Fansplaining

Jan 22 2025 235 ep. 67 mins 1.2k
Fansplaining Podcast artwork

Fansplaining is a podcast about by, for, and about fandom. It’s hosted by Flourish Klink and Elizabeth Minkel. New episodes come out every two weeks. If you want to call us and leave a message for us to read on air, our number is 1-401-526-FANS!

  TV & Film  Leisure
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The War That Almost Broke a Classic Fandom by Lena Barkin

Jan 22 2025 28 mins  
Our first article of 2025 is here—and it's a big one! "The War That Almost Broke a Classic Fandom" by Lena Barkin: Blake’s 7 fans and actors mixed regularly at cons and on the pages of zines—until an anonymous letter changed everything. Read the full piece here: fansplaining.com/articles/the-war-that-almost-broke-a-classic-fandom

The Endless Appetite for Fanfiction by Elizabeth Minkel

Dec 31 2024 20 mins  
Around this time in December, we usually wrap up Fansplaining with “The Year in Fandom”: a look back at five trends from the prior year followed by five trends from the year coming to a close. With Flourish’s departure this summer, the podcast is now on hiatus—but I had a lot of thoughts about 2024, particularly when it came to fanfiction. Many thanks to Flourish for loo

Bringing Fanfiction Into the Classroom by Abby Kirby

Nov 20 2024 15 mins  
Our latest article is by Abby Kirby, who writes about her experiences teaching fanfiction to middle schoolers: "Fic does something that my traditional English classes cannot: it places the power in the hands of the student." Read the full piece here: https://www.fansplaining.com/articles/bringing-fanfiction-into-the-classroom

The Beatles Live! by Allegra Rosenberg

Oct 23 2024 22 mins  
We're excited to welcome back Allegra Rosenberg, who's written a new article for us on contemporary Beatles fandom: "The Beatles Live! New generations of fans are cultural archaeologists, working with the materials of the past to create the passion of the present." Read the full piece here: https://www.fansplaining.com/articles/the-beatles-live

The Scream Fandom’s Enduring Divide by Michael Boyle

Sep 04 2024 21 mins  
Our newest article is “The Scream Fandom’s Enduring Divide” by Michael Boyle: Nearly a year after star Melissa Barrera was fired for pro-Palestinian social media posts, fans remain torn over the future of the franchise. Read the full piece here: https://www.fansplaining.com/articles/the-scream-fandoms-enduring-divide

The Acolyte’s Squandered Potential by Gavia Baker-Whitelaw

Aug 23 2024 16 mins  
Our newest article is "The Acolyte’s Squandered Potential" by Gavia Baker-Whitelaw: The show brought a whole new set of fans to a stagnating franchise. Its cancellation suggests Star Wars is only interested in looking backwards. Read the full piece here: https://www.fansplaining.com/articles/the-acolytes-squandered-potential

The Traumatized Gatekeepers of Broadway by Laura Wheatman Hill

Aug 14 2024 21 mins  
Our newest article is "The Traumatized Gatekeepers of Broadway" by Laura Wheatman Hill: Theatre fans measure their passion by nitpicking. Does it do the industry more harm than good? You can read the full article here: https://www.fansplaining.com/articles//the-traumatized-gatekeepers-of-broadway

The Yellow Balloon Movement by Maria Temming

Jun 12 2024 23 mins  
Our first piece in this new era of Fansplaining is "The Yellow Balloon Movement" by Maria Temming: Within jam band fandoms often dominated by substance use, clean and sober fans are building their own communities. You can read the full article here: https://www.fansplaining.com/articles/the-yellow-balloon-movement Hi, Fansplaning listeners, Elizabeth here. So everyone probably kn

Episode 223: The End of the Flourish Era

May 22 2024 80 mins  
After nine years of collaborating on Fansplaining, Flourish and Elizabeth mark Flourish’s final regular episode by casting back to the state of fandom when they first met on a panel at San Diego Comic-Con in July of 2015. A decade ago, we were at the height of Hollywood’s “Geek is Chic” arc, facing the rapid mainstreaming of fandom and the beginnings of the “creator-ifica

Episode 222: Ask Fansplaining Anything: Part 19

May 08 2024 76 mins  
Flourish’s final “Ask Fansplaining Anything” episode follows the format of the previous 18 (!!), with a new batch of (thoughtful as ever!) listener letters and voicemails. Topics discussed include people bringing a prior adaptation’s fandom baggage to a new version, writing RPF about people who aren’t actually famous at all, the tropification of fanfiction, and whether mu