The Women Books & More’s Podcast

Irene Rawlings

Mystery, intrigue, romance and recipes every Wednesday. Join Irene Rawlings to explore hidden Paris. Make pierogi in Poland and single malt in Denver. Meet the Dutch Oven Divas of the Desert. Travel to Denmark in search of the perfect seaside hotel. Expect guests like acclaimed chef Jacque Pepin. Best-selling authors like Lisa See, Isabelle Allende and Mark Greaney. Women, Books & More with Irene Rawlings.

  1. 1d ago

    What Is Poetry? Sara Widness on Reading, Writing, and Finding Meaning

    In this episode of Women, Books & More, Irene Rawlings welcomes poet Sara Widness, author of Past Regrets and Future Fears, for a warm and inviting conversation about reading and writing poetry. Their conversation began around the dinner table at The Fan House, Sara’s bed-and-breakfast in Barnard, Vermont. There, Irene and her friends found themselves asking questions about poetry they might once have been too shy to voice. That conversation continues on this episode of Women, Books & More. Sara talks about how poetry became part of her life, the stories and memories behind her collection, and what a poem can express about friendship and the experiences that shape us. She also shares poems from the book and offers encouragement for anyone who would like to begin reading—or writing—poetry. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend. Irene would love to hear what you’re reading and whom you’d like to hear on the podcast. Write to her at womenbooksandmore@gmail.com. The Fan House Past Regrets and Future Fears on Bookshop.org

  2. Oct 21

    Meghan Cox Gurdon’s Free Range Girl: Growing Up Wild in 1970s Maine

    Meghan Cox Gurdon joins Irene Rawlings on Women, Books & More to discuss her memoir, Free Range Girl, and her book about the joy of reading aloud, The Enchanted Hour. In 1976, twelve-year-old Meghan moved with her father to a rural Maine homestead without electricity or indoor plumbing. Her account of that year brings humor and adventure to questions about childhood freedom, family, and growing up. We talk about everyday life on the homestead, finding friends as the girl “from away,” and what Meghan learned to do for herself. Looking back, she considers both the gifts and the risks of that independence—and how raising five children shaped her understanding of it. We also explore what happens when childhood memories meet an adult’s understanding of family. What did writing the memoir reveal about her parents and the choices she couldn’t fully understand at twelve? Turning to The Enchanted Hour, Meghan shares why reading aloud matters at every age and how parents and grandparents can bring shared story time back into family life. Learn more about Meghan and her books at meghancoxgurdon.com. If you’re enjoying Women, Books & More, please leave a review and share this episode with a friend. Tell us what you’re reading and suggest a future guest at  womenbooksandmore@gmail.com

  3. Oct 14

    Jaima Fixsen on Don’t Look Close: A Historical Mystery Set in 1950s Canada

    Author Jaima Fixsen joins Irene Rawlings on Women, Books & More to discuss Don’t Look Close, a historical mystery set in a Canadian mining town in the 1950s. Photographer Peter Simmons is rebuilding his life after polio when his sister Edie becomes a suspect in her ex-husband’s murder. Determined to help her, Peter turns his keen eye toward a community with plenty to hide. We explore Peter and Edie’s relationship, photography as a way of seeing clues, and the research behind Peter’s experience of polio. Jaima shares how her work as an occupational therapist and her family’s history informed Peter’s character. We also talk about small-town secrets, medical ethics, prejudice, and women’s independence—and how Jaima balances historical detail with suspense. Along the way, the challenge of keeping mystery readers guessing. Learn more about Jaima Fixsen, her books, and her author newsletter at jaimafixsen.com. If you’re enjoying Women, Books & More, please leave a review and share this episode with a friend. Tell us what you’re reading and suggest a future guest at womenbooksandmore@gmail.com

  4. Oct 7

    Colorado Women Homesteaders: Gail M. Beaton on Women’s History and Independence

    What did it take for a woman to claim land in her own name—and build a life on it? Historian Gail M. Beaton joins Irene Rawlings on Women, Books & More to discuss her book, Colorado Women Homesteaders. Through diaries, letters, and photographs, she introduces us to women who built homes, earned a living, and found friendship in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Colorado. We talk about “proving up” a homestead claim, the resourcefulness everyday life required, and the small pleasures that helped women keep going. We also consider those who chose to leave their claims and the larger history of Indigenous dispossession. These stories reach beyond Colorado, raising questions that still resonate: What does independence mean? When do we persevere, and when do we change course? And how can we preserve the overlooked stories of women in our own families? Learn more about Gail and her work at gailbeaton.com. Enjoying Women, Books & More?  Please subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with a friend. We’d love to hear what you’re reading and your suggestions for future guests at  womenbooksandmore@gmail.com

  5. Sep 30

    Shari Caudron on The Second Story: Aging, People-Pleasing, and Finding Your Way Back to Yourself

    What happens when the life you worked hard to build no longer feels like your own? Writer Shari Caudron joins Irene to talk about her memoir The Second Story, aging, and the habits of pleasing and proving ourselves. Shari shares what happened when she turned the questions she’d spent years asking others on herself and why she first wrote the book without plans to publish it. If Shari’s story speaks to you, share this episode with a friend. Explore Shari’s books: The Second Story and Who Are You People?. Learn more at ShariCaudron.com. Shari also mentions the Modern Elder Academy. Get in touch! Tell us what you’re reading or suggest an author you’d like to hear on the show. We’d love to hear from you at womenbooksandmore@gmail.com

  6. Sep 23

    A Mansion of Her Own: Nona Footz Reveals the Mysterious Life of Heiress Alice DeLamar

    Who was Alice DeLamar—and how did one of America’s wealthiest and most independent women remain largely unknown? In this episode of Women, Books & More, Irene Rawlings talks with Nona Footz, co-author with Audrey Clare Farley of A Mansion of Her Own: The Mysterious Life of Heiress Alice DeLamar. Born into extraordinary wealth at the end of the nineteenth century, Alice could have followed the carefully prescribed path expected of a young woman of her position. Instead, she created a fiercely independent life. She built magnificent homes, surrounded herself with artists, actors and writers, and quietly supported some of the twentieth century’s most important cultural figures. Yet Alice guarded her privacy closely. Much of her personal life remained hidden—even from those who knew her. Part biography and part literary detective story, A Mansion of Her Own restores Alice DeLamar to cultural history while honoring the mystery she so carefully cultivated. A Mansion of Her Own: The Mysterious Life of Heiress Alice DeLamar by Nona Footz with Audrey Clare Farley is available wherever books are sold. For more information: nonafootz.com Follow Women, Books & More wherever you listen, and please share this episode with a friend who loves books—and the stories of remarkable women nearly lost to history. Women, Books & More wants to hear from you. Send your comments and reading suggestions to womenbooksandmore@gmail.com.

    A Mansion of Her Own: Nona Footz Reveals the Mysterious Life of Heiress Alice DeLamar

  7. Sep 16

    When Longing Becomes Your Lover: Amanda McCracken on Unavailable Love and Finding Real Intimacy

    Why do we sometimes become most deeply attached to the people we cannot quite have? In this episode of Women, Books & More, Irene Rawlings talks with journalist and intimacy advocate Amanda McCracken about her candid new book, When Longing Becomes Your Lover: Breaking from Infatuation, Rejection, and Perfectionism to Find Authentic Love. Amanda explores limerence—the intense fixation on an idealized, often emotionally unavailable person—and explains how it differs from an ordinary crush or from falling in love. She also considers why uncertainty can heighten desire, why unfinished relationships can be so difficult to release and how longing may sometimes feel safer than being truly known. Drawing on her own experiences with dating, sex, faith, marriage and motherhood, Amanda speaks openly about dating more than 100 men, remaining a virgin until age 41 and confronting the lasting influence of purity culture. She also discusses the connection between limerence and perfectionism—and how dating apps and undefined “situationships” can keep us pursuing possibility instead of choosing a real, imperfect relationship. Irene and Amanda also explore: Why emotionally unavailable people can seem irresistible The difference between healthy hope and longing that keeps us stuck What happens in the brain when we become fixated on someone Why we may grieve relationships that never truly began How perfectionism can become a form of emotional self-protection The practical steps that can help break the cycle of limerence Why healthy love may initially feel quieter than infatuation What it means to risk vulnerability and choose authentic intimacy Candid, insightful and ultimately hopeful, this conversation reminds us that the greatest obstacle to finding love may not be the absence of possibility—but our attachment to the possibility we have imagined. For more about Amanda: amandajmccracken.com Ted Talk;  https://youtu.be/5JqGeP240Tc?si=RjP8TS3uhYUZOB1q We always love hearing from our listeners. Send your comments and reading suggestions to womenbooksandmore@gmail.com.

  8. Sep 9

    Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library—and the Story Behind “Scrambled Egg Sandwiches”

    Dolly Parton has written unforgettable songs, starred in beloved films and built a business empire—but one of her most meaningful accomplishments begins with a simple idea: every child deserves a book. In this episode of Women, Books & More, Irene Rawlings celebrates Dolly’s remarkable life, her joyful generosity and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which has placed millions of free books into the hands of young children. Irene also remembers joining more than 300 members of Sisters on the Fly in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, for a celebration that included vintage campers, campfires—and an unforgettable Dolly Parton look-alike contest. Then, inspired by Dolly’s belief in books and the stories that shape us, Irene shares something especially personal: a reading of her original picture-book manuscript, “Scrambled Egg Sandwiches.” Based on her childhood as the daughter of Polish immigrants, it is a story about an unfamiliar lunch, a moment of embarrassment and the discovery that what makes us feel different can also bring us together. Irene’s writing is encouraged by a wonderful community called the 12 x 12 Picture Book Challenge. It brings together people who write stories for children. If this episode touches you, please consider supporting Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. You can make a donation or help bring the program to children in your own community through a local Imagination Library partner. Because every child deserves a book—and every story deserves the chance to be told. For more about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library: https://imaginationlibrary.com And a link to the Good Night With Dolly Series https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1462359903936327 For more about 12 x 12 Picture Book Challenge: https://12x12challenge.com For more about Sisters on the Fly: https://www.sistersonthefly.com Please connect with Women, Books & More womenbooksandmore@gmail.com

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About

Mystery, intrigue, romance and recipes every Wednesday. Join Irene Rawlings to explore hidden Paris. Make pierogi in Poland and single malt in Denver. Meet the Dutch Oven Divas of the Desert. Travel to Denmark in search of the perfect seaside hotel. Expect guests like acclaimed chef Jacque Pepin. Best-selling authors like Lisa See, Isabelle Allende and Mark Greaney. Women, Books & More with Irene Rawlings.

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