Features
The War That Almost Broke a Classic Fandom
Blake’s 7 fans and actors mixed regularly at cons and on the pages of zines—until an anonymous letter changed everything.
Archive
Criticism
The Endless Appetite for Fanfiction
In 2024, everyone wanted a piece of fic, from AI grifters to traditional publishers to ravenous audiences. Where did that leave the people who write it?
Features
Bringing Fanfiction Into the Classroom
Fic does something that my traditional English classes cannot: it places the power in the hands of the student.
Features
The Beatles Live!
New generations of fans are cultural archaeologists, working with the materials of the past to create the passion of the present.
Features
The Scream Fandom’s Enduring Divide
Nearly a year after star Melissa Barrera was fired for pro-Palestinian social media posts, fans remain torn over the future of the franchise.
Criticism
The Acolyte’s Squandered Potential
The show brought a whole new set of fans to a stagnating franchise. Its cancellation suggests Star Wars is only interested in looking backwards.
Features
The Traumatized Gatekeepers of Broadway
Theatre fans measure their passion by nitpicking. Does it do the industry more harm than good?
Features
The Yellow Balloon Movement
Within jam band fandoms often dominated by substance use, clean and sober fans are building their own communities.
Criticism
The Fan-Journalist Tightrope
Low pay, minimal worker protections, and pushback from both publicists and fellow fans. Is covering the thing you love even worth it?
Criticism
How U.S. Copyright Law Fails Fan Creators
Fans know that creativity isn’t a finite resource that needs to be kept behind lock and key.
Features
The Pain Fandom
How whump—one of fandom’s oldest and most divisive genres—gained a fanbase of its own.
Surveys
The Fic and the Source Material
Do you need to know the canon to read the fic? Breaking down the preferences of the 6,744 people who responded to our most recent mini-survey.