by Cooper West | Apr 20, 2016 | Editorial
As an author and a librarian, I love Wikipedia, and I use it for research all the time. That surprises people a lot, who think that as both an author and a librarian, I should be “better than that.” I’m not better than that, though, because Wikipedia...
by Cooper West | Apr 13, 2016 | Editorial
I don’t think anything brings pain to a librarian’s heart as much as losing a library. Collectively, we still raise our glasses in tearful memorial to the ancient world’s Library of Alexandria, but that is hardly the only “lost library”...
by Cooper West | Apr 28, 2014 | Editorial, Writing
One of the more powerful tools in an author’s arsenal is the act of finding your niche. What fandom has taught me about this, though, is that it is not defined the way most people think it is. For instance, a particular fandom might be considered a niche,...
by Cooper West | Feb 27, 2014 | Editorial
Part one was about how a fan’s popularity in a fandom is usually tied to how much they invest themselves into the community, without expecting a return on that outside of their own enjoyment of being a fan. Here in part two, I’m going to talk about why...
by Cooper West | Jan 5, 2014 | Editorial, Writing
Most of us don’t think too much about “being popular” once we are out of college — or even out of high school, for the more enlightened of us (can’t say I was one of those). Maybe this is why highschool!AUs hit so hard with people,...
by Cooper West | Dec 28, 2013 | Editorial
We are told by motivational speakers to “be yourself, live your passion.” Which sounds appealing, until the eviction notice hits your door because your passion is staying up late dancing at the clubs (not quite a true story, but let’s just say my...
