The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast

Heather Rose Jones
  • 4.6 (22)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

A show about queer women in history and historic literature, plus coverage of the field of sapphic historical fiction. Content note: May include discussions of sex within an academic context.

  1. FEB 10

    On the Shelf for February 2026 - The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast Episode 335

    On the Shelf for February 2026 The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 335 with Heather Rose Jones Your monthly roundup of history, news, and the field of sapphic historical fiction. In this episode we talk about: The 2026 fiction line-up: “Between One Word and the Next” by L.J. Lee “Love for Love’s Sake” by Shannon Lippert “Salt for the Unmarried” by Khayelihle Benghu The Sultan’s Vetala by Priya Sridhar The Tale of Gudrun Sigurdsdóttir by Daniel Stride Recent and upcoming publications covered on the blog Reay, Barry. 2009. “Writing the Modern Histories of Homosexual England” in The Historical Journal, 52, 1. pp.213-233 Crannell, Marissa. 2015. Utterly Confused Categories: Gender Non-Conformity in Late Medieval and Early Modern Western Europe. Dissertation. Mara-McKay, Nico. 2018. “Becoming Gendered: Two Medieval Approaches to Intersex Gender Assignment” in Prandium: The Journal of Historical Studies vol. 7, no. 1. Roelens, Jonas. 2017. “A Woman Like Any Other: Female Sodomy, Hermaphroditism, and Witchcraft in Seventeenth-Century Bruges” in Journal of Women’s History, vol. 29 no. 4, Winter 2017. pp.11-34 Loveday, Kiki. “Sister Acts: Victorian Porn, Lesbian Drag, and Queer Reproduction” in Framework: The Journal of Cinema and Media, vol. 60, no. 2, 2019, pp. 201–26. Larson, Ruth. 1997. “Sex and Civility in a 17th-Century Dialogue: L’Escole des filles” in Papers on French Seventeenth-Century Literature, no. 47: 497-514. Rivers, Christopher. 1995. “Safe Sex: The Prophylactic Walls of the Cloister in the French Libertine Convent Novel of the Eighteenth Century” in Journal of the History of Sexuality, Vol. 5, No. 3: 381-402 Book Shopping Wurzelbacher, Karli. 2025. Emma Stebbins: Carving Out History. Huntington: The Heckscher Museum of Art. ISBN 979-8-9925162-1-0 Lodge, Sara. 2024. The Mysterious Case of the Victorian Female Detective. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-28660-1 Boyd, Rebecca. 2024. Exploring Ireland's Viking-Age Towns. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-03-259109-4 Recent Lesbian/Sapphic Historical Fiction Hawthorn & Bitter by Shannon K. Kelly Cut on the Bias by Susanna Bonaretti Before the Swallow Dares by Hannah Perrin-Haynes The Stillness Between Us (Voices of the Hive Trilogy) by Clara Bellweather The Language of Bees (Voices of the Hive Trilogy) by Clara Bellweather The Keeper of Tides (Voices of the Hive Trilogy) by Clara Bellweather The Language of Leaves (The Silent Companions) by Clara Bellweather The Marginal Truth (The Silent Companions) by Clara Bellweather The Stitched Confession (The Silent Companions) by Clara Bellweather Fire Sword and Sea by Vanessa Riley Sword and Silk: The Legend of Julie d'Aubigny by Maeve Campbell La Maupin : The Scandalous Story of Julie d'Aubigny by C.C. Parke The Black Lark's Oath by Tess Wilder Embers on the Moor by Giada Moretti Unfinished Story by Jade Winters The Midnight Daughters by Aeressa The Hidden Petition (Beacon Hill Mysteries #1) by Maeve McQueen The House of Hidden Hearts by Matus Zelenay E.V. Bancroft by E.V. Bancroft A Very Hamble Christmas by E.V. Bancroft Star & Thea at Court by A V Kakkad The Hidden Flower in the Palace: A Queer Court Tragedy by Shin Hwayoon She-Wolf: A Sapphic Beowulf Retelling by E.K. O'Connor The Fifth Day of Her Heart by Richard Cicay The Found Family Victory (Salvation's Edge #1) by Lady K Belonging to the Air by Avery Irons Joe the Pirate by Hubert A Slow and Secret Poison by Carmella Lowkis What I’ve been consuming Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia A transcript of this podcast is available here. (Interview transcripts added when available.) Links to the Lesbian Historic Motif Project Online Website: http://alpennia.com/lhmp Blog: http://alpennia.com/blog RSS: http://alpennia.com/blog/feed/ Twitter: @LesbianMotif Discord: Contact Heather for an invitation to the Alpennia/LHMP Discord server The Lesbian Historic Motif Project Patreon Links to Heather Online Website: http://alpennia.com Email: Heather Rose Jones Mastodon: @heatherrosejones@Wandering.Shop Bluesky: @heatherrosejones Facebook: Heather Rose Jones (author page)

    21 min

  2. JAN 31

    Fiction Double-Header: Down By the Tumbling Stream by E C Hallewell & Where You Go by Jennifer Nestojko - The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast Episode 334

    Fiction Double-Header: Down By the Tumbling Stream by E C Hallewell & Where You Go by Jennifer Nestojko The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 334 with Heather Rose Jones This quarter’s fiction episode presents two stories: "Down By the Tumbling Stream" EC Hallewell, narrated by Heather Rose Jones. "Where You Go" Jennifer Nestojko, narrated by Heather Rose Jones. A transcript of this podcast is available here. Links to the Lesbian Historic Motif Project Online Website: http://alpennia.com/lhmp Blog: http://alpennia.com/blog RSS: http://alpennia.com/blog/feed/ Twitter: @LesbianMotif Discord: Contact Heather for an invitation to the Alpennia/LHMP Discord server The Lesbian Historic Motif Project Patreon Links to Heather Online Website: http://alpennia.com Email: Heather Rose Jones Mastodon: @heatherrosejones@Wandering.Shop Bluesky: @heatherrosejones Facebook: Heather Rose Jones (author page) Links to EC Hallewell Online Bluesky: @echallewell.bsky.social

    36 min

  3. JAN 17

    Our F/Favorite Tropes Part 19: Age Gap - The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast Episode 333

    Our F/Favorite Tropes Part 19: Age Gap The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 333 with Heather Rose Jones In this episode we talk about: The historic and social context of age-differentiated pairings of various genders Why the “age gap” trope tends to be restricted to f/f romance Historic contexts for age-gap relationships A transcript of this podcast is available here. Links to the Lesbian Historic Motif Project Online Website: http://alpennia.com/lhmp Blog: http://alpennia.com/blog RSS: http://alpennia.com/blog/feed/ Twitter: @LesbianMotif Discord: Contact Heather for an invitation to the Alpennia/LHMP Discord server The Lesbian Historic Motif Project Patreon Links to Heather Online Website: http://alpennia.com Email: Heather Rose Jones Mastodon: @heatherrosejones@Wandering.Shop Bluesky: @heatherrosejones Facebook: Heather Rose Jones (author page)

    9 min

  4. JAN 3

    On the Shelf for January 2026 - The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast Episode 332

    On the Shelf for January 2026 The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 332 with Heather Rose Jones Your monthly roundup of history, news, and the field of sapphic historical fiction. In this episode we talk about: Summary of the Project in 2025 Recent and upcoming publications covered on the blog Xie, Wenjuan. 2015. (Trans)Culturally Transgendered: Reading Transgender Narratives in (Late) Imperial China. Dissertation. Sommer, Matthew H. “Was China Part of a Global Eighteenth-Century Homosexuality?” in Historical Reflections / Réflexions Historiques, vol. 33, no. 1, 2007, pp. 117–33. Carton, Adrian. 2006. “Desire and Same-Sex Intimacies in Asia” in Gay Life and Culture, A World History, ed. Robert Aldrich. Universe Publishing, New York. ISBN 978-0-7893-1511-3 Gowing, Laura. 2006. ”Lesbians and Their Like in Early Modern Europe, 1500-1800” in Gay Life and Culture: A World History ed. Robert Aldrich. London: Thames and Hudson. 125-43 Rupp, Leila J. 2001. “Toward a Global History of Same-Sex Sexuality” in Journal of the History of Sexuality, Vol. 10, No. 2: 287-302 Leupp, Gary P. 2007. “Capitalism and Homosexuality in Eighteenth-Century Japan.” in Historical Reflections / Réflexions Historiques, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 135–52. Pflugfelder, Gregory M. 1992. “Strange Fates: Sex, Gender, and Sexuality in Torikaebaya Monogatari” in Monumenta Nipponica Vol. 47, No. 3 (Autumn, 1992), pp. 347-368. Shah, Shalini. 1991. “Women and Sexuality in the Mahabharata” in Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, Vol. 52: 138-144. Srivastava, Manjari & Manjari Shrivastava. 2007. “Lesbianism in Nineteenth Century Erotic Urdu Poetry “Rekhti”” in Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, Vol. 68, Part One: 965-988 Book Shopping The Mysterious Case of the Victorian Female Detective by Sara Lodge Recent Lesbian/Sapphic Historical Fiction Dreadful Sorry, Clemintine (Clementine #2) by Genta Sebastian Steel on Distance by N.J. Knox A Djinn and Tonic (The Magical Underground #2) by Nan Sampson Gold and Grace by Eline Evans Like in Love with You by Emma R. Alban The Debutante Dilemma by author The Case of the Murdered Muckraker (Harriot Morrow Investigates #2) by Rob Osler What I’ve been consuming The Case of the Missing Maid by Rob Osler Saint-Seducing Gold by Brittany N. William A Plague on Both Your Houses by Susanna Gregory Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite Emma: The Nature of a Lady by Kate Christie The Scandal at Pemberley by Mara Brooks The Shocking Experiments of Miss Mary Bennet by Melinda Taub The Lady’s Wager by Olivia Hampton Call for submissions for the 2026 LHMP audio short story series. See here for details. This month we interview M.K. Hardy and talk about: Needfire by MK Hardy (US availability is limited) MK Hardy is a nom de plume for Morag Hannah and Erin Hardee Adapting the gothic template for sapphic stories Why Scotland is the perfect setting for gothics The benefits and complications of writing as a team Forthcoming: The Haunting of Avis Lovelock A transcript of this podcast is available here. (Interview transcripts added when available.) Links to the Lesbian Historic Motif Project Online Website: http://alpennia.com/lhmp Blog: http://alpennia.com/blog RSS: http://alpennia.com/blog/feed/ Twitter: @LesbianMotif Discord: Contact Heather for an invitation to the Alpennia/LHMP Discord server The Lesbian Historic Motif Project Patreon Links to Heather Online Website: http://alpennia.com Email: Heather Rose Jones Mastodon: @heatherrosejones@Wandering.Shop Bluesky: @heatherrosejones Facebook: Heather Rose Jones (author page) Links to MK Hardy Online Website: https://www.mkhardywrites.com/ Twitter: @mkhardywrites Instagram: @mkhardywrites Bluesky: @mkhardywrites.com

    37 min

  5. 12/20/2025

    Jane Austen Birthday Celebration - The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast Episode 331

    Jane Austen Birthday Celebration The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 331 with Heather Rose Jones In this episode we talk about: The social structures in Jane Austen’s novels in which same-sex relationships could develop A tour through the sapphic potential in each of Austen’s works A survey of Austen-inspired sapphic historical fiction, demonstrating some of that potential Austen-based fiction mentioned in the episode ”Margaret” by Eleanor Musgrove in A Certain Persuasion (The LHMP audio version can be found here. After this podcast was recorded, the author has also made the story available as an ebook stand-alone.) ”Eleanor and Ada” by Julie Bozza in A Certain Persuasion (Not currently in print? The link is to the author’s website.) Lucas by Elna Holst Gay Pride and Prejudice by Kate Christie The Heiress: The Revelations of Anne de Bourgh by Molly Greeley ”Father Doesn’t Dance” by Eleanor Musgrove in A Certain Persuasion (Not currently in print.) Frederica and the Viscountess by Barbara Davies Her Particular Friend by J.L. Merrow in A Certain Persuasion (Link is to a stand-alone reprint of the story.) Kissing Emma by Gemma Harborne (out of print) “One Half of the World” by Adam Fitzroy in A Certain Persuasion (Not currently in print?) A Certain Persuasion: Modern LGBTQ+ fiction inspired by Jane Austen’s novels edited by Julie Bozza. Manifold Press, 2016. (Unfortunately Manifold Press has gone out of business. Used hard copies may be available at this link. Stories that have been made available in other venues have links in the individual listings. Books new to this updated version of the episode The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet by Lindz McLeod Interview with Lindz McLeod The Miseducation of Caroline Bingley by Lindz McLeod The Scandal at Pemberley by Mara Brooks The Lady's Wager by Olivia Hampton The Shocking Experiments of Miss Mary Bennet by Melinda Taub The Unruly Heart of Miss Darcy by Erin Edwards Kitty (The Bennet Sisters #1) by T.J. Ryan Emma: A Secret Lesbian by Garnet Marriott (out of print) Emma: Restraint and Presumption by Garnet Marriott (out of print) Sanditon: The Lesbian Solution by Garnet Marriott (out of print) Emma: The Nature of a Lady by Kate Christie I Shall Never Fall in Love by Hari Connor A transcript of this podcast is available here. (Interview transcripts added when available.) Links to the Lesbian Historic Motif Project Online Website: http://alpennia.com/lhmp Blog: http://alpennia.com/blog RSS: http://alpennia.com/blog/feed/ Twitter: @LesbianMotif Discord: Contact Heather for an invitation to the Alpennia/LHMP Discord server The Lesbian Historic Motif Project Patreon Links to Heather Online Website: http://alpennia.com Email: Heather Rose Jones Mastodon: @heatherrosejones@Wandering.Shop Bluesky: @heatherrosejones Facebook: Heather Rose Jones (author page)

    59 min

  6. 12/06/2025

    On the Shelf for December 2025 - The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast Episode 330

    On the Shelf for December 2025 The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode # with Heather Rose Jones Your monthly roundup of history, news, and the field of sapphic historical fiction. In this episode we talk about: Accomplishments and upcoming milestones A podcast that listeners may be interested in: Our Dyke Histories Recent publications covered on the blog Levin-Richardson, Sarah. 2013. “Fututa Sum Hic: Female Subjectivity and Agency in Pompeian Sexual Graffiti” in The Classical Journal, 1083. pp.319-45. Walker, J. 2006. “Before the Name: Ovid’s Deformulated Lesbianism” in Comparative Literature 58.3, pp.205-222. Castle, T. 1983-4. “Eros and Liberty at the English Masquerade, 1710-90” in Eighteenth-Century Studies, XVII, 2: 156-76. Friedman-Rommell, Beth. 1995. “Breaking the Code: Towards a Reception Theory of Theatrical Cross-Dressing in Eighteenth-Century London” in Theatre Journal 47, no.4: 459-79. Howard, Jean E. 1988. “Cross-Dressing, the Theatre and Gender Struggle in Early Modern England” in Shakespeare Quarterly 39: 418-40. (Also appears in: Howard, Jean E. 1993. “Cross-Dressing, the Theater, and Gender Struggle in Early Modern England” in Crossing the Stage: Controversies in Cross-Dressing, ed. Ferris, Leslie. Routledge, London.) Andreadis, Harriette. 2006. “Re-Configuring Early Modern Friendship: Katherine Philips and Homoerotic Desire.” Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, vol. 46, no. 3, pp. 523–42. Kramer, Rene. 2015. That Mysterious, Remisse Knot: Katherine Philips’s Unincorporated Fraternity. Honors Thesis. Stevenson, Mark & Wu Cuncun (eds. and trans.). 2013. Homoeroticism in Imperial China: A sourcebook. Routledge, New York. ISBN 978-0-415-55144-1 Recent Lesbian/Sapphic Historical Fiction Souvienne by Aldwin Beckett Without Apology (Jane Smith #3) by Charlotte Taft Inverts in a Violet Room by Peter Forrester Whispers of the Heart: Lady Eleanor's Secret by Rhia Kampus Hiding the Flame by Angela M. Sims On the Edge of Uncertainty by E.V. Bancroft Brought to Heel by Ella Witts & Serah Messenger Pearl Bound by Natalie Bergman What I’ve been consuming Network Effect by Martha Wells System Collapse by Martha Wells The Witch Roads by Kate Elliott A Mouthful of Dust by Nghi Vo Raised for the Sword by Aimée Call for submissions for the 2026 LHMP audio short story series. See here for details. This month we interview Maya Dworsky-Rocha and talk about: The historic context and terminology of anti-Semitism and hatred of Jews Cultural clashes and conflicts around ideas of gender The historic work of Daniel Boyarin and Jewish gender stereotypes Maya’s use of non-binary characters to reflect these ideas The symbolic uses of eating, temptation, and impurity in the story ”Authorizing” queer desire via projection Maya’s writing partnership as Sylvia Barry The Devil and the Jews by Joshua Trachtenberg A transcript of this podcast is available here. (Interview transcripts added when available.) Links to the Lesbian Historic Motif Project Online Website: http://alpennia.com/lhmp Blog: http://alpennia.com/blog RSS: http://alpennia.com/blog/feed/ Twitter: @LesbianMotif Discord: Contact Heather for an invitation to the Alpennia/LHMP Discord server The Lesbian Historic Motif Project Patreon Links to Heather Online Website: http://alpennia.com Email: Heather Rose Jones Mastodon: @heatherrosejones@Wandering.Shop Bluesky: @heatherrosejones Facebook: Heather Rose Jones (author page) Links to Maya Dworsky-Rocha Online Website: https://www.sylviabarrybooks.com/ Bluesky: @mayadrocha.bsky.social TikTok: @mayadrocha

    35 min

  7. 11/29/2025

    Ma’am, This is a Fruit Stand by Maya Dworsky-Rocha

    Ma’am, This is a Fruit Stand by Maya Dworsky-Rocha The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 329 with Heather Rose Jones This quarter’s fiction episode presents "Ma’am, This is a Fruit Stand" by Maya Dworsky-Rocha, narrated and music composition and performance by Heather Rose Jones. A transcript of this podcast is available here. Links to the Lesbian Historic Motif Project Online Website: http://alpennia.com/lhmp Blog: http://alpennia.com/blog RSS: http://alpennia.com/blog/feed/ Twitter: @LesbianMotif Discord: Contact Heather for an invitation to the Alpennia/LHMP Discord server The Lesbian Historic Motif Project Patreon Links to Heather Online Website: http://alpennia.com Email: Heather Rose Jones Mastodon: @heatherrosejones@Wandering.Shop Bluesky: @heatherrosejones Facebook: Heather Rose Jones (author page) Links to Maya Dworsky-Rocha Online Website: https://www.sylviabarrybooks.com/maya-dworsky-rocha

    23 min

  8. 11/15/2025

    Christina Rosetti’s “The Goblin Market” (reprised) - The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast Episode 328

    Christina Rosetti’s “The Goblin Market” (reprised) The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 328 with Heather Rose Jones This is an analysis and recitation of the poem “The Goblin Market” by Christina Rossetti, with special attention to its homoerotic themes. A transcript of this podcast is available here. Links to the Lesbian Historic Motif Project Online Website: http://alpennia.com/lhmp Blog: http://alpennia.com/blog RSS: http://alpennia.com/blog/feed/ Twitter: @LesbianMotif Discord: Contact Heather for an invitation to the Alpennia/LHMP Discord server The Lesbian Historic Motif Project Patreon Links to Heather Online Website: http://alpennia.com Email: Heather Rose Jones Mastodon: @heatherrosejones@Wandering.Shop Bluesky: @heatherrosejones Facebook: Heather Rose Jones (author page)

    32 min
See All (336)

4.6
out of 5
22 Ratings

About

A show about queer women in history and historic literature, plus coverage of the field of sapphic historical fiction. Content note: May include discussions of sex within an academic context.

Information