The thing about studying journalism — which is a thing I did as an undergraduate — is that studying journalism gives an average young lady the opportunity to speak to some really famous people. During my final year of college, I even got to interview the lead singer of a band I really liked (Cartel, if you were curious).
So I thought that I was immune to the sensation of feeling starstruck — which is, according to the dictionary, “feeling or showing great interest in and admiration for famous people.”
I’m sure you can see where this is going.
In the fall, a friend asked if I wanted to go to Chessie Con with her, which is a fantasy convention that takes place outside Baltimore each year. Both of us were especially excited to see Tamora Pierce at the event because, as I’ve mentioned before, she’s one of the authors who’s influenced me the most, both as a writer and as a person.
We headed to our first panel (on new LGBT science fiction and fantasy books to check out) only for my childhood idol to walk in the door and sit more or less across the aisle. After we sat through the panel that she was actually speaking on, my friend suggested that we go up and speak to her.
“No,” I told her.
She was kind of surprised, and like a reasonable human with any degree of curiosity, she asked me why, to which I responded, “Because I would want to tell her how much her books mean to me and–”
At which point I actually burst into tears.
This was a bit of a roundabout way to say that this month is our Starstruck Issue. June is a huge month for stars, anyway: blockbuster movies, major conventions and conferences, and the spring semester’s completion meaning everyone has a lot more time to check out that kind of stuff, anyway.
This month, we’ll have stars of every kind in the issue: the kind in outer space as we read this month’s book club selection; stars of graphic novel and web comic writing; the “stars” of video gaming at the annual E3 conference; and even the symbolism of a single star insignia.
We’re excited for you to join us this month as we explore the stars.
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Feliza Casano founded Girls in Capes more than two years ago. Now, she edits and writes for all sections of the site, and she’s the one behind GiC’s Facebook and Twitter. Follow her on Twitter @FelizaCasano.
Totally understand this feeling. I got to meet Norton Juster, author of The Phantom Tollbooth, over the weekend, and after he signed my book, I walked away and immediately started crying. It’s jarring how much a stranger can mean to you just because they created something that touched your heart.
Our feels are as one.
Really, though, that’s so true. I think that’s why I have so much of a stronger reaction to authors than actors or whatever. I’m so much more emotionally touched by thought, and writing’s a really vulnerable kind of thing.