Breaking the Glass Slipper: Women in science fiction, fantasy, and horror
259 episodes - English - Latest episode: 16 days ago - ★★★★★ - 20 ratingsPodcast discussing women in science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Hosted by Megan Leigh, Charlotte Bond, and Lucy Hounsom. New episodes every other Thursday.
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Episodes
Unmapping fantasy with A. K. Larkwood
March 03, 2022 12:00 - 52 minutes - 42.3 MBIt’s high fantasy. You know the drill: personalities are defined by race. Elves are pointy-eared snobs who are unbearably pretty, orcs are barely sentient lap dogs, dwarves love gold and mining… And this is how it’s been, for the most part, since Middle Earth. Not only are these narrow stereotypes incredibly problematic, but they are […] The post Unmapping fantasy with A. K. Larkwood first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Slavic narratives with Gabriela Houston
February 17, 2022 12:00 - 44 minutes - 35.5 MBIf you have been listening to our podcast for some time now, you will be well aware of our fascination with fairytales and how they continue to shape modern speculative fiction. But when we talk about fairytales, we are often thinking of a very narrow subset – those that are more familiar to English-speaking audiences… […] The post Slavic narratives with Gabriela Houston first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Women, history & power – with Kate Heartfield
January 27, 2022 12:00 - 41 minutes - 33.4 MBFor our first episode of 2022, we are going back to the 18th century, to look at the women who wielded power and the means they used to gain it. What challenges did they face? Are they remembered more or less favourably than their male contemporaries? And if, say, they had magic at their disposal, […] The post Women, history & power – with Kate Heartfield first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Beyond the Mafia – with Fonda Lee
December 09, 2021 12:00 - 48 minutes - 38.7 MBFantasy – and indeed most fiction – often involves bitter rivalries. Fights over a kingdom or territory, long-standing feuds where people no longer even remember why it began… Such opposing forces are also a key ingredient in organised crime narratives, though they are rarer within fantasy fiction. When it comes to organised crime, our reference […] The post Beyond the Mafia – with Fonda Lee first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Cli-fi and catastrophe
November 25, 2021 12:00 - 42 minutes - 33.9 MBWe are destroying our planet. The scientists agree, there is no denying that catastrophic climate change is imminent. And yet our leaders continue to pay lip service to the issue without taking real, impactful action. If things don’t change – drastically and soon – we won’t have a planet to call home. Speculative fiction writers […] The post Cli-fi and catastrophe first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Hopeful speculative fiction with Ryka Aoki
November 11, 2021 12:00 - 50 minutes - 40.8 MBThe incredible Ursula K. Le Guin won the National Book Foundation medal for distinguished contribution to American letters in 2014. In her much-shared speech, she noted that “hard times are coming, when we’ll be wanting the voices of writers who can see alternatives to how we live now, can see through our fear-stricken society and […] The post Hopeful speculative fiction with Ryka Aoki first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Body horror with Ellen Datlow
October 28, 2021 11:00 - 41 minutes - 33.8 MBYour body is a temple – a saying that has been with us for centuries. The message: look after your body because you and it are going to be together for a long time. The body is in a symbiotic relationship with the soul: one cannot exist without the other. But what if one of […] The post Body horror with Ellen Datlow first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
“Perfect” women – with Cat Valente
October 14, 2021 11:00 - 47 minutes - 38 MBThe idea of perfection, the perfect being, is one of the oldest stories in the world. How that perfection might be tainted, or turn against the hand that made it, is something that has always intrigued writers of fiction. We can see this idea in stories as wide ranging as The Stepford Wives to Pygmalion […] The post “Perfect” women – with Cat Valente first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Female friendships – with Alix E Harrow
September 30, 2021 11:00 - 3 BytesFemale friendships tend to take a back seat in our narratives, so that when they are given the space to exist, they exist almost solely to discuss a man. Virginia Woolf once commented that “all the great women of fiction were . . . not only seen by the other sex, but seen only in […] The post Female friendships – with Alix E Harrow first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Power and agency in dystopian YA with Melissa Welliver
September 16, 2021 11:00 - 50 minutes - 40.9 MBComing of age stories have long been a staple within speculative fiction genres, but in the last decade, we have seen an explosion of popularity in what publishers and booksellers refer to as YA – young adult – literature. And within that bracket, nothing is more popular than dystopian YA. We live in an increasingly […] The post Power and agency in dystopian YA with Melissa Welliver first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Reconciling our love of works by problematic creators
September 02, 2021 11:00 - 57 minutes - 46 MBRecently, a number of prominent television and film creators, as well as authors, have either been outed for bad behaviour or made hateful public statements. Anyone who is a regular listener will know that we often refer to Harry Potter and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And they are not the only texts we mention that […] The post Reconciling our love of works by problematic creators first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
The mash-up: science fiction and cosmic horror with Ada Hoffmann
August 19, 2021 11:00 - 44 minutes - 35.5 MBThe history of humanity is arguably the history of us trying to explain everything around us. Both science and religion have developed as divergent threads of this goal, inextricably linked but often at odds with one another. Science fiction and cosmic horror also like to explore similar issues, so it feels natural that we are […] The post The mash-up: science fiction and cosmic horror with Ada Hoffmann first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Political fantasy with Katherine Addison
August 05, 2021 11:00 - 44 minutes - 35.8 MBWe talk about unequal societies a lot on this show, about privilege and power and who is in a position to use it. We wanted to take a critical look at a subgenre that maybe best reflects the democratic, bureaucratic society that many of us experience every day. Some of our favourite books fall under […] The post Political fantasy with Katherine Addison first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Technology and the fear of change with Sarah Pinsker
July 22, 2021 11:00 - 48 minutes - 38.9 MBTechnological advances are incredible. Just think, the phone in your pocket is infinitely more powerful than the computers that sent the first spaceships to the moon! Technology has given us basic things we take for granted like running water and electricity, to more modern inventions such as the internet, surgical robots, and automated vacuum cleaners. […] The post Technology and the fear of change with Sarah Pinsker first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
The power of love with Tasha Suri
July 08, 2021 11:00 - 53 minutes - 43.3 MBLove can raise us up. Love can tear us down. It can be our strength, our weakness, and everything in between. And inevitably, love makes fools of us all. While we all enjoy reading a good romance, a love story is rarely just a love story. It has so many other uses within a narrative. […] The post The power of love with Tasha Suri first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Tackling the classics – with Nghi Vo
June 24, 2021 11:00 - 44 minutes - 36 MB95 years after it was first published, the copyright on The Great Gatsby has expired. This great American novel has sold over 25 million copies since it was first published, despite initially disappointing sales. It is hard to believe now, with its cultural pervasiveness, that F Scott Fitzgerald died thinking he was a failure, that his works […] The post Tackling the classics – with Nghi Vo first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Revenge with Marjorie Liu
June 17, 2021 11:00 - 51 minutes - 41.7 MBWe actually recorded this episode WAY back in January, just after Biden’s inauguration in the US. So, naturally, there is a bit of politics in this one given how wrapped up we all were in what was going on… you’ve been warned! An eye for an eye. You hurt me, I’ll hurt you right back. Not […] The post Revenge with Marjorie Liu first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Moving the frontier – with Stark Holborn
June 10, 2021 11:00 - 41 minutes - 33.2 MBThe frontier. The edge of civilisation. So far from the central government that laws are more like ‘guidelines’. Where the sheriffs are crooked and the criminals ruthless; trains rarely go un-sacked and the cattle drive never goes to plan. Oh, and don’t forget the drought. Life on the frontier is never easy. But what about […] The post Moving the frontier – with Stark Holborn first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Chosen Identities – with Charlie Jane Anders
May 27, 2021 11:00 - 48 minutes - 39 MBOur identity is who we are. But for such a seemingly simple concept, our identities are extremely complex. We aren’t the only ones who decide our identities. Society places labels on us that we often don’t feel represents who we are, or worse, forces us into very narrow roles from which we feel we are […] The post Chosen Identities – with Charlie Jane Anders first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Franchise writing with Una McCormack
May 13, 2021 11:00 - 47 minutes - 37.9 MBThe basic principles of writing a book are simple – come up with an idea, write it. Of course, it isn’t really that simple, it is a lot of hard work, but that’s about the size of it, right? Well, not always. What happens if you are asked to write for a hugely popular franchise? […] The post Franchise writing with Una McCormack first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Making the ordinary monstrous with Catriona Ward
April 29, 2021 11:00 - 57 minutes - 45.9 MBWhy do we need monsters in our fiction? Why do we want to be frightened? When they pick up a book, do readers enter into a pact with a writer, as Catriona Ward describes: a pact that says I share your fear, let’s face it together? We asked Catriona about the nature of fear, whether […] The post Making the ordinary monstrous with Catriona Ward first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Communities with Caroline Hardaker and Gabriela Houston
April 15, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 50.9 MBWhen you look, communities are everywhere. They can be the people where you live, the people who share the same interest as you, the people you volunteer with. They can be as small as a household or as big as a city. Communities, societies, political and religious beliefs all intertwine so that sometimes it’s impossible […] The post Communities with Caroline Hardaker and Gabriela Houston first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Exploring Ragnarok – with H.M. Long & Genevieve Gornichec
April 01, 2021 11:00 - 45 minutes - 36.1 MBSpirituality exists in every work of fiction in some form or other, but most often manifests as divinity. Gods and goddesses never seem to go out of fashion. Why do authors turn to a god or pantheon of gods to articulate this spiritual urge? And out of all the pantheons, the Norse gods in particular […] The post Exploring Ragnarok – with H.M. Long & Genevieve Gornichec first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Parenthood with Julia Fine
March 18, 2021 12:00 - 45 minutes - 36.3 MBBeing a parent is not glamorous. It’s hard work and it often goes unappreciated – in life and in fiction. When we do see parents represented in our fiction, we tend to see a very limited kind of representation. Rarely are parents the centre of the story – the prevailing social narrative is that parents […] The post Parenthood with Julia Fine first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Matriarchies – with Aliette de Bodard
March 04, 2021 12:00 - 48 minutes - 38.6 MBThe world as we know it has historically been ruled by men. But when it comes to fiction, writers can choose what power structures they create and how they are depicted. Despite the free rein this allows authors, most simply replicate the patriarchy. When authors do step outside the familiar societal structures and present us with matriarchies, […] The post Matriarchies – with Aliette de Bodard first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Loneliness in science fiction with Aliya Whiteley
February 18, 2021 12:32 - 53 minutes - 42.5 MBSpace. The final frontier. An empty, endless expanse of nothing? Or teeming with life?But do we really need to look beyond the confines of our world to find loneliness? We are currently fighting a pandemic, and in its wake, a loneliness epidemic. Despite our constant striving for companionship, it could be said that to be […] The post Loneliness in science fiction with Aliya Whiteley first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Hollywood Monsters – with Mallory O’Meara
February 04, 2021 12:00 - 43 minutes - 34.9 MBHistory is written by the winners. By men. Early editors of science fiction anthologies chose to exclude works by women, and in doing so, made many believe that women did not write science fiction in the genre’s earliest years. This is just a single example and by no means exhaustive. Mallory O’Meara, self-confessed monster lover […] The post Hollywood Monsters – with Mallory O’Meara first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Magical inequality with Nicole Glover
January 21, 2021 12:00 - 40 minutes - 32.5 MBIn last year’s episode on magical realism, we talked about this genre’s ability to take a recognisable setting and tilt it a few degrees, creating something familiar and yet not quite what we’re used to. Alternate history can do this too – by revisiting a moment in time and fitting a different lens to the […] The post Magical inequality with Nicole Glover first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Scrooge reimagined
December 03, 2020 12:00 - 40 minutes - 32.2 MBA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is one of the staples of Christmas. As well as the original book, it’s possible to watch adaptations involving among others Bill Murray, Jim Carey, Patrick Stewart, and (mine and Megan’s favourite) Michael Caine. It has even been used for specials like Doctor Who. This iconic story has been […] The post Scrooge reimagined first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Language & Power – with Genevieve Cogman
November 19, 2020 12:00 - 54 minutes - 43.8 MBWe constantly discuss themes, stereotypes and assumptions in popular culture, but we don’t often stop to look more closely at the way those issues are expressed. I’m talking about language, and its ability to explore ideas in a highly nuanced way. Phrases like “bad language”, “common parlance” – even “trigger warning” – all carry social […] The post Language & Power – with Genevieve Cogman first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Childhood Heroines
November 05, 2020 12:00 - 59 minutes - 47.9 MBOr ‘Extraneous Fangirling’ as I subtitled this episode while editing it. And in truth there is a fair bit of fangirling, but there’s also a lot of critical reflection to go with it. Because when we looked back at the books and shows we enjoyed as kids, we found some unsettling similarities. We remembered female […] The post Childhood Heroines first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Reclaiming the vampire – with Vivian Shaw
October 22, 2020 11:00 - 40 minutes - 32.5 MBJust in time for Halloween, we spoke to author Vivian Shaw about everyone’s favourite “monster” – the vampire! Immortal vampires have occupied the human imagination for centuries. Whether you prefer the Twilight, Buffy or Bram Stoker type, don’t expect them to turn to dust any time soon. We talked to Vivian about her Greta Helsing […] The post Reclaiming the vampire – with Vivian Shaw first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
The invisibility of women with V.E. Schwab
October 08, 2020 11:00 - 47 minutes - 38.2 MBWomen have always played important roles throughout history, yet too often they are written out of official histories. We have touched on this before on our podcast, referencing essays like Kameron Hurley’s ‘We Have Always Fought’. This cultural pattern has effectively made women invisible – we have been silenced and marginalised. V.E. Schwab’s new novel, The […] The post The invisibility of women with V.E. Schwab first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
A magical education with Naomi Novik
September 24, 2020 11:00 - 42 minutes - 34.6 MBThere are some genre tropes that are ubiquitous in fantasy, from the ensemble quest to overthrowing a dark lord. Magical schools are yet another trope we have come to know and love. Whether you are a fan of early narratives like Le Guin’s Wizard of Earthsea or appreciate the darker elements of more contemporary entries […] The post A magical education with Naomi Novik first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Into the Wood – with Emily Tesh
September 10, 2020 11:00 - 48 minutes - 38.7 MBHumanity is intrinsically bound up with nature and the natural world. We are its creatures, we depend on it for survival, we fear it, love it, deify it…and we’ve become quite good at killing it. Ours is a complex relationship as old as the species. And people have been documenting this relationship – first in […] The post Into the Wood – with Emily Tesh first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
The Cabin in the Woods: horror, comedy & choice
August 27, 2020 11:00 - 53 minutes - 43 MBVariously listed as a horror, comedy and fantasy film by different websites, one thing is certain: Cabin in the Woods, by Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon, defies easy labelling. Is this a send-up of the horror genre in the style of Scary Movie? Is it a rumination on choice and self determination? Or does it […] The post The Cabin in the Woods: horror, comedy & choice first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Aberrant and broken magic with Melissa Caruso
August 13, 2020 11:00 - 56 minutes - 45.2 MBMany of our favourite narratives feature outsiders. They might be alone by virtue of the burden of prophecy, come from the wrong side of the tracks, or simply don’t adhere to behaviour and interests their society expects of them, we see these tropes pop up all over the place. After all, following an outsider protagonist […] The post Aberrant and broken magic with Melissa Caruso first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Gender in Chivalric Romance
July 30, 2020 11:00 - 48 minutes - 39.1 MBThe Story of Silence is based on a 13th century French chivalric romance, distinguished by its prominent discussion of gender. Reimagined by Alex Myers, we found it to be a compelling exploration of transgender identity in an oppressively binary medieval society – and we just had to talk to Alex about it! At its heart, […] The post Gender in Chivalric Romance first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Mermaids with Beth Cartwright
July 16, 2020 11:00 - 43 minutes - 35.3 MBTraditional stories of mermaids describe the creatures as beautiful maidens who sing sweetly as they lounge on rocks and comb their long, flowing hair… but like sirens, mermaids lure sailors to their death with their beauty and song. The less popular of the merfolk, mermen, were not blessed with the beauty of their feminine counterparts, […] The post Mermaids with Beth Cartwright first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Deconstructing the Chosen One – with Veronica Roth
July 02, 2020 11:00 - 56 minutes - 45.6 MBWe have long been obsessed with the chosen one. This ubiquitous archetype has spawned thousands of heroic narratives involving a prophecy and a great evil to be overcome. But in recent years, we’re seeing less and less of the standard trope, and more subversions, which have contributed to the rise of the antihero, and the […] The post Deconstructing the Chosen One – with Veronica Roth first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Addressing Our Biases
June 18, 2020 11:00 - 51 minutes - 41.5 MBEntrenched racism is all around us. This is not a new phenomenon nor the first time racism has been headline news – and yet we have a seemingly incredible ability to forget the atrocities committed daily as long as they aren’t at the top of the news cycle. We can’t continue being intermittently outraged before […]
Addressing our biases
June 18, 2020 11:00 - 51 minutes - 41.5 MBEntrenched racism is all around us. This is not a new phenomenon nor the first time racism has been headline news – and yet we have a seemingly incredible ability to forget the atrocities committed daily as long as they aren’t at the top of the news cycle. We can’t continue being intermittently outraged before […] The post Addressing our biases first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Horror and isolation with Melinda Salisbury
June 04, 2020 11:00 - 56 minutes - 45.3 MBYou know the drill, you are alone in the middle of a foggy field and there’s no one within miles… except the person following you. There’s no one coming to help you. Isolation is an ever-present theme in horror fiction, one that has become part of reality for many of us recently. But isolation doesn’t […] The post Horror and isolation with Melinda Salisbury first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Back to the 80s: Willow
May 21, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 49.4 MBWell, it’s that time again: 80s family film funtime! Today we are looking at 1988’s Willow, starring Warwick Davis and Val Kilmer, directed by Ron Howard with a story by George Lucas. But first, let’s set the scene. It is a time of dread. Seers have foretold the birth of a child who will bring […] The post Back to the 80s: Willow first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Gendering monsters
May 07, 2020 11:00 - 56 minutes - 45 MBMonster. Freak. Beast. These words are often thrown around, but what do we really mean when we use them? What is a monster? Why are they so central to our narratives? Like many of the issues we discuss on this podcast, the idea of monstrosity features built-in sexism. Male and female-coded monsters are often given […] The post Gendering monsters first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Gendering Monsters
May 07, 2020 11:00 - 56 minutes - 45 MBMonster. Freak. Beast. These words are often thrown around, but what do we really mean when we use them? What is a monster? Why are they so central to our narratives? Like many of the issues we discuss on this podcast, the idea of monstrosity features built-in sexism. Male and female-coded monsters are often given […]
Narration and ambiguity with Camilla Bruce
April 23, 2020 11:00 - 54 minutes - 50 MBWhen we pick up a book, we know we’re going to be told a story. We trust the author or, in the case of first-person POV the narrator, to tell us the truth. We might be reading about vengeful ghosts or glorious dragons that take our imagination to the very limits of creativity, but we […] The post Narration and ambiguity with Camilla Bruce first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Finding the magic in magical realism – with Natasha Pulley
April 09, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 49.5 MBSpeculative fiction has always been a genre that challenges traditional views and established ways of seeing. We regularly discuss how the worlds that genre authors create are arenas in which it’s possible to tackle social narratives away from conventional models. But no genre can really be said to straddle fantasy and reality like magical realism. […] The post Finding the magic in magical realism – with Natasha Pulley first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Power through a gendered lens with Menna Van Praag
March 26, 2020 12:00 - 1 hour - 49.2 MBIt has long been obvious that our world’s power structures are set up to benefit men, so how does women’s power play out in our narratives? What happens when women are suddenly given a power they are usually deprived of? Menna Van Praag joins us to discuss power in its gendered form. Is there enough […] The post Power through a gendered lens with Menna Van Praag first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.
Cosmic horror with Premee Mohamed
March 12, 2020 12:00 - 1 hour - 57.8 MBCosmic horror is an unhelpful term by itself. HP Lovecraft himself is quoted as saying that: The fundamental premise [of cosmic horror is] that common human laws and interest and emotions have no validity or significance in the vast cosmos-at-large.’ But Wikipedia seems to bring this down to a more personal level when it states: […] The post Cosmic horror with Premee Mohamed first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.