Inside the Head of Cynthia Ward Cooper
| Interviews by Fans | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Inside the Head of Cynthia Ward Cooper |
| Interviewer: | |
| Interviewee: | Cynthia Ward Cooper |
| Date(s): | March 2003 |
| Medium: | online |
| Fandom(s): | Xena: Warrior Princess |
| External Links: | Inside the Head of Cynthia Ward Cooper, Archived version |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Inside the Head of Cynthia Ward Cooper is a 2002 Xena: Warrior Princess fan interview at Whoosh!.
Series
For others in this series, see Whoosh! Interview Series.
Introduction
"Cynthia Ward Cooper has been a part of Xena fandom since before the dinosaurs. She joined the Whoosh! team when she accepted the editorship of the original Xena FAQ, which Whoosh! adopted in December 1996. Eventually, she took over the primary coding for the journal after Beth Gaynor retired, and subsequently became a member of the Whoosh! Executive Committee. Cynthia has toured the country's Xena Fests, giving a fantastic multimedia demonstration of how Xena was influenced by Hong Kong cinema. Her latest Xena-related feat has been authoring the very popular Rittenhouse Beauty and Brawn series Xena trading cards."
Some Excerpts
Why and how did you get started with Whoosh!?
I was a Xena fan from the start, and subbed to the Chakram and Xenaverse lists when they first began. Kym [Taborn, publisher of Whoosh!] used to send Xena media reports to the lists every day, and I thought that was cool, and wrote and told her so. Soon after she started Whoosh!, she obtained a rudimentary Xena FAQ that had been kind of floating around, and asked for a volunteer to maintain and expand it. I got the job, and well, I never left. I've been involved with Whoosh! since the third issue in one way or another. I've been a coder, an editor, and a reporter. I complain about it constantly, but Kym always manages to suck me back in. She likes to call me "the Michael Moore of the Xenaverse," whatever that means.
Why do you think the show Xena: Warrior Princess meant so much to so many people?
It mattered because it initially centered on a strong woman who not only didn't need men, but who regularly kicked their -ss-s! The presence of Gabrielle was genius--more viewers identified with her than with Xena, and her growth was fascinating to watch. The relationship between them was a beautiful thing on many levels. I loved the show for those reasons, and for the shards of mythology and history. And it was fun not knowing what kind of episode you'd be getting from week to week--action, or drama, or comedy (back when the comedies were funny). It was a versatile, courageous show. I don't know that we'll see its like again soon.
Do fans matter?
They matter tremendously! That's another gift I've received from the Xenaverse--a real understanding of fandom. To that point, I had never been an avowed fan of anything, thinking it meant giving up the ability to disagree. Xena fans have shown me that it's possible to love something and still be able to question it--and in some cases, even be able to change the thinking of the creators. I've been so impressed with the fans.