Binchtopia
Julia and Eliza team up for another bad book club episode in which they review Colleen Hoover’s newest work of experimental autofiction: Woman Down. In a suspenseful story that is definitely not based on CoHo’s life at all, an author who has been brutally and unfairly CANCELED goes to crazy lengths to break her writer’s block, even taking it to a place of copaganda. Digressions include Taylor Swift’s subpoenaed text messages, Eliza recapping her personal Rabiesgate, and apt comparisons to Hunter S Thompson. This is a teaser for a Patreon-exclusive episode. To listen to...
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In the first episode of a two-part series, Julia is joined by Binchtopia favorite Allegra Chapman to lovingly dissect the mind-bending genre of reality TV. The girlies trace its evolution from chaotic human experimentation into neoliberal propaganda, mapping the multiverse across TLC, E!, MTV, and Bravo while decoding the cultural logic each network normalizes along the way. Digressions include the ultimate guide to landing yourself a cruise bae, Boston as a cosmic punishment, and Allegra’s short-lived stint as a puck bunny. This episode was produced by Julia Hava and Kylie Finnigan and...
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Julia is joined by cacklers Nick and Chase for their very first venture into the cursed depths of Reddit’s Am I The Asshole. Horrors include: a husband’s mysterious gaycation to Ibiza, a black market Labubu deal, a fuckboi horse with navy blue hay, and a man who is enchanted by his server’s gongerous scalp. Plus, Chase’s formative years herding sheep in Arizona, the sacred right to be rude at work, and personal legal drama… ALLEGEDLY! For more Nick and Chase, check out their podcast ! This is a teaser for a Patreon-exclusive episode. To listen to the full episode and...
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In the first episode of the new year, Julia is joined by Jewish Aliza to interrogate the concept of New Year’s Resolutions. The girlies put on their therapist hats to explore the psychology behind a “fresh start,” why most resolutions are doomed to fail, and how habits only stick once you stop trying to punish yourself into change. Digressions include Aliza’s campaign to stop the lesbian yearning epidemic, debating whether being waterboarded is worse than proposing to a man, and the radical act of putting down The Bat. This episode was produced by Julia Hava and Kylie Finnigan and...
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Happy New Year, binchies!! In case you’re looking to shake up ya life in 2026, we’re releasing this formerly Patreon-only episode onto the main feed! Join Julia and Nick as they unveil The Ten Commandments of Shaking Up Ya Life and counsel past and future shakestresses on their journeys. Digressions include Nick’s updates from the dildo factory, society’s declining birth rates, and living full time in Colonial Williamsburg. To support the podcast on Patreon and access 50+ bonus episodes, mediasodes, and more, visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today.
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In the final episode of the year, Julia and Nick deliver our annual pop culture recap, revisiting the most absurd moments of 2025, including Hawk Tuah insisting she did a Zoom in North Korea, JoJo Siwa’s straight rebrand, and the birth of Aquaman Moses Paytas-Hacmon. Digressions include: Nick’s Looney Tunes–ass passport horrors, modern headphone dependency, and the importance of having mutuals with a baby. This episode was produced by Julia Hava and Kylie Finnigan and edited by Livi Burdette. If you’re looking for ways to get involved, support your community, or stay connected:...
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This week Julia and Nick bring you a holiday horrors episode full of festive chaos! They unpack their own holiday traditions and react to cursed listener stories including a dad who got too kooky, a dramatic dog on a mission, and a girl who received heartbreaking news about her dentist. Digressions include the tooth fairy’s terrible work life balance, the beautiful lives of leaf cutter ants, and Oil. This is a teaser for a Patreon-exclusive episode. To listen to the full episode and access over 50 bonus episodes, mediasodes, and our monthly news broadcast What the...
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Julia and Eliza are back in the stu for a deep dive into hostile architecture, unpacking the spikes, slopes, bars, and billion-dollar “design choices” that quietly shape our cities and public spaces. In analyzing bisected benches, shadeless streets, and the Evil of Robert Moses, the girlies consider what it means to live in a world built to restrict movement and community. Digressions include the sacred magic of knitting tutorials, NYC’s food poisoning themed Erewhon, and Eliza staying bricked up. This episode was produced by Julia Hava and Kylie Finnigan and edited by Livi...
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Julia cozies up in her childhood bedroom for her first-ever solo episode, providing a little life update from the trenches of her PhD program and giving the binchies some sage advice. Digressions include whatever the hell is going on with the Wicked cast, New York apartment vermin, and the strange comfort of magical thinking. This is a teaser for a Patreon-exclusive episode. To listen to the full episode and access over 50 bonus episodes, mediasodes, and our monthly news broadcast What the Hell Sure NEWS, visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today.
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Julia is joined by artist and candlelight devotee Roxy Jamin for an illuminating episode examining The Big Light. Together, the girlies explore how modern LED lighting and the death of neon have slowly divorced us from nature, mystery, and the romance of the hearth, while keeping us trapped in a world of endless noon. Digressions include the shame of using an Instagram Reel as a flashlight, the false promise of a pink drill, and the occasional need to admire the Amish. This episode was produced by Julia Hava and edited by Livi Burdette. To support the podcast on Patreon and access 50+ bonus...
info_outlineThis week, the girlies are armed with their No. 2 pencils to ask: what’s the current state of literacy, how did we get here, and are the kids okay??? They unpack how we went from clay tablets to BookTok fairy smut and trace how phonics, poverty, and the policy failures of the Bush administration shaped how we learn to read. Digressions include Zohran Mamdani socialist prom, the power of drawing portals, and empathy for Travis Kelce.
This episode was produced by Julia Hava and Eliza McLamb and edited by Allison Hagan. Research assistance from Kylie Finnigan.
We’re going on tour!!!! Find tickets at https://linktr.ee/binchtopia
SOURCES:
A Brief History of Summer Reading
A Chapter a Day – Association of Book Reading with Longevity
A History of Reading by Alberto Manguel
American Children’s Reading Skills Reach New Lows
America’s literacy crisis isn’t what you think
Ancient customer-feedback technology lasts millennia
Are men’s reading habits truly a national crisis?
BookTok: A new era in the history of reading
BookTok: The Dark Horse of the Economy
Children and young people's reading in 2025
Exploring BookTok’s impact on literature
How BookTok is Reviving the Era of Physical Bookselling
How is the popularity of BookTok impacting the publishing industry?
How Literacy Became a Powerful Weapon in the Fight to End Slavery
How One Woman Became the Scapegoat for America’s Reading Crisis
How the Second World War Made America Literate
How TikTok Became a Best-Seller Machine
Introduction to the Original Edition Literacy and History
Illiteracy: “Another form of slavery”
Literacy Rate in the US 2025: Top Picks
National Reading Panel - Teaching Children to Read
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
No Child Left Behind: An Overview
Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed at Fifty
PEDAGOGY of the OPPRESSED by Paolo Freire
Report finds ‘shocking and dispiriting’ fall in children reading for pleasure
School Summer Reading Lists: A Brief and Nerdy History
Soldiers Literacy Training Collection
The Influence of BookTok on Literary Criticisms and Diversity
The Invention of Summer Reading and the Birth of the Beach Read
The Literacy Crisis in the U.S. is Deeply Concerning—and Totally Preventable
The Rise and Fall of Vibes-Based Literacy
This is how much the global literacy rate grew over 200 years