You find yourself in the not so distant future; it's a place just a bit different, but in ways you hadn't imagined, and its where you will spend the REST OF YOUR LIFE. ... Alright, we're not all speculative fiction writers, but we do have a special guest, Jen Frankel, to join us to talk about the fandom around it!

Next week, we were born to make history... and talk about fans of Yuri!!! on ICE (with special guest, Nikola, of [YOI Wednesdays](https://twitter.com/yoiwednesdays)).

## Where can I learn more about Jen Frankel?

If you want to hear more about Jen Frankel and the work she does, why not check out some of the following:

- Her website: [jenkfrankel.com](http://jenfrankel.com)
- Her podcast: [JFRRS](http://www.jenfrankel.com/jen-frankel-reads-random-shit/)
- Her twitter: [@jenfrankel](https://twitter.com/jenfrankel)

## Episode outline

### Fandom Facts

**History and Origins:**

> Judith Merril, Canadian author, editor, and activist, defined speculative fiction in 1966: “… stories whose objective is to explore, to discover, to learn, by means of projection, extrapolation, analogue, hypothesis-and-paper-experimentation, something about the nature of the universe, of man, or ‘reality’…”
>
> — [DIYMFA - Defining Speculative Fiction](https://diymfa.com/writing/defining-speculative-fiction)

> Speculative fiction is an umbrella genre encompassing narrative fiction with supernatural or futuristic elements. This includes, but not limited to, science fiction, fantasy, superhero fiction, science fantasy, horror, utopian and dystopian fiction, supernatural fiction as well as combinations thereof.
> ...
> In its English-language usage in arts and literature since the mid 20th century, "speculative fiction" as a genre term is often attributed to Robert A. Heinlein. In his first known use of the term, in ... 1947, Heinlein used it specifically as a synonym for "science fiction"; in a later piece, he explicitly stated that his use of the term did not include fantasy. However, though Heinlein may have come up with the term on his own, there are earlier citations ...
> ...
> In the 2000s, the term came into wider use as a convenient collective term for a set of genres. However, some writers, such as Margaret Atwood, continue to distinguish "speculative fiction" specifically as a "no Martians" type of science fiction, "about things that really could happen."
>
> — [Wikipedia - Speculative Fiction](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speculative_fiction)

**Search Data:**

Based on google trends data [since 2004](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F014dfn), speculative fiction is on the rise! Around 2008, interest seems to have picked up until about 2015 where interest levels off and follows an oddly periodic pattern.

(Interest in _Science Fiction_ dwarfs interest in speculative fiction, but, interestingly enough, is on the decline, by comparison.)

The top ten countries for _Speculative Fiction_, by search volume, are as follows: Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Latvia, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan (Canada is 26th, United States is 28th).

**Fan Demographics:**

We couldn't find any demographics about fans, but we did come across some [data from Tor UK's author submissions](https://www.panmacmillan.com/blogs/science-fiction-and-fantasy/sexism-genre-publishing-publishers-perspective):

- Out of 503 submissions, 32% came from female writers
- Historical / Epic / High-Fantasy: 33% Women, 67% Men
- Urban Fantasy / Paranormal Romance: 57% Women, 43% Men
- Horror: 17% Women, 83% Men
- Science-Fiction: 22% Women, 78% Men
- YA: 68% Women, 32% Men
- Other: 27% Women, 73% Men

### [Last Episode's](http://fanthropological.com/e/36795e0fece884/#player) Famous Last Words

**T**

Is the distinction between speculative fiction and genre fiction substantial?

**Z**

Is speculative fiction a label from authors, publisher, fans...?

**G**

I spe...

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