Breaking the Glass Slipper: Women in science fiction, fantasy, and horror

Back to the 80s: Ladyhawke

The three of us are children of the 80s and like many of our generation, we love to revel in nostalgia. For us, this has meant revisiting some of our favourite fantasy films of that decade: Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, The Princess Bride… and now Ladyhawke.  Ladyhawke was released in 1985 to fairly average reviews. The […] The post Back to the 80s: Ladyhawke first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Onscreen representation of women with Kate Madison

Here on BtGS, we regularly discuss how female characters in SFF are depicted on-screen. From the infamous bikini armour to simply being absent from male-centric narratives – women have had their fair share of problematic portrayals. But is the tide turning? Joining us to help answer this question is award-winning director Kate Madison. Texts mentioned […] The post Onscreen representation of women with Kate Madison first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Rethinking the Badass with Alex Acks

There needs to be a serious fucking cultural conversation about the storytelling desire to turn everyone into an edgy badass that thinks all problems are best solved with violence and what the overwhelming prevalence of that narrative is doing to our brains. Alex Acks We want to start that cultural conversation right here on Breaking […] The post Rethinking the Badass with Alex Acks first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Reinventing the Fairytale with Brigid Kemmerer

Beauty and the Beast is amongst our best-known fairytales, enduring and enchanting in equal measure. But beneath its romantic exterior lurks a darker story, one that various writers have explored over the years. For the first episode of 2020, we are joined by bestselling author, Brigid Kemmerer, whose newest book, A Heart So Fierce and […] The post Reinventing the Fairytale with Brigid Kemmerer first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Bonus: RJ Barker and Micah Yongo (live)

A bonus Christmas episode for you all! Back in December 2018, Charlotte was asked to interview RJ Barker and Micah Yongo at perhaps one of the most beautiful bookshops in Britain – the Bradford Wool Exchange branch of Waterstones. In the interview, Micah talks about Lost Gods and Pale Kings, and RJ revisits our old favourite, The Wounded Kingdom trilogy. […] The post Bonus: RJ Barker and Micah Yongo (live) first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Re-imaginings with Christina Henry

If you love a story, you love reading it over and over again. But you can also get joy out of reading someone’s reinterpretation of it. When authors decide to take old stories that we know and love and turn them into something else, it can breathe new life into characters we thought had had […] The post Re-imaginings with Christina Henry first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Writing and adapting Orphan Black with Madeline Ashby

When our favourite television series come to an end on our screens, it doesn’t always mean goodbye. Firefly was revived with Serenity and Buffy the Vampire Slayer found a second life in a celebrated comic series (and yes, this happens for more than just Joss Whedon shows!). One of Breaking the Glass Slipper’s favourite shows […] The post Writing and adapting Orphan Black with Madeline Ashby first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Horror short stories with Marie O’Regan

Before you listen to this episode, you should be warned: your to be read pile will become unmanageable. If you’re anything like us, you already have a huge to-read list, but we discuss so many epic horror short stories and novels that you won’t be able to help yourself. Don’t worry, I hear books can […] The post Horror short stories with Marie O’Regan first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

FantasyCon 2019: Women vs. the world

This year has been an incredibly busy one for the BtGS girls, so when it came time to do our annual live episode at FantasyCon we decided to do something a little different. We threw caution to the wind and went for a fun and silly set-up. Let us assure you: major silliness occurred. We […] The post FantasyCon 2019: Women vs. the world first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

The moment of the novella with JY Yang

I have been thoroughly enjoying JY Yang’s Tensorate series of novellas so wanted to chat to them about blending science fiction and fantasy, non-binary representation in SFF, and using different structures and forms across a series!  Fair warning – there is a lot of giggling in this episode. But hey, it’s nice when interviewer and […] The post The moment of the novella with JY Yang first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Disney Princes

Previously on Breaking the Glass Slipper we have covered Disney princesses. This time we thought we would turn our attention to the men. But we’re a podcast about women! So why spend an entire episode focusing on princes and other male protagonists in Disney films?  Well, the dominant narratives surrounding men – and in this instance, […] The post Disney Princes first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Alternate histories with Mary Robinette Kowal

Alternate history narratives – regardless of whether they have overt fantasy or sci-fi elements – are ultimately ‘what if’ narratives. This is the same basic principle underlying all speculative fiction, so it is no wonder they made such good bedfellows. Have you ever thought about writing an alternate history story or wondered what’s involved? Good […] The post Alternate histories with Mary Robinette Kowal first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Islands in speculative fiction: Live from WorldCon

Much of W. B. Yeats’ poetry is inspired by the rich mythological fabric of Ireland. This is the land of the Sidhe, the banshee, the merrow. But the island itself has a character, an identity, in the geographical, historical and metaphysical sense. So, in homage to our host country, we’ll be talking about the place […] The post Islands in speculative fiction: Live from WorldCon first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Trinities with Jen Williams

From ancient mythology and religious texts to Star Trek and Harry Potter, trinities – or trios – have always been a common motif. Why is the power of three so potent and what tropes do we tend to see?  To help us delve into this subject, we have enlisted the help of an author of […] The post Trinities with Jen Williams first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Alien at 40: The making of a feminist icon

In 1979, one of the most seminal sci-fi films ever made was shown for the first time on the big screen. Ridley Scott’s Alien is a dark, disturbing and downright terrifying addition to the Hollywood Hall of Fame. 2019 marks 40 years since Alien was born (or possibly ripped from a stomach), so we thought […] The post Alien at 40: The making of a feminist icon first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

The importance of diversity in children’s books

Today’s episode was inspired by an article that appeared on The Guardian with the headline ‘Picture book bias worsens as female characters stay silent.’ The piece was based on research into books published in the last year, showing that most picture books ‘present a white and male-dominated world to children.’ A child is 1.6 times […] The post The importance of diversity in children’s books first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Women write Science Fiction – with Lisa Yaszek

I don’t want the future to be female. I want it to be for everyone. Lisa Yaszek In a fascinating episode that covers everything from telepathic matriarchies to lesbian vampire fiction, academic Lisa Yaszek chats to us about the history of women writers in science fiction. Why are so few remembered? What did they write? […] The post Women write Science Fiction – with Lisa Yaszek first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

The problem with the chosen one

In our last episode, we had author Aliette de Bodard on to discuss the absence of mothers in speculative fiction. One explanation put forward was the focus of chosen one narratives – these stories rely on the protagonist achieving something great, against all odds, and usually alone (or supported by a small group, rarely, if […] The post The problem with the chosen one first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Representations of motherhood with Aliette de Bodard

We were inspired to speak to Aliette about representations of motherhood in speculative fiction after reading her excellent essay ‘On Motherhood and Erasure‘. There’s no denying that mothers are demonstrably absent from most speculative fiction. Whether they died ‘off-screen’ or simply have no tangible presence in the narrative, there is a gaping hole in our […] The post Representations of motherhood with Aliette de Bodard first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Writing as a career with Sarah Pinborough

The enduring legacy of Shirley Jackson – with Catriona Ward

With a new film adaptation of We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House, and the upcoming 60th anniversary of the publication of The Haunting of Hill House, we thought it was high time we turned our attention to the wonderful Shirley Jackson. To help us on our journey of […] The post The enduring legacy of Shirley Jackson – with Catriona Ward first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

The Princess Bride

Here at Breaking the Glass Slipper, we love the 1987 film The Princess Bride. I mean, who doesn’t? It is endlessly quotable, tongue-in-cheek, and full of great characters. Unfortunately, only a couple of those characters are female and the way they’re represented…well, let’s just say our inner feminists are wincing. Is it ok to still […] The post The Princess Bride first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Time travel with Kameron Hurley

Sometimes it is fun to call the shots on this show – and this week (while Lucy was away on holiday!), I decided to indulge a personal favourite subject of mine: time travel. My love of time travelling tales has been life-long, from Back to the Future (obvs) to Kindred, there’s so much scope for […] The post Time travel with Kameron Hurley first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Cultural Traditions of Magic – with Zen Cho

We like to think that fantasy is a limitless exploration of our imaginations, but in reality, fantasy fiction is limited by the cultural experiences of the author. As a result, what most of us are exposed to are a very narrow set of ideas about fantasy and magic – those from a Judeo-Christian tradition.  When […] The post Cultural Traditions of Magic – with Zen Cho first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Transgender representation in SFF with Cheryl Morgan

The representation of transgender people within genre is a subject we’ve wanted to explore for a while now on this podcast. All too often, trans and non binary people are absent from speculative fiction, or if not absent then poorly represented. Why is this and what can be done to improve the situation? Cheryl Morgan […] The post Transgender representation in SFF with Cheryl Morgan first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Sex! Pregnancy! Birth! Representations of reproduction

In this episode, we discuss all things reproduction. That’s right: sex, pregnancy, birth – the whole shebang around creating new life and what it means to a woman’s position, as represented in genre fiction. We (supposedly) have a biological drive to propagate our species… as a result, it’s natural that a certain preoccupation with procreation […] The post Sex! Pregnancy! Birth! Representations of reproduction first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Representations of disability with Marissa Lingen

Women aren’t the only minority to suffer from poor as well as a lack of representation in genre fiction. Among other minorities struggling to have their voices heard are people of colour, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQI community.  In this episode, we spoke to prolific science fiction and fantasy author Marissa Lingen, whose credits […] The post Representations of disability with Marissa Lingen first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Choose your own Bandersnatch

While we were all winding down from Christmas, Charlie Brooker and the Black Mirror gang were getting ready to mess with our minds yet again. December 28th saw the release of the one-off interactive Netflix special ‘Bandersnatch’ to mixed reviews. But no one can deny it was an interesting experiment, combining elements of video games, […] The post Choose your own Bandersnatch first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Seasonal scares

The holiday season comes with all kinds of traditions. From special desserts to the annual family bust-up. Whether you like a feel-good story at this time of year or something a little more spine-tingling, there’s magic enough for everyone. In this episode, Charlotte and Megan explore their Christmas fears, the sexiest muppets, and the depths […] The post Seasonal scares first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Writing comics with Leah Moore

I had the undeniable pleasure of chatting to UK comics writer Leah Moore. From growing up with comics royalty to a career spanning two decades, Leah has written for existing franchises, adapted novels to comics, and created original new properties. And perhaps most importantly, Leah has written many well-rounded, interesting female characters, something we need […] The post Writing comics with Leah Moore first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Layers and landscapes with Aliya Whiteley

What is speculative fiction and what can it offer the world? Aliya Whiteley’s work has been described as “stark, poetic and forthright”, and certainly not easily classified. We talk to her about how established ideas of gender can be challenged, the questions she explores in her fiction, the relationship her books have to the natural […] The post Layers and landscapes with Aliya Whiteley first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Unravelling mysteries (Live from FantasyCon 2018)

Alternate episode title: Magic goat sword (it will make sense if you listen!) If you’re planning a murder, always have a koala with you! Works of fiction are rarely confined to a single genre, especially when it comes to speculative fiction. There are sci-fi westerns, historical fantasies, and comedy horrors. Many science fiction, fantasy, and […] The post Unravelling mysteries (Live from FantasyCon 2018) first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

John Gwynne on traditional fantasy tropes

We spend a lot of time on this podcast talking about how authors are subverting or downright overturning classic SFF tropes. But there are still merits of entrenched tropes, after all, tropes became such because they were enjoyable and worked, so people reused them. It’s often said that grimdark is popular because it rejects good […] The post John Gwynne on traditional fantasy tropes first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Writing (female) characters

Writing better female characters is covered in a lot of writing advice. Many of these pieces will preface their comments with sarcastic comments like ‘Women are people too, duh’. This sort of statement, I think, should make the topic a moot point – not how to write better female characters but how to write better […] The post Writing (female) characters first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Disposable characters

Redshirts. No sooner are they introduced than they are killed. The tension rises, there are beads of sweat on Kirk’s brow… now the audience knows the peril is real. These stock, disposable characters exist in a story solely for the purpose of being disposed of – kidnapped or killed, etc, to push the protagonist into […] The post Disposable characters first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Catriona Ward & ‘the liminal space between certainties’

Award-winning horror writer Catriona Ward joins us to discuss this most exciting and compelling of genres. Why are we so moved by horror? Why do we willingly throw ourselves into the twisted worlds it conjures? We don’t have to look far to find it: horror surrounds us every day and our own bloody history is […] The post Catriona Ward & ‘the liminal space between certainties’ first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

S03, E18: Catriona Ward & ‘the liminal space between certainties’

Lucy and Charlotte talk to horror writer Catriona Ward about the art of the horror novel and her books Rawblood and Little Eve. For full episode notes, visit www.breakingtheglassslipper.com The post S03, E18: Catriona Ward & ‘the liminal space between certainties’ first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Revisiting The Dark Crystal

A Lucy and Charlotte Special! After the success of our Labyrinth episode, we thought we’d have a bit of fun and take another look at one of our favourite films: The Dark Crystal. If you haven’t seen this cult Henson classic, The Dark Crystal tells the story of Jen, the last – or so he […] The post Revisiting The Dark Crystal first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

S03, E17: Revisiting The Dark Crystal

A Charlotte and Lucy special! After the success of our Labyrinth episode, we thought we’d have a bit of fun and take another look at one of our favourite films: The Dark Crystal. How does it hold up after 36 years? The post S03, E17: Revisiting The Dark Crystal first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Magic, Wealth and Power with Vic James

Today, the blunt reality of inequality and unequal distribution of wealth is more prevalent than ever. Our society is split into the haves and the have nots – the 1% and the 99%. A few individuals tend whole orchards of magic money trees; their extreme wealth is itself a form of magic. In her Dark […] The post Magic, Wealth and Power with Vic James first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

S03, E16: Magic, Wealth and Power with Vic James

Social inequality and the unequal distribution of wealth is more prevalent than ever and it’s a subject that sits at the heart of Dr Vic James’ fantasy trilogy. We talk to her about power plays and politics, female ambition, naughty aristocrats, class division, reclaiming the bitch and our fascination with family drama. Full episode notes […] The post S03, E16: Magic, Wealth and Power with Vic James first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Women’s jobs in fantasy

While Charlotte and Megan geeked out about Star Trek (sparing poor Lucy who puts up with enough of that) when discussing women’s jobs in science fiction, in this episode, all three of us shine a light on female careers in fantasy. We have found that few women in fantasy novels have professions before the story begins. Instead, […] The post Women’s jobs in fantasy first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

S03, E15: Women’s jobs in fantasy

Having already looked at women’s jobs in science fiction, we decided to turn our critical gaze to fantasy. Fantasy fiction tends to mimic the world that we know, whether historical or contemporary, but alters it in ways that can either be subtle or all-consuming. If you can believe that dragons exist in an alternative world, […] The post S03, E15: Women’s jobs in fantasy first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Grimdark with Anna Smith Spark

Sometimes the sheer number of sub-genres and niche areas within the SFF world can feel completely overwhelming. What do they all mean? Where does one thing become another? One of the most confusing – and most commonly talked about – sub-genres is Grimdark. Other than it being grim and dark, what defines it as a […] The post Grimdark with Anna Smith Spark first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

S03, E14: Grimdark with Anna Smith Spark

We spoke with author Anna Smith Spark, Queen of Grimdark, to try and get to the bottom of what exactly Grimdark is. “In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war.” Full episode notes, including texts mentioned in the episode, can be found at www.breakingtheglassslipper.com The post S03, E14: Grimdark with Anna Smith Spark first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Women’s jobs in science fiction

With equality of pay and the drive to get more women in top executive jobs reaching the headlines in our current era, does the world of the future have women in the same roles they occupy now, or do they have them in traditionally male-dominated jobs? #SorryNotSorry for the ten minutes plus of Star Trek talk. This […] The post Women’s jobs in science fiction first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

S03, E13: Women’s jobs in science fiction

With equality of pay and the drive to get more women in top executive jobs reaching the headlines in our current era, does the world of the future have women in the same roles they occupy now, or do they have them in traditionally male-dominated jobs? We celebrate the wonderful women who are shattering the […] The post S03, E13: Women’s jobs in science fiction first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Toxic masculinity

We started this podcast to highlight the issues around the representation of women in genre fiction. But women aren’t the only ones who suffer at the hands of harmful tropes, poor characterisation, and limiting traditional gender roles. In this episode, we discuss the men-folk. While they may tend to get the majority of ‘screen time’ […] The post Toxic masculinity first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

S03, E12: Toxic Masculinity

We started this podcast to highlight the issues around the representation of women in genre fiction. But women aren’t the only ones who suffer at the hands of harmful tropes, poor characterisation, and limiting traditional gender roles. In this episode, we discuss the men-folk. While they may tend to get the majority of ‘screen time’ […] The post S03, E12: Toxic Masculinity first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Women’s ghost stories with Melissa Edmundson Makala

Ghost literature written by women in the 19th century was more about social commentary than pure entertainment, argues academic Melissa Edmundson Makala. Charlotte positively geeks out with Melissa about her book, Women’s Ghost Literature in Nineteenth-Century Britain (Gothic Literary Studies).  Many of us will know the big names in women’s gothic literature, writers like Mary Shelley […] The post Women’s ghost stories with Melissa Edmundson Makala first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.