Mary Renault's Worldbuilding

Something has gone wrong in the way we discuss politics. If democratic systems since the Athenian polity have been founded on debate, then what does debate do for us today, aside from making us angrier and filling billionaire-owned social media sites with monetisable content? Sar ...  Show more

‘I hadn’t wanted to have sex with the prince,’ Virginia Giuffre said, ‘but I felt I had to.’ Reviewing Giuffre’s memoir, Nobody’s Girl, in the LRB, Andrew O’Hagan writes: ‘All the pomp, tradition, ceremony and “loyalty” in the world can’t wash away the simple facts. Ghislaine Max ...  Show more

By 1928, Eunice left the glamor of the Harlem Renaissance behind for the austere world of law school. She is dreaming of making a bigger impact on the world. As she separates herself from the legacy of her parents, and from the rest of her community, what will it cost Eunice to s ...  Show more

Lenormand was a fortune-teller in France in the 19th century. She was hugely influential, because despite her work being illegal, very important and powerful people consulted her for cartomancy readings.

Research: 

Time for another Female Firsts! Yves joins us to share the story of Mary Seacole, author of what is considered the first autobiography by a Black woman in Britain in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

In the 1930s, Lucky Luciano, one of American history’s most notorious mobsters, was finally taken down by a rookie prosecutor, Eunice Carter. She was one of the first Black Women ever to become a prosecutor in America. She changed the course of  history, but she has largely been ...  Show more