Fangirling with Sam Maggs

Calgary’s Comic Expo is ready for its 11^th year of action and there will be tons of amazing people and things to check out. One event that I think everyone should go to is the Expo’s collab with Wordfest featuring the ultimate lady nerd author, Sam Maggs. Her book, The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy, is an amazing tutorial to help all girl geeks enjoy and experience geek culture.

I feel like this book was totally written for me! I’m a bit of a closet geek when it comes to nerdy things. I consider myself a bit like Penny on Big Bang Theory – not the full-on nerd like the rest of the guys but grudgingly accepting of how fun being a nerd can be. I’ve been the biggest Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan since day one and I have an unusual compulsion to watch Avengers movies on repeat. I often wonder if I am I nerdy enough to love comics and more! So this Guide not only condones it, but celebrates nerdy women to the fullest.

Sam has a ton of geek cred to her name, including being named “Awesome Geek Feminist of the Year” by Women Write About Comics. Building positive online communities for women to be able to fangirl is just one of the areas that Sam covers in her book. It also includes explanations of the various fandoms in the nerdverse (seriously, Star Wars vs. Star Trek, say what!) as well as interviews with women in nerd culture. The celebration of geeks has been on an upward trend since the days of Napoleon Dynamite. Being a fanboy of an obsession-worthy world is a totally cool thing so why shouldn’t it be the same for women? I fully support Sam’s cause to bring out all the fangirls in all of us.

The Wordfest event with Sam Maggs will be held on Wednesday, April 27 at 7pm at the Dutton Theatre in the Calgary Public Library. Tickets are $25 and can be ordered online. Copies of the book will be available for sale after the q&a.