Women's Liberation Radio News

MADISON - August 11, 2026. Tune in to this 4th episode of WLRN's Summer Music Countdown for your sisterhood soundtrack that will carry you though the dog days of summer! #WLRN #SummerMusicCountdown Playlist for Today's Show: Building a Mystery Sarah McLachlan Sisters in the Struggle Lesbians on Ecstasy Restore Me Diane Patterson Jezebel Thistle Pettersen And Saints Sleigh Bells Jet Fuel Can't Melt Steel Beams Camp Cope Swinger in the Trees Dead Horses (Sarah Vos) Vagina Anthem Hungry Hearts The Collector Missy Higgins The Returner Alison Russell A War With Time Brandi Carlile

August 6, 2026 - Welcome back, sisters, to another WLRN music hour. This month, as promised, the focus will be on Lammas, the holy day of my female-centered earth-based spiritual tradition on The Wheel of the Year whose Old European roots stretch back into Neolithic times. Here around my home on HERground in the South Eastern mountains of the US, crepe myrtles have reached their long anticipated peak beauty, fields of sunflowers pull me into a swerve as I pass, basil and thyme has gone to flower and the agastache has gone to seed for the goldfinches. I can't forget to mention the urgent caution of the season around nests of hornets and ground bees ever abundant at this time on The Wheel. And always, watching for the bears who mark the time with their growing cubs and small clans ambling purposefully towards the wild cherry trees or dangling hornet nests to gorge. The light of the days is lessening, though it's subtle. Lammas is a subtle holy day, but while subtle, her energy is profoundly beautiful to dance with. I will read some again from Dr. Kim Duckett's important book The Wheel of the Year as an Earth-based Spiritual Psychology for Women as well as from some other sources of inspiration of this season of Lammas to include Judy Grahn and Anya Robyak. I hope you enjoy both the information and the creative playlist I've crafted this month of music to include a variety of musicians from around the world. Since I live in the Northern Femisphere, I am experiencing the late summer energy while my sisters on the flip side are in late winter energy of a very different earthscape. Interestingly enough, both the holy day of Lammas and the holy day of Imbolc (which is directly across The Wheel, six months for us) are both times of fragility and leaning into one's community/tribe. These two themes will run through my play list along with themes of celebration, gratitude and remembering our phenomenal spiritual fortitude as women, born under Patriarchy. Thanks again for tuning back in! We'll begin with music by Ayla Nereo called Wheel of Time.

MADISON - August 6, 2026. Edition 124 begins with a greeting from Ann, WLRN's sound engineer and producer who recently attended NOW's national conference in Arlington, Virginia. Ann provides us with her commentary later on in the program after Thistle interviews Peggy Patty, NOW member since 1977 and rarin' to go when it comes to women's rights! The world news segment is delivered by Cat and the featured song is called Sing, Sing, Sing by Melissa Manchester who performed at this year's NOW conference. in Arlington. Enjoy the show!

MADISON - July 25, 2026 Episode 3 of the WLRN Summer Music Countdown with Cat Bradfield continues on with songs tied for 72nd place. Songs: Possession - Sarah McLachlan At Seventeen - Janis Ian Horses - Patti Smith Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper Awful - Hole Not That Kind - Anastacia Untouchable Face - Ani DiFranco Superwoman - Karyn White I'm Gonna Be An Engineer - Peggy Seeger

This is the second in a series of episodes counting down WLRN's top 100 songs as voted by listeners for the summer of 2026. Thanks to Cat Bradfield for hosting the show!

This is episode 1 of Cat Bradfield's Summer Music Countdown featuring songs voted on by WLRN listeners to celebrate WLRN's ten year anniversary. Thank you, Cat!

DJ PhoeniXX is back! Thanks for tuning into another women's music hour with Phoenixx! This month's hour centers women who protect and defend that which is precious to us; that which we have nurtured and sustained, to include our own lives as well as the lives of our sisters, families, animals and the planet. If you tuned into Thistle's roundtable discussion of the political Lesbian ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMjjif6Rjqo), this music hour will be an enlivening follow up as Phoenixx features music and spoken word about both Lesbians and non-Lesbians who are fierce in their devotion to Female kind in the midst of misogyny and fascism. The energy and existence of The Amazon has an ancient cultural record: some that has been preserved and discovered by archaeologists and archeomythologists like the late Marija Gimbutas; much has been kept alive by Max Dashu's archival research (www.suppressedhistories.net) while some herstory of Amazon existence has just persisted through stories/fantasies of tribes of ferocious women. Women's Culture and Spirituality must remember and include The Amazon to be both Radically effective and reflective of our lived experience and realities. The work of Second Wave Radical Lesbian Feminists reignited these fires in the 1970s which have been, in most feminist and spiritual circles, currently watered down with the use of the word feminine to describe women or the divinity of female spiritual power. Typically the fight/warrior/protector roles and ferocity under/in patriarchy have been reserved for men, with the exception of the expectation of mothers for their children. Implicit in that is, of course, girls and women need to be mothers in order to be sanctioned strong. The rest of us... well…you know those particular heinous insults and the prominence of compulsory heterosexuality. Phoenixx has chosen dynamic music to accompany excerpts of a chapter on The Amazon read from The Wheel of the Year as a Spiritual Psychology for Women written by Radical Lesbian Feminist Dr. Kim Duckett. You can find more information about her, her work and how to order her book here: http://www.kimduckett.org/. Enjoy the hour! Stay tuned later this Summer for the top 100 Women's Music results!

MADISON, July 2nd, 2026. First up is Cat Bradfield with WLRN's world news segment including a story about the recent Supreme Court decision to limit male athletes in women's sports. Happy 4th of July celebrations to all of our listeners. Stay safe this weekend! After the news, enjoy the song "Every Woman Can Be a Lesbian" by Alix Dobkin before hearing Jesika Gonzalez, Julianna Varni, Ann Menasche and Pinwheel Art give their thoughts on why a discussion of political lesbianism is important and what their definitions of the words "lesbian" and "political lesbian" are. In the podcast, you'll hear a 20 minute excerpt from the dynamic hour and a half long discussion recorded and under WLRN's LIVE tabe on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMjjif6Rjqo&t=10s. After the round table excerpt, there is a 15 minute clip from Thistle's hour and a half long interview with Angela C. Wild, editor of the book, I Wish I Was a Lesbian. Finally, WLRN Team members Thistle & Jocelyn deliver their opinions and commentary on the topic. Thanks for tuning in to WLRN, your sisters out here in the Femisphere workin' hard to bring sisterhood to all women!

First up, Cat Bradfield greets the listener and delivers WLRN's world news segment for June 4th, 2026. Next, stay tuned for the song “More Than Friends” by Robin Flower, followed by Cat's interview with Nicole Mowbray of the Lesbian Action Group (LAG). Founded in 2023 after Posie Parker's visit to Australia, LAG drew international attention to the importance of women speaking publicly and critically about transgenderism. Finally, we dive into Jocelyn Crawley's commentary on the vital importance of women-only and lesbian-only spaces — both to protect women from male violence and to co-create a thriving culture of our own outside of patriarchy. Thanks for staying tuned to WLRN! To support our ten-year anniversary, please consider a purchase of merch from our merch page here: https://wlrnmedia.com/merch/

This is WLRN's 10th Anniversary Edition! Stay tuned for the greeting with Jocelyn Crawley, world news with Cat Bradfield, an interview with professor Gail Dines and concluding commentary from Jocelyn. The focus of this month's show is the Jeffrey Epstein case and how it is being handled within the porn-sick society we live in, featuring Gail Dines—expert, activist for women's and children's rights, and founding member of Culture Reframed. Gail recently published a review in Ms. Magazine of Virginia Roberts Giuffre's posthumous book, Nobody's Girl. https://msmagazine.com/author/gaildines/ She talks with Thistle a bit about this book and about how the porn industry has gotten its tentacles into all aspects of American society. She also, at the end of the interview, tells the story of an activist skit performed with Mary Daly at Harvard University in the 1980s. She muses that if women could do it then, we can do it again today and should in order to fortify our movement for the dignity and rights of girls and women. Listen to our original theme music from ten years ago composed by Thistle with a call for songs from Cat Bradfield for our Tenth Anniversary Summer Song Countdown show coming to an internet near you! To participate in this show, click this link and fill out the form: https://wlrnmedia.com/2026/03/08/cast-your-vote-for-wlrns-top-100-songs/ The more the merrier! Thanks for tuning in to WLRN for all these years. All of our shows are archived here: https://wlrnmedia.com/category/podcasts/ so if you want to remember what was happening in women's news back in the day, feel free to browse and discover compelling women's news and commentary that spans the last decade. We also have Ten Year Anniversary merch, designed by Margaret, to celebrate this milestone. Find our mug and t-shirt here: https://wlrnmedia.com/merch/

First up, hear Cat Bradfield deliver the greeting highlighting WLRN's ten-year anniversary top one hundred women's songs as voted by WLRN listeners. Learn more and cast your votes here: https://wlrnmedia.com/2026/03/08/cast-your-vote-for-wlrns-top-100-songs/ Please participate by the end of May, 2026! Next, hear the world news featuring stories from Iraq, Nigeria, Zambia and the USA. Then, enjoy an original song by Cat Bradfield that she played live at the International Women's Day Conference 2026 in Australia last month. Thank you, Cat! Cease and Desist They deny that we're oppressed on the basis of our sex. We matter less than some fetishist who puts on a dress We get arrested, just because we dare to tell it how it is. I need to talk this through but now I'm scared to get a therapist. If the mainstream left are right and no one gives a damn about this, Then why the hell do they keep telling us to cease and desist? You say that you don't vibe with gender roles, And you don't have a gendered soul, Well, you and me have common goals cause that's the point of gender abolition. And I ain't going back into the kitchen Til I'm serving up the patriarchy's head upon a plate. They say the sexes aren't so different, but when arguing on twitter It sure seems to me that they can see which side needs threats of rape. They've got deep fakes of JK Rowling, and deep fakes of Moira Deeming If it's trolling why's it only women's faces that I'm seeing? where's the bound and gagged Matt Walsh? Where's the naked Elon Musk? where's the artificial sex tape of that fascist Donald Trump? Yeah they cancelled Graham Linehan, we won't be seeing him again, but he's not getting threatened with a sexual assault. Every time I go outside wearing shirts purchased from the men's Get asked my pronouns like somehow my clothes can alternate my sex. Come buy your innate sense of gender from your local shopping centre and they'll throw in free mastectomy, but what do you expect? The human body can be modified, and therefore be commodified. And the same people who say this think that you can buy consent. When women protest with our signs that spell out men cannot be lesbians, The other side are shouting things like death to evil feminists. And I can't go to any march for any left wing cause Cause every single grassroots movement has been captured in their paws Rallies for Gaza, for the climate, for dismantling of ICE, Have always gotta have some fucker waving blue and pink and white. Everyone but Pauline Hanson's always dancin' round the signs That putting men in women's prisons should have always been a crime And all the mainstream right's got left is that they give a damn about this, They'll get the vote, we'll get the boot, and they'll make us cease and desist. We may be allies of a sort in terms of saving women's sport But if we use our voice to be pro choice it's cease and desist. they deny that we're oppressed on the basis of sex We matter less than some fetishist who puts on a dress We get arrested just because we dare to tell it how it is Need to talk this through but now I'm scared to get a therapist Men do all this shit and get a slap upon the wrist But when women do speak up, we've gotta cease and desist. So fuck them all, we will speak up, we will not cease and desist. After the song, listen to commentary about social media from from feminist and poet Ann de Hugard before hearing commentary about AI from Spinifex Press founder Susan Hawthorne. Finally, WLRN's Lola Bessis offers up her commentary and thoughts about social media and AI in an intriguing and compelling piece. Thanks for staying turned to feminist-powered community radio, WLRN!

WLRN's Jocelyn Crawley sits down with Esmée Streachailt of Medusa Rising to discuss the ever elusive concept of feminist love. Thanks for tuning in to feminist community-powered radio, WLRN.

First up, be greeted by Cat Bradfield, WLRN's World News Coordinator who announces a music show project she is heading to count down the top 100 songs chosen by WLRN listeners just in time to celebrate ten years of WLRN's stellar podcast hitting the Femisphere. Next, hear Cat deliver the world news with stories from the USA, Iran, Uganda, Australia and France. After the world news, enjoy an excerpt of the song Gole goldune man by Simin Ghanem, an Iranian artist. The song means "You are my flower who has gone" and was chosen by our guest this month, Fariba Amini. Next, stay tuned for an interview Lola did with Fariba, an Iranian-American journalist and freelance writer who discusses the strides and setbacks of the women of Iran and what American women can do to support them. Finally, hear commentary from Lola about the nuanced nature of women's progress in Iran and her anti-war stance. Thanks for tuning in to WLRN, feminist-powered community radio since 2016!

Wishing you a Happy Galentine's Day season, this episode is dedicated to a thorough look at the concept of feminist love with Esmée Streachailt and Jocelyn Crawley. First up, hear Thistle deliver the podcast greeting before the world news segment with Cat Bradfield featuring stories from the Gambia, Chile, Indonesia and the United States. Next, take a listen to the interview Jocelyn did with Ms. Esmée Streachailt of MedusaRising.org, a wonderful radical feminist organization that engages and inspires young women to join the movement. Esmée and Jocelyn explore patriarchal concepts of love in order to highlight the need for a radical feminist love that uproots and heals. Finally, take a deep dive into the concept of feminist love with Jocelyn's commentary she leaves us with after the interview. Stay tuned 'til the very end for Margaret's explanation of this month's cover art reprinted below. From WLRN's resident graphic designer, Margaret: "I started with the idea of light representing love. Light flowing out of our selves - connecting us. I found a photo of our sun I had captured which showed rays radiating out. I reused some silhouettes I had created for earlier editions, and arranged them to show women in a circle around the source of light, and love, holding hands. For the background I added a NASA image of stars that I altered with colors. Stars across the universe, like our sun, some with the potential for light and love. But it is our earth, and each other which constellates our reality. It is our sun which is the source of light that allows us to live, and to love. It is our selves which bring light and love to each other. Blessed be!"

Dive in to a refreshing newly inspired podcast as we collectively move forward into the new year! First up, hear Cat Bradfield deliver the world news with a variety of stories from China, Iran, Brazil and other countries that demonstrate the systematic discrimination women face everywhere in all walks of life. Next, WLRN member Lola Bessis takes the reigns this month offering up an interview she did with Cynthia Enloe about "feminist curiosity" and how to stay alert and active as we monitor and work to end male violence. Lola delivers riveting commentary after the interview to complete this show focused on waking women up and taking ourselves seriously as political actors instead of pawns in men's games. Thanks to the team at WLRN for their years of service to our feminist movement WLRN will celebrate ten years of being in your ears this year. Carry on! Below, find Margaret's artist's statement about the artwork she designed for today's edition. "For WLRN's Edition 117 which focuses on Feminist Curiosity, I created the background by layering symbols of airplanes flying around the world - to suggest the global aspect of the issues. Over that, I used a detail of a surrealist oil painting known as 'The Call' (La llamada) by the Spanish-Mexican artist Remedios Varo. In her painting, there is a woman in the center with hair flowing up from her head like a flame. That woman has a curious demeanor - she is meant to represent someone awakening to truths. There are other women around her who seem more like they are blending into the sides of a cave like room. Some of them have their eyes open and some don't. Mixed together, the plane shapes become more like birds in relation to the women, or arrows. Grouped together they are like obstacles to overcome, to get past, to be able to see more clearly - what is going on."

Happy Winter holidays to all of our listeners! We hope you are warm and cozy as you listen to this, our 116th handcrafted, collectively created podcast. In this month's edition, Freda interviews Wendy Murphy, an experienced impact litigator working fiercely to gain equal protection for women under the law. Wendy has won numerous cases setting precedent and leading to changes in the law for women regarding sexual assault and protecting the constitutional and civil rights of victimized women and children. To listen to Wendy Murphy bring her case to court on December 16th at 2pm Eastern time you can use the following website. It is possible to register two days in advance. https://forms.mad.uscourts.gov/courtlist.html You can read Wendy's Constitutional Terrorism article that details the Equal Rights Amendment, its herstory, and its importance in more detail than she had time to provide in her interview here: https://8fdaf192-a63f-4cc1-ba48-30c5727fb699.usrfiles.com/ugd/8fdaf1_b95d74efe47e437abcf29301af7a10b8.pdf And here is a link to Wendy Murphy's book Oh No He Didn't: Brilliant Women and the Men Who Took Credit for Their Work. Her book includes a discussion about women's inequality and ties to the problem of men taking credit for women's work: https://www.amazon.com/Didnt-Brilliant-Women-Credit-Their/dp/1947976478/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=7W5QB3UD3NSW&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.E2dmW1SmEINDuhKhtXPlPLZmNtT0WR6WnGCHuF4ZbtulZayM_NULVg_aD39TCnXEXwCILf_svyZ3MCbNtgyw9jeIEby5dUtQh8ra378hrnVn2Dg1JCB8Z2E_tJY0Q0fzrv-H97ahAYLOyqldRKD84wM52_YgBXTdw5tksAreiwRO9Epsg7uxHFMRuRJs7Zk5ZP2WfQwB2_FQy2St3ByK_A.uBD0ckSRUUzY_vegQwKtrJrseNHYSW_6AYsyEbNQMYU&dib_tag=se&keywords=oh+no+he+didnt&qid=1737175237&sprefix=oh+no+he+didnt%2Caps%2C83&sr=8-1#aw-udpv3-customer-reviews_feature_div Wendy Murphy works with the organization EQUAL MEANS EQUAL, a national non-profit organization dedicated to the immediate publication, adoption and enforcement of the original Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the U.S. Constitution, which became enforceable federal law on January 27th of 2022. You can get involved here: https://equalmeansequal.org/ You can hear Wendy speak more here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6tnXAMpZsS8 Wendy referenced the feminist activism group FIST. Feminists in Struggle (“FIST”) is a national female-only radical feminist network, democratically run, and composed of individuals born female and affiliated female-only feminist organizations. You can find FIST here: https://feministstruggle.org/ Thanks for staying tuned to WLRN, your feminist-community powered radio station in the Femisphere!

Edition 115 starts with Freda greeting the listener before handing the mic to Cat Bradfield for WLRN's World News segment featuring stories from France, Michigan, England, and Australia. Enjoy the song "Like a Gift" by Samia Malek before hearing Thistle's commentary and snippets of audio from the FiLia conference ending in the song "Spinning & Weaving." Thistle's commentary is followed by Aurora's take, in which she examines the treatment of war at FiLia and encourages us to look more deeply at what causes conflict in the movement and not avoid it. Stay tuned to the very end for Margaret's explanation of the cover image for the month and Lola's synopsis of the show coming out in December. Thanks, as always, for staying tuned to WLRN! Artist's statement: "To create the image for the 115th Edition of WLRN, I used a photo of Freda, aurora and Thistle taken at the FiLia conference. I also included a satellite image of Brighton. I took words from a couple of essays related to the conference and put them into a word cloud generator - playing with the colors and fonts. Arranging everything, I made sure a few words were prominent, like FiLia, and solidarity. While mostly obscured, Zionism is situated over Gaza. Other words, such as biological, gender, research, influential, bodies, and war showed up more randomly. I appreciate the texture of the words - and ideas. How they overlap visually and abstractly. How our point of views mingle as well as conflict."

Edition 114 of WLRN is here! Aurora Linnea kicks things off before handing it over to Cat Bradfield for the world news segment, featuring updates from Afghanistan, Argentina, and South Korea. Then, enjoy “Wishing Well” by Jamie Wyatt, followed by a powerful interview Thistle conducted with Brianna Pressley and Elizabeth Watson of WDI USA. Brianna (State Contact for Illinois) and Elizabeth (Minnesota) share how they connected with women in prison, what motivates their advocacy, and the critical work they're doing to support incarcerated women. Stick around ‘til the end for Sekhmet SheOwl's no-nonsense commentary on the urgent issue of men being housed in women's prisons—and why it needs to be front and center in feminist activism. Thanks for listening to WLRN!

Today's edition starts off with a greeting from Thistle, our resident singer/songwriter and founder of WLRN before diving into our world news segment with Cat Bradfield. After the news, hear Ani DiFranco's song, Atom, in its entirety to get an idea of the enormity of the problem and its root in male dominion and madness. Next, stay tuned for an interview Thistle did with Professor Cynthia Enloe of Clark University about the global nature of the nuclear problem and the different responses, actions and solutions of governments and peace activists. Cynthia emphasizes the work of ICAN, the International Campaign to End Nuclear Weapons https://www.icanw.org/and the book Banning the Bomb, Smashing the Patriarchy by Ray Acheson. Then, hear riveting commentary delivered by aurora linnea in which she discusses the phallic nature of the Bomb and the absurdity that all of human history, culture and life could end in a moment of males punching in codes to blast off large penis-shaped bombs. Aurora explores the anit-nuclear movement led by feminists in the 1980s to show how women organized in the past and could do it again. She highlights the work of Dr. Helen Caldicott, among other inspirational anti-nukes feminists. Finally, dive into the song Jezebel that Thistle wrote and recorded over 20 years ago about women's simultaneous bondage and resistance to the patriarchal nuclear age. The cover art this month was created by Margaret who brings us this artist's statement: "To create the image for Edition 113, The Nuclear Threat, I used a photo of the ‘Fat Man', the 21 kiloton implosion-type plutonium bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki, along with an image of a woman with atomic bomb injuries, an image of Nagasaki after the explosion, and an atomic bomb plume. I added red colors to the Nagasaki image, and magenta to the bomb plume. We see the woman from the back - over laid with blues and purples - and with the ruins of Nagasaki bleeding through her body. She is facing the destruction, the effects, but we can't see her expression. The Fat Man bomb sits nestled next to the woman, taking up space, like the space that the nuclear war threat occupies in our society and our sensibilities." Thanks for staying tuned to feminist-powered community radio, WLRN.

Welcome to the 112th edition of WLRN's monthly handcrafted and collectively created podcast! This month features four Dianic Priestesses who speak with Thistle about the Red Tent they set up at National Women's Music Festival (NWMF) in Madison, WI every year. Harvest Brown is an ordained Dianic Priestess of the Red Tent. She and her Red Tent clan have set up and worked within the Red Tent space at NWMF for ten years. Holin Blackmoon is a Dianic High Priestess and Land Witch. She has been reading the cards for over 50 years. She is happiest among plants and animals, especially her beloved hens. Rain Foster is an ordained priestess, practicing in the Dianic tradition for 24 years. She is a member of the Red Tent clan in Madison, WI, offering sacred, women born women-only spaces. FireHawk is an ordained priestess of transformation and transition in the Dianic tradition. She has been a practitioner of wicca for over 30 years and a steward of mother earth and her creatures great and small since she was a small child. To learn more about the National Women's Music Festival, visit this link: https://nwmf.info/ The World News segment is brought to you by Cat Bradfield and our show is produced with tender love and care by Ann Castile. WLRN commentary this month is by Freda Bear. Thanks for tuning in to WLRN!

July 3rd, 2025 MADISON -- First up, be greeted by WLRN's founder, Thistle Pettersen before she hands the baton to WLRN's newest member, Ms. Cat Bradfield, who delivers the world news segment. After enjoying Tracy Chapman's song "The Promise", hear Arianne of LGB Alliance USA speak with Thistle about Pride 2025 just before Arianne hopped into the woods for a RadFem summer camp in the Pacific Northwest this June and July. Then, hear a rendition of aurora linnea's first piece she turned in to WLRN in 2021 that April Neault loved so much, she made into this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiJGYYpXhWo After the reading of aurora's essay entitled "Pride: Corporate Patriarchy's Celebration in the Streets", we end our show by thanking our guest, Arianne of LGB Alliance USA, and signing off. This month's artwork is by WLRN's graphic designer and artist, Margaret Moss. Edition 111 Artist's Statement : "I started the featured image with an oil sketch Berthe Morisot created in 1885. The drawing/painting she made is a self-portrait that includes a portrait of her daughter. All loosely rendered. I kept the background of Berthe Morisot's oil sketch, and I digitally sketched an image of our guest Arianne of LGB Alliance USA, and Tracy Chapman, whose song, ‘The Promise' is included in this month's podcast. I included purple and green because I especially like those colors - and I appreciate that they have a connection to (British) suffragists. I enjoyed interacting with Berthe Morisot's artwork. Even though she created her painting in 1885, it has a modern feel. I expect that Morisot had a greater influence on Modern Art than she is given credit for. I appreciate women such as Berthe Morisot, all the suffragists, Arianne, and Tracy Chapman for their contributions to our culture. And I appreciate WLRN for lifting up women so their voices can be heard more widely."

First up, hear Thistle greet the listener with an appeal for support to get the team at WLRN over to England this Fall for the FiLia conference. Learn more here: https://wlrnmedia.com/2025/03/28/filia/. Next, stay tuned for WLRN's world news segment written and delivered by aurora linnea in which she features stories from the UK, France, Mexico and the USA. The world news is followed by the song "Goodbye Mississippi" by Jess Hawk Oakenstar, a song suggested by our guest this month, Dianne Post. It's a beautiful and sad song with heart-felt lyrics about a mother and daughter trying to escape male violence. Following the song, hear the interview Thistle did with Ms. Dianne Post about the male bias present in the law in the United States and what feminist women need to do to combat it. Finally, stay tuned for the replaying of Sekhmet's brilliant commentary about female sexuality in the face of the commercial sex industry that seeks to exploit it for male gain. Thanks for tuning in to feminist community powered radio, WLRN! #prostitution #DiannePost #WLRN

Happy Nine-year anniversary to WLRN! That's right! We have been bringing you a free, volunteer-produced feminist podcast for nine whole years since our humble beginnings in 2016. We couldn't have done it without YOU, dear listeners, so please consider a "happy anniversary" donation to help with our costs to attend the FiLia conference. You can learn more about that fundraising campaign here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f09AG_mmgw&t=9s First up, hear WLRN's Mary O'Neill deliver the world news segment for the last time until further notice. Email info@wlrnmedia.com with your resume and cover letter if you are interested in taking over Mary's job of collecting and reading the world news every month. We love having new members join the team! Thank you, Mary, for your two years of service to the collective! After the world news, enjoy the song "And Leave" by Solely before hearing an interview Freda did with two women who exited prostitution and contribute to the podcast Red Light Expose. Red Light Expose highlights the voices of women who have exited prostitution and combats the growing acceptance and endorsement of "sex work" ideology. redlightexpose.com Finally, Sekhmet SheOwl rounds off the podcast with her compelling commentary about women, sex and sexuality. SheOwl emphasizes that it is not sex that is the problem, rather it is male dominance and violence that ruins sex for women. She encourages us to explore our sexuality away from all the hype of the male gaze and to base our encounters on love and care. Thanks again for tuning in to WLRN. #WLRN #feminism #radicalfeminism #redlightexpose On Exiting from Commercial Sexual Exploitation: Insights from Sex Trade Experienced Persons Written by Andrea Heinz (interviewee on edition 109) https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/dignity/vol5/iss1/8/ redlightexpose.com A new platform for critical voices of the sex industry https://nordicmodelnow.org/ The Nordic Model approach to prostitution (sometimes also known as the Sex Buyer Law, or the Swedish, Abolitionist, or Equality Model) decriminalises selling sex, provides support services to help those involved to exit, and makes paying for sex a criminal offence, in order to reduce the demand that drives sex trafficking womensliberationfront.org Working to restore, protect, and advance the rights of women and girls https://rights4girls.org/ Defending the dignity and human rights of young women and girls who experience gender violence and exploitation https://www.epikproject.org/ Men working to disrupt the demand for commercial sexual exploitation https://clementine-megalodon-86hj.squarespace.com/ The organization Wake Up Brother seeks to mobilize men to create a society free from prostitution and sexual exploitation

Welcome to the 108th edition of WLRN's monthly podcast! First up, hear aurora greet the listener before handing the mic to Mary O'Neill who delivers WLRN's world news featuring stories from Louisiana, Russia and Iran. After the world news, stay tuned for the song "Mother Rage" by Kathy Fire, an anarchist feminist songwriter who released this gem in 1978. Next, hear the interview Thistle did with Lierre Keith about the significance of the re-release of Andrea Dworkin's Right Wing Women by Picador in February of 2025. Lierre Keith (www.lierrekeith.com) is a writer, small farmer, and radical feminist activist. She is the author of six books including, The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice, and Sustainability, which has been called “the most important ecological book of this generation.” She is also coauthor, with Derrick Jensen and Aric McBay, of Deep Green Resistance: Strategy to Save the Planet. She's been arrested six times for acts of political resistance. Finally, stay tuned 'til the very end for commentary from WLRN member aurora linnea in which she aptly compares Trump to Ronald Reagan and ties it all together for us regarding the force of right wing politics in the United States. She also, however, rightly points out, as did Ms. Dworkin, the misogyny and cruelty toward women on the left, and how women don't have a viable option for dignity and respect in general in American life. Thanks for tuning in to another WLRN monthly handcrafted podcast. We would love to hear from you so please listen, like, comment and share widely! #WLRN #AndreaDworkin #RightWingWomen #LierreKeith #auroralinnea

Continuing our exploration of ecofeminist theory and practice, March's edition puts an emphasis on ecofeminist practice and actions we all can take to put women in places of power to (re)generate the healing changes and salves we need in society to work together to overcome greed and land grabs, and work for a future of sane decision making in the direction of catastrophe prevention, including in the rebuilding of LA. Hear from Ava Park, Priestess of the Temple of the Goddess of Orange County, tell us a bit about her women-only organization and a bit about her philosophy and then go on to tell us about how members of her community were impacted by the fires, including a member who called her in the middle of the night because she had lost everything, except the clothes on her back. At the end of the interview with Ava, she makes an appeal to WLRN listeners to write to Mayor Karen Bass at mayor.helpdesk@lacity.org and let her know that you support the reinstatement of lesbian fire chief Kristin Crowly. Below, find the template letter Ava suggests you work with. Dear Mayor Bass: Please reconsider the termination of Fire Chief Kristin Crowley. The circumstances of our recent fires here in Southern California were extreme and unusual. Many respected community leaders support Fire Chief Crowley, believe she has done a fine job, and that this may not be the time to make a drastic change. Crowley has the experience needed; she can learn from this past fire season and doubtless handle matters better with that knowledge. A new fire chief will have a big learning curve. Even if she has made mistakes, let our community benefit from the experience Crowley has now gained. Please reinstate Fire Chief Crowley and meet with her to design a plan for facing our coming fire season next year with all that you, your staff, the fire department and other Los Angeles leaders have learned from our recent disaster. Give Crowley the budget she says she requires to run the department properly. Nothing could be more important. See how she performs in the coming year. If you feel she is not competent, you can terminate her then and no one would question your judgment. Thank you. - (Your name and any title or location info you want to put to validate you are a real person) After the interview with Ava, stay tuned for Thistle's interview with comedian and actor Goldie Hoffman who reports that when she returned home there was a gray dust covering her yard, "...the bushes, the trees, the grass, everything." She describes touching it and going on to tell about the possible toxic content she and others likely have ingested and may continue to be ingesting. These are scary times and real stories coming from women on the front lines of ecofeminism in the sense of staying alive as the world burns around them, and aiding in a spirit of cooperation and community when possible. Finally, hear Sekhmet SheOwl's poignant commentary about how the number of homes destroyed in the fires really impacts how people are handling the aftermath and that men are raping and trafficking women in increased numbers due to their destitution, vulnerability and homelessness. Sekhmet calls for us to build our female friendships and community as the human ship goes down. Finally, on an up note, Freda invites us to learn more about WoLF Summer Camp for Radfems and to sign up here: https://womensliberationfront.org/2025-summer-camps

Welcome to the 106th edition podcast of Women's Liberation Radio News. First up, hear aurora linnea greet the listener before handing the mic to Mary O'Neill for women's news from around the world. Next, enjoy the song "Heaven is a Place on Earth" an old 80's pop favored re-imagined by Allison Lorenzen. After the song, stay tuned for excerpts of a LIVE round table discussion the WLRN team held on January 11th with aurora to discuss her book, Man Against Being: Body Horror & the Death of Life. Finally, enjoy this month's commentary from WLRN team member Margaret Moss who speaks to us about how human society is organized around serving the alpha males, something we should have left behind long ago in our journey here on earth. To learn more about ecofeminism, aurora has put together a list of books and articles to explore published below. AN ECOFEMINIST READING LIST This list does not claim nor attempt to be comprehensive; instead it is meant as a primer for readers keen to delve into ecofeminist theory. Jane Caputi The Age of Sex Crime (1987) Gossip, Gorgons & Crones: The Fates of the Earth (1993) Goddesses and Monsters: Women, Myth, Power, and Popular Culture (2004) Rachel Carson, Silent Spring (1962) Andree Collard with Joyce Contrucci, Rape of the Wild: Man's Violence Against Animals and the Earth (1989) Irene Diamond, Fertile Ground: Women, Earth, and the Limits of Control (1994) Francoise d'Eaubonne, Feminism or Death: How the Women's Movement Can Save the Planet (1974) Greta Gaard, Ecological Politics: Ecofeminists and the Greens (1998) Susan Griffin Woman and Nature: The Roaring Inside Her (1978) Pornography and Silence: Culture's Revenge Against Nature (1981) The Eros of Everyday Life: Essays on Ecology, Gender and Society (1995) Susan Hawthorne Wild Politics (2002) Vortex: The Crisis of Patriarchy (2020) Marti Kheel, Nature Ethics: An Ecofeminist Perspective (2007) Freya Mathews, Reinhabiting Reality: Towards a Recovery of Culture (2005) Carolyn Merchant The Death of Nature: Women, Ecology and the Scientific Revolution (1980) Radical Ecology: The Search for a Livable World (1992) Reinventing Eden: The Fate of Nature in Western Culture (2003) Val Plumwood, Feminism and the Mastery of Nature (1993) Rosemary Radford Ruether, New Woman, New Earth: Sexist Ideologies and Human Liberation (1975) Ariel Salleh, Ecofeminism as Politics: Nature, Marx and the Postmodern (1997) Vandana Shiva Staying Alive: Women, Ecology and Development (1988) Monocultures of the Mind (1993) Oneness Vs. the 1%: Shattering Illusions, Seeding Freedom (2018) Vandana Shiva and Maria Mies, Ecofeminism (1993) Charlene Spretnak, The Resurgence of the Real: Body, Nature and Place in a Hypermodern World (1999) Karen Warren Ecofeminism: Women, Culture, Nature (1997) Ecofeminist Philosophy: A Western Perspective on What it Is and Why it Matters (2000) ANTHOLOGIES Reclaim the Earth: Women Speak Out for Life on Earth, eds. Leonie Caldecott and Stephanie Leland (1984) Healing the Wounds: The Promise of Ecofeminism, ed. Judith Plant (1989) Reweaving the World: The Emergence of Ecofeminism, eds. Irene Diamond & Gloria Orenstein (1990) Ecofeminism and the Sacred, ed. Carol Adams (1993) Ecofeminism: Women, Animals, Nature, ed. Greta Gaard (1993) Animals and Women: Feminist Theoretical Explorations, eds. Carol Adams and Josephine Donovan (1995) Ecofeminism: Feminist Intersections with Other Animals and the Earth, ed. Carol Adams (2014)

Happy New Year from the team at WLRN! This month, Lola Bessis takes the reigns and offers up an interview she did with an 18 year-old UN Women nonprofit organizer who wishes to remain anonymous. They have a lively discussion about what it means to be a globally minded feminist and the work our guest does for women and girls and how it feels to be from the global south and to usually be the youngest member of the panels and organizations she participates in. First up, hear the greeting from WLRN founding member, Thistle. If you would like to apply to be WLRN's new Business Manager, please reach out to us at info@wlrnmedia.com. We need a new volunteer to manage WLRN's finances, fundraising and website as we transition to becoming an LLC. If we are unable to fill this position by the end of February, we may not be able to continue the good work of WLRN so please apply! No experience is necessary! After the greeting, stay tuned for WLRN's world news segment with Mary O'Neill in which she reports on the impact the Cass Review is having in the UK, the Taliban and the plight of Gisele Pelicot. After the news, you'll hear the street song "El violador eres tú" from five years ago when women in Latin America took it to the streets and it went viral worldwide. After the song, hear the interview Lola did with a young UN Women organizer who talks about what it's like to be young and a feminist organizer, and who shares her views on the importance of solidarity in our movement. Finally, both Lola and Sekhmet chime in with commentaries on the subject before we sign off. Thank you, as ever, for tuning in to WLRN!

First up, hear the greeting by Thistle before listening to Mary O'Neill deliver WLRN's world news segment. Then, enjoy Thistle's original song Sticky Red Egg before tuning in to aurora's commentary on the US Presidential Elections cycle. After aurora shares her views, it's on to Lola and her take on the American electoral political scene. Finally, our oldest member Sekhmet SheOwl weighs in with her powerful words before our special guest, Katherine Acosta gives us her analysis of this last election cycle and what it means for women. You can check out more of Kathy's work at https://katherinemacosta.substack.com/. Thanks for tuning in to feminist community powered radio, WLRN! #WLRN #presidentialelections #Kamala #Trump #elections

This month's edition is packed with women's voices from around the USA as the nation braces itself for the new regime led by president-elect Donald Trump. First up, hear aurora linnea greet the listener before Mary O'Neill offers up news stories and information about women around the world. Then, enjoy the song "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" by Taylor Swift before listening to Thistle, aurora, Mary and Lola describe what led them to radical feminism and why they joined the WLRN team. This show is dedicated to our future feminist endeavor of meeting up with likeminded feminists in person at the FiLia conference 2025 in the UK. https://www.filia.org.uk/tickets Please consider donating to our FiLia fundraiser by clicking on the donate button at wlrnmedia.com OR by going to the totally excellent radical feminist period products company GARNUU.COM and typing in "WLRN" at checkout. Thanks sisters! Be sure to share with your female friends and family! #WLRN #GARNUU #RadicalFeminism

Dear Listeners, Thanks for your patience as we get used to working without the stellar strengths and abilities of our former sound engineer and producer, Ms. Jenna DiQuarto. We made the call-out for new sound engineers and producers, dear listeners, and she came! Please welcome our two newest members to the team, Freda Bear and Ann Castile. Ann took up the reigns this month and worked into the wee hours last night to finish up the production of this show. Great job, Ann! Thistle too, is unsure about how much longer she can keep it up with the WLRN collective, so stay tuned for some big changes around here, sisters! Thankfully, the younger generation is pickin' up the slack and Ms. Lola Bessis took the reigns this month on the topic, the interview and even the commentary! Lola's is a compelling voice clamoring for critical and free thought in a world full of an apocalyptic din. Thank you, Lola, for your work! Dr Dina Siddiqi is a distinguished feminist anthropologist whose work delves into critical development, transnational feminist theory, and the anthropology of labor and Islam. Lola interviewed her for this episode turning its attention to the regions of the world known and Israel and Palestine on this one-year anniversary of Hamas' retaliatory invasion of Israel. In Lola's commentary, she talks about her own life and what it means to her to think critically about the forces at work in the Palestinian people's current situation. She begs the listener to do her research and look back at this region's history, peoples, and cultures. The music featured this month is "The Urgent Call of Palestine" by Zeinab Shaath. Cover artwork is by WLRN member, Margaret. Her artist's statement is below. "This month's image is based on the idea of reflections. There is the Israeli flag (with its Star of David - symbolizing the Jewish religion / ethnicity) in the sky - also ‘reflected' in the water - that turns into Palestinian rubble. With the Palestinian Flag layered over the water and rubble. 

Of course, there are questions of Whose land? Whose water? Who has what rights? Where did those rights come from? And all the various ways of interpreting that."

Greetings! Thanks for tuning in to our 101st show. Thistle, here! It feels surreal to post this month due to the imminent departure of our beloved sound engineer and producer, Jenna DiQuarto. Jenna has been with WLRN for 8 years and diligently produced our monthly show with care and craft. You leave some big shoes to fill, dear Jenna. Thank you for your years of service and dedication to the collective, to the station, and to our archives. You will be sorely missed by all of us! Today's show begins with an announcement about our partnership with Garnuu.com/WLRN. Tune in to learn more about this exciting opportunity! Our World News segment is written and delivered by Mary O'Neill with fill-in from Jenna DiQuarto. Caroline Parks was our editor this month and Jenna delivers her commentary about her experiences at this year's Fest as a shuttle driver and general volunteer around camp at the festival. The interview segment is directly from the Land on a quiet morning before the mass haul out. Thistle got to sit down with her instructor, Elizabeth Boyce, WPI festival coach for the ukulele ensemble to hear her reflections on the event this year. At the very end of the show, hear from our sponsor, Garnuu.com/WLRN and then it's onto our sign-offs by different members of the collective. This month's musical selection is a song by Nedra Johnson, board member of WWTLC.org, singer/songwriter, and producer for Big Mouth Girl, an entity that produces a yearly festival on the Land in Michigan. The song is entitled August Moon and depicts the Michigan Magic women tap into when in hive mind mode among those sacred ferns. Margaret's artist's statement follows about the featured cover art for this month's show. Thanks for tuning in! Artist's Statement: "For Edition 101, I used some photos Thistle had from her time at the festival this summer. I basically took the photos and arranged them - emphasizing the banners - WLRN, PUSSY POWER, and RISE around a photo of a tent with musicians playing. I played with the colors - allowing it to become an abstract, and festive, unifying whole - like the festival itself."

First up, hear Lola Bessis, WLRN's newest member greet the listener introducing herself and her professor, Victoria Brown, who later on in the program will talk about advances and setbacks in women's health. Next, open your ears for WLRN's World News segment delivered by Mary O'Neill in which she highlights news from Iran and its death sentences for female activists, the Purple Saturdays movement in Afghanistan and news from the Gambia where Parliament just voted to maintain the national ban on female genital mutilation. After the news, hear Sylvia Bagge's "Release the Medicine", a song about a woman's healing journey. Thistle met Sylvia in the year 2002 in the woods of Michigan's Upper Peninsula at the National Rainbow Gathering. Her words and music are true medicine for the heart and soul. Then it's on to Lola's interview with Victoria Brown in which they discuss Ms. Brown's research before diving into the nitty gritty of the state of the medical establishment and women's health. Stay tuned 'til the very end for Sekhmet's sobering commentary on the misogyny inherent within the medical system that underserves, ignores and does actual harm to women and girls. She concludes her piece with encouragement for us to take charge of our personal health and to know that doing so is an act of radical feminism. As always, thank you for tuning in to WLRN's monthly handcrafted podcast put together by a team of volunteers who care deeply about the lives and matters of women. To donate to the WLRN fundraiser Jenna and April talked about in today's show, please click here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=ULAE4ZHPARLFE&ssrt=1723204852902 Make a note that your donation is going to our FiLia Fund. Thanks for tuning in and thank you for your support!

Happy Independence Day! First up, hear Thistle greet the listener introducing the topic of "patriarchal patriotism" with Liz Miller and Sekhmet SheOwl. After the greeting, hear WLRN's World News segment delivered by Mary O'Neill before enjoying American artist Whitney Houston's rendition of the patriotic song "America the Beautiful". Next, stay tuned for a conversation Thistle had with Liz Miller, Contributing Editor of Spinning and Weaving, A Feminist Anthology for the 21st Century. They discuss this year's presidential election cycle, what it means for girls and women, and what we can do to build real democracy in our society. At one point in the conversation, the Party of Women is mentioned. To learn more about the Party of Women go to: www.partyofwomen.org/ Finally, don't miss our in-house WLRN commentary by Sekhmet SheOwl who defines patriotism and points out how it is rooted in male power and is explicitly against women's interests for us to invest and participate in it. She says this is true no matter the nation and including right here in the good ole USA. Thanks as ever for tuning in to WLRN's monthly handcrafted podcast. This month and going forward into the future until the FiLia conference in October 2025, WLRN is raising funds to send Thistle, Jenna and aurora as representatives of WLRN to participate in and report on the goings on. Our passes into the conference are covered but our flight and accommodations are not thus far... and that's where you come in! To donate to the cause, please visit wlrnmedia.com and click on the donate button. Any amount is appreciated and we pledge to provide you with stellar WLRN coverage and participation in the FiLia conference 2025. For more information about FiLia, go here: www.filia.org.uk/about-filia. This month's cover image was created by Margaret, WLRN's graphic designer. Her statement about the piece is below. "To make the image for Edition 99, Patriarchal Patriotism, I used a photo I took at a Memorial Day parade, one I took of some bunting, and I found a couple of photos of bombs. The parade photo includes old cars and flags - which represent tradition, the patriarchy, and patriotism. There is a woman who is obscured by a flag (that seemed symbolic of how women are hidden and/or ignored) so I copied, enlarged, & centered that part of the image. The way the image got duplicated, people seemed to have lost their heads (also symbolic) - as the cars (and time) seem to drive over them. Also appearing ‘underground' (and in our collective unconscious) are the bombs - USA bombs and Russia's bombs."

This Summer of 2024, put on your rain gear and come to Michigan for the Rise Festival on the Land and WPI. More info and how to get tickets here: https://wwtlc.org/summer/. All the women gathering on the Land is sure to make the Sun shine, sisters! With guitars and grace, the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival lived and thrived on what is now known as "the Land", a place that continues to be a gathering spot for thousands of women every year. This month's show begins with a PSA for the FIST conference happening in San Diego, CA over 4th of July weekend. Next you'll hear the greeting from WLRN member aurora linnea who introduces the next segment, WLRN's World News, penned and delivered by our correspondent Mary O'Neill. Next, enjoy the sweet sounds of Antje Duvekot with her song Long Way before Jenna shares excerpts of an interview she did with long-time MichFest family, Donna Every. Next is the We the Women promo for that gathering happening in the Pacific Northwest this Summer over the weekend of July 20th. Then it is on to Jenna's second interview with long-time women's music documentarian, Toni Armstrong Jr. Finally, hear Sekhmet read a passage from Donna's journal that she wrote the Summer of 2016 while camped in the woods of Michigan. Thanks, as always, dear listeners, for staying tuned to feminist-powered community radio, WLRN. Please listen, like, comment and share widely.

First up, hear the We the Women promo WLRN created for that gathering happening in the Pacific Northwest this summer. More info at https://www.wethewomen.world/. After the promo, we begin the show with a special 8th anniversary greeting from Thistle. Then, it is on to the world news with Mary O'Neill before we dive into our discussion of the Taylor Swift Phenomenon from the perspectives of Zinetta, Emily, KatyJean, and Jocelyn, and from the perspectives of authors Lierre Keith and Sheila Jeffreys. What a way to celebrate our 8th year together as a collective of media activist women! We are so blessed to have all of these amazing guests on our program to help us reflect on and understand ourselves better in the context of the Taylor Swift phenom and how it is impacting girls and women. We hope these discussions help us to make our OWN society of women speaking to women in an atmosphere of openness and mutual respect. So, it is a long edition, Edition 97. Three hours long to be exact and it is packed with feminist community content. We are proud to present three PSAs this month for upcoming feminist events. Kellie Jay-Keen will be in Tulsa, Oklahoma on May 17th for a Let Women Speak event. Learn more at https://www.letwomenspeak.org/event-details/letwomenspeaknzjustice. There is also a PSA for Feminist in Struggle's (FIST's) first national conference. Learn more at https://feministstruggle.org/ about that event happening the first weekend in July near San Diego. WLRN is a place where we can take turns speaking and listening to each other to build ourselves up and into a movement powered by friendships and sisterhood. As Sekhmet says in her commentary this month, being part of a volunteer-powered collective is hard sometimes. Women don't always like each other or agree or get along, but at WLRN we have persevered because, as Sekhmet also says in her commentary, we are that loyal to the growth of feminism. After the discussions of Taylor Swift, you'll hear a new song by Thistle called "The Tide" that she wrote after listening to Taylor Swift's Midnights and Folklore albums and getting inspired. She recorded it live in her apartment studio with a little "meow" right before she rocked it! Emily also weighs in with a mini-commentary right before Thistle's song with some final reflections after the two discussions with our guests were completed. And finally, stay tuned as ever for Sekhmet SheOwl's commentary at the end of the show. Thanks for listening.

First up, hear Thistle greet the listener before Mary ONeill delivers WLRN's World News segment for April 4th, 2024. With Earth Day 2024 approaching, we wanted to express ourselves as individuals in our collective to help weather the storms of climate change on the horizon together. The situation is so dire, that our reflections and feelings about living through the hottest year on record and going into another apocalyptic summer felt important to express. We wanted to reach out to you from our hearts and minds to build our Sisterhood and abilities to break on through to the other side! This month's commentators include in order of appearance in the show: Sekhmet SheOwl Emily Faye Jocelyn Crawley aurora linnea Thistle Pettersen After the commentaries, you'll hear Thistle's song "bike lane", https://soundcloud.com/thistleandthorns/12-bike-lane?in=thistleandthorns/sets/animal-dreams, a song written while on a bike music tour down the west coast the summer of '05 when Hurricane Katrina hit the Louisiana Coast. We live in a world full of man-made disasters, sisters. Earth Day itself was born of an oil spill disaster off the coast of California in 1969. It's time to get those little boys to clean up their messes and for us to be in charge for a change! How do we make that happen? We here at WLRN believe it is in banding together that we find our weaknesses and strengths and we ultimately weave the strands of our community together into a patchwork quilt that heals hearts, minds, and bodies. Happy Earth Day, dear WLRN listeners and followers! At the end of the show, be sure to stay tuned for the WLRN We the Women Event promo designed by members of our team. We the Women is a women-only camping event held in the Pacific Northwest this Summer from July 19th - 21st. For more information go to WeTheWomen.World.

Welcome to our 95th podcast in a monthly series that began back in May of 2016! We are happy to present the work of Silvia Guerini this month as captured by WLRN member aurora linnea. Ms. Guerini released a book called From the 'Neutral' Body to the Post-Human Cyborg published by Spinifex Press in October. First up, hear aurora greet the listener and introduce the content of the show before Mary O'Neill delivers our world news segment that includes stories from Gaza, the UK, and the US. There are supplemental stories added by Jenna and Jocelyn to conclude the segment. Here is the link promised about the letter from Jewish women calling for an end to the weaponization of rape and sexual assault in the war in the Middle East: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeJfU_ooRqCKA8u3-PB8mV0FBkqoBelFN1VH_u3-MqWWQdFXQ/viewform?fbclid=IwAR2pRNTuGxdhtCNIbqXLAq5240Ex8q2NYLfd5oO8mKJvO0VQ2E_YLgbd9Os Next, enjoy the song Heart of the House by Alanis Morissette before Emily introduces the WLRN interview segment with Silvia Guerini as read by Jenna and aurora. Finally, be sure to stay tuned 'til the very end for Sekhmet SheOwl's poignant commentary on the state of female fertility and reproduction under patriarchy. Thanks, as always, dear listeners, for staying tuned to WLRN, YOUR Feminist Community Powered Radio Station. Statement from Margaret, WLRN's graphic designer, about the cover this month: "With the images I create, my intent is to be more suggestive than literal. The primary image is a Petri dish with ova. The grid over the top of it all is from a photo I took during an eclipse (the sun shining through a patio chair with holes) - represents people trying to control nature with technology. The dots allude to women's ova waiting to be fertilized with a machine (some of the dots within dots were created through layering). An image of the machine used to insert sperm into eggs in a Petri dish is in the background overlayed on top of some of the silhouettes of women. The silhouettes of women - are meant to look erased and/or distressed. I use ‘Procreate' on an iPad to layer images and combine colors and textures, as well as adding text and information."

This month of February we explore the world of lesbian love and relationships with Leaf & Firewalker, a lesbian couple who have been together for 39 years and are thriving. First up in the podcast, hear Emily Faye greet the listener before Thistle delivers the WLRN World News segment that includes stories about the World Health Organization's "Trans and Gender Diverse" guidelines, the plight of Ann Menasche in San Diego, CA, and new restrictions put in place for women and girls by the Taliban, among other stories. Next, after enjoying Dolly Parton's song "All I Can Do", stay tuned for a 40-minute interview segment with Leaf & Firewalker, a lesbian couple Emily met at a women-only gathering a few years back that impressed her due to their love and devotion to one another and lesbian community. They founded WomonTown, a lesbian neighborhood that caught the attention of Kansas City Public Television which made a documentary about their project. https://www.kansascitypbs.org/local-shows/womontown/ Below, find the bios of these two amazing women they turned in to WLRN for publication. B. Leaf Cronewrite is Maryann Hopper's crone name. She hangs out with djembe drummers, creative writers, and old crones who inspire her wit and willingness to confront invisibility. Since the Womontown documentary about her activist pursuits with her partner, Drea Firewalker, was released, she's finding film festivals to show it and spread the word of lesbian community building. She is a writer and a storyteller who grew up in Mississippi. Her short story collection, Don't Let the Flies In and her first novel, A Lineage of Deception, can be found on Amazon. Her next collection of lesbian adventure stories, Where Risky Women Travel, will be released in the spring. She is a member of the Georgia Writers Registry. She has a Master of Arts degree from the University of Memphis. Drea Firewalker: As a crone, I realize standing in my power gives me the right to be bold, claim my wisdom, and pursue my life as I wish. I've traveled the world and listened and learned from many people while sharing what makes this life worth it all. I graduated from the University of Missouri at Kansas City. I spent many years in property management and investment. I am one of the founders, along with my partner B. Leaf Cronewrite, of Womontown, an intentional womyn's community that existed in Kansas City for a few years in the early 1990s. I enjoy reclaiming childhood stories. By introducing a fictional character, MyTe Dyke, into these tales, I empower the heroines and add magical communication with many beings. I hope to challenge many to retell their tales with inspiration from MyTe Dyke. Today, I create my glass art, tend my flower gardens, hold powerful rituals for womyn, and love this life. Finally, stay tuned 'til the very end for Sekhmet SheOwl's commentary that gets to the heart of the matter of lesbian love which is to say that it can only happen in a healthy way if we find our own self-love first. Thanks, as ever, dear listeners, for tuning in to WLRN's monthly podcast. Please consider donating to the cause of feminist-powered community radio by clicking on the donate button at wlrnmedia.com. #lesbianlove #ValentinesDay #RomanticLove

Happy New Year to all of our listeners and supporters! Thanks for tuning in to our 93rd edition podcast! First up, hear a rendition of Auld Lang Syne by Celtic Woman before WLRN's aurora linnea greets the listener and then delivers WLRN's World News segment. Next, hear Terra Lightfoot with her song No Hurry before listening to Liz Miller, Thistle, and Emily discuss what they feel are the top stories of 2023 and what to look for in '24. Stay tuned 'til the very end for Sekhmet's commentary reflecting on 2023 and how so much stays the same despite the march of time. She recommends we connect with other women and take care of ourselves as individuals in our development and healing as we head into 2024. Thanks, as always, dear listeners, for staying tuned to WLRN, YOUR feminist community-powered media center in the Femisphere!

First up, hear WLRN's greeting with member Mary O'Neill who later on in the show, delivers her commentary on the situation women are facing in the regions known as Israel and Palestine. This month, one of our newest members, Kathleen Miles, wrote and delivered WLRN's World News segment. Hear stories from around the world before listening to the song Prayer of the Mothers by Yael Deckelbaum. Next up, hear excerpts of a discussion WLRN's Thistle Pettersen and Emily Faye had with long-time American anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan. Cindy lost a child to the US war with Iraq in 2004 and has been a peace advocate and anti-war campaigner ever since. She gives us her take on the origins of the conflict and the underlying imperialism she sees at the root of it. Finally, stay tuned 'til the very end for Mary O'Neill's commentary on the subject wherein she examines the impacts the conflict is having on innocent women and children. Thanks for staying tuned to WLRN, YOUR feminist community-powered media service.

This November 2023 Edition of the WLRN podcast talks about body image and how it's exploited by patriarchy. Mary delivers the world news, updating us on women's situation regarding the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, among other stories. Emily treat us to a conversation she had with Zinetta, a radfem sister from the PNW, on how the concept of body image is introduced to girls and then used to control and subjugate women for the rest of their lives. Resident desert dweller and thinker Sekhmet SheOwl brings us her thoughts at the end of the podcast, and offers the listener some ideas on how to break away from the male-driven attachment of self-worth to body image.

Greetings! Thank you for your patience as we grease our wheels here at WLRN Studios! This lil' podcast is arriving to you one day late so the elves at WLRN could make it great! First up, hear Edition 90's greeting from Thistle before diving into the World News segment with Mary O'Neill wherein she reports on JK Rowling's new book, the Taliban, AI-generated pornography, and more. Next, hear Loretta Lynn's song "One's On the Way" before hearing an excerpt of the round table discussion Thistle conducted with Fran Luck, Jeannette Cooper, Ann Menasche, and Holly Hart last weekend. Jeannette is a mother, scholar, and a founding member of Partners for Ethical Care, a nonprofit organization focused on raising awareness and supporting efforts to abolish the affirmation model of “gender identity.” She has testified in legislative hearings across the country supporting bills to protect children from "gender identity affirmation." She resides in Chicago and has been vaccinated against right wing cooties. Holly Hart has been a second-wave feminist and lesbian activist since 1970 when she founded Portland Gay Liberation with two gay men. Holly was the Chair of Oregon's Task Force on Sexual Preference, the first official state entity in the nation to study and make recommendations on how homosexual women and men could be better served by government and non-profit organizations. As an attorney, she represented many gay women and men in child custody disputes with their former heterosexual married partners. In 1980 she opened up Old Wives' Tales Restaurant and Women's Center, providing a place for second-wave feminists to gather, and as the first alternative to lesbian bars in Portland. OWT served the women of Portland in this way for 34 years, until 2014. After retiring from OWT, Holly became active in radical feminist organizations like Sovereign Women Speak, WoLF, and WDI-USA, and is now Oregon Co-Chapter Leader for Gays Against Groomers. Ann Menasche is a civil rights attorney living in San Diego, CA. She is a lesbian feminist who is a founding member of FIST (Feminists in Struggle), a political group for women in the U.S. to organize and strengthen female solidarity. Ann is a member of GASBR, the Green Alliance for Sex-Based Rights and comes from a long tradition of voting and running in the Green Party having become disillusioned with America's two-party system. Fran Luck is the host and producer of Joy of Resistance Radio: Multicultural Feminist Radio @ WBAI in New York. It is the only terrestrial radio program (not a podcast) created and hosted by a radical feminist. Finally, stay tuned for Sekhmet SheOwl's commentary on the subject at the very end of the show! Thanks for tuning in to another WLRN podcast!

Welcome to our annual digest of Michigan Women's Music & Arts Festivals! This Summer of 2023 was packed with gynocentric encounters, culture and music! First up, hear long-time WLRN member April Neault greet the listener with her announcement that she is stepping back from her monthly duties with WLRN after this edition and that we are looking for a new volunteer to work our YouTube channel and do some video editing. You'll also hear a special announcement from April about a women's speaking event happening in Ottowa, Ontario Canada on September 9th. For more info about that event, go to womensrightsmatter.ca. Next, Mary O'Neill delivers WLRN's World News segment that includes stories about gender ID laws in Norway and the ongoing crackdown on Iranian feminist activists. Next, enjoy "August Moon" by Nedra Johnson, a long-time Michigan performer and founder of Big Mouth Girl on the Land. After the world news, we take you on a journey to a rainy tent at MFR where Thistle and Emily interview a young detransitioned woman who attended Fest in Michigan for the first time this year. Enjoy the ambient sounds and a visit from a neighbor who walks over to chat about the big puddle of water under her tent after the rain! Also, enjoy Lou's beautiful and moving performance of "If I Wrote You" by Dar Williams during this interview segment. Following the interview, you'll hear Ferron's song "Misty Mountain" right before jumping into Jenna's commentary about her experiences at Fest this year and how women's spirituality and spiritual practices are essential to getting out of the bounds of patriarchy. After Jenna's two cents, the listener is treated to Thistle's commentary interwoven with clips of her performance of two of her original songs on the Land, an ukulele choir rehearsal, and a trip to the marketplace downtown in the women's village that springs up every year on the Land. Thank you so much, dear listeners, for tuning in to our woman-powered monthly show and for spreading it far and wide throughout the Femisphere. Join us next month for a digest of the Women's Declaration International - USA's Convention happening over the weekend of September 16th in San Francisco. Thanks to WLRN member Emily Faye for stepping up to cover this herstoric event. To donate to the cause of feminist-powered community radio, please visit our Wordpress site at wlrnmedia.com and click on the donate button. Or, go to our merch page and buy any number of fabulous WLRN merch items to both donate and display your love of feminist radio on a t-shirt, mug, or sticker! #WomenSpeakOut #LetWomenSpeak #Michigan #MichFest

Welcome to the 88th edition of WLRN's monthly handcrafted podcast for this first Thursday of the month in August 2023. Festival season is upon us in full force! Emily and I (Thistle) were just in the woods of Michigan for Big Mouth Girl and WPI and are now getting ready to go back for MFR (Michigan Framily Reunion). Jenna and her wife are en route to the Pines as I write this description to join hundreds of women for another Michigan music festival. O' August! It has been a month for womyn's music, art, culture, and community for over 45 years now since the very first MichFest that Lisa Vogel and friends conjured for us. Having said all that, today's show is not as edited as some of the editors on the team would have liked, but it is still perfect in its own imperfect way, as all of our collectively created shows are. First up, hear Emily greet the listener before diving into Mary O'Neill's world news segment in which she features, among other stories, news on sexual violence in Brazil and the abortion ban in Texas. Aurora linnea contributes a short segment during the world news to pay tribute to the late great singer/songwriter Sinead O'Connor who died on July 26th in London. Be sure to stay tuned for that passionate and moving piece from aurora. Next up, hear Sinead's song "The Emperor's New Clothes" in its entirety before we move into the interview Emily and I did with Elizabeth Chesak, a desisting woman who speaks out about how transgenderism impacted her life. Sekhmet SheOwl delivers our commentary this month at the end of the show that desists on certain radical feminist takes on desisterhood and detransitioning. It is a thoughtful and well-crafted commentary on a subject that has puzzled women since the dawn of patriarchy which is: how do we deal with internalized misogyny in women who have bought in, at some point in their lives, and in one way or another, to male rule? I know we grapple with that at these festivals during workshops and in conversation, and the wonderful thing about festival is that women work it out, whether it is by finding the right neighborhood to hang out in, or by attending a workshop to talk it through. Women are resilient and creative when we come together away from the influence of men. We end the show with Sinead's voice, as the team at WLRN is sorely feeling the loss of our sister songbird who died too soon. Thanks for staying tuned to handcrafted, community-powered feminist radio, WLRN.

Welcome to Edition 87 wherein WLRN explores the varied experiences and meanings of Pride, a yearly celebration of LGBTQ+ during the month of June. First, hear Sekhmet SheOwl greet listeners before handing the mic to Mary O'Neill who delivers WLRN's world news segment. Next up, hear an excerpt of the song "You Need to Calm Down" by Taylor Swift before hearing Thistle & Emily's discussion with VF and Jade of Women Speak Florida about Pride events and their event called "TERF Pride" coming up in NYC on July 23rd. To learn more about TERF Pride, email womenspeakflorida@gmail.com. After the interview segment with VF and Jade, hear April Nealt's reading of aurora linnea's 2021 piece entitled "Pride: Corporate Patriarchy's Celebration in the Streets" https://wlrnmedia.com/2021/06/18/pride-corporate-patriarchys-celebration-in-the-streets/ before staying tuned 'til the very end for Sekhmet's commentary on the subject. Thank you, as always, dear listeners, for staying tuned to WLRN, YOUR feminist community-powered radio station in the Femisphere.

Enjoy this 86th edition of WLRN's monthly podcast as the heat wave hits America this early Summer in June! This month, Jenna features an interview she did with Gwen Hoffman, a woman with 25 years of experience working in the "giving" fields of crisis intervention, CPS investigations, and childcare. She holds degrees in Psychology and American Studies and is currently pursuing a PhD in History. She and Jenna explore the idea of "social work" and how it is much broader than what we traditionally think of when we hear the term. Before the interview, Mary O'Neill delivers the world news segment including a story about the latest Pulitzer Prize winner who is a man claiming to be a woman and a story about British Cycling and their ban on men entering races in the women's division. After the world news, enjoy the entire song "We don't need another hero" by Tina Turner before the interview. Finally, stay tuned 'til the very end for Sekhmet SheOwl's fantastic commentary on the subject of social work, what it is, and why so many women are drawn to the field. Sekhmet ends her commentary with a shout-out to all of the women who do social work because, without them, the world would be in a far worse state than it is. Thanks for tuning in to WLRN, YOUR Feminist Community Powered Radio Station in the Femisphere. To pick out some cool merch and support the station, check out our cool merch line here: https://womensliberationradionews.com/merch/

Welcome to the 7th-anniversary edition of Women's Liberation Radio News! This month's show focuses on the Let Women Speak Movement in the USA and all that has happened since the Sisters for Sisters conference in Madison last year. First up, hear the greeting and world news segment with our newest member, Ms. Mary O'Neill before enjoying Alix Dobkin's song "If it Wasn't for the Women." Next, join Thistle as she, Jennifer Thomas, and Katyjean reflect on all that has happened in the USA since the kick-off of the Let Women Speak Movement last year in Madison on April 23rd. Jennifer Thomas is a Women's Rights Campaigner and a Free Speech advocate. She founded RevFemRebellion and RevFoxx and is now leading the direct action group, #GetMenOut. Her next move is a #FreeSpeechForWomen event June 16th in Pittsburgh Pa. Jen is also the lead organizer of Protest ACLU this coming August in Washington DC. Katyjean has been politically active for 25 years defending abortion without excuse or apology. She discovered radical feminism after being called a bigot for the first time ever while talking on LinkedIn about the JK Rowling essay. Since then she has been a loudmouth with a "JK Rowling summoned me" sign in numerous actions east of the Mississippi and all over the internet. She is the founder of FemaXX, Co-choreographer of XX Salute, and an amateur stand-up comedienne. Finally, enjoy two guest commentaries this month from Katyjean and Alexandra R. aka Pinwheel Art. Both these women are mothers and have a lot to say about motherhood and the role mothers play in the Let Women Speak Movement. Alexandra R. AKA Pinwheel Art is a Community Artist/Activist as well as a visual artist and mother of soon-to-be five. She earned her BFA in General Fine Arts in 2006 and her MA in Community Art in 2007 from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Alexandra's feminism has always centered on the mother-child dyad and she enjoys exposing other women to how healing childbirth and motherhood can heal society. Alexandra has been organizing Free Speech for Women Events in the southeastern USA for a year now. These events highlight the struggles women face in a society that sees us as second-class citizens, whose voices do not matter. Alexandra is constantly looking to connect more women around the nation so that we might have free speech events in every state. Please reach out for more information or to donate to the cause and receive some Woman-Centered stickers, created by Alexandra, at PinwheelArt@femaxxnews.com Thanks for tuning in to WLRN! We hope you enjoy this podcast and all 85 of them at wlrnmedia.com. To donate to the cause of feminist-powered community radio, please click on the donate button on our website or better yet, grab some WLRN merch here: https://womensliberationradionews.com/merch/

Happy Spring! We love it when we get to release a show on the full moon as the season changes! First up, hear Jenna DiQuarto greet the listener before aurora linnea reports on events that happened around the world on March 8th, 2023, International Women's Day. Then, stay tuned for the world news from Emily Faye including coverage of drag show legislation, the school shooting in Nashville, and legislation around the medicalization of children. After listening to the song "Safety in Numbers" by Joan Osborne, enjoy a lively discussion of the 1960s and 70s feminist movement, including a definition of and analysis of collectives with Sekhmet SheOwl and Bonnie Atwood. https://www.veteranfeministsofamerica.org/legacy/BONNIE%20ATWOOD.htm Bonnie discusses the Furies! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Furies_Collective Finally, stay tuned for Thistle's commentary on the subject wherein she describes her vision and intention for the WLRN collective and begins the celebration of next month's show that marks 7 years of existence for this little radio station known as WLRN. Thank you to all the sisters, past, present and future, who have helped build our Fempire, but especially to Thistle Pettersen, Sekhmet SheOwl, Jenna DiQuarto, April Neault and Aurora Linnea who have all been part of the collective for two or more years come this May 2023. To complete the program, Jenna DiQuarto talks with listeners about our JK Rowling - WLRN billboard campaign. We are 1/5 of the way there, sisters! Please make your donation today to get this billboard up in time for Mothers' Day! https://www.givesendgo.com/JKRowlingBillboard-WLRN Much Feminist Love to You this Spring! We hope it is sunny days and blue skies for our all of our listeners. To donate to WLRN to support our work, please click here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=ULAE4ZHPARLFE&ssrt=1680789352205

This month, Jenna DiQuarto worked double duty and both interviewed our wonderful guests and produced the show. Thank you for your dedication and work, Jenna! First, hear Jenna delivering the greeting for the show before diving into a short snippet of the interview Liz Miller did with Ann Menasche about her recent dismissal from a job she had for 20 years. Ann was fired for saying women are female which makes women the people in society who need abortion rights. Then, stay tuned for Emily Faye's world news segment that includes a short report from an interview Thistle did with Amanda Stulman of KPSS USA about their recent action in NYC in front of the New York Times Headquarters in Manhattan. Next, we get to the topic at hand of women's self-defense in two interviews Jenna conducted with Adelaide Meadow, https://www.adelaidemeadow.com/, and Serendipity Day, https://msha.ke/inconfidence?fbclid=IwAR1WzsUaE1uVEfJ4zwgX8xT1-QkL9bSc8Weap9RDkotromyGFz3WY9jI5Pk#links. Finally, hear Sekhmet SheOwl's commentary on the subject to round off this 83rd edition of our monthly show. Thank you, as ever, dear WLRN listeners, for staying tuned to the handcrafted monthly podcasts we lovingly co-create from the studios of WLRN. Please visit our new merch page to order your WLRN merch today to support the station! https://womensliberationradionews.com/merch/

It's been a busy month! Welcome to Edition 82 wherein the WLRN Collective, along with Amie Ichikawa, joey brite, Thistle Pettersen, and Sekhmet SheOwl, explores the story and implications of the ongoing "Dana Rivers" #DanaRiversisaMan Case in California. It is a gruesome subject that is paired with aurora linnea's chilling written piece about the murders committed by trans-identified individuals over the years. https://wlrnmedia.com/2023/02/02/femicide-unmentionable-crimes/ On a more cheerful note, WLRN is starting a new merch line featuring the beautiful artwork and design of Margaret Vaek. Margaret greets the listener in this February's show describing the WLRN logo she lovingly designed. To see our new merch line, click here: https://wlrnmedia.com/merch/ Of note, Margaret also designed the front cover for this month's podcast. It represents Charlotte Reed, Patricia Wright and Benny Diambu-Wright, along with the colors of the suffragist flag (USA), as the fight for women's rights continues. In this month's edition, Emily Faye delivers WLRN's world news segment updating the listener on April Morrow's case involving a man who crushed her hand at a Women's Speak Out event last Fall, amongst other stories. After the world news, hear the song 'Women's Prison' by Loretta Lynn before jumping into a conversation Thistle had with Amie Ichikawa and joey brite about the David Warfield case. This excerpt is from the livestreamed conversation that happened last month with a live interactive audience. Click the "Live" tab on our YouTube channel to find the entire unedited livestream recording in our archive. Finally, Sekhmet SheOwl rounds off the hour with her punchy commentary on the subject in her usual to-the-point fashion that hits the nail on the proverbial head of patriarchy. Thank you, Sekhmet, for your years of service to our collective and for broaching this gruesome topic with precision. The logic you present is crystal clear. and your anger is wielded like a knife. This brings us to the subject of March's show which will focus on women's self-defense. As always, thank you, dear listeners, for supporting feminist community-powered media, WLRN. Let's make it through 2023 together in our worldwide women's network and community. In solidarity! Again, that new merch page is accessible here: https://wlrnmedia.com/merch/ We hope you enjoy browsing our new store!

Happy New Year 2023 Sisters! Our end-of-the-year edition is packed with news and analysis looking back on 2022 and forward into 2023. First up, hear Sekhmet SheOwl greet you with a wonderful version of auld lang syne by Ingrid Michaelson. Then, stay tuned for WLRN's world news segment with Emily Faye. Next, hear Thistle interview Ann Menasche of FIST (Feminists in Struggle) and GASBR (Green Alliance for Sex Based Rights) about her take on the top stories and events of 2022 and what feminists should be looking toward in the new year. Finally, we round off our show with Sekhmet SheOwl's totally excellent radical feminist commentary on her perspective of how the feminist movement did in 2022 and what we should focus on moving forward. As ever, dear listeners, thank you for tuning in to WLRN, your community-powered radio station in the Femisphere! Donate to WLRN here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=ULAE4ZHPARLFE Cover Art byAlexis Lavine.