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The Best Fandom Culture Podcasts

What kind of fangirl are you?

By Alysha DePernaPublished 7 years ago 5 min read
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The online world of geek podcasting is pretty vast and filled with just about any niche you can think of. However, the one downside - especially for us ladies - is that many of the top fan shows that exist are run by dudes.

And there’s nothing wrong with that, mind you, those shows are great. But fortunately for anyone looking for something a bit different and with a little lady edge, there’s recently been an influx in the number of female-dominated podcasts that focus on various corners of the fandom universe.

These podcasts are more often run by women and more generally devoted to things like fanfiction, slash (need a refresher on fandom terminology? Check out my Fandom Dictionary article!), and general geek news.

So to celebrate some of my favorite multi-fandom podcasts run by women (and two run by men, but let's not judge them too harshly for it), here’s a list of some of the best voices critiquing, fangirling, and helping shape geek culture.

The Shipping Room

Shipping, also known as vying for certain fictional couples (ones that are currently together, you want to be together, or will probably never be together) is serious business in fandoms. With a primary focus on TV and movie fandoms, The Shipping Room analyzes the ins and outs of shipping. They discuss why we ship, what ships we love, and what we can learn from cultural romantic tropes. The most fun part is the exploration of many fandoms most beloved ships from shows past and present.

The Baker Street Babes

The Sherlock Holmes fandom is intimidatingly huge, and intimidatingly long-lived. So, the enduring popularity of the Baker Street Babes should prove their quality as Sherlock Holmes commentators.

Their podcasts cover everything from decades-old fandom discussions to Sherlock TV fan events, and have developed a dedicated following of their own. They've even published a book: The One Fixed Point In A Changing Age: Essays on Sherlockiana By Online Fandom. Obviously, this one is for the true Sherlock fans out there.

Woman Up

Hosted by two self-described “feminist cat-ladies,” the show covers games, movies, TV shows, comics, books, and more. Originally created as a Star Wars-only podcast called Rebel Base, hosts OhCatrina and SarahtheRebel deiced to eventually branch out and cover more general geek topics. They also began livestreaming on Twitch and YouTube not too long after.

Slashcast

One of the first multi-fandom podcasts run by slash fangirls, the show ran for over a 10-year period, producing 42 episodes that each provided a nostalgic and revealing glimpse into a decade of fan culture. Run by teenagers, and initially intended purely for teenagers, the quality of the content far exceeds the producers years. Covering interviews and panel discussions on various topics including news, politics, pop culture, and more, the show is a fresh and endearing look at slash fandom.

Fansplaining

Run by professional fangirls, this podcast is devoted to discussion about online fanworks-based fandoms. The show is hosted by Flourish Klink, a producer, screenwriter, and fandom consultant, as well as Elizabeth Minkel, a fandom journalist who writes for The New Statesman and The Guardian. Both women explore the modern fan experience, mainly by arguing about it – as one does. Subjects range from experiences with Wattpad to One Direction fandom interviews. Guests also include a number of voices from various fandom communities.

Black Girl Nerds Podcasts

Hosted by true nerd Jamie Broadnax, this weekly podcast features an endless list of geeky guests as well as several recurring faces. The show has become increasingly popular over time largely because of the far-reaching and wide range of topics they cover including everything from Samurai Pizza Cats to twitching while black. The show is not exclusively for black women, but it is exclusively for nerds.

Slash Report

While similar in topic to Slashcast, Slash Report is pretty much the fandom podcast that started the trend of fangirls podcasting about their own fandom experiences. The show is a brash, smart celebration of slash fandom, slash fiction, and fandom culture. The show is hosted by two opinionated fangirls and a rotating guest list, and covers a wide variety of fandom topics and contemporary issues facing fandoms. It’s also crammed with a myriad of fanfiction recommendations to go along with it.

The Nerdist Podcast

Quite possibly the most well known podcast on this list, attracting celebrities like Joss Whedon, Benedict Cumberbatch, Gillian Anderson, and William Shatner, along with well-known screenwriters, comedians, and comic book creators. The casual talk show-like format is hosted by Nerdist’s Chris Hardwick (yes, a man, but he's chill), and episodes can often run more than an hour long, but when they’re this good, no one’s complaining.

Fangirl Happy Hour

This podcast is for all booknerds out there. Run by two nerds with interests in both the nerdy and literary—Ana Grilo, co-author of the popular book review site The Book Smugglers, and Renay, member of sci-fi feminist review site Lady Business. With a new episode every week, they discuss a different aspect of fangirl culture and pick a different subject to fangirl over.

The Crafting System

Told from the perspective of two fangirls who love knitting and geek patterns, the show explores various ways of creating fanworks for a variety of fandoms. So, if you're a nerd or like to craft, this is the podcast for you. Crammed to the brim with geekery, the first episode alone combines a discussion of classic Heinlein sci-fi, Sailor Moon, and different kinds of fandom tea. Yes, you read that right - fandom tea. Other episodes also include many fanfic recommendations, book recommendations, and a whole lot more.

Our Friday Call

While only consisting of an intermittent number of episodes, Our Friday Call is a great addition to the fandom podcast roster. Covering a wide range of slash-centric fandoms, the show often branches out and focuses on particular unique subjects. Each episode is devoted to something different, like fandom crafting or Jane Austen. As a bonus, the slash fiction recommendations are both high-quality and numerous.

Year 27 Group

Another literary themed podcast, billed as a monthly Boys Love manga book club, the show has already made quite an impression. Hosted by longtime manga and doujinshi readers, the show examines Boys Love manga through multiple lenses, bringing in everything from Foucault to fanfiction tropes to mainstream anime fandom. Even if you've never picked up a Japanese comic before (guilty), you'll learn a lot from these discussions about fandom in general.

United States of Fandom

Hosted by two longtime slash fans, this podcast updates regularly and focuses on fandom news, fandom history, and contemporary fandom events. In addition, it also covers geek culture happenings and movie and TV reviews. Blunt and entertaining, this one will keep you informed and give you plenty to snark about.

Rachel and Miles X-Plain the X-Men

The title really says it all. Longtime comic book fans Jay and Miles discuss the delightfully convoluted history of the X-Men, in a way that is equally interesting for experts and total newbies alike. The popularity has only grown over the years and they’ve even gone semi-pro and now supply their own merchandise.

OTPodcast

No fangirl related list would be complete with a show focused on fanfiction—essentially the fuel that drives female-dominated fandom. The show is unique in that it features an anonymous moderator and a rotating list of guests. The speakers navigate the ins and outs of fanfiction and the culture around fanfiction in general. Exploring everything from headcanons and fanon to the much misunderstood relationship between fanfiction and erotica. If you’re a lover of Tumblr and AO3, this podcast is one you don't want to miss. As a bonus, they save all their fiction recommendations as AO3 bookmarks, so you have easy access to reading material. How convenient.

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About the Creator

Alysha DePerna

Book nerd and lover of all things cheese flavored. Highly skilled at Google and considers coffee medicinal.

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