Tanya

Tanya Cook is a sociology professor, self-described Geek Mom of three little geeks, and writer. In addition to teaching sociology full-time at the Community College of Aurora near Denver, CO, she researches and writes about the sociology of motherhood, childbirth, popular culture and fandom. Cook’s current research project is a collaboration with Kaela Joseph called “Always Keep (Nerd) Fighting: Fandoms As Social Movements.” This project draws on sociological theory to investigate charitable action emerging from various scifi and fantasy fandoms such as the Supernatural Fandom’s “You Are Not Alone” campaign for mental health awareness, the Xena: Warrior Princess fandom’s fundraising for the Starship Foundation, the Harry Potter Alliance, and Nerdfighteria’s Project For Awesome.