Fansplaining

In Episode 123, “Reread, Rewatch, Replay,” Elizabeth and Flourish think about that most ubiquitous of comfort activities—returning to old favorite books, shows, films, games, and fics. Topics covered include the specific pleasures of...

In very self-isolated Episode 122, “Wash Your Hands and Read Some Fic,” Elizabeth and Flourish share the results of a mini-survey about people’s fiction habits in times of crisis—the personal, the global, and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Are...

In Episode 121, Flourish and Elizabeth revisit the themes of in the wake of the recent brouhaha about apps like Fanfic Pocket Archive Library. They talk to fanfic author and copyright law professor Earlgreytea68 about “the AO3 App Wars,” digging...

In Episode 120, Flourish and Elizabeth welcome back one of their earliest guests, Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, to talk about her book about race, fantasy, fandom (and more!), The Dark Fantastic. Topics covered include what Ebony’s work as a reading...

In Episode 119, “Ask Fansplaining Anything: Part 6,” Flourish and Elizabeth tackle a new stack of listener questions and comments. Topics covered include actors’ shipping preferences, #OwnVoices in profic and in fanfic, what counts as...

In Episode 118, “The Craft of Writing (Fanfiction),” Flourish and Elizabeth interview Betts, a fic writer and professional writing instructor, about how different writing practices can inform each other on a craft level. They discuss how fanfic...

In Episode 117, “Fans and the Man,” Elizabeth and Flourish talk about whether fandom really has “gone corporate” in the last decade—and if so, what parts of fandom, and in what ways? Topics covered include whether fans have “sold out,”...

In Episode 116, Elizabeth and Flourish revive their end-of-year tradition and revisit big fandom trends in 2019. What changed, what got better, and what got worse? (According to Flourish, everything got worse.) Topics covered include the premature...

In Episode 115, “Power Plays,” Flourish and Elizabeth discuss three listener letters that deal with the use (or misuse) different kinds of power in and adjacent to fandom. How do we navigate a social media world where creators can find—and fuel...

In Episode 114, “Live From GeekGirlCon,” Elizabeth and Flourish take the show on the road and record their first-ever live episode—from the 9th annual GeekGirlCon in Seattle, Washington. They’re joined by Kristine Hassell, the con’s director...