Women

The Rebranding Of Sylvia Plath

Virginia Prescott — Mon, 13 May 2013 19:23:05 +0000

This year marks the 50th anniversary of poet Sylvia Plath’s death by suicide, the singular lens through which many readers and academics have viewed her life, writing, and marriage. Now, a new generation is re-discovering Plath from a fresh perspective, one not colored by her sad and macabre death.

Word Of Mouth 05.11.2013

Rebecca Lavoie — Fri, 10 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

In this special edition of Word of Mouth: Girl Power Interrupted.

The Girls Of Atomic City

Virginia Prescott — Thu, 09 May 2013 15:26:38 +0000

The story of the development and deployment of the atomic bomb is generally told as a narrative driven by powerful men like Oppenheimer, Truman, and Stimson, operating at the highest levels of government. What few people know is how many women played a crucial role – albeit unknowingly – in one of the most significant turning points in history. Denise Kiernan interviewed several women who worked in Oak Ridge, Tennessee – a secret, government-built town created as part of the Manhattan Project. Their stories, combined with detailed reporting, come together in her new book called The Girls of Atomic City.

Best-Selling Trend: The Funny Female Memoir

Virginia Prescott — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:30:39 +0000

Lena Dunham, creator of the HBO hit series Girls, recently signed 3.5 million dollar book contact for a memoir. When published, Dunham’s book will share shelf space with bestsellers like Jenny Lawson’s Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir and Heather McDonald’s My Inapropriate Life: Some Material Not Suitable For Small Children, Nuns Or Mature Adults. Part humor, part memoir, books in this category are almost always written by women and openly explore sex, drinking and even mental illness in a brazen and unrepentant manner. And readers, especially those that are not offended easily, are snapping them up.

Jean Railla, a writer and cultural observer is here to tell us more.

Related: Gawker's viral blog about Lena Dunham's book deal.

Wonder Women!

Virginia Prescott — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:05:52 +0000

Wonder Woman has yet to be the subject of a major motion picture. Until now…sort of. “Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines” is a documentary that follows the character from her Amazonian origins to that campy TV show in the 70s to her following among punk rockers, suburban girls, and even Gloria Steinem. The documentary is screening tonight at Concord’s Red River Theatre and will make its broadcast premiere on PBS’s Independent Lens series on April 15th. Kristy Guevera-Flanagan directed the film and joins Word of Mouth to talk about it.

"Girl Rising": A Global Movement Through Film

Virginia Prescott — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 11:00:00 +0000

“Girl Rising” is a new documentary directed by Academy-Award nominee Richard Robbins and the centerpiece of a global campaign called 10X10 (“Ten Times Ten”), which is dedicated to educating and empowering girls. The film is premiering this Thursday, March 7^th, at hundreds of simultaneous public screenings across the U.S, including one at Fox Run Stadium in Newington, New Hampshire.

Women And The Gun Debate

Brady Carlson — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 16:00:57 +0000

Women are a growing part of the debate over gun rights and potential new gun laws – partly because there are growing numbers of women who own and use guns. Erica Goode is a national correspondent on criminal justice issues for the New York Times; she wrote about the rising number of female gun owners this week, and she joins us as part of NHPR’s series on guns, “A Loaded Issue”.

The Queens of Comedy Podcasts

Virginia Prescott — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 18:38:36 +0000

2012 has been a fantastic year for funny ladies on television. Comedians Chelsea Handler, Whitney Cummings, Mindy Kaling, Amy Poehler and Joan Rivers all star in their own shows. A number of lesser known laugh-out-loud women are reaching new audiences with self-produced podcasts, and networks are paying attention.

Jean Railla, a writer and cultural observer based in New York City tells us more.

Badass Nuns

Virginia Prescott — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:50:33 +0000

Pop culture has a pretty good store of gleeful nuns along with plenty of repressed, vindictive sisters and mothers superior. The stereotypical nun is neither action hero, rockstar or Klan fighter. That’s why we found a recent list of gutsy nuns in Mental Floss so intriguing.

Clay Wirestone is a freelance writer who compiled a list of some of history’s bravest and boldest nuns for the December issue.

Women at Work

Jay Allison — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 13:00:34 +0000

The Exchange takes a break for this Labor Day special from Life Stories Radio: Women at Work.

Three women with vastly different jobs each take microphone and recorders in hand to chronicle their daily work. A pastor from a Chicago church, a seasonal farm worker, and a longtime judge all tell their own stories and reflect on what their work means to them.

Sisterhood on Skates

Erin Gleason — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 16:11:38 +0000

In the early stages of the roller derby boom, we sent intern Erin Gleason to learn more about its appeal.

A Very Public Choice

Virginia Prescott — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 14:20:40 +0000

Maggie Koerth-Baker speaks about the personal story of her miscarriage, and the medical procedure known as a "D&C."

The Women of Wine

Virginia Prescott and Nancy Greenleese — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:29:38 +0000

A new cork has been popped in the world of wine, the lady viticulturists is now decanting bottles of her own vintage.

Word of Mouth 04.14.2012

Virginia Prescott — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

A surprising look on men and women at work. A painter cashes in on Obama-hate. A report from Pax East. And the board game revolution.

Doctors Revamp Guidelines For Pap Smears

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 21:01:00 +0000

Women should get screened for cervical cancer far less frequently than doctors have long recommended, according to new guidelines released Wednesday.

More than 12,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year in the United States, and more than 4,000 die from the disease.

For years, doctors have recommended that women start getting Pap smears every year or two to try to catch signs of cancer early, when it's easiest to prevent and treat.

"Previously we had said s