>Actually the genre of fan fiction you are refering to is know as K/S >or slash. Frequently, the writers of slash aren't lesbians, but the >stories to feature sex between kirk and spock. You should check out >Constance Penley's essay in Cultural Studies (edited by L. >Grossberg). Or if you are more interested in the participatory >culture aspect of all this check Henry Jenkins work in Close >Encounters (ed by Penley et al.) Thanks for the citations. Actually, the Jenkins article is very problematic--I don't think he very accurately represents what slash fanzines are like. I would suggest that one read one before reading the Jenkins piece (I wonder if he has...). As for the Penley article, it is very good. Indeed, it offers a fairly sophisticated analysis of the genre, both from a political standpoint and from a sociological one. Us usual for Penley, however, her use of psychoanalytic (Freud & Lacan) theoretical structures--her implicit acceptance of the political-theoretical implications of such discursive frameworks--hampers her analysis. Still, it is the best thing in print on K/S fanzines (with some interesting commentary on Feminism and pornography as well). The two cited books are: Penley, Constance. "Feminism, Psychoanalysis, and the Study of Popular Culture." 479-494 in Grossberg, Nelson, and Treichler, _Cultural_Studies_. New York: Routledge, 1992. Jenkins, Henry III. "Star Trek Rerun, Reread, Rewritten: Fan Writing as Textual Poaching." 171-204 in Penley, Constance et al., ed. Close Encounters: Film, Feminism, and Science Fiction. Minneapolis: U of MN Press, 1991. Penley also cites Joanna Russ ("Pornography by Women, for Women, with Love" 1985) and Patricia Frazer Lamb and Diana Veith ("Romantic Myth, Transcendence, and _Star_Trek_ Zines" in _Erotic_Universe_ 1986). I certainly hope we can continue this thread--thanks to Ms MacDonald and to Mr. Bunster (who originally mentioned strekzines! bye, Elrod Ax. Williams College. [log in to unmask] a.k.a. Jeremiah (Jem) Borenstein Chaim Axelrod AOL Elrod Ax / JeremiahA2 GEnie JAxelrod2 USMail Jem Axelrod 63 North St. Williamstown MA 01267 U.S.A. MaBell 413 458.9508