The Exploress

Kate J. Armstrong, Carly A. Quinn

Join us as we time travel through women's history, one era at a time. We'll explore the lived experiences and everyday lives of historical ladies, both famous and obscure, from a variety of different time periods, countries, and cultures. Let's go traveling.

  1. 1,001 Nights with Al-Khayzuran

    EPISODE 5

    1,001 Nights with Al-Khayzuran

    Season 6, Episode 5. One Thousand and One Nights – the famed collection of stories in which the vizier's daughter, Scheherazade, agrees to wed a paranoid king who marries a new bride each night only to kill her in the morning. To delay her execution, Scheherazade starts to tell the king a different story every evening, but makes sure to leave it unfinished at sunrise so he'll keep her alive for another day in order to hear the end. She weaves tales for 1,001 nights, until the king is cured of his paranoia, and he stops marrying and killing innocent women. The book is a compilation of tales from various civilizations added together over the centuries, with the earliest stories probably originating in India and Persia (modern-day Iran). The original text was translated into Arabic in the 8th century, with stories from Iraq, Syria, and Egypt added through the years and into the early modern period until it became the 1,001 tales we know today. The history of the stories themselves is, by now, very muddied, but it is believed that the witty, politically savvy Scheherazade may have been based upon an enslaved concubine named Al-Khayzuran, who eventually became the wife of a Caliph. Her son, the legendary Caliph Harun al-Rashid, and the descriptions of his luxurious court, would be immortalized in One Thousand and One Nights. Let's jump aboard our magic carpet and travel back to Arabia and the Abbasid Dynasty to meet Al-Khayzuran. Ways to support The Exploress: Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, including the full episodes with both our Viking experts and some extra tales from the Norse sagas. Grab a book by one of our guests, or read the current Exploress Book Club pick, at the Exploress Bookshop Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop Check out Kate's novel, NIGHTBIRDS and its sequel  FYREBIRDS

    24 min
  2. Ladies Who Sleuth in Regency England with Alison Goodman

    EPISODE 6

    Ladies Who Sleuth in Regency England with Alison Goodman

    Season 6, Episode 6. Welcome to Exploress Book Club! Join me in talking to Alison Goodman, author of The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies, as she tells us what life was really like for the ladies in Regency England. Alison has done a LOT of research into this period, and she has a lot to tell us about the agency (or lack thereof) of women during this period and the societal expectations they faced. This conversation delves into the complexities of women's lives in Regency England, exploring themes of love, societal expectations, and the darker realities of the time. We'll talk about historical lesbian relationships, the brutal treatment of women in private madhouses, and the grim realities of child trafficking and prostitution...and so we don't end on too bleak a note, we'll also play a fun game of True or False: Regency Edition. To find out more about Alison's books, check out her website. The second book in the series, The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin, is out now! You can watch the video version of our chat over on Patreon for the rest of May 2025.  Ways to support The Exploress: Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, including the full episodes with both our Viking experts and some extra tales from the Norse sagas. Grab a book by one of our guests, or read the current Exploress Book Club pick, at the Exploress Bookshop Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop Check out Kate's novel, NIGHTBIRDS, and its sequel  FYREBIRDS

    1h 10m
4.9
out of 5
370 Ratings

About

Join us as we time travel through women's history, one era at a time. We'll explore the lived experiences and everyday lives of historical ladies, both famous and obscure, from a variety of different time periods, countries, and cultures. Let's go traveling.

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