Every month or so the OTW will be doing a Q&A with one of its volunteers about their experiences in the organization. The posts express each volunteer’s personal views and do not necessarily reflect the views of the OTW or constitute OTW policy. Today’s post is with taki, who volunteers as a User Response Translation Committee Chair, Policy & Abuse Volunteer, and Tag Wrangling Volunteer. How does what you do as a volunteer fit into what the OTW does? I’ve had a bunch of roles in the OTW, all of which fit into it in different ways! I started out as a tag wrangler, where… Read more
August 2026 Newsletter, Volume 214
I. SPOTLIGHT ON GOVERNANCE August saw three new OTW Board Directors announced: congratulations to Jennifer Howard, Rebecca C. Moritz, and Theodore Bloyd. Thank you to our outgoing Board Directors Anh Pham and Qiao Chu! Board and Board Assistants Team have begun preparing for Board turnover, which will happen on October 1. On August 1, Board held a public meeting with 37 attendees. Minutes are available on the OTW website. Elsewhere, ongoing project work continued, including BAT volunteer retention research, drafting training for new Board members who have never served as Chairs, and investigating mental health support options for volunteers. II. ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN In… Read more
Celebrating the OTW’s 19th Anniversary
The OTW is turning 19 today! In the past year, we published more than 100 news posts on a variety of topics, ranging from AO3 release notes to our Five Things series to news on Open Doors archive imports, to name a few! If you’re interested in following our work more closely, and keeping up to date with our latest news, there are many channels for you to do so. For starters, you can check out the news section either on this website, or the AO3 homepage for new posts and announcements. If you would like those news to be conveniently delivered to your email… Read more
The OTW is Recruiting for Communications, Internal Complaint and Conflict Resolution, and Open Doors Volunteers
Are you passionate about fostering a safer and more supportive volunteering environment within the OTW? Do you like planning events? Do you like communicating with fans about the OTW and fandom in general? Are you interested in the rescue and preservation of fanworks? The Organization for Transformative Works is recruiting! We’re excited to announce the opening of applications for: Internal Complaint and Conflict Resolution Volunteer – closing 09 September 2026 at 23:59 UTC Communications Event Coordinator – closing 09 September 2026 at 23:59 UTC or after 60 applications Communications Posting Volunteer – closing 09 September 2026 at 23:59 UTC or after 60 applications Open Doors… Read more
OTW Signal, August 2026
Every month in OTW Signal, we take a look at stories that connect to the OTW’s mission and projects, including issues related to legal matters, technology, academia, fannish history and preservation issues of fandom, fan culture, and transformative works. In the News The recent swell of traditionally published novels with roots in fanfiction has left many questioning the legality of commercialized fanworks. In The romance of fair use and fiction, Rutgers Law student and OTW documentation volunteer Ally Duong explains how copyright law protects such novels—and why. Fanfiction culture has proved fertile ground for artistic expression. Copyright law nurtures that creativity by protecting an author’s… Read more