Twilight x Girl Culture with Jackson Bird

Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob or some secret third option?**

Marcelle asks this question only at the very end of the episode, and you know why? Because there is so much more to discuss when it comes to Stephanie Meyer's Twilight. And who better to dig into this novel's plot and place in pop culture than Jackson Bird (he/him) who, over fifteen years ago, was a Twi-hard. If you frequent fan spaces, you might know Jackson through his previous work with Harry Potter Alliance or his very popular Youtube channel. Or perhaps you know him from guest spots on the podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, his own (now retired) podcast Transmission, his 2017 Ted Talk (How to Talk and Listen to Transgender People), or his book, Sorted: Growing Up, Coming Out, and Finding My Place. Or maybe he's a new person to you, in which case, you're welcome — he rocks!

In this conversation, Marcelle, Hannah and Jack discuss what was going on in 2005 that primed Twilight for such wide success. They ask: Why were young readers so hungry for a character like Bella? What does the plot of the novel suggest about the reading appetite of millennial readers coming of age in an era defined by impossible beauty standards and purity politics? When we refuse to disregard the interests, passions and literary preferences of young people, what can we discover about one another, our culture and ourselves?