Details of talks given by Holly Rose Swinyard
Holly Swinyard is a pop culture and games writer with a love for telling stories both real and fictional. They have worked on many gaming projects including board games, chose your own adventure RPGs, table-top roleplaying and, most recently, indie video games. On top of this have written for multiple national publications including PLAY magazine, The Guardian and Marvel UK, as well as having worked with the BBC and Channel 4 discussing pop-culture, costume and gender. As co-host of podcast I’m A Fan of That they deep dive into the wonderful world of fandom and what pop culture really means to us, and have written and acted in the critically acclaimed Ray Gunn and Starburst as well as the up and coming series Project: Daydream. Outside of writing, Holly works as freelance LGBTQIA+ educator with charities, schools and businesses, as well as being an all-round pop culture enthusiast volunteering at comic cons, running cosplay events and competing in national and international cosplay competitions (yes that is a thing). Their new book, A History of Fans and Fandom: The Passion and Power of Fan Culture was published by Pen and Sword in Spring 2024.