Feminist Book Club: The Podcast

The phrase "own voices" gets tossed around the bookish internet a lot, but have you ever paused to think about why it truly matters? Today's podcast sheds light on the importance of reading stories told by the people within those communities. From the political crisis in the Philippines from an intrepid Filipino journalist to the first traditionally-published romance novel by a Native author featuring Native characters, we spotlight why #OwnVoices is more than just a hashtag. Renee's Reading Corner: Some People Need Killing (0:21) Renee shares one of her favorite non-fiction books of the year so far, Some People Need Killing by Patricia Evangelista. Even if you think the deadly politics of the Philippines has no impact on your day-to-day life, tune in to hear why you should absolutely read this book. If nothing else, it's a feat of longform journalism that you won't want to miss. The Bridget Jones of Indian Country (8:40) We've waited until 2024 to have our first traditionally-published romance by a Native author featuring Native characters, but it was worth the wait! Sally chats with Danica Nava, author of The Truth According to Ember, about Native stereotypes and discrimination, her favorite romcoms, characters, and tropes, and her book, which we'll gladly deem "the Bridget Jones of Indian Country." Books and Resources Mentioned: Some People Need Killing: A Memoir of Murder in My Country by Patricia Evangelista The Women's Prize for Non-Fiction Short List - podcast episode with Sally and Renee The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava Bridget Jones' Diary by Helen Fielding Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen Reservation Dogs Legally Blonde How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days The Hating Game by Sally Thorne I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Support this episode's hosts and guests: Follow Renee: Instagram // The StoryGraph Follow Sally: Instagram // The StoryGraph Follow Danica: Instagram // Threads Today's episode is sponsored by Gretchen Sisson, author of Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood. Your support helps keep feminist media independent! 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.

Get your TBRs ready because we're discussing three books you won't want to miss! Jordy reviews Made For You by Jenna Satterthwaite, Renee reviews All This and More by Peng Shepherd, and Mariquita sits down with Rachelle Bergstein to chat about her book The Genius of Judy: How Judy Blume Rewrote Childhood for All of Us. This episode will have you thinking about the kinds of entertainment media that makes us all who we are. Made For You – AI Women and The Bachelor (0:21) Jordy sits down to discuss Made for You by Jenna Satterthwaite. This book is The Bachelor meets artificial intelligence meets murder mystery. This story will have you ponder the ethics and morality of creating humanlike robots all while feeling empowered by reclaiming individual autonomy. Renee's Reading Corner: All This and More (5:40) If you're feeling a little nostalgic for the Choose Your Own Adventure books we had growing up, you'll want to check out Peng Shepherd's latest novel All This and More. Renee reviews the book and shares why you might love it too. What a Friend We Have in Judy (9:11) Mariquita interviews author Rachelle Bergstein about her book The Genius of Judy: How Judy Blume Rewrote Childhood for All of Us. Over the course of the discussion they cover the importance of Blume's ability to destigmatize menstruation and masturbation, the evergreen relevance of censorship and book bans, and where accountability ends and censorship begins. Books and Resources Mentioned: Made for You by Jenna Satterthwaite If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy The Villain Edit by Laurie Devore All This and More by Peng Shepherd The Genius of Judy: How Judy Blume Rewrote Childhood for All of Us by Rachelle Bergstein Women from the Ankle Down by Rachelle Bergstein Brilliance and Fire by Rachelle Bergstein Are You There God, It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume Deenie by Judy Blume Forever by Judy Blume Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson Superfudge by Judy Blume Then Again Maybe I Won't by Judy Blume Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma by Claire Dederer Support this episode's hosts and guests: Follow Jordy: Instagram // TikTok Follow Renee: Instagram // The StoryGraph Follow Rachelle: Instagram // website // twitter Follow Mariquita: Instagram // Threads 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.

After trying – and failing – to lean in and girlboss our way to success, what comes next? Ashley and Sally chat with Samhita Mukhopadhyay (former executive editor for Teen Vogue) about what we can take away from those movements, how community is key to a workplace revolution, and insights from her book The Myth of Making It. Books and Resources Mentioned: The Myth of Making It: A Workplace Reckoning by Samhita Mukhopadhyay Having It All by Helen Gurley Brown Phillip Cardi's interview with Samhita on Unholier Than Thou Support this episode's hosts and guests: Follow Samhita: Instagram // Substack Follow Ashley: Instagram // Twitter // Website Follow Sally: Instagram // The StoryGraph 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.

Move over non-fiction, we've got three novels that tackle big social issues in today's episode! From violence against women in Murder After the Night Before, racist property laws in What You Leave Behind, and climate change in Troubled Waters, today's episode proves that fiction can teach us and inspire us just as well, if not better, than non-fiction. The One with the (Un)Likable Female Character with Katy Brent (0:21) Do we need to like our main characters or can we just accept that we're all a bit like Rachel's trifle from Friends? In this segment, kindly sponsored by HarperCollins, Sally talks with Katy Brent, author of The Murder After the Night Before. They chat about unlikeable female characters, what we gain from true crime, and Katy's favorite thrillers. Heirs Property in What We Leave Behind by Wanda M. Morris (16:55) Renee gushes about the new legal thriller What We Leave Behind by one of her favorite thriller authors Wanda M. Morris. To provide context for the premise of the book, she dives into what heirs property is, what makes it so complicated, and how it can impact the inheritance and legacy of Black families. Lineage, Food, and Climate Change with Mary Annaïse Heglar (25:41) Ashley speaks with the author of Troubled Waters, Mary Annaïse Heglar, about how food can be a connector among characters, how place is pivotal for storytelling, the history of climate change that we try to forget, and cli-fi as a literary genre. Books/Resources Mentioned: The Murder After the Night Before by Katy Brent How to Kill Men and Get Away With It by Katy Brent Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn Hidden Homicides podcast You by Caroline Kepnes (and the tv show) The Boys Killing Eve Troubled Waters by Mary Annaïse Heglar What You Leave Behind by Wanda M. Morris Anywhere You Run by Wanda M. Morris All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris Renee's podcast interview with Wanda M. Morris (from 2022) Support this episode's hosts and guests: Follow Sally: Instagram // The StoryGraph Follow Katy Brent: Instagram Follow Renee: Instagram // The StoryGraph Follow Ashley: Instagram // Twitter // Website Follow Mary Annaïse Heglar: Instagram 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.

Pride Month may be over for 2024, but we'll never stop reading and recommending queer lit! Especially when the books are as good as the two in this episode. First up, tune into Rah fanboi-ing all over TJ Alexander as they interview the author about their new book Triple Sec. Then join Mariquita and Sam in a discussion of Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg, with themes of love, grief, queerness, embodiment, and so much more. More Poly Rom-Coms Please: Discussing Triple Sec with TJ Alexander (0:21) Are you tired of typical romance novels that don't showcase diverse relationship styles? Have you considered reading Triple Sec? In this segment, Rah sits down with TJ Alexander to discuss the inspiration and creation behind the newly released polyamorous rom-com, Triple Sec. Tune in to hear about TJ's process in creating diverse characters, the future of poly rom-coms, and why this book should be on your summer beach read TBR. Echoes of Queerness in Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg (24:49) Mariquita and Sam chat about Emma Copley Eisenberg's recently released Housemates, a book about queer love and art and their intersection. Mariquita and Sam discuss the book's continuum of queer artists, its embodied embrace of fatness, and more. Books/Resources Mentioned: Chef's Kiss by TJ Alexander Chef's Choice by TJ Alexander Second Chances in New Port Stephen by TJ Alexander Triple Sec by TJ Alexander I'll Have What He's Having by Adib Khorram The Prospects by KT Hoffman Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg More on Berenice Abbot and Elizabeth McCausland Support this episode's hosts and guests: Follow Rah: Instagram // TikTok // The StoryGraph Follow TJ Alexander: Instagram // Website Follow Mariquita: Instagram Follow Sam: Twitter // Instagram 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 supporting women's righteous anger… and let's be real, it feels really good to be angry from time to time. In this episode, join Kenesma as she speaks with Defne Suman about her new book Summer Heat and the themes of anger, reconciliation, and family during Turkey's invasion of Cyprus. Then stay tuned to hear Ashley and Rah thoughtfully discuss their experience watching the new film Furiosa: A Mad Max Story. Summer Heat: An Interview with Defne Sumner (1:03) One of our book club moderators Kenesma sat down with Defne Suman to discuss her latest novel Summer Heat, recently translated from Turkish into English and publishing in the US in a couple of weeks. This book is set alternately between 2003 and 1974 and follows Melike and her lovers, as the reader experiences the personal and the political through her eyes. Furiosa Frenzy (27:49) Ashley and Rah are back with another film discussion! This time, they're diving into the recently released film, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Join them as they share their thoughts on the action-packed prequel, explore the depth beyond the explosions, and celebrate the portrayal of the female lead. Whether you're a longtime fan or new to the Mad Max Universe, this episode promises insights for this thrilling installment. Books/Resources Mentioned: Summer Heat by Defne Suman Support this episode's hosts and guests: Follow Kenesma: Instagram Follow Defne Suman: Website Follow Ashley: Instagram // Twitter // Website Follow Rah: Instagram // TikTok // The StoryGraph Today's episode is sponsored by The Murder After the Night Before by Katy Brent from HQ Digital, an imprint of HarperCollins. 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.

Pride Month is here and we've got our queerly beloveds on our minds. In this double header, you'll first hear Rah and Jordy discuss their favorite sapphic romances and why they love a good WLW love story. Then, Ashley and Mhairie tackle the question of whether we can ever separate a piece of art (such as a certain nostalgic magical series) from the artist when they actively harm the people we love. Queerly Beloved - Sapphic Stories to Light Up Your Pride Month (1:47) Happy Pride Month! We don't need an excuse to read sapphic romances, but if you're looking for one, this is the perfect month to dive in! Tune into this segment where Rah and Jordy discuss a few of their favorite sapphic romances and books with sapphic romances in the background. Get ready to have your TBR list bursting with books that showcase some delightful WLW antics. The FBC Community asks, Can we separate art from the artist? (20:46) Ashley and Mhairie delve into a question from a Feminist Book Club community member posed in our online community : how do you deal with authors whose beliefs go against your own yet their books were some of the most meaningful to you? The conversation includes what cancel culture means, accountability culture, and if you can separate art from the artist. Books/Resources Mentioned: Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail by Ashley Herring Blake Iris Kelly Doesn't Date by Ashley Herring Blake The Fiance Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé Outdrawn by Deanna Grey No Girlfriend Rule by Christen Randall - (listen to Nox's Review here!) Moby Dyke: An Obsessive Quest to Track Down the Last Remaining Lesbian Bars in America by Krista Burton Chlorine by Jade Song Payback's a Witch and In Charm's Way by Lana Harper Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings Don't Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma Alban One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston Make the Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur Here we go again Alison Cochrun Support this episode's hosts and guests: Follow Rah: Instagram // TikTok // The StoryGraph Follow Jordy: Instagram Follow Ashley: Instagram // Twitter // Website Follow Mhairie: Instagram Today's episode is sponsored by Thank You, More Please by Lily Womble from Legacy Lit and The Murder After the Night Before by Katy Brent from HQ Digital, an imprint of HarperCollins. 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 truly in the golden age of book adaptations but move over, Reese Witherspoon, Patricia Highsmith is the reigning queen. Tune in to listen to Renee, Ashley, and Mariquita thoughtfully and hilariously discuss the 1955 novel The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, as well as the 1999 film, and the new Netflix series. They compare and contrast the three texts, dive into the enduring themes of queerness in each, why the book withstands the test of time, Matt Damon vs. Andrew Scott, and all the aspects they loved in the latest series. Finally, they attempt to answer the question, "What the hell is Mr. Ripley's talent anyhow?" Books/Resources Mentioned: The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999 film) Ripley (2024 Netflex series) The Guest by Emma Cline Sociopath by Patric Gagne Mindhunter (TV series) Sugar (TV series) Bad Sisters (TV series) The Tragedy of Macbeth (film) Support this episode's hosts and guests: Follow Renee: Instagram // The StoryGraph Follow Mariquita: Instagram Follow Ashley: Instagram // Twitter // Website Today's episode is sponsored by Thank You, More Please by Lily Womble from Legacy Lit and The Murder After the Night Before by Katy Brent from HQ Digital, an imprint of HarperCollins. 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.

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.