Fran Magazine

OK, so what is Fran Magazine?

Fran Magazine is a weekly blog about culture, some of it popular and some of it very much not, written by Fran Hoepfner (me). Most people are familiar with my writing on film and classical music, but I am looking to write about television and books as well, subjects otherwise relegated to post-midnight texts when the melatonin gummy12 hasn’t kicked in yet.

I’ve never heard of you. Who are you?

I’m Fran Hoepfner, a long-time writer of both fiction and non-fiction. I was a contributing writer at Gawker (laid off in February of 2023), as well as a film critic for The Wrap (reviews cut down in February 2023) and a staff writer at Bright Wall/Dark Room (still going strong for a decade, phew) as well as a regular contributor to NPR’s Here & Now. I teach part-time at the New School. I am on Twitter rarely, Instagram frequently, and Letterboxd compulsively. I also have a master’s degree in writing from Rutgers University, for some reason.

Why subscribe?

If you subscribe, you’ll get two entries a month for me on new(ish, let’s say… hm, I don’t know, the last six months) popular culture – tv, books, movies, classical music, contemporary music (lol – can you imagine?), gaming, Internet culture, whatever. Subscribers will enjoy all my latest thoughts on recent media that they are welcome to parrot while out with friends or coworkers. If you’re looking to impress people you don’t know with your knowledge of the zeitgeist without having to engage with culture in a meaningful sense, or if you just like me and think I am funny and/or interesting, please consider subscribing.

Why should I pay to subscribe? Don’t you have 100 jobs or whatever?

Despite holding down a number of contract and freelance positions, none of the above titles come with the safety and security of a salaried position or employer-paid health care. The money I make off Fran Magazine is steady income that supplements my freelance work — a safety net in the event I am laid off, as I have been from multiple jobs since the pandemic began, and continue to be now three years after the pandemic.

What does paying get me?

Paid subscribers to Fran Magazine will get access to the “Sunday Dispatch,” which is a detailed log of all that I’m reading and watching and listening to and attending that week. It’s $6 a month or $50 a year. I have never really understood why people say something like “it’s less than a cup of coffee” as if a cup of coffee is not necessary to survival. Ultimately, it is not my place to tell you whether or not those rates will stretch your budget, but paid subscriptions have granted me a profound amount of financial security and I am grateful for everyone willing to contribute.

I’m a college student/going through a bad time/something else and paying $6 a month is actually a pain in the ass for me right now.

You know what — send me an email! I am happy to kick you a year’s worth of a paid subscription for free as long as you promise to comment on every single post.