logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2024
1h 10m

622 Lesbians in the Archives (with Ameli...

Jacke Wilson / The Podglomerate
About this episode

Lesbians have been around for thousands of years (at least!), but their voices have often fallen victim to censorship, oppression, and ostracization. In this episode, Jacke talks to author Amelia Possanza, whose new book Lesbian Love Story: A Memoir in Archives describes Possanza's research into seven love stories for the ages. What can these lesbians from the past, who persisted against numerous obstacles, teach us about love, care, and community? PLUS Jacke takes a look at Emily Dickinson's famous poem #314 ("'Hope' is the thing with feathers -").

Music Credits:

"Tango de Manzana" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/donate. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at www.thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Up next
Today
739 Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (#14 GBOAT) | Johannes Gutenberg (with Eric Marshall White)
Thanks to his invention of Europe's first typographic printing method, and his pioneering work on the first printed Bible, the fifteenth-century German inventor Johannes Gutenberg has a fame and reputation that continues to this day. In 1997, Time magazine credited him with the m ... Show More
1h 34m
Oct 6
738 Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (#15 Greatest Book of All Time)
Emily Brontë only published one full-length book before dying at the tragically young age of 30. But that book, Wuthering Heights, which tells the story of obsessive and vengeful love on the rugged moors of Yorkshire, is still considered one of the pinnacles of English literature ... Show More
1h 16m
Oct 2
737 "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs
It's October! Jacke kicks off his favorite month with a classic tale of horror, "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs. Perhaps you know the general contours of the paradigmatic "be careful what you wish for" story from the Simpsons or another popularization - but just how scary was t ... Show More
42m 21s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2024
Unsuitable: A History of Lesbian Fashion, an interview with Eleanor Medhurst
From Sappho to Stonewall-and-beyond, this week we explore than 2,600 years of lesbian fashion history as Eleanor Medhurst joins us to discuss her recently released book Unsuitable: A History of Lesbian Fashion.Want more Dressed: The History of Fashion?  Our website and classes Ou ... Show More
58m 30s
Jan 2025
Medieval Lesbians
How do you begin to look for examples of lesbians in the medieval period? Even though it was deeply frowned upon by the powers that be, the clues are very much there... if you know where to look. What examples do we have? How did the male-run church respond to fears that nuns wer ... Show More
45m 38s
Jun 2024
Eleanor Medhurst, "Unsuitable: A History of Lesbian Fashion" (Hurst, 2024)
Eleanor Medhurst joins us today to talk about Unsuitable: A History of Lesbian Fashion (Hurst & Company, 2024). Clothes are integral to lesbian history. Lesbians, in turn, are integral to the history of fashion. The way that we dress can help us to present who we are to the world ... Show More
44m 28s
Nov 2024
Conversations: How Women Became Poets, Gender History in Greek Literature w/ Emily Hauser
Liv speaks with author Emily Hauser about her book How Women Became Poets. They look at women in Greek myth, literature, etymology, and, very specifically, the long and arduous history of women 'poets' in Greek literature. Plus, a sneak peak at Emily's next work: Mythica/Penelope ... Show More
1h 51m
Apr 2025
Emily Henry's latest novel 'Great Big Beautiful Life' explores love beyond romance
Known for books like Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation, Emily Henry is the patron saint of millennial romance. But for her latest novel, the author says she wanted to challenge herself in a new way. Great Big Beautiful Life is a story within a story about two journalists ... Show More
9m 18s
Jun 2025
What Did Jane Austen Know About Sex?
She wrote some of the most enduring romances in literature. But what did Jane Austen really know about love ... and sex?From longing looks and flirtation, to seduction and elopement, in this episode we're investigating how much of Jane Austen's works was based on experience.Kate ... Show More
48m 56s
Aug 2024
Life Lessons From Historical Women
When women's stories aren't being flat-out ignored from the history books, they can often be sidelined. Well not here! Joining Kate today is the comedian and author of Life Lessons from Historical Women, Eleanor Morton, to share some of her favourite stories of inspirational wome ... Show More
35m 48s
Sep 30
Ballads of Love and Death
In this enchanting episode, Dr. Eleanor Janega dissolves the boundaries between history, folklore, and music to explore the haunting world of medieval ballads. Joined by author Amy Jeffs, illustrator Gwen Burns and composer/singer Natalie Brice, Eleanor uncovers the timeless stor ... Show More
1h 1m
Mar 2025
A Conversation with Anne Sebba: The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz
To leave you with a bit of lagniappe for Women's History Month, we broke our usual format to sit down for a talk with Anne Sebba, author of the new book The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz: A Story of Survival. Anne tells us about some of the women in the only entirely female orch ... Show More
1h 7m
Aug 2024
Conversations: Women Are Wet & Spongy, the History of the Female Body w/ Prof Helen King
Liv speaks with Professor Helen King about her new book Immaculate Forms, and the history of the female body. From the ancient world (women were wet and spongy) to the more modern (Man Discovers Clitoris). Plus, Artemis and periods.CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. ... Show More
1h 30m