The Babblery

Suki Wessling
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Visit BABBLERY.com. The Babblery features conversations about who we are and how we got this way. Modern humans can seem like the ancients building the Biblical Tower of Babel, cursed by God/nature never to understand each other. As Visiting Translators at the Tower of Babel, our guests delve into their work, their research, and their own experiences to try to explain the bits they've learned about Earth's most perplexing species. Though we all speak different languages, here at The Babblery we aim to promote understanding, one conversation at a time.

Episodes

  1. 6d ago

    Minibabble: “We didn’t know how to listen”

    Abortion, race, and the second wave History records that Black women felt excluded from Second Wave Feminism. In this short piece, historian Barbara Winslow reflects on the issue through her experience as a radical feminist activist in Seattle. She traces the movement's roots to the anti-war and Civil Rights movements, but Barbara argues that there were complications that led to Black women's voices being stifled. While the media played a large role in ignoring the leadership of Black women, she explains, white feminists also had trouble listening to and understanding the concerns of Black women. For a more in-depth discussion, please check out the full version of this episode, "Turning the World Upside-Down with Barbara Winslow." Music: "Outta Sync" © 2026 by Suki Wessling,

  2. Aug 19

    Turning the World Upside-Down with Barbara Winslow

    Barbara Winslow has been a political activist since she was a kid campaigning for Stevenson over Eisenhower in the 1950s. By the late 1960s she was a founding member of Seattle Radical Women and then Women's Liberation Seattle, groups that fought for legal abortion in Washington State years before Roe v. Wade. Her book, Revolutionary Feminists, is a hyperlocal history of that movement: the meetings, the splits, the leafleting, and the door-knocking that changed minds and the law. In this conversation, we focus on that success, and how it mirrors the challenges faced by today's activists. Barbara explores the galvanizing events: a doctor who wouldn't let her sign her own medical consent form, a pro-life billboard that got corrected, and a viral (well, 1968-viral) confrontation with a Playboy Playmate. But our conversation doesn't shy away from the uncomfortable parts of feminist history. Barbara talks candidly about how her overwhelmingly white organizing group failed to build real coalition with Black women for Seattle's abortion referendum, and how that failure showed up starkly on election night when the only precincts that voted against the measure were in the city's Black neighborhoods. We hear about the importance of the fruitful dialogue with antiabortion Black activists like Fannie Lou Hamer. "We have to find ways to find joy and peace and serenity in small victories. But I also think we have to find it in friendships, in family and in the arts. If you're in meetings 24 hours a day, you're not going to find joy. So you have to find a way to balance the political activism and the things that nourish your persona." All of this history supports Barbara's advice to activists today: to understand how the Democratic Party's retreat from grassroots politics after the early '70s left an opening the right eagerly filled, how local school boards and library boards matter more right now than national races, and how—even in the middle of exhausting, often losing fights—she still believes, as she puts it, that the struggle is the joy. Barbara Winslow is Professor emerita Brooklyn College and founder and Director Emerita The Shirley Chisholm Project of Brooklyn Women's Activism. Barbara has been a political activist for over sixty years -  in the Civil rights movement, as an ally in the Black Freedom Struggle, the labor union, public education, anti-war and anti imperialist movements and the women's liberation movements. She is a retired professor and author of books and articles on these topics, including Revolutionary Feminists: The Women's Liberation Movement in Seattle. Books Mentioned Revolutionary Feminists: The Women's Liberation Movement in Seattle by Barbara Winslow (Amazon • Bookshop.org) The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan (Amazon • Bookshop.org) Century of Struggle: The Woman's Rights Movement in the United States by Eleanor Flexner (Amazon • Bookshop.org) Our Bodies, Ourselves by the Boston Women's Health Book Collective (Amazon • Bookshop.org) Publications & Organizations Mentioned Freedom Socialist Party National Organization for Women (NOW) Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL) Planned Parenthood Verso Books Shirley Chisholm Project of Brooklyn Women's Activism The Daily (University of Washington student newspaper) Brooklyn Museum Topics Discussed Black Lives Matter Second-wave feminism Trotskyism Roe v. Wade Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization W.I.T.C.H. (Women's International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell) Sherri Chessen (Finkbine) and the thalidomide case Forced sterilization of Native American women "The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm" (Anne Koedt essay) Shirley Chisholm's 1972 presidential campaign The Seattle Medium The Facts Seattle Newspaper Fannie Lou Hamer Gloria Steinem Me Too movement Maya Angelou Judith Ezekiel Clara Fraser Susan Stern Michael "Mickey" Schwerner and Andrew Goodman Betty Friedan Eleanor Leacock Elizabeth Cady Stanton Susan B. Anthony Margaret Sloan-Hunter Johnnetta Cole Marilyn Ward (Washington state abortion-reform lobbyist) Anna Louise Strong Music The Miss & the Man by Dazie Mae, courtesy of the Free Music Archive Outta Sync by Suki Wessling

  3. Jul 26

    Minibabble: Enid Ryce Casts Spells

    Enid Baxter Ryce has just published a book that explores spells and incantations across time and cultures. In this short version of the full episode, Enid reads and explains some of her favorite spells. We also discuss the function of spells and incantations in people's lives. Please visit BABBLERY.com to listen to the full interview, in which we discuss magic and spells, but she also addresses the importance of nature and education in the age of artificial intelligence. Related: "A Spell to Keep Us Human: In conversation with author and artist Enid Baxter Ryce"—please visit for links and more information

  4. Jul 22

    A Spell to Keep Us Human: In conversation with Enid Baxter Ryce

    Artist, author, educator—Enid Baxter Ryce is on a roll. She's changed her careers on both sides: In her creative work, she is now publishing books rather than working with museums. As an educator, she is using her experience teaching students of all ages to train teachers on how to get students off their screens and back into the natural world. These changes have been heralded by a sudden-seeming blossoming of publishing activity on her part, beautifully illustrated books that explore the natural and spiritual worlds. But in this conversation, Enid explains how this work—four publications in a span of two years—is the culmination of years of experience and research. From the child who grew up "feral" in the woods to the woman who considers librarians co-conspirators in her research adventures, Enid pours her whole self into her work. She's no luddite—she's a practical user of technology and AI who wants to convince you not to leave nature behind. Roll up your sleeves, put down your screen, and accept Enid's challenge. She'll lead you to look closely at the lives we are living and how we can make meaning and beauty amidst the chaos of our digital lives. "I wanted to give people a sense of connection across time. That when you're feeling lonely, you are not alone—that is a human feeling. And when you're feeling angry, you're also part of a grand tradition of anger... Poetry is magical because it juxtaposes words that we see regularly and makes them magical again." More information: Books by Enid Baxter Ryce: Ancient Spells and Incantations: Echoes of Magic Through the Ages and Across Cultures (Amazon | Bookshop) Plant Magic at Home: A Complete Guide to Harnessing the Power of Nature from Rituals to DIYs (Amazon | Bookshop) The Borderlands Tarot/ El Tarot de Tierras Fronterizas (Amazon | Bookshop) Field Guide to Fort Ord (Amazon | Bookshop) Grace Flows Through You: 101 Spiritual Verses from Around the World (Amazon | Bookshop) Publications & Organizations Mentioned Enid Baxter Ryce's website Getty (Pacific Standard Time) Mexicali Biennial Running Press Cooper Union Yale University Moore College of Art & Design Marketplace (NPR) featuring Enid Ryce Psychology Today: AI Psychosis Highlights Foundation Chabad Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert D. Putnam (Amazon | Bookshop.org) List 3: Topics Discussed Tarot Incantation bowl Proto-Indo-European language Autism spectrum Maslow's hierarchy of needs Holocaust survivors Salem witch trials Screen inferiority effect Chatbot psychosis (AI psychosis) Digital divide Neuroplasticity Cognitive load / cognitive offloading Social capital Social media and mental health Enid Baxter Ryce is an award-winning author, artist, and professor. Enid has exhibited internationally at museums and festivals, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Library of Congress, the Arnolfini, the Getty, and the Harvard Film Archive. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, People en Español, The Los Angeles Times, on CBS Radio News, NPR, and numerous other publications. She was co-PI on a five-year, $1.25 million National Institutes of Health grant and a researcher on a Getty Foundation PST Project in collaboration with the Huntington Botanical Gardens. Enid is a former guest curator for the MexiCali Biennial and the Philip Glass Center for Art, Science, and the Environment, where she created her film War and the Weather, featuring the music of Philip Glass. Enid has held fellowships from the National Academy of Sciences, the Getty Foundation, Western Growers and Shippers, and Yale University. Most recently, she was a fellow of the Sephardic Stories Initiative at the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, which awarded her novel manuscript, Beware the Azulay: A Pirate’s Tale, a Jewish Stories Award. She has an MFA in Visual Arts, having studied at The Cooper Union and Claremont Graduate University. Enid is Professor of Cinematic Arts, focusing on Scientific and Historical Storytelling at CSU Monterey Bay. Music: "Beauty" by Karyn Ellis, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org "Magic Flute" by Suki Wessling

  5. Jun 29

    Minibabble: Merle Hoffman follows her own voice

    In this short adaptation of the full episode, "Living within the questions," women's healthcare pioneer Merle Hoffman speaks about the importance of trusting women to know their own bodies and needs. She speaks about how hard it is to talk about such a fundamental issue when people tend to shy away from deep conversations. And she speaks about her fundamental trust in herself, which has led her to fight on, from founding one of the nation's first women's health clinics in 1971 to fighting for women's rights in the post-Roe world.

  6. Jun 16

    Living Within the Questions with Merle Hoffman

    Women's Healthcare Pioneer: When abortion became legal in New York State in 1970, Merle Hoffman didn't celebrate—she got to work. While others were still absorbing the news, she opened one of the first standalone women's health clinics in the country. No medical guidelines existed for a procedure that had only ever been done in secret, so she wrote them. Her patients didn't know their rights, so she wrote those down, too—a document that became the blueprint for the federal Patient's Bill of Rights. Fifty-plus years later, Hoffman is still at it—still running Choices Women's Medical Center in Queens, still fighting, and still asking the questions that don't have easy answers. "It's an intrinsic trust in myself, which I've always noticed and always had. Things come to me and I feel them organically, and I want to do this, and I trust that my decision is the right decision. And I follow my own voice." To call Merle Hoffman the owner of an abortion clinic is only to scratch the surface of her complexity. She's a pianist, a philosopher, an activist, a mother, and an adventurer in the world of spirituality. This is a conversation about courage, conviction, and what happens when we decide to trust ourselves. "I can live in the question. I don't have to know. I don't know if we'll ever know. But the question is so incomparably deep, profound, interesting, frustrating." Related: Minibabble: Merle Hoffman follows her own voice Mentioned in this episode Books Intimate Wars: The Life and Times of the Woman Who Brought Abortion from the Back Alley to the Boardroom by Merle Hoffman (Amazon • Bookshop.org) CHOICES: A Post-Roe Abortion Rights Manifesto by Merle Hoffman (Amazon • Bookshop.org) Our Bodies, Ourselves by the Boston Women's Health Book Collective (Amazon • Bookshop.org) Sexual Politics by Kate Millett (Amazon • Bookshop.org) Women and Madness by Phyllis Chesler (Amazon • Bookshop.org) The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus (Amazon • Bookshop.org) Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl (Amazon • Bookshop.org) Publications & Organizations Choices Women's Medical Center On the Issues Magazine Choices Global Institute National Abortion Federation National Coalition of Abortion Providers New York Pro-Choice Coalition Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights Planned Parenthood Thomas More Society HIP (Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York) Kaiser Permanente Topics discussed Abortion rights in the United States Roe v. Wade Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization Hyde Amendment Women's health Henry Hyde Jerry Falwell Patient's Bill of Rights Patriarchy Second-wave feminism Gloria Steinem Equal Rights Amendment Jeffrey Epstein Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy Florynce Kennedy Bill Baird Absurdism Viktor Frankl / Logotherapy Sisyphus Oscar Wilde Sigmund Freud Artificial intelligence Thomas More Elizabeth I of England Mary, Queen of Scots Christian Science Jehovah's Witnesses Social psychology Animal rights Medicaid Black Lives Matter Abortion in Russia Queens College, CUNY About Merle Hoffman Merle Hoffman is an internationally known leader in the struggle for women’s rights, a healthcare pioneer, founder of women’s health, political, and reproductive rights organizations, and a prize-winning writer and publisher. Her work spans 52 years and continues today, proving to be more essential and relevant than ever in the ongoing fight for women’s human rights, including the ability to make their own reproductive choices. About Merle Hoffman

  7. Jun 8

    Minibabble: Cindy Cohn on protecting our online freedoms

    Cindy Cohn, retiring executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, speaks about the controversies regarding restriction of online speech. Addressing everything from breastfeeding forums to human rights abuses in Sudan, she argues forcefully that despite the drawbacks, we must conserver our right to speak freely and privately on the Internet. Related: "Fighting for a Better Online World with Cindy Cohn" "Minibabble: 3 women. 3 lawyers. 3 ways to change the world." News clip courtesy of NPR.  "Silence" courtesy of  Unwoman at Unwoman.com.

  8. May 27

    Minibabble: 3 women. 3 lawyers. 3 ways to change the world.

    LaDoris Cordell, Denise Miranda, and Cindy Cohn are three very different women who have had three very different careers. But all three have drawn their inspiration from using their legal training to make a difference in the world. In this short excerpt, we explore how their legal training led them to fulfilling and meaningful careers. Listen to the full episodes: Access the episode pages for links and notes. Stepping through the Door with LaDoris Cordell Rooted in Service with Human Rights Commissioner Denise Miranda Fighting for a Better Online World with Cindy Cohn "Silence" is courtesy of Unwoman at Unwoman.com.

  9. May 26

    The Internet doesn’t have an anonymity problem—it has a body problem

    I went into my interview with Cindy Cohn of the Electronic Frontier Foundation ready to argue my case that anonymity is the problem. I came away with a more nuanced understanding. Read the text on Substack or listen here!

  10. May 19

    Fighting for a Better Online World with Cindy Cohn

    Cindy Cohn joined the Electronic Frontier Foundation to argue cases like Bernstein v. Dept. of Justice, the successful First Amendment challenge to the U.S. export restrictions on cryptography. But she says that she actually spends more time on breastfeeding than any other topic. " We've spent years trying to help women who have breastfeeding forums continue to have their forums when they get flagged for nudity because somebody's taking a picture and saying she's not latching—how does this work?" It's that wide experience, from cryptography and surveillance technologies to breastfeeding and stalking, that makes Cindy an unusual advocate for freedom of speech and privacy on the Internet. And it makes her a particularly interesting person to talk to about women's freedom of speech and privacy on the Internet, which forms the core of our conversation here. Advocates for women are not universally convinced that continuing to insure privacy and free speech on the Internet is wholly good for women, who are often the targets of specific threats of bodily violence. But Cindy Cohn has an expansive view of what we can do with an open Internet, while also respecting women's rights. Tune in for a fascinating conversation! Mentioned in this episode: Privacy’s Defender by Cindy Cohn  EFF's podcast, How to Fix the Internet Eva Galperin  The secret ballot in the United States  United States Supreme Court recognition of gay marriage  Privacy protective tools from EFF  ”Free speech doctrine in the United States has always protected the right to anonymous speech.”  Supreme Court case “ NAACP versus Alabama”  Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution Roe v. Wade based on privacy “ There's a woman in Nebraska who is serving two years in prison for having a conversation over Facebook Messages with her daughter to help her daughter get an abortion.” CNN  HIPAA Period trackers and privacy California’s Internet Privacy protections EFF report on  censorship of reproductive information Use of  license plate readers  Online harassment statistics Mastadon and Bluesky  Surveillance business model  Virtual Private Network (VPN) Tor New York Times home insurance pricing: “A Price Just for You, Specifically” “ Women who were doing job searches on Facebook would not see ads for CEOs or higher paid jobs.” Pew Research AI Research: Alignment  Administrative Procedures Act ”Online Pornography Age Verification Laws by U.S. State” “Teens and Pornography” (2022) from Common Sense Media Conservatives believe LGBTQ content harms kids Breastfeeding forums EFF founder Mitch Kapor Cindy Cohn on the Daily Show Cindy Cohn of Electronic Frontier Foundation photogrphed by SRK Headshot Day in San Francisco, CA Cindy Cohn is the Executive Director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. From 2000-2015 she served as EFF’s Legal Director as well as its General Counsel.  Ms. Cohn first became involved with EFF in 1993, when EFF asked her to serve as the outside lead attorney in Bernstein v. Dept. of Justice, the successful First Amendment challenge to the U.S. export restrictions on cryptography.  Ms. Cohn has been named to TheNonProfitTimes 2020 Power & Influence TOP 50 list, honoring 2020's movers and shakers.  In 2018, Forbes included Ms. Cohn as one of America's Top 50 Women in Tech. The National Law Journal named Ms. Cohn one of 100 most influential lawyers in America in 2013, noting: "[I]f Big Brother is watching, he better look out for Cindy Cohn." She was also named in 2006 for "rushing to the barricades wherever freedom and civil liberties are at stake online."  In 2007 the National Law Journal named her one of the 50 most influential women lawyers in America. In 2010 the Intellectual Property Section of the State Bar of California awarded her its Intellectual Property Vanguard Award and in 2012 the Northern California Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists awarded her the James Madison Freedom of Information Award.   Ms. Cohn is the author of the professional memoir, called Privacy's Defender published by MIT Press in March, 2026. As part of promoting the book, she appeared on The Daily Show in April, 2026. She is also the co-host of EFF's award-winning podcast, How to Fix the Internet. "Silence" courtesy of  Unwoman at Unwoman.com.

  • 10 Episodes

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About

Visit BABBLERY.com. The Babblery features conversations about who we are and how we got this way. Modern humans can seem like the ancients building the Biblical Tower of Babel, cursed by God/nature never to understand each other. As Visiting Translators at the Tower of Babel, our guests delve into their work, their research, and their own experiences to try to explain the bits they've learned about Earth's most perplexing species. Though we all speak different languages, here at The Babblery we aim to promote understanding, one conversation at a time.

Information

  • Creator
    Suki Wessling
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © The Babblery
  • Show Website
    The Babblery