Overview

Once upon a time not long ago, two responsible college professors, Lynn the psychologist and Kathy the literary scholar, fell in love with the television show Supernatural and turned their oh-so-practical lives upside down. Plunging headlong into the hidden realms of fandom, they scoured the Internet for pictures of stars Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki and secretly penned racy fan fiction. And then they hit the road—crisscrossing the country, racking up frequent flyer miles with alarming ease, standing in convention lines at 4 A.M. They had white-knuckled encounters with overly zealous security guards one year and smiling invitations to the Supernatural set the next. Actors stripping in their trailers, fangirls sneaking onto film sets; drunken confessions, squeals of joy, tears of despair; wallets emptied and responsibilities left behind; intrigue and ecstasy and crushing disappointment—it’s all here. And yet even as they revelled in their fandom, the authors were asking themselves whether it’s okay to be a fan, especially for grown women with careers and kids. “Crazystalkerchicks”—that’s what they heard from Supernatural crew members, security guards, airport immigration officials, even sometimes their fellow fans. But what Kathy and Lynn found was that most fans were very much like themselves: smart, capable women looking for something of their own that engages their brains and their libidos. Fangasm pulls back the curtain on the secret worlds of fans and famous alike, revealing Supernatural behind the scenes and discovering just how much the cast and crew know about what the fans are up to. Anyone who’s been tempted to throw off the constraints of respectability and indulge a secret passion—or hit the road with a best friend—will want to come along.

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9781609381981

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Reviews

Fangasm takes you on a wild and brave journey into the deep realm of fandom. It's a no-holds-barred true tale of community, passion, and creativity, where the fans are the real stars of the story. An honest, insightful, and often surprising exploration into the world of fandom, Fangasm breaks down barriers and reminds us just how vital fans are to the success of any creative work. It resonates with the fangirl or fanboy in all of us. --Tony Zierra, director, and Elizabeth Yoffe, producer, My Big Break <br>

<i>Fangasm</i> takes you on a wild and brave journey into the deep realm of fandom. It's a no-holds-barred true tale of community, passion, and creativity, where the fans are the real stars of the story. An honest, insightful, and often surprising exploration into the world of fandom, <i>Fangasm</i> breaks down barriers and reminds us just how vital fans are to the success of any creative work. It resonates with the fangirl or fanboy in all of us. --Tony Zierra, director, and Elizabeth Yoffe, producer, <i>My Big Break</i>

Author Information

Katherine Larsen teaches at the George Washington University in Washington, DC, USA, and is the area chair for fan theory and culture for the Popular Culture Association. Lynn S. Zubernis is associate professor of counsellor education at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, USA. She is also area chair for stardom and fandom for the Southwest Popular Culture Association. Larsen and Zubernis are principal and associate editors of the Journal of Fandom Studies. Together, they have authored Fandom at the Crossroads: Celebration, Shame, and Fan/Producer Relationships and edited Fan Culture: Theory/Practice and Fan Phenomena: """"Supernatural."""" They aren’t telling the names under which they write fan fiction.

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