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?
Articles
Fandom reporting, analysis, criticism, personal essays, and much more.
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.
Features
The Ever-Mutating Life of Tumblr Dot Com
Reports of the platform’s death have been greatly exaggerated.
Criticism
The Empowered Stan
Fandom can be both identity and liberation—but how do we keep our joys from being co-opted by corporate interests?
Features
You Did the Thing
A conversation with Gretchen McCulloch about the language of fandom.
Features
“You’re Gonna Love This Franchise”
Fandom, corporate media, and San Diego Comic-Con.
Features
Fic, Interrupted
The unfinished history of works in progress.
Surveys
Towards a Definition of “Fanfiction”
3,564 people took our survey. Here’s what we learned.
Criticism
(Don’t) Meet Your Idols
Fantasy and reality collide in boyband YA literature.
Features
Fan Fiction vs. Fanfiction
When the dictionary doesn’t reflect the world.