Kim Wilkins - Böcker

Young adult fantasy (YA fantasy) brings together two established genres - young adult fiction and fantasy fiction - and in so doing amplifies, energises, and leverages the textual, social, and industrial practices of the two genres: combining the fantastic with adolescent concerns; engaging passionate online fandoms; proliferating quickly into series and related works. By considering the texts alongside the way they are circulated and marketed, this Element aims to show that the YA fantasy genre is a dynamic formation that takes shape and reshapes itself responsively in a continuing process over time.

While the term 'bestseller' explicitly relates books to sales, commercially successful books are also products of individual creative work. This Element presents a new perspective on the relationship between art and the market, with particular reference to bestselling writers and books. We examine some existing perspectives on art's relationship to the marketplace to trouble persistent binaries that see the two in opposition; we break down the monolith of the marketplace by thinking of it as made up of a range of invested, non-hostile participants such as publishing personnel and readers; we articulate the material dimensions of creative writing in the industry through the words of bestselling writers themselves; and we examine how the existence of bestselling books and writers in the world of letters bears enormous influence on the industry, and on the practice of other writers.

In the 21st century, the rapid advance of technology and the existential threat of climate breakdown mean the real world increasingly resembles something out of fiction, filled with ambiguity and uncertainty. Such challenges need imaginative, creative solutions. To find them, teams of experts must pool their knowledge, make new connections, and forge paths forward.In Story Thinking, award-winning authors Helen Marshall, Kim Wilkins, and Lisa Bennett show how the principles of science fiction and fantasy writing – which speculate about and imagine different futures, people, and worlds - can enrich research in such areas as government policy, technology innovation, and healthcare within universities and various industries. When transferred to research, story thinking as a method can help to build teams with a shared sense of purpose, offer new patterns of thought for improvisation, rapid perspective shifts, worldbuilding, pleasure and playfulness. Split into two parts - conceptualizing story thinking and story thinking as it has been employed in the field - Marshall, Wilkins and Bennett bring together theories of creativity from business, psychology, futures studies, gaming, and medicine among others, with 4 key practices from SFF storytelling – envisioning, engaging, inhabiting, and empathizing. They then provide practical tools for collaborative problem solving alongside case studies of their own successful applications of Story Thinking in various fields, including defense innovation and future scenario modelling with world governments; developing empathy and enhancing well-being in medical education; designing gaming and simulation tools for researchers; and futureproofing digital identity technologies with the UNHCR, the agency responsible for protecting and aiding refugeesShowing how writing can be adapted for new and exciting contexts, Story Thinking bridges the gap between the humanities and outside fields and lays the foundations for more creative approaches that more deeply engage in the process of making a better future.

In the 21st century, the rapid advance of technology and the existential threat of climate breakdown mean the real world increasingly resembles something out of fiction, filled with ambiguity and uncertainty. Such challenges need imaginative, creative solutions. To find them, teams of experts must pool their knowledge, make new connections, and forge paths forward.In Story Thinking, award-winning authors Helen Marshall, Kim Wilkins, and Lisa Bennett show how the principles of science fiction and fantasy writing – which speculate about and imagine different futures, people, and worlds - can enrich research in such areas as government policy, technology innovation, and healthcare within universities and various industries. When transferred to research, story thinking as a method can help to build teams with a shared sense of purpose, offer new patterns of thought for improvisation, rapid perspective shifts, worldbuilding, pleasure and playfulness. Split into two parts - conceptualizing story thinking and story thinking as it has been employed in the field - Marshall, Wilkins and Bennett bring together theories of creativity from business, psychology, futures studies, gaming, and medicine among others, with 4 key practices from SFF storytelling – envisioning, engaging, inhabiting, and empathizing. They then provide practical tools for collaborative problem solving alongside case studies of their own successful applications of Story Thinking in various fields, including defense innovation and future scenario modelling with world governments; developing empathy and enhancing well-being in medical education; designing gaming and simulation tools for researchers; and futureproofing digital identity technologies with the UNHCR, the agency responsible for protecting and aiding refugeesShowing how writing can be adapted for new and exciting contexts, Story Thinking bridges the gap between the humanities and outside fields and lays the foundations for more creative approaches that more deeply engage in the process of making a better future.

ReFocus: The Films of Spike Jonze is the first collection of essays on this important and original contemporary filmmaker. It looks at his ground-breaking work in both features and short forms, exploring the impact of his filmmaking across a range of philosophical and cultural discussions.Each of Jonze’s feature films, from Being John Malkovich (1999) to Her (2013), is discussed at length, focusing on issues of authorship, narration, genre and adaptation. As well as the textual aspects of Jonze’s feature films, the contributors consider his work in music videos and shorts – investigating his position as a filmmaker on the blurred boundaries between studio and independent modes of production.

ReFocus: The Films of Spike Jonze is the first collection of essays on this important and original contemporary filmmaker. It looks at his ground-breaking work in both features and short forms, exploring the impact of his filmmaking across a range of philosophical and cultural discussions. Each of Jonze’s feature films, from Being John Malkovich (1999) to Her (2013), is discussed at length, focusing on issues of authorship, narration, genre and adaptation. As well as the textual aspects of Jonze’s feature films, the contributors consider his work in music videos and shorts – investigating his position as a filmmaker on the blurred boundaries between studio and independent modes of production.

The first edited collection of critical essays on American filmmaker Richard LinklaterAnalyses both Linklater's celebrated and understudied work in dialogue with ongoing debates in film studiesConsiders the impact of Linklater's oeuvre in industrial and cultural contexts, with a focus on gender, identity politics, American politics, and animal rightsConnects Linklater to relevant American political and cultural events and institutionsRichard Linklater is a popular American filmmaker who is widely celebrated for the breadth of his oeuvre. Over the past three decades, Linklater has directed more than twenty features, ranging from non-linear independent films to Hollywood genre entertainment. Despite the popularity of Linklater's rich and varied body of work and perhaps also because of this generic diversity he remains under-represented in critical and scholarly fora.ReFocus: The Films of Richard Linklater addresses this oversight, bringing together twelve original essays attending to Linklater as a filmmaker whose work engages with contemporary debates in American politics, gender, youth, and activism as well as significant concepts in film studies, including time and duration, rhythm, and movement. Together these essays form a dialogue on Linklater's ongoing role in contemporary American popular culture, and the impact his work has on discussions within (and beyond) film studies.

Richard Linklater is a popular American filmmaker who is widely celebrated for the breadth of his oeuvre. Over the past three decades, Linklater has directed more than twenty features, ranging from non-linear independent films to Hollywood genre entertainment. Despite the popularity of Linklater's rich and varied body of work and perhaps also because of this generic diversity he remains under-represented in critical and scholarly fora.ReFocus: The Films of Richard Linklater addresses this oversight, bringing together twelve original essays attending to Linklater as a filmmaker whose work engages with contemporary debates in American politics, gender, youth, and activism as well as significant concepts in film studies, including time and duration, rhythm, and movement. Together these essays form a dialogue on Linklater's ongoing role in contemporary American popular culture, and the impact his work has on discussions within (and beyond) film studies.

Since the late 1990s a new language has emerged in film scholarship and criticism in response to the popularity of American directors such as Wes Anderson, Charlie Kaufman, and David O. Russell. Increasingly, adjectives like ‘quirky’, ‘cute’, and ‘smart’ are used to describe these American films, with a focus on their ironic (and sometimes deliberately comical) stories, character situations and tones. Kim Wilkins argues that, beyond the seemingly superficial descriptions, ‘American eccentric cinema’ presents a formal and thematic eccentricity that is distinct to the American context. She distinguishes these films from mainstream Hollywood cinema as they exhibit irregularities in characterization, tone, and setting, and deviate from established generic conventions. Each chapter builds a case for this position through detailed film analyses and comparisons to earlier American traditions, such as the New Hollywood cinema of the 1960s and 1970s. American Eccentric Cinema promises to challenge the notion of irony in American contemporary cinema, and questions the relationship of irony to a complex national and individual identity.

Since the late 1990s a new language has emerged in film scholarship and criticism in response to the popularity of American directors such as Wes Anderson, Charlie Kaufman, and David O. Russell. Increasingly, adjectives like ‘quirky’, ‘cute’, and ‘smart’ are used to describe these American films, with a focus on their ironic (and sometimes deliberately comical) stories, character situations and tones. Kim Wilkins argues that, beyond the seemingly superficial descriptions, ‘American eccentric cinema’ presents a formal and thematic eccentricity that is distinct to the American context. She distinguishes these films from mainstream Hollywood cinema as they exhibit irregularities in characterization, tone, and setting, and deviate from established generic conventions. Each chapter builds a case for this position through detailed film analyses and comparisons to earlier American traditions, such as the New Hollywood cinema of the 1960s and 1970s. American Eccentric Cinema promises to challenge the notion of irony in American contemporary cinema, and questions the relationship of irony to a complex national and individual identity.

Works of genre fiction are a source of enjoyment, read during cherished leisure time and in incidental moments of relaxation. This original book takes readers inside popular genres of fiction, including crime, fantasy, and romance, to reveal how personal tastes, social connections, and industry knowledge shape genre worlds. Attuned to both the pleasure and the profession of producing genre fiction, the authors investigate contemporary developments in the field—the rise of Amazon, self-publishing platforms, transmedia storytelling, and growing global publishing conglomerates—and show how these interact with older practices, from fan conventions to writers' groups.Sitting at the intersection of literary studies, genre studies, fan studies, and studies of the book and publishing cultures, Genre Worlds considers how contemporary genre fiction is produced and circulated on a global scale. Its authors propose an innovative theoretical framework that unfolds genre fiction's most compelling characteristics: its connected social, industrial, and textual practices. As they demonstrate, genre fiction books are not merely texts; they are also nodes of social and industrial activity involving the production, dissemination, and reception of the texts.

Works of genre fiction are a source of enjoyment, read during cherished leisure time and in incidental moments of relaxation. This original book takes readers inside popular genres of fiction, including crime, fantasy, and romance, to reveal how personal tastes, social connections, and industry knowledge shape genre worlds. Attuned to both the pleasure and the profession of producing genre fiction, the authors investigate contemporary developments in the field—the rise of Amazon, self-publishing platforms, transmedia storytelling, and growing global publishing conglomerates—and show how these interact with older practices, from fan conventions to writers' groups.Sitting at the intersection of literary studies, genre studies, fan studies, and studies of the book and publishing cultures, Genre Worlds considers how contemporary genre fiction is produced and circulated on a global scale. Its authors propose an innovative theoretical framework that unfolds genre fiction's most compelling characteristics: its connected social, industrial, and textual practices. As they demonstrate, genre fiction books are not merely texts; they are also nodes of social and industrial activity involving the production, dissemination, and reception of the texts.

An enduring yet underexamined tradition in popular cinema, body swap narratives have captivated audiences across cultures and genres. This volume offers the first study of the ‘body swap’ film, examining notable examples such as the Freaky Friday films alongside comedies, horrors, and hybrid forms shaped by bodily transformation. Extending beyond cinema, Contributors trace the trope’s evolution across television, videogames, digital platforms, online identity practices, and avatar relationships. Grounded in film studies yet interdisciplinary in scope, the collection engages gender theory, race theory, trans scholarship, transnational media studies, and philosophy to illuminate how body swapping reshapes understandings of identity, embodiment, and power in global media culture.