such as 'Swords & Sorcery Magazine', 'Myriad Lands', and 'Tales of Ruma'; his latest book is 'Role-Playing Games in Psychotherapy: A Practitioner's Guide' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023).  To find out more, visit www.monomythcounselling.co.uk, or you can join him (and some of his friends) on YouTube @RPGTherapist and @InternationalWritersFellowship...

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September 15, 2024

Liudmila Bredikhina is a Ph.D. candidate at SETU, School of Humanities. She is researching male kawaī and gender practices in Japan. Through virtual ethnographic fieldwork, feminist perspectives and masculinity studies, she interrogates men’s discursive practices surrounding cuteness and investigates how they harness the virtual space to perform ‘other’ identities. Although she is affiliated with SETU since 2024, she is presenting as an independent researcher. Links: https://setu.academia.edu/LiudmilaBredikhina https://twitter.com/BredikhinaL...

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September 15, 2024

Ilker Bahar is a PhD candidate in Media and Cultural Studies at the University of Amsterdam. Currently, he is conducting a digital ethnography in the VRChat platform examining how VR and immersive technologies are transforming identity, intimacy, and sexuality. His research interests include, body, gender and sexuality, queer theory, mediated forms of intimacy, internet cultures, and inclusion & diversity in online spaces. Links: https://uva.academia.edu/IlkerBahar...

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September 15, 2024

Dr. Elizaebth Sanchez Arvizu founded Psychology for Geeks, a non-profit organization combining geek culture and mental health. We aim to reduce the stigma placed on mental health and geek culture by creating a safe space for all of us to geek out and learn fun ways to take care of our mental health. You can join the community on our socials: @psych4geeks website: psychologyforgeeks.com, or discord: https://discord.gg/skyh6KkcWz. ...

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November 2, 2023

Kathryn Hemmann is a Lecturer of Japanese Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Their research on social issues in popular media has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Games and Culture and Transformative Works and Cultures, as well as academic essay collections such as Woke Gaming and Gender and Contemporary Horror. Their 2020 monograph, Manga Cultures and the Female Gaze, traces the influence of manga on contemporary North American comics. Kathryn has contributed essays and book reviews to online magazines such as Women Write About Comics, Unwinnable, and Cosmic Double, and their fiction and comics have appeared in numerous venues, including fandom anthologies and self-published zines. They run a blog at DigitalFantasyDiary.com , and they tweet @kathrynthehuman ....

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