Into A Larger World

Today Kara's talking with Mark Newbold, a Star Wars fan with a truly amazing resume. From contributing to the official Star Wars website and Star Wars Insider to creating the news site "Fantha Tracks", Mark has so many great stories about his time in the fandom. The discussion covers early Star Wars internet, UK fandom, visiting filming sites, and so much more! Find Fantha Tracks an...

Today Kara is chatting with Holly Swinyard, the author of "A History of Fans and Fandom". The book digs into all areas of fandom, including Star Wars, and Kara asks Holly all about their own connection to the galaxy far, far away. Cosplay, fan community, and more are all up for discussion! Listen today and check out Holly's book and all of their work at www.hollyswinyard.com ! You c...

Today Kara is joined by longtime Star Wars fan and author Eric Clayton. In his book "My Life With the Jedi", he talks about the spirituality found in Star Wars, and how to apply it to your everyday life. Kara was excited to talk to him about his experiences, how he bridges the gap between his spiritual teachings and his love of the franchise, and more. Check out Eric's website here...

Today Kara is joined by the wonderful Deena, cosplayer and Star Wars fan, to discuss their own fandom story and one specific group of beloved clones...The Bad Batch. As the show has wrapped up after it's third season, the Bad Batch fandom has reached new heights. Through fan art and fan fiction, there has been an undeniable emotional connection. Deena gives their thoughts on why we love Clone...

For the 30th episode of the podcast, Kara is happy to be joined by Patrick Cotnoir! You might know Patrick from the amazing George Lucas Talk Show, an improvised talk show starring Connor Ratliff as George Lucas and his co-host Watto (yes, Watto) played by Griffin Newman. Patrick produces and books guests for the show, including many people from the Star Wars family. There was so much to discuss,...

Kara is beyond honored to wrap up this month of Celebration focused episodes with the amazing Steve Sansweet. You might know him for his Guinness World Record-holding collection-turned-museum Rancho Obi-Wan, or his books about Star Wars collecting, or from his time as the head of fan relations at Lucasfilm. He was also at the ground level for the creation of Star Wars Celebration and played a huge...

One of the best parts of Star Wars Celebration is meeting up with your fandom friends from all over the world. So it's only fitting that Kara is joined in this episode by one of her best Star Wars pals, Jon Pataky! They discuss all the best and wackiest things that make Celebration unique in a handy dandy list format, loosely titled "Things You'll Only See at Celebration". Topi...

Since the first Celebration in 1999, there have been panels about Star Wars collecting. Over time this has grown into the Collecting Track, a Celebration institution, featuring panels about all corners of the collecting world and even Collecting Track collectibles! Kara wanted to dig into the topic during this anniversary month and there was no one better to talk to than Gus Lopez, who has been th...

Wiffle ball bats become lightsabers. Folding chairs are piloted as X-Wings. A trash can that's painted like R2-D2. These were just a few of the things that you could expect from "Star Wars in 30 Minutes", a play that was staged at Celebrations II, III, IV, VI, and Anaheim 2022. Today, Kara welcomes writer and director Patrick T. Gorman to the show as they discuss the life of the pie...

It's the show's 25th official episode and 25 years since Episode I: The Phantom Menace was fast approaching! Today on the show, Kara and special guest Zach Hoover take a look back at those spring months in 1999, counting down to a brand new Star Wars movie hitting the big screen. When you mix the special editions release, advanced ticket sale drama, and a WHOLE lot of waiting in line, yo...

Today Kara welcomes Isabella Kaloyan to the show! They discuss Isabella's journey through Star Wars fandom, from trading pins at Disneyland to creating Punch It Chewie Press with husband Arakel, and then diving into the world of social media and Star Wars fashion. Isabella recently started a new venture...a digital fandom magazine, Star Grl! Listen along as they talk about it all! The first i...

Today, Kara is joined by Jay Krebs, co-host of Podcast Stardust! There was so much to discuss, from Jay's fandom history to cosplay and beyond. Jay shares all about how she connects to others with her fandom, really highlighting a love for Star Wars shared amongst family and community. They also talk about some of Kara's favorite topics, namely Celebration and the Hyperspace Fanclub! Fin...

Today Kara is excited to be joined by historian and author Dr. Chris Kempshall. Chris was one of the co-authors of the book “Battles That Changed the Galaxy”, as well as his own book “The History and Politics of Star Wars”. In this chat, they discuss the merging of your passions, finding real world connections to the galaxy far, far away, and what it takes to be a historian (Kara was dying to know...

Happy Star Wars Podcast Day! I'm happy to be participating with a brand new Fandom History Highlight. There was recently a viral post going around of a letter...a fanzine in 1981 stating that they would no longer make their zine after seeing Empire Strikes Back. Those who saw the post were commenting about how nothing ever changes. "No one hates Star Wars like a Star Wars fan," said...

In today’s episode, Kara is joined by Matt & Luke from the Star Wars Sessions podcast! The two UK natives have been podcasting together since 2018, covering all things Star Wars in their weekly discussions. Listen in as they tell more about their origin story, their own Star Wars fandom, what it’s like loving Star Wars in the UK, and much more. Find everything you need to know about Star Wars...

Kara is absolutely thrilled to have Adria Renee on the show today. From cosplay mashups to Her Universe fashion shows and the amazing world of fandom fashion, there was so much to cover. Also listen in to hear all about Adria’s incredible thesis project, “A Woman’s Place is in The Resistance”, a collection of work all about challenging and redefining what a Star Wars fan can be. Check out Adria’s...

Today is the third installment in the Fandom History Highlights series. If one thing is true about Star Wars fans, it's that we love to speculate in the lead up to a new film. In the early 80s, as Return of the Jedi approached, fans were wildly speculating over Yoda's line on Dagobah...who is "The Other"? Listen along as Kara takes you into the pages of some early 80s fanzines...

Kara is kicking off the new year talking Star Wars fandom with the wonderful Savanna Kiefer. They had so much to discuss...a childhood spent at Star Wars Weekends, blogging and podcasting over at The Dorky Diva, the evolution of Star Wars fashion, Savanna's experiences with cosplay and costume creation, and the community and friendships that Star Wars has helped foster. It's a delightful...

We've all wanted to live in the Star Wars world. It's why we escape into the films over and over, why we read the books, why we seek out things like Batuu and the Halcyon. The desire to be a part of that universe, especially through creating things, is something that's unique to Star Wars fans. Austin Hollis knows a thing or two about all of that. In his blog "Living History in...

Kara is here this week with a bonus episode! This is a preview of what will be coming to Patreon every month starting this December. The bonus episodes will be Kara (usually in conversation with producer Travis) talking about all things Into A Larger World. The episodes will cover Kara's current research obsession, a deeper look at previous episodes, the current state of Star Wars fandom, and...

The crew: Kara (of course) joined by her two pals Jon and producer, Travis. The mission: establish the eras of Star Wars fandom history. Where does each one start and end? Where are we now? Where will we go in the future? All these questions and more are answered in today's episode! Find Travis at ForceTime   and follow along with Jon over on the B1N1 podcast ( https://linktr.ee/b1n1pod )! Fo...

Today, Kara is in conversation with Amy Ratcliffe, Star Wars fan and author of several Star Wars-related books, including Women of the Galaxy and The Art of Galaxy's Edge. You can also regularly find Amy on stage hosting panels during Star Wars Celebration (so you know Kara would ask about that). Amy shares her Star Wars story and lots of great memories, plus what it means to be a Star Wars f...

It's an exciting moment for Into A Larger World Project as Kara brings you this interview with Dan Madsen, Star Wars fandom legend. Dan was present at some huge moments in Star Wars history, whether it's the 10th anniversary convention in 1987, spending time at the helm of the Star Wars Fan Club, founding the magazine Star Wars Insider, and even on set (and on screen!!) in The Phantom Me...

In today's episode, Kara is chatting with her pal, Max Frey, and there was much to discuss. From early childhood memories to attending the first Star Wars Celebration (you know Kara had lots of questions about that), following Max's fandom story to today, working at Regal Robot and beyond. Listen now and be sure to check out Max's work and fandom on his social media! Find Max on Ins...

This week's episode is the second in the Fandom History Highlights series, and today Kara will tell you all about Star Wars convention presence in the years BC: Before Celebration. From the 1976 convention circuit to the 10th anniversary Starlog event and beyond, leading right up to the moment that the first Star Wars Celebration was born. The Into A Larger World Project will be further explo...