Open Doors is about heartbreak.
No, really. Bear with me for a minute. Remember that first ‘zine you picked up at a con, the first fansite you discovered, the first archive you gained access to. The first time you thought, “Hey. This speaks to me; these people are like me.”
It’s an important moment: that revelation that there exists a community of fans, a culture that we create — the revelation of what we are and what we become when we are doing what we love.
Does that ‘zine still exist? That fansite? That fanwork that defied expectation and dared you to do the same, that archive that defined a moment in your fannish life, that resource you used to build a world — are they still there? Or have they been washed away by moves and deaths and apathy, by belt-tightening and corrupted files and lack of spoons?
It’s one thing if we make these decisions ourselves. It’s another entirely to not have a choice, and to watch our work — our words and art and resources, our collaborations and experiments and conversations, the proofs of our existence as communities — be erased.
Open Doors is about creating a refuge for those works, about helping fans who want to preserve those ‘zines and collections and con programs and archives and resources. Those moments of fannish epiphany. It’s about keeping our hearts unbroken.
Supporting the OTW means support for Open Doors, and Open Doors, in turn, supports fandom. Donate, and keep the decisions in the hands of the fans. Help us help to preserve endangered fanworks. Help fight the battle to keep your heart safe.