The Sewing Circle

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Join host Payton Alexander on a journey to discover women whose stories have often been left off the quilt of history. Learn more about fascinating, inspirational, despicable, and complicated women, one stitch at a time.

The Sewing Circle


    • Aug 11, 2021 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 14m AVG DURATION
    • 15 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from The Sewing Circle

    Update and HUGE THANKS

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 11, 2021 2:18


    Y'ALL. FOR REAL.1000 downloads while I've been away? You're outrageous! THANK YOU for your incredible support -- I can hardly believe the way you've shown up for me and, in particular, for Olympic swimmer Katie  Ledecky! Now for the update: I'll be back soon! This has been a big summer for me, between family obligations, travel, and, most terrifyingly of all, a career switch! I left my traditional job to start writing professionally. Something just changed in me this year; maybe it was turning 32, and maybe it was the toll of working in retail during a pandemic. But I knew now was the time to take the leap and start living the life I wanted. I can't wait to get back at it with more stories about incredible, despicable, inspirational, and downright diabolical women...soon!Let me know who you'd like me to cover next -- hit me up @tsc_pod twitter and instasewingcirclepodcast.com

    Quick announcement!

    Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2021 6:10


    THANK YOU for helping me get more than 500 downloads so far in this journey! It's kind of weird to sit in front of a mic in an empty room and just...talk, so it's so great to know you're here listening and (hopefully!) cheering me on!I discuss it in the episode but I'm taking a quick little break. Promise I'll be back! I just need a little time and then this show is back on the road.Thanks again for being awesome. Find me @tsc_pod on Twitter and Instagram and drop a line -- what are you doing to take care of yourself? Any travel or vacation plans? I'd love to hear from you!#history #womenshistory #feminist #feminism #morethanmarch

    Another Backstitch

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2021 20:14


    It's time to take it easy with another Backstitch episode! We'll do a quick roundup of historical events through this last week of April, like Pulitzer Prize winners, births of badasses, and one gut-busting Oscars speech. So take a load off and learn a little about a lot. Big shout out to @HERstoryontheROCKS, @nationalwomenshiostoryalliance, @paul.holes, @billyjensen, @thepaulofhaynes, and to @myfavoritemurder for helping a girl out this week with some fun information.CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE Y'ALL: sewingcirclepodcast.com where you can find my sources and drop me a line :)#womenshistory #history #women #womensupportingwomen #truecrime #goldenstatekiller #mfm #murderino #politics #herstory #podcast #oscars #movies #feminist #feminism #morethanmarch

    Wu Zetian

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 23, 2021 16:06


    We're going way, way back, y'all! Today's subject is the first and only Empress Regnant of China, Wu Zetian (624-705).  Man, there was a time when everybody was just killing everybody else, huh? Couldn't trust anyone. The educated, beautiful, charming, and conniving Empress Wu likely killed a few hundred people herself in pursuit of power, and may or may not have killed her own baby daughter as a stepping stone to the throne. Listen now and decide for yourself!You can find The Sewing Circle on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else you listen to your other favorite shows. You can find all my sources at sewingcirclepodcast.com/listennowFOLLOW ME @tsc_pod on both Twitter and Insta 

    Joye Murchison Kelly

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2021 17:10


    Joye Murchison Kelly (1924-2021) was the first woman to write for the legendary Wonder Woman comic book series. She helped shape entire generations of women with a brave, compassionate, inquisitive, feminist warrior as their guide.All sources can be found at sewingcirclepodcast.com Click on Listen Now. There you can contact me with any suggestions you have for future episodes. Thank you for all of your support! #womensupportingwomen #womenshistory #women #dccomics #wonderwoman #history #writer #art #podcast #morethanmarch

    Carry Nation

    Play Episode Play 29 sec Highlight Listen Later Apr 9, 2021 15:11


    This is NOT a woman you could get a beer with.Carry Nation (1846-1911) was an anti-alcohol fanatic best known for her 'hatchetations': smashing up saloons with a hatchet. Upon one of her more than thirty arrests, she declared, "You have put me in here a cub, but I will come out roaring like a lion, and I will make all hell howl!” Thank you for continuing to support The Sewing Circle! All of women's history -- the good, the bad, the hatchetations -- is so important to society, to build self-esteem in girls and women and respect in boys and men (thanks, National Women's History Alliance!). You can find all my sources at sewingcirclepodcast.com. That's also where you can message me with any subjects you'd like me to cover in future episodes. 


    Avast, ye mateys! Anne Bonny (1697-? maybe 1782?) was a brave, headstrong, and murderous pirate who was a menace to the Bahamas and pretty good at shaming men (truth hurts). Women's History Month may be over but that doesn't mean we stop learning about women through history. It's so important to keep the momentum going because women and their stories are so much #morethanMarch. You can find all my sources for today's episode under Listen Now at sewingcirclepodcast.com

    The Backstitch

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2021 10:16


    Enjoy a casual exploration of this week in history! In this episode, we'll honor the last full week of Women's History Month by covering several women and a single day of their lives -- birthdays, accomplishments, creations,  legislation, and tragedies. Like: The first woman to enlist in the NavyOne of the first black lawyers in the United StatesAstronauts, actresses, and activistsAnd more!All sources can be found on my website sewingcirclepodcast.comThank you for your support! Please don't forget to rate, review and subscribe! 

    Tania Head

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2021 21:11


    Survivor. Savior. Suspect. Tania Head (1973) had endured the unbelievable on September 11th, 2001. Her perseverance proved inspirational for other survivors, despite some conflicting details. How far will a person go for attention? You can find all my sources at sewingcirclepodcast.com and I encourage you to watch the documentary The Woman Who Wasn't There, available now on Amazon Prime. 

    Katie Ledecky

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2021 16:12


    Recent Stanford graduate and Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky (1997) has spent almost a decade blowing her competition out of the water (sorry, I couldn't help it). Listen to her incredible journey and catalog of Ws now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or anywhere else you listen to your favorite shows!Sources are available on my website sewingcirclepodcast.com Click Listen Now and you can find today's episode as well as previous episodes. 

    Esther Popel Shaw

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2021 16:19


    Harlem Renaissance poet Esther Popel Shaw (1896-1958) was a writer, teacher, and activist. She wrote the legendary poem The Flag Salute in response to the lynching of a Black man accused of attacking a white woman. Read it now at sewingcirclepodcast.com/listen-now/esther-popel-shawThank you for your support! You can follow me @tsc_pod at both Twitter and Instagram and please rate, review, and subscribe!


    Episode TW: Domestic violence, death by suicide, sexual assault, miscarriageIf you or anyone you know is the victim of domestic violence, please visit thehotline.org or call 1-800-799-SAFEThere's no doubt that Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in the United Kingdom, was guilty of murdering David Blakely. But is it possible that other factors sent her to the hangman's noose? Should abuse and trauma be taken into consideration when sentencing an offender?All sources for today's episode can be found at sewingcirclepodcast.comListen to The Sewing Circle on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and wherever else you listen to your favorite shows.  

    Neus Catala

    Play Episode Play 28 sec Highlight Listen Later Feb 19, 2021 20:07


    Rebellious. Resilient. Remarkable.Neus Catala (1915-2019) was a freedom fighter and Holocaust survivor who fought endlessly for justice as she worked to record the stories of other women who survived the camps.All sources for today's episode can be found at sewingcirclepodcast.comListen to The Sewing Circle on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and wherever else you listen to your favorite shows. 

    Marlene Dietrich

    Play Episode Play 30 sec Highlight Listen Later Feb 12, 2021 18:57


    Undeterred, uncaged, and unreliable. Marlene Dietrich (1901-1992) was an actress, an activist, and a queer icon who built her own reality.Listen to The Sewing Circle on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and wherever else you listen to your favorite shows. You can find the shownotes at sewingcirclepodcast.com 


    The Sewing Circle is an upcoming women's history podcast. Join host Payton Alexander on a journey to discover women whose stories have often been left off the quilt of history. Learn more about fascinating, inspirational, despicable, and complicated women, one stitch at a time. Debuting February 12th. 

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