Mary Kirby Diaz is a professor of sociology at Farmingdale State University of New York.  Her graduate degrees are from SUNY-Buffalo and SUNY-Stony Brook.  Prof. Kirby Diaz’ expertise includes in addition to fanlove, marriage, family, women’s studies, women artists, community mediation, and mentoring. She is Co-Director of Farmingdale’s Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT), past chair of the Sociology-Anthropology Department and the Undeclared Major Program.  She is also a former community mediator. This is her first (but not her last) foray into the world of popular culture and the Buffyverse – and it is of the good. Her studies in the Buffyverse came at a time when she was exploring further research in mentoring and discovered BtVS, the Buffyverse, and Buffy fans. She started on a new journey of discovery and hasn’t looked back. Her works include Case Studies in Contemporary Marriage, Family Survey Research Manual, and Volunteer Guide.  Some of her writings have appeared in The National Social Science Journal, Teaching Sociology, and Social Insight: Knowledge at Work. Prof. Kirby Diaz welcomes your comments to her: diazmk@farmingdale.edu