Monica Duarte makes her grand return to the podcast, and brings fellow fangirl Emily Schuck with her! Monica and Emily are the masterminds behind “Portrait of a Fangirl,” a new web series hosted on Temple of Geek, to which both Monica and Emily are contributors. You’ll remember Monica from Episode 18 -- she is a photographer, who can proudly claim her photos have been published in Doctor Who magazine and SFX magazine, and also co-hosts of the Temple of Geek Podcast. In addition to Emily’s contributions to the Temple of Geek podcast, their convention highlights and more, Emily is also a writer and editor of the Foothill Journal, which publishes graduate student poetry at Claremont Graduate University. At the core of Portrait of a Fangirl is the necessity of telling the stories of women who have found inspiration, growth, and power through fandom. They interview several inspiring women about how their diverse and fascinating fandoms have enriched their lives. Victoria herself is one of the women interviewed in the series and we reflect on how the women profiled defined ‘fangirl’ and how we’ve been empowered through fangirling. We also take a look at the challenges of maintaining a balance between the fangirl and professional aspects of your life and combating the shame that can accompany the identity. Where to find Portrait of a Fangirl: Instagram: @portraitofafangirl Temple of Geek YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/templeofgeek https://templeofgeek.com/ Where to find Emily: Instagram: @lovemelovemyumbrella Twitter: @emilyschuck Where to find Monica: Instagram, Twitter: @thisdorkynerd