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Welcome to Spread Your Wingspan —
Our Origin Story as Romantasy & Romance Readers
Hosted by Sara Vander Zwaag & Jennie Lindsay
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Summary
In this very first episode of Spread Your Wingspan, hosts Sara and Jennie share how a professional meeting turned into an instant friendship over A Court of Thorn and Roses by Sarah J. Maas — and how that spiraled into all-caps texting, a shared love of romantasy and romance, and eventually this podcast. They dig into why the romance genre deserves more respect than it gets, why content warnings (not "trigger warnings") matter in fiction, and their very different, very formative reading histories — from grandma's historical romance novels to a deeply unhinged Twilight and vampire fiction phase. This is the "how we got here" episode, and it sets the stage for everything the show will cover: romantasy, fantasy, and straight romance, with plenty of spoilers, content warnings, and hot takes along the way.
Spoilers
None — this is an introductory episode with no specific book spoilers.
Content Warnings
Brief discussion of childhood sexual assault as a literary theme (referencing Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov), general references to sexual content and kink within the romance and romantasy genres.
Chapters
00:00 – Welcome to the Spread Your Wingspan podcast
02:15 – How Sara and Jennie actually met (not over books!)
04:32 – The A Court of Thorn and Roses conversation that started it all
06:49 – Finding community in the romantasy and Bookstagram world
09:06 – Why the romance genre gets dismissed — and why that's wrong
11:22 – Romantasy as a safe space to explore desire, consent, and boundaries
13:35 – Content warnings vs. "censorship": a classroom tangent
16:03 – Teaching Lolita and learning through discomfort
20:44 – Jennie's grandmother, the school librarian who introduced her to romance novels
25:19 – Sara's reading origins: Narnia, Harry Potter, and a lifelong love of fantasy romance
29:55 – Vampire fiction, Twilight, and Sara's college-era romance awakening
32:14 – Rediscovering romantasy as adults — and giving themselves permission to enjoy it
34:33 – Coming up on the podcast: House of Flame and Shadow, the Empyrean series, Crescent City 3, and Priest by Sierra Simone
38:40 – Follow along and episode wrap-up
Mentioned in This Episode
A Court of Thorn and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Crescent City series by Sarah J. Maas
House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas
The Empyrean series (Fourth Wing, Iron Flame) by Rebecca Yarros
Priest by Sierra Simone
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Fledgling by Octavia Butler
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
FAQ
What is the Spread Your Wingspan podcast about?
Spread Your Wingspan is a podcast hosted by Sara Vander Zwaag and Jennie Lindsay covering romantasy, fantasy, and romance books — including spoiler-filled discussions, content warnings, and reactions to popular series like Sarah J. Maas's Crescent City and the Empyrean series.
Is this episode a spoiler discussion?
No — Episode 1 is an introductory episode with no book spoilers. It covers the hosts' backgrounds as readers and why they started the podcast.
Is Spread Your Wingspan only about Sarah J. Maas books?
No. While Sarah J. Maas's books come up often, the show also covers other romantasy, fantasy, and romance authors, including Rebecca Yarros and Sierra Simone.
