Feminist Book Club: The Podcast

When Sally mentioned in our team Slack that she was considering reading the six books on the short list for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction, Renee chimed in that she’d already read two of them. Like the true feminist nerds they are, they teamed up to read three each. In this podcast episode, Sally and Renee rank the six books and make a prediction for which one will win the prize later this week.     Books/Resources Mentioned: Thunderclap: A Memoir of Art and Life and Sudden Death by Laura Cumming Code Dependent: Living in the Shadow of AI by Madhumita Murgia All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake by Tiya Miles A Flat Place: Moving Through Empty Landscapes, Naming Complex Trauma by Noreen Masud Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair   Special thanks to Melville House for providing a complementary copy of A Flat Place.   Support this episode’s hosts and guests:  Follow Renee: Instagram // The StoryGraph Follow Sally: Instagram // The StoryGraph   Today’s episode is sponsored by Thank You, More Please by Lily Womble from Legacy Lit and Undue Burden: Life and Death Decisions in Post-Roe America by Shefali Luthra from Doubleday. Thank you to our sponsors for supporting independent feminist media.   Get our weekly round-up of blog and podcast content delivered directly to your inbox every Friday here.   Check out our online community here!    This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people.   Original music by @iam.onyxrose Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.

Beach read season is upon us! There are lots of definitions of beach reads out there but to us, a good beach read is something that is smart, sexy, funny, and full of heart. Tune in to hear Jordy and Mariquita discuss This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune and then stick around for Renee’s review of The Husbands by Holly Gramazio.   This Summer Will Be Different discussion (0:23) Jordy and Mariquita sit down to discuss Carley Fortune’s newest book, This Summer Will Be Different. This is a heavy-hitting romance novel that explores the love we receive from friendships, found family, and romantic partners. You’ll laugh, cry, swoon, and get into all your feels with this summer read.    Renee’s Review Corner: The Husbands (25:33) Lauren comes home from a bachelorette party to find her husband waiting up for her. But she doesn’t have a husband. It turns out, she has a magic attic. If you like funny books that are smart but irreverent, listen to Renee’s review of The Husbands by Holly Gramazio. Books/Resources Mentioned: This Summer Will be Different by Carley Fortune Every Summer After by Carley Fortune The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han Happy Place by Emily Henry David Copperfield by Charles Dickens Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery  Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys The Husbands by Holly Gramazio Support this episode’s hosts and guests:  Follow Jordy: Instagram // TikTok Follow Mariquita: Instagram  Follow Renee: Instagram // The StoryGraph Today’s episode is sponsored by Undue Burden: Life and Death Decisions in Post-Roe America by Shefali Luthra from Doubleday. Thank you to our sponsors for supporting independent feminist media.   Get our weekly round-up of blog and podcast content delivered directly to your inbox every Friday here.   Check out our online community here!    This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people.   Original music by @iam.onyxrose   Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.

Today’s episode features two seemingly disparate segments with a lot in common. Alternate titles included Wisdom from the Windy City, Voices of Chicago Youth and Elders, Notes on Compassion, or something about absurdism and groundedness. Mariquita, Rah, and Renee discuss the new book Kittentits by Holly Wilson, then Ashley interviews Chaz Ebert about her book It’s Time to Give a FECK. Kittentits and the Absurd (1:40) Mariquita, Rah, and Renee discuss Kittentits by Holly Wilson and grapple with elements of the absurd. Mariquita shows off her pop culture knowledge by pointing out millions of references to Return to Oz that went way over Rah’s and Renee’s heads and also schools us on the Chicago World’s Fair of 1992 that never was. Renee shares a bit about absurdist philosophy and Rah straps in for a good time.   It’s Time to Give a FECK with Chaz Ebert (27:50) Ashley spoke with Chaz Ebert about her book, It’s Time to Give a FECK: Elevating Humanity through Forgiveness, Empathy, Compassion, and Kindness. The conversation includes writing the personal stories with the research and how FECK can be better shown in the media.    Books/Resources Mentioned: Kittentits by Holly Wilson Blood and Guts in High School by Kathy Acker Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll It’s Time to Give a FECK: Elevating Humanity through Forgiveness, Empathy, Compassion, and Kindness by Chaz Ebert   Support this episode’s hosts and guests:  Follow Mariquita: Instagram  Follow Renee: Instagram // The StoryGraph Follow Rah: Instagram // TikTok // The StoryGraph Follow Ashley: Instagram // Twitter // Website Follow Chaz Ebert: Instagram Today’s episode is sponsored by The Unboxing of a Black Girl by Angela Shanté from Page Street YA and Undue Burden: Life and Death Decisions in Post-Roe America by Shefali Luthra from Doubleday. Thank you to our sponsors for supporting independent feminist media.   Get our weekly round-up of blog and podcast content delivered directly to your inbox every Friday here.   Check out our online community here!    This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people.   Original music by @iam.onyxrose   Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.

Is anyone else just generally Going Through It? Here at Feminist Book Club, we all kind of feel like life is a lot at the moment. So today we’re here with some feminist brain candy to keep you company when the going gets rough. Renee shares some books she’s read recently, then Ashley and Rah discuss the new film Challengers.    What to Read When Everything Sucks (1:40) When times feel especially heavy, Renee leans on genre fiction and what she calls “feel-good literary fiction.” In this segment, she shares a bunch of the lighthearted books that have been keeping her sane while the world feels like it’s on fire.    Challengers: More Than a Horny Tennis Movie (12:18) Ashley and Rah both scored discounted tickets to see Challengers recently so they teamed up to discuss what they thought about this film and Zendaya’s breakout leading role.      Books/Resources Mentioned: Comedic Romantasy is My Self-Care by Steph on the FBC Blog Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto The Kielbasa Killer by Geri Krotow Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano Glory Be by Danielle Arcenaux None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty You’re Invited by Amanda Jayatissa My Sweet Girl by Amanda Jayatissa The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez The Society of Shame by Jane Roper The Husbands by Holly Gramazio   Support this episode’s hosts and guests:  Follow Renee: Instagram // The StoryGraph Follow Ashley: Instagram // Twitter // Website Follow Rah: Instagram // TikTok // The StoryGraph Today’s episode is sponsored by The Unboxing of a Black Girl by Angela Shanté from Page Street YA and Undue Burden: Life and Death Decisions in Post-Roe America by Shefali Luthra from Doubleday. Thank you to our sponsors for supporting independent feminist media.   Get our weekly round-up of blog and podcast content delivered directly to your inbox every Friday here.   Check out our online community here!    This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people.   Original music by @iam.onyxrose   Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.

We love to celebrate women who defy gender roles and today we’re celebrating two groups of fascinating women. First, Ashley gives an update on all the exciting happenings in women’s sports around the country. Then, Renee chats with Laura Carroll about her book A Special Sisterhood, a collection of profiles on women in history who chose not to have children. Tune in to celebrate women athletes and child-free women!   Ashley Is Back in Her Women’s Sports Bag (1:40) Ashley shares her experience attending an Angel City Football Club game. She also shares exciting updates on WNBA partnerships (including over-the-counter birth control!), this year’s draft, and Candace Parker’s retirement from the WNBA.    A Special Sisterhood of Child-Free Women (13:10) Renee sits down with Laura Carroll to talk about women who choose not to have children. They discuss Laura’s long history of researching and writing about child-free women, some child-free icons from history, and the importance of celebrating the lives we choose.     Books/Resources Mentioned: WNBA announces multi-year partnership with Opill A Special Sisterhood by Laura Carroll The Baby Matrix by Laura Carroll   Support this episode’s hosts and guests:  Follow Ashley: Instagram // Twitter // Website Follow Renee: Instagram // The StoryGraph Follow Laura Carroll: Website // Instagram // Facebook // X Today’s episode is sponsored by The Unboxing of a Black Girl by Angela Shanté from Page Street YA and Undue Burden: Life and Death Decisions in Post-Roe America by Shefali Luthra from Doubleday. Thank you to our sponsors for supporting independent feminist media.   Get our weekly round-up of blog and podcast content delivered directly to your inbox every Friday here.   Check out our online community here!    This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people.   Original music by @iam.onyxrose Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.

Here at FBC, we wanna diversify your bookshelf in all sorts of ways and we’re here to remind you that reading Black stories doesn’t just mean reading literary fiction about pain or suffering. Genre fiction, or popular fiction that falls into certain predictable categories, is full of incredible Black women writing at the tops of their games. In this episode, we recommend two in particular, one romance author and one thriller author. Renee’s Reading Corner: A Love Song for Ricki Wilde (1:47) The hill Renee will die on is that fans of Emily Henry need to be reading Tia Williams’ books. In this segment, she compares Henry and Williams to make a case for more white women to read Tia Williams’ romances, specifically her newest book A Love Song for Ricki Wilde.   While We Were Burning and Messy Black Women (8:48) Tayler has a chat with Sara Koffi, author of the novel While We Were Burning, a domestic thriller. Tayler and Sara chat about unlikeable Black women, how that shows up in Sara’s book, some of their favorite unlikeable Black women in pop culture, and who gets to tell those stories.     Books/Resources Mentioned: Funny Story by Emily Henry A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams  Seven Days in June by Tia Williams While We Were Burning by Sara Koffi Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra   Support this episode’s hosts and guests:  Follow Renee: Instagram // The StoryGraph Follow Tayler: X // Instagram // TikTok Follow Sara Koffi: Instagram // X // Website Today’s episode is sponsored by Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution by Cat Bohannan and Moral Code by Lois and Russ Melbourne. Thank you to our sponsors for supporting independent feminist media.   Get our weekly round-up of blog and podcast content delivered directly to your inbox every Friday here.   Check out our online community here!    This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people.   Original music by @iam.onyxrose Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.

Amanda Montell, author of The Age of Magical Overthinking, is reviewed by Renee who praises the book's relatability. Jordy shares her cross-country road trip book adventures, including visits to bookstores and audiobook companions. Books discussed include The Secrets of Hartwood Hall, Siren Queen, and American Mermaid.

We’re big fans of getting uncomfortable with your reading life, whether that be reading about a topic that has been misunderstood for most of history or reading translated literature in a whole new format. In this episode, our contributors share two ways to get a little outside your comfort zone when it comes to reading.   Reframing and Reclaiming: Using Horror to Come into Power (1:47) Mariquita talks with V. Castro about her latest book, Immortal Pleasures, which reframes the life of La Malinche, the Nahua woman who translated for Cortes. Their discussion covers the role of horror in holding a mirror to the atrocities carried out against indigenous people and people of color, reclaiming the stories of women that heretofore had only been told by their abusers, and how telling our own stories can give us power. CW include rape, sexual content, and sexual violence   Manga Mania (18:17) Jordy, Rah, and Mhairie sit down to discuss their varying degrees of love and experience when it comes to all things manga and anime. In this discussion, they delve into a brief history of manga - including an overview of the genres, how they each got into manga, and a bookish discussion on the first volume of the Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama.     Books/Resources Mentioned: Immortal Pleasures by V. Castro The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama Creepy Cat by Cotton Valent Ghostly Things by Ushio Shirotori My Cat is Such a Weirdo by Tamako Tamagoyama  Sailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi Demon Slayer by Koyoharu Gotouge. InuYasha by Rumiko Takahashi Full Metal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa Fruit Baskets by Natsuki Takaya Happy Marriage by Maki Enjōji How Manga Took Over American Bookshelves - from It’s Lit! on PBS A Brief History of Manga by Merri Kiwi   Support this episode’s guest and hosts: Follow V. Castro: Instagram // TikTok // Website // Twitter Follow Mariquita: Instagram // Threads Follow Jordy: Instagram // TikTok  Follow Rah: Instagram // TikTok // The StoryGraph Follow Mhairie: Instagram   Today’s episode is sponsored by Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution by Cat Bohannan and Moral Code by Lois and Russ Melbourne. Thank you to our sponsors for supporting independent feminist media.   Get our weekly round-up of blog and podcast content delivered directly to your inbox every Friday here.   Check out our online community here!    This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people.   Original music by @iam.onyxrose   Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.  

If there’s one thing Feminist Book Club does well, it’s demonstrating how beautifully complex and multifaceted feminists are. In this episode, you’ll hear Ashley and Tayler’s thoughts on the juggernaut that is Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter (is it a country album?) and then you’ll learn a thing or two about how the government collects demographic data with our resident civil servant and data geek Natalia.    Giddy Up for Cowboy Carter (1:47) Ashley and Tayler kick us off with a discussion about Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Act II. The conversation includes their favorite songs on the album, the online chatter around Beyoncé’s version of Jolene, and whether celebrities are or should be activists. Come for the pop culture, stay for the critiques.   Data Collection is Feminist (24:17) Natalia talks about recent updates to how the government collects demographic data, what information is NOT collected and why any of this matters to you. Also mentioned: Are Middle Eastern People Really "White"? by Yasi Agah for Feminist Book Club Support this episode’s hosts: Follow Ashley: Instagram // Website Follow Tayler: Instagram // TikTok // Threads Follow Natalia: Instagram Today’s episode is sponsored by Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution by Cat Bohannan and Moral Code by Lois and Russ Melbourne. Thank you to our sponsors for supporting independent feminist media.   Get our weekly round-up of blog and podcast content delivered directly to your inbox every Friday here.   Check out our online community here!    This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people.   Original music by @iam.onyxrose   Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.

We're not saying Feminist Book Club is as culturally important to the Western world as The Golden Girls, but we're also not not saying that. In this episode, you’ll hear FBC founder Renee chat with Executive DIrector Sally about some of the struggles selecting our books of the month. Then you’ll hear Ashley review a little known Golden Girls spinoff called The Golden Palace.   Trials and Tribulations of Selecting FBC Books of the Month (1:47) If you’re just a podcast listener, you may not realize Feminist Book Club is a real book club! We have a subscription service where you can join us and receive our non-fiction and fiction picks every month in the mail or via audiobooks. That may seem straightforward, but it recently dawned on Renee just how complicated the process is while she was training Sally to be our new Executive Director.   The Golden Palace is a Golden Sitcom (23:37) Then Ashley talks about The Golden Palace, the spinoff to the sitcom The Golden Girls, and why the show cements itself as a comedic gold mine. Check out Ashley’s blog article about Designing Women here. Support this episode’s hosts: Follow Renee: Instagram // The StoryGraph Follow Sally: Instagram // The StoryGraph Follow Ashley: Instagram // Twitter // Website   Today’s episode is sponsored by Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution by Cat Bohannan and Moral Code by Lois and Russ Melbourne. Thank you to our sponsors for supporting independent feminist media.   Get our weekly round-up of blog and podcast content delivered directly to your inbox every Friday here.   Check out our online community here!    This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people.   Original music by @iam.onyxrose Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.