I have discovered that I LOVE GEEKS.

Okay, granted, I am one, so maybe this comes as no surprise. But I was reminded of the special place in my heart for geeks this past weekend at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo. There, surrounded by 50,000 others of my kind, I felt perfectly at home. And as I waited in line to see Patrick Stewart, drooled over medieval weaponry, and admired the plethora of gorgeous, detailed costumes, I kept experiencing a rush of affection for those around me.

Let’s face it: I’ve never been cool. As I child I watched Star Trek religiously and played Phantasy Star II with my brother on his Sega Genesis. In school I was shy, awkward, sheltered, and extremely unfashionable. My friends in high school were my fellow braniacs in Advanced Physics, Advanced Chemistry, Advanced Everything-Except-Being-Cool-And-Popular. Instead of talking about Jersey Shore, or whatever it is high school students talk about these days, we discussed theories of evolution, recorded our own Monty Python sketches and had rubber elastic wars over the surfaces of our ripple tanks (I miss you guys!). In university, I was editor of the student newspaper, statistics tutor and anchor of the debate team. In seminary – well, it’s enough to say I went to seminary.

Fortunately, I was never overly concerned with being popular. But it’s only been recently that I’ve had the self-confidence to fully and publicly embrace my identity as a geek. I’ll gush to whoever will listen about my love for Battlestar Galactica, Fringe, and Game of Thrones. I’ve waited in line for hours to get my midnight copy of books like Hunger Games and Harry Potter. I read and write fan fiction with enthusiasm. I’d rather John Noble hold my hand (he did!) than Brad Pitt. The homepage on my computer is io9.com. And yes, I even go to comic cons – maybe next year in full costume.

The geeks I know are smart, authentic, hard-working, peaceful, loyal, creative and kind. They’re not ashamed to be themselves, something I’m still working on. It’s a great community to be part of, and I think they make the world a better place. So the next time you see someone dressed up like Captain America or Wonder Woman, give them a hug and thank them for saving the world.



Jodi McIsaac is the author of Through the Door, the first book in a new urban fantasy series inspired by Celtic mythology. Buy it now on Amazon.