About Joanna

Joanna is a storyteller and art dabbler with a permanent case of wanderlust. She lives in California with her family and cat, and has a passion for wildlife and conservation. She still hasn’t decided what she’s going to be when she grows up, though she suspects she will probably be herself. Her novel, YA sci-fi time travel story THREADWALKERS, was published in 2017. You can find her other ramblings at joannavolavka.com or by following her on twitter @joannavolavka which is mostly cat photos and retweets of the geek culture variety. Need to get in touch? Email joanna@geekgirlpenpals.com
IGGPPC Director, +5 Charisma Editor
6 03, 2020

Movie Review: Onward (2020)

By |2020-03-06T18:37:26+00:00March 6th, 2020|Reviews, TV & Movies|0 Comments

Onward (2020), the latest original offering from Disney Pixar Studios, is a charming tale of brotherly love set in a classic roadtrip film style and is laden with dungeons and dragons references (in the best possible way). It's got adventure, magic, humor, and is an all-around fun and heart-warming film. 

8 02, 2020

Movie Review: Birds of Prey (2020)

By |2020-02-08T20:11:28+00:00February 8th, 2020|Reviews, TV & Movies|0 Comments

Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (2020) is one of the most fun flicks I've seen in a theater in a long time. This is a kick-ass, violent technicolor stream of strong women overcoming their abuse cycles to come together and win the day. It's well-conceived, well-written, and executed far better than many comic-book team-ups before it. 

20 10, 2019

Halloween Party 2019: Ginger Naps (An IGGPPCamp Ghost Story)

By |2019-10-03T17:14:36+00:00October 20th, 2019|Halloween Party 2019|0 Comments

This year at IGGPPCamp, everyone was invited to submit a ghost story based on prompts. (You can check out the winning entries here, here, and here if you want a trio good, creepy tales!) But there's one last story to tell. Enjoy. :)

24 07, 2019

Movie Review: The Lion King (2019)

By |2019-07-24T05:29:52+00:00July 24th, 2019|Reviews, TV & Movies|0 Comments

Disney's remake of The Lion King hit theaters this week to mixed reviews. As someone who grew up loving the original film, I wanted to see for myself whether the remake would reach the level of the original. I'm here to tell you the good, the bad, and whether (in my opinion) this film even needed to be made. 

20 07, 2019

Her Universe Fashion Show unleashes the Power of Fashion at 6th annual event

By |2019-07-20T00:47:58+00:00July 20th, 2019|Conventions/Events, Fashion|0 Comments

This year's Her Universe Fashion Show was all about the Power of Fashion, inspired by the hit animated series, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Twenty-four designs took the runway, all inspired by the powerful characters so many love and admire. Here are some highlights of the show, along with the winners!

18 07, 2019

Amazon Prime Video hosts activations at San Diego Comic-Con 2019

By |2019-07-18T05:25:13+00:00July 18th, 2019|Conventions/Events|0 Comments

San Diego Comic-Con is this week, and this year's off-site activations are looking pretty good so far. We got a sneak peak of Amazon Prime Video's experience-- three individual, immersive activations based around season 4 of popular series The Expanse plus two of their highly anticipated upcoming shows, The Boys and Carnival Row. 

21 06, 2019

Harry Potter Wizards Unite Quick Start Guide

By |2019-06-21T04:41:26+00:00June 21st, 2019|Gaming, Tutorials & DIY|0 Comments

Wizards Unite-- the Niantic game that brings the AR, real-life experience of the wildly successful Pokémon Go together with the Wizarding World is here! Well, in a few places anyway. The game is rolling out starting this week and while it's definitely on track to be popular, it is a little bit harder than its pocket monster predecessor. With that in mind, here's a quick start guide so you can jump in and play as soon as it's available! 

12 02, 2019

Ralph Breaks the Internet – Review + Giveaway

By |2019-02-09T21:44:39+00:00February 12th, 2019|Giveaways, Reviews, TV & Movies|0 Comments

Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), the sequel to Disney's popular Wreck it Ralph about an unlikely friendship between racing game protagonist Vanellope von Schweetz and "bad guy" who isn't really a bad guy, Ralph. The sequel released in November of 2018, and is coming this month to Movies Anywhere and Blu-ray/DVD-- and you can win a copy thanks to Walt Disney Studios! Read the review and then enter to win.