Wicked Women: The Podcast

Pirates have been a part of the public imagination since ancient times, but what is known about the women who chose that life for themselves? In today’s episode, I will analyze pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read, two women who have become more mythical than factual. Joining me today is historian Dr. Rebecca Simon, an expert on all things pirates and author of Pirate Queens: The Lives of Anne Bonny and Mary Read. 

The name Hatshepsut has become synonymous with female power in ancient Egypt. But her daughter Neferura has been largely lost and forgotten. In today’s episode I will be speaking with Malayna Evans, author of the novel Neferura: The Pharaoh’s Daughter in which she tries to recapture the voice of Neferura and the turbulent world she lived in. Listen to my discussion with Malayna as we cover her book, the process of writing about women with very little records left behind, and female bodily autonomy. As Malayna Evan’s describes “Peace, it seems, never lasts for women who wield power in the open.“

Jezebel has been a term used to demean, sexualize, and demonize women for millenia. But before it became a byword for “wicked women”, Jezebel was a queen of Israel who dared to worship different gods. She has been both erased, lost in a tide of scandal and rumor, and immortalized. In the end, perhaps becoming infamous was vindication for her villainization. In today's episode, I will be discussing the life and legacy of one of history's most influential “wicked women”, Jezebel. Joining me to discuss her triumphant novel Jezebel and the infamy of the woman behind the name is author Megan Barnard.

For anyone growing up in a Christian church, the name Mary Magdalene would be familiar. The first person recorded in the four Gospels to see Jesus after the resurrection, her true role as an apostle has been mainly lost over time, replaced by a persistent image of her as a penitent prostitute and sinner. In today’s episode, I will be in discussion with playwright Sylvia Milo, the mind behind the new play Magdalene: I am the Utterance of my Name. 

In today’s episode I will be in conversation with historian Emma Southon, author of the recently published A Rome of One’s Own: The Forgotten Women of the Roman Empire. In our conversation we will be looking specifically at the life of Tullia Minor and the woman she is most often depicted as a foil to, Lucretia. This discussion was an enlightening look into the lives of two Roman women as well as the wider concept of women’s agency and erasure throughout the past. I am excited for you all to listen to this one! 

Perhaps some of the most recognizable American photos of the early 20th century. A young woman poses in front of a car with a cigar between her teeth and a gun on her hip. In another she points a rifle at the chest of a man who stares back at her without fear. Bonnie and Clyde made headlines in ways few couples have before or will again. There have been films, tv series, books, Broadway musicals, and even psychology terms based off of their story. But as is too often the case with media celebrities today, the real people behind the famous photos, hollywood films and power ballads are far more elusive. In addition, because of Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker’s fame as a couple, it can be difficult to see or imagine the individuals involved in the 21 month crime spree. Bonnie herself has been called a criminal, attention seeker, murderer, romantic, and a modern Robin Hood. Today she is far more of an American legend than a real flesh and blood woman. Special Guest: Jenni Walsh, author of novels Becoming Bonnie and Side by Side that provide a raw look into the life of Bonnie and Clyde told in the voice of the woman who experienced it all. Poem by Bonnie Parker read by Sallie Bieterman

It is a horror story stained with blood. A Hungarian noblewoman tortures and murders her female servants out of jealousy and sadistic need for violence. After the grisly deed, she bathes in the blood of her victims to gain eternal youth and beauty. Some claims put her kill count in the range of 600 young women to thousands, making her possibly the most prolific female serial killer in history. Lady Gaga has played her, Brahms Stoker used her as inspiration for Count Dracula, the Grimms Brothers based the Evil Queen in Snow White off of her, and countless books, movies, operas, and television shows have been dedicated to her sadistic ways. While this makes for an engaging and graphic horror story, the truth is far more elusive. In recent years, scholars and authors have begun to question the legitimacy of these legends surrounding Elizabeth Báthory, and attempt to find the real woman underneath. Featured Guest: Discussing Elizabeth Bathory with me today will be novelist Rebecca Johns, author of the book The Countess.

On an endlessly bright summer night in St. Petersburg in 1777, a glamorous three masted ship sailed into harbor. On board the yacht was a lone woman, responsible for scandalizing the British public and ready to make her name known at the court of Catherine the Great. This inconspicuous woman on the regal yacht had quickly become the anti-hero of a Georgian society desiring a headline other than the War of Independence an ocean away. As Elizabeth Chudleigh, Duchess of Kingston (or so she called herself) sailed into St. Petersburg, she had every intention of making a name for herself as she had in England. In an age that saw the beginning of modern concepts such as celebrity and news cycles, the Duchess became the perfect personification. A duchess, art connoisseur, manipulator, and bigamist, Elizabeth refused to accept the role life had prescribed to her, and preferred infamy to anonymity. Featured Guest: Historian Catherine Ostler, author of the book, The Duchess Countess: The Woman Who Scandalized Eighteenth-Century London.