The Professor in Your Neighborhood: Who is a Female Action Hero?

In collaboration with Tempe Public Library, the Literature Program in the Department of English at ASU presents the inaugural event in its new "The Professor in Your Neighborhood" series. This installment, which features Associate Professor of English Melissa Free, is part of the library's FanCon celebration.

All are welcome.

Though the female action hero has exploded into awareness in the twenty-first century, she has long been around. She can be found in Greek tragedy, Norse legends, eighteenth-century female soldier stories, nineteenth-century adventure fiction and of course twentieth-century comics. She fights not only lions, zombies and space aliens, but also sexism across the globe. You may have heard of Wonder Woman but what about the Burka Avenger?

In this presentation we will discuss the female action hero’s strengths and the hurdles she faces and her significance to generations of readers, viewers and gamers. Speaker Melissa Free is an associate professor of English, affiliate faculty in the School of Social Transformation and Barrett Honors College Faculty at Arizona State University. 

FanCon is a free annual event featuring costume contests, artists & authors, shopping and activities for children and adults alike. Fans of Marvel, DC, Star Wars, anime and more are invited to gather at the Tempe Public Library in costume for a celebration of pop culture.