Last year, we asked fans a simple question: "How has fandom saved your life?"
What came back wasn't simple at all.
We received stories so raw, so honest, so deeply personal that we have had to take editing breaks just to process the courage it took to share them.
The Stories We're Editing
Right now, we're 45% through the final editing what will become "Embracing Mental Health as a Fandom," a book co-authored with Amanda Tapping and all of you that proves stories don't just entertain. They save lives.
Here's what we're finding:
A teacher in Pittsburgh who uses Pokémon to connect with students contemplating suicide, showing them that even fictional worlds have communities worth living for.
A woman whose life was literally saved by a single line from Sanctuary: "We must let go to live on"—words that pulled her back from the edge when nothing else could.
Convention friendships that became chosen family for people whose biological families rejected them for being different.
Cosplay as therapy: fans discovering their true identities by safely exploring alternate ones.
Characters who modeled strength when real-world role models failed them.
Every single story chosen for this book has one thing in common: the power to help someone else feel less alone.
Behind the Scenes
Editing these stories is both heartbreaking and inspiring.
Lawrence and I tag-team the work because some days, reading about someone's darkest moment followed by how Stargate or Star Trek or Doctor Who gave them hope... it's a lot. The good kind of a lot, but still.
We're not just editing grammar and flow. We're preserving authentic voices while making sure each story hits with maximum impact. Because these aren't just personal anecdotes. They're proof that the stories we love can literally save lives.
What's Coming
Right now, you can pre-order the $99 special edition–a beautiful coffee table book that does justice to these incredible stories. By purchasing this special edition, you're helping us get the word out to people who really need it.
July 10th is when paperback presales go live for those who want the stories in a more accessible format.
But here's the thing: this isn't just another fan book. This is a collection of the most vulnerable, honest stories fans have ever shared publicly. Stories that took incredible courage to write and will take incredible courage to read.
Stories that will change how people think about fandom, mental health, and the power of fictional worlds to heal real trauma.
A Personal Note
Fourteen-year-old me, feeling weird and alone and like no one understood why Star Trek mattered so much, needed this book.
Twenty-something me, struggling with anxiety and wondering if I belonged anywhere, needed this book.
Present-day me, reading these stories and realizing how many millions of us have found family in fictional worlds, is so grateful this book exists.
If you've ever felt saved by a story, if you've ever found belonging in a fandom, if you've ever wondered if anyone else "gets it"–this book is for you.
And if you know someone who needs to hear that they're not alone, that their love of sci-fi or fantasy isn't weird but wonderful, that their mental health struggles don't make them broken–this book is for them too.
What You Can Do Right Now
- Pre-order the special edition if you want the full coffee table book experience
- Mark July 10th on your calendar for paperback presales
- Share this email with anyone who might need these stories
- Submitted to the book? Notifications are going out now, so keep an eye out in the next few weeks!
We'll have more updates soon, including some special surprises for early supporters.
Until then, we're back to editing. These stories deserve our very best work.
With gratitude,
Welles
P.S. Amanda Tapping's involvement in this project continues to amaze us. Her commitment to authentic storytelling about mental health in fandom spaces is exactly why these stories needed to be told. More on that soon.
