The Exploress

Join me and author Brigitte Dale as we explore the fascinating history of women's suffrage through the lens of Brigitte's novel The Good Daughters, about three young women who risk everything in the fight for women's voting rights in early 20th-century London. We cover the diverse motivations of women in the suffrage movement, the importance of female friendships in the fight for the vote, and some of the real-life research that helped bring Brigitte's characters to life.
 
Ways to support The Exploress:
Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, including the video version of this conversation
Grab a copy of THE GOOD DAUGHTERS through the Exploress Bookshop
Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop
Check out Kate's novels, NIGHTBIRDS and FYREBIRDS

When we think about Renaissance art, men's names are usually the first to come to mind. But some the period's artists were, of course, also women, and we'll be learning about three of them today: Lavinia Fontana, Elisabetta Sirani, and Artemisia Gentileschi. All of them were talented and extremely hardworking, lauded and adored (and occasionally harassed by terrible men). They also all made their living as professional painters at a time in which the art world was dominated by men.
The music in this episode comes courtesy of Epidemic Sound and Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com, licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License). Our theme music is by Joshua Stackhouse.
Ways to support The Exploress:
Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, like this one, that you won't find anywhere else
Grab a book at the Exploress Bookshop
Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop
Check out Kate's novels, NIGHTBIRDS and FYREBIRDS

Today we're time traveling somewhere The Exploress has rarely been - World War II - to meet some of its daring female pilots. Turns out women flew some of the war's most dangerous aircraft, and our guest, Becky Aikman, is here to bring their stories roaring back to life. Her book, SPITFIRES, follows the incredible true stories of the twenty-five daring young aviators who bolted for England in 1942, becoming the first American women to command military aircraft. Let's join Becky as she tells us all about them.
Ways to support The Exploress:
Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, including the video version of this conversation and special episodes you won't find anywhere else
Grab a book at the Exploress Bookshop
Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop
Check out Kate's novels, NIGHTBIRDS and FYREBIRDS

Genghis (or Chinggis) Khan is pretty famous for building the largest contiguous land empire the world has ever seen. But he couldn't have done it with his wife, Börte. She was his advisor in all things, bore him MANY children, and ran their expansive horde while he was away. Empress Börte was the Mongols's chief manager, organising seasonal migrations, dealing with herders, and holding meetings with dignitaries and merchants. In other words, when her husband was away, she ran the show. The story of their marriage, and her rise to power, is extraordinary. But her influence wasn't necessarily unique within the Mongol Empire, which respected their ladies and saw them, in many ways, as mens' equal. So let's join Börte as she walks us through life for women in the Mongol Empire.
Our special guests this episode includes Marie Favereau, author of The Horde: How the Mongols Changed the World, and Mongol expert and educator Stephanie Honchell Smith. You can listen to my full interviews with both of them on patreon. Some of the music in this episode comes courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (Spirit of the Girl" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License)
Ways to support The Exploress:
Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, including the video version of this conversation and special episodes you won't find anywhere else
Grab a book at the Exploress Bookshop
Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop
Check out Kate's novels, NIGHTBIRDS and FYREBIRDS

In this episode of the Exploress Book Club, Natasha Solomons and I explore her new book I Am Cleopatra and the complexities of bringing Cleopatra's character to life on the page. Natasha discusses her inspiration for writing about Cleopatra, the challenges of researching a historical figure often viewed through a male-dominated lens, and the importance of portraying women's voices in history. We talk about Cleopatra's education, her relationships with powerful men, and the vulnerability that comes with being a woman in a position of power. 
 
Ways to support The Exploress:
Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, including the video version of this conversation you won't find anywhere else
Grab I Am Cleopatra through the Exploress Bookshop
Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop
Check out Kate's novels, NIGHTBIRDS and FYREBIRDS