Fierce

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Fierce Podcast

The stories we tell about the past matter. But what happens when an entire category of changemakers is overlooked? Fierce, a new podcast from iHeartRadio and Tribeca Studios, will shed much-needed light on the fierce women that history has undervalued. In each episode, award-winning journalist and best-selling author Jo Piazza will tell the story of one historical figure's life while connecting her legacy to a modern woman standing on her formidable shoulders today.

  1. EPISODE 1

    Clementine Paddleford: The Woman who Revolutionized Food Writing

    Meet Clementine Paddleford, the forgotten food journalist who elevated food writing from dull and mundane to a delicious art form. The way we write about food today is largely due to Clementine, the roving reporter who taught herself to fly a plane so she could report on every aspect of food across the country and around the world. Afterwards, hear Jo’s conversation with Yasmin Khan, the best-selling food writer whose books on middle eastern cooking, The Saffron Tales and Zaitoun, expertly carry on Clementine’s legacy.     Main Sources: Hometown Appetites: The Story of Clementine Paddleford, the Forgotten Food Writer who Chronicled How America Ate, by Kelly Alexander and Cynthia Harris How to Cook for a Whole Crew by Clementine Paddleford, from the NY Herald Tribune, July 1960 Vast Drive And Courage Spark Career of Famed Food Editor – By Susan Delight, for the San Diego Union, February 1959 A Life in the Culinary Front Lines, by R.W. Apple for the NY Times, Nov, 2005 The Great American Cookbook: 500 Time-Tested Recipes: Favorite Food from Every State, by Clementine Paddleford - a reprint of the original ‘How America Eats’ edited by Kelly Alexander A panel sponsored by the Food Studies Program at the New School in New York City titled ‘Clementine Paddleford: America's First Food Journalist’ which took place in June of 2010 (some panelists and guests knew Clementine Paddleford personally and shared anecdotes about her life.) Clementine Paddleford’s obituary in the NY Times from November of 1967 titled ‘Clementine Paddleford is Dead; Food Editor of Herald Tribune Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    34 min

  2. EPISODE 2

    Cheng I Sao: The Most Successful Pirate in History

    Blackbeard and Jack Sparrow can’t hold a candle to Cheng I Sao. Ferocious and ambitious, the most successful pirate in the South China Sea innovated the piracy business model, and inspired fear around the world even as she established strict rules about the treatment of women on her ships. The Chinese government enlisted foreign powers to take Cheng I Sao, a former prostitute, down,, but she had other plans. Afterwards, we'll be talking to Tracy Edwards, a sailor who fought her way into the man's world of racing to skipper the first all-female crew to race around the world.   Main Sources: Pirate Women: The Princesses, Prostitutes, and Privateers who Ruled the Seven Seas by Laura Sook Duncombe And the article, ‘One Woman's Rise to Power: Cheng I's Wife and the Pirates’ by Dian Murray, published by Berghahn Books in the academic journal ‘Historical Reflections’ in 1981 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    39 min

  3. EPISODE 3

    Phillis Wheatley: For the Love of Freedom

    Phillis Wheatley’s real name is lost to history. The young girl was named for the slave ship that carried her to the United States from West Africa. Purchased as a house slave in Boston, Phillis defied all the odds to become a prolific poet celebrated around the world and the first African American woman to publish a book of poetry in the United States. Eventually, she used her considerable talents to convince the people who owned her to return her freedom to her.  The story of Phillis’s complicated journey is followed by a conversation with world renowned poet Nikki Giovanni, who talks to Jo about the origins of African American poetry and the evolving narrative about Phillis Wheatley’s place in history. Main Sources Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral by Phillis Wheatley, published by Archibald Bell in London in 1773 Various publications mentioned throughout the episode which published Phillis Wheatley’s poems and letters during her life. Phillis Wheatley: Biography of a Genius in Bondage - by Vincent Carretta The Trials of Phillis Wheatley: America's First Black Poet and Her Encounters with the Founding Fathers - by Henry Louis Gates The Poetry Foundation (www.poetryfoundtation.org) The Phillis Wheatley Historical Society (http://www.phillis-wheatley.org/) Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    39 min

  4. EPISODE 4

    Grace Hopper: The Math Genius who Taught Computers to Talk

    You might not know the name Grace Hopper even though it’s hard to imagine our lives without her work. Born in 1906 to a family of engineers, Grace was fascinated with the mechanics of objects from a young age. She was a no-nonsense dynamo, driven by guts and determination, so when the US entered World War II, Grace knew she had to join the war effort even though the military held few places for women. She nevertheless joined a team at Harvard that was hard at work on the Mark I, a calculating machine…or rather, the first large-scale automatic digital computer in the United States. It became Grace’s job to figure out how to program it. But Grace didn’t just program it, she taught humans to communicate with machines in a way that made every single computing leap since her time possible.  COBOL—the first computer language—was Grace’s great invention; a leap of imagination that did not only help America win the war, but made the computer vastly more useful than it was originally intended to be. Grace is the grandmama of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the technological leap that changed the world, and Jo discusses its legacy with Parisa Tabriz, a director of engineering at Google, and proud owner of a cat named Grace Hopper.   Main Sources  Grace Hopper and the Invention of the Information Age (Lemelson Center Studies in Invention and Innovation series) - by Kurt Beyer An Oral History of Captain Grace Hopper by the Computer History Museum - Interview conducted by: Angeline Pantages - Naval Data Automation Command, in Maryland in December of 1980 A 60 Minutes segment entitled ‘The Captain is a Lady’ from March 6, 1983 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    33 min

  5. EPISODE 5

    Dorothy Arzner: A Prolific Hollywood Director

    Dorothy Arzner wasn’t the first woman to direct films in Hollywood, but she was one of the few who endured. A female director who managed to succeed, for a time, in a man’s world. She worked her way through the studio system, first as a typist, then an editor, until she was trusted as a director. Between the silent era of the twenties and the early forties she made 16 films, and pioneered the use of the boom mic in the process.  Then, stay for a discussion on the difficulties that still exist for women in the film industry with Sonejuhi Sinha, who recently directed her first film after working for years as an editor, just like Dorothy.   Main Sources Directed by Dorothy Arzner - by Judith Mayne An extensive Interview with Dorothy Arzner conducted by Karyn Kay and Gerald Peary in 1974 - published first by ‘Cinema’ and then by ‘The British Film Institute’ in 1975. What Women Want: The Complex World of Dorothy Arzner and Her Cinematic Women by Donna R. Casella - Framework: The Journal of Cinema and Media, vol. 50 no. 1-2, 2009, p. 235-270. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/frm.0.0033. Kate: The life of Katharine Hepburn - by Charles Higham published in 1975 Me: Stories of my Life - by Katharine Hepburn published in 1991 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    33 min

  6. EPISODE 6

    Madam C.J. Walker: The Self-Made Millionaire Who Raised Up Other Women

    Born to freed slaves in 1867, Sarah Breedlove used her creativity, determination and brilliant mind for business to transform herself into the mogul, Madam C.J. Walker. Traveling the country with her hair products, Madam Walker employed legions of saleswomen to both grow her business and to give thousands of black women the skills and confidence to create generational wealth and follow in her footsteps. Following Madam Walker’s empowering story we reflect on her legacy with The Lip Bar CEO and founder Melissa Butler who cites Madam C.J. Walker as part of her inspiration in founding a makeup line that would suit people of all skin tones. Main Sources On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker - by A'Lelia Perry Bundles (Now a Netflix series starring Octavia Spencer, the book has been retitled ‘Self Made’) A New York Times article titled ‘Wealthiest Negro Woman’s Suburban Mansion’ published in November of 1917 An Associated Press article on Madam C.J. Walker published in the spring of 1919 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    45 min

  7. EPISODE 7

    Christine Jorgensen: A Woman Before Her Time

    Christine Jorgensen never intended to become a celebrity. In 1951, Jorgensen traveled to Europe to obtain special permission to undergo a series of operations, which would help complete her medical transition from male to female, becoming the first American woman to publicly receive this type of surgery. When she returned to the states, the New York Daily News wrote about her under the headline: ’EX GI BECOMES BLONDE BEAUTY.’ Christine’s public persona marked a significant, though often fraught, step towards normalizing transgender identities in the US, and she came to embrace her role as a pioneer within the transgender community. But her story is still unknown to many and the fight is far from over.  Jo talks about the state of transgender rights with the National Press Secretary of the Human Rights Campaign, Sarah McBride, one of the many activists working today to continue the work Christine began.   Main Sources Christine Jorgensen: a Personal Autobiography - by Christine Jorgensen A Universal-International News report by Fred Maness with footage of Christine Jorgensen arriving at Idlewild Airport in 1951 ‘Ex-GI Becomes Blonde Beauty’, from the New York Daily News in December of 1952 ‘Bronx Boy is now a Girl’ from the New York Times in December of 1952 An interview with Christine Jorgensen conducted by the BBC in 1970 An interview with Christine Jorgensen conducted by Hour Magazine in May of 1984 An Associated Press article in the LA Times from June 1986 titled: ‘Famed Transsexual Christine Jorgensen Out of the Spotlight’ Uncredited footage and interviews titled ‘Christine in Denmark Parts I and II’ Various clips, footage, and reviews of Christine’s stage act referenced throughout the episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    42 min

  8. EPISODE 8

    Jeannette Rankin: The First U.S. Congresswoman

    Years before the United States ratified the 19th amendment, a woman from Montana had already infiltrated Capitol Hill. Jeannette Rankin rose through the ranks of the women’s suffrage movement, bringing an electric energy to every town she visited. Her activism earned her a place on the ballot in 1916, and she landed a seat as a congressional representative for Montana - the first woman to ever achieve this distinction in the United States. As a congressperson, Jeannette became an integral part of 20th century US history from voting against entering World War I, to battling for women’s suffrage on the floor of congress, to making herself known as a pacifist again during World War II and later, the Vietnam War.  At the end of the episode, Jo is joined by Stephanie Schriock, the president of Emily’s List, to discuss why representation matters now more than ever. Main Sources Jeannette Rankin: A Political Woman. By: James J. Lopach, and Jean A. Luckowski.  Jeannette Rankin, America’s First Congresswoman, by Peter Aronson When Jeannette Said “No”: Montana women’s response to World War I - by Mary Murphy for Montana: The Magazine of Western History Suffragists Oral History Project: Jeanette Rankin: Activist for World Peace, Women’s Rights, and Democratic Government - Interviews Conducted by Malca Chall and Hannah Josephson Various articles found in the the digital archives of the House of Representatives and the Library of Congress Blog Articles from the NY Times in 1916, and United Press and the Suffragist in 1917 From NPR, The First Woman In Congress: A Crusader For Peace by Whitney Blair Wyckoff and The Lone War Dissenter on All Things Considered from Dec of 2001 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    39 min
See All Season 1 (8)

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About

The stories we tell about the past matter. But what happens when an entire category of changemakers is overlooked? Fierce, a new podcast from iHeartRadio and Tribeca Studios, will shed much-needed light on the fierce women that history has undervalued. In each episode, award-winning journalist and best-selling author Jo Piazza will tell the story of one historical figure's life while connecting her legacy to a modern woman standing on her formidable shoulders today.

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  • Channel
    iHeartPodcasts
  • Creator
    iHeartPodcasts
  • Episodes
    11
  • Seasons
    1
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    2024 iHeartMedia, Inc. © Any use of this intellectual property for text and data mining or computational analysis including as training material for artificial intelligence systems is strictly prohibited without express written consent from iHeartMedia
  • Show Website
    Fierce

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