It's Women’s History Month and awards season so let’s talk about women in Hollywood. 

In this episode, author, film critic, and journalist Helen O’Hara tells us about her new book Women vs. Hollywood: The Fall and Rise of Women in Film. 

We talk about women in leadership roles when filmmaking was first invented but were later written out of Hollywood history. 

We talk about Alice Guy-Blache who was the first female film director, Lois Weber who was one of the first female American filmmakers, Mary Pickford who became a Hollywood studio owner with United Artists, Pearl White who was an early female action star, Nell Shipman who made adventure films in the 1910s, and more. 

Helen’s book is available now digitally. The printed edition will be out in the US in November.

Ep26: "Women vs Hollywood” Part 1. A Chat with Author Helen O’Hara About Women in Hollywood History.

In this episode, I continue my conversation with author, film critic, and journalist Helen O’Hara about her new book Women vs. Hollywood: The Fall and Rise of Women in Film. 

We talk about the nuts and bolts of the movie making industry. Why some aspects turn people into products. How telling more diverse stories is not only morally good but also economically advantageous. 

We talk about how movies reflect and can also shape our world. How audiences vote on what kind of movies get made with their wallets. And how more people in the industry need to have the courage of their convictions.

Ep27: Part 2 of  "Women vs Hollywood” with author Helen O’Hara.

Bianca Rowlett tells us about Jeane Kirkpatrick, the first woman to serve as US Ambassador to the United Nations under Reagan’s administration. 

Jeane Kirkpatrick was a very controversial figure and is known for the Kirkpatrick Doctrine that justified supporting authoritarian right wing regimes and dictatorships as long they were anticommunist. She started as a democrat and then became a neoconservative. 

The effects of this approach to foreign policy had a major impact on Central America. 

We talk about how Jeane Kirkpatrick believed there should be more women in politics, her emphasis on gradual change, and how fragile democracy is. 

You can read Bianca’s essay and other great essays in the book “Suffrage at 100: Women in American Politics since 1920”.

Ep28: Who Was Jeane Kirkpatrick & How Fragile is Democracy? A Chat with Historian Bianca Rowlett

It’s pride month! In this episode, writer and photographer Malika Ali Harding tells us about Pauli Murray. 

Pauli Murray was a civil rights activist, women’s rights activist, lawyer, author, poet, and is amongst the first generation of female Episcopal priests. 

She’s done so many amazing things… but why isn’t she more well known?? 

We talk about how Pauli sometimes just missed the moment or wasn’t put on display to help promote a cause. 

Pauli Murray struggled with her sexual and gender identity describing herself as having an “inverted sex instinct”. She had several deep relationships with women. A number of scholars have retroactively classified her as transgender. 

You can read Malika’s article about Pauli Murray on Puttylike: https://puttylike.com/pauli-murray-a-kick-down-barriers-kinda-life/

Ep29: Who was Pauli Murray? A Conversation with Writer and Photographer Malika Ali Harding.

In this episode, historian and writer Clover Hope tells us about her new book, The Motherlode, a comprehensive history of women rappers. 

Clover tells us about the role of women in the birth of hip-hop. We talk about the first female rapper, MC Sha-Rock and other women who were crucial to building the genre. 

Clover tells us about her process of researching these stories. 

We talk about the music industry for women in hip-hop and what women rap about that men wouldn’t. 

We talk about how bold this music is and some of the reactions to women rapping about sexuality and empowerment and what the word feminism means in the rap world. 

We also talk about the drought of women in hip-hip in the 2000s, the impact of the internet on the industry, how social media has helped some artists break out, and what the future looks like. 

The Motherlode features really great illustrations by Rachelle Baker. It makes an awesome coffee table book and is available now. 

For more info go to: http://www.cloverhope.com

Ep25: Who Are the Women That Shaped Hip-Hop? Clover Hope tells us about her new book The Motherlode.

Stories about women throughout history and their impact on today. Hosted by Laura Boersma.

She's History Podcast