Womanica

Rigoberta Menchú Tum (1959-present) dedicated her life to speaking out for Indigenous Guatemalans, fighting tirelessly against the human rights abuses that occurred during and after the Guatemalan Civil War.

For the past six years, we’ve been telling the stories of women you may or may now know– but definitely should. This month, we’re bringing back our favorite Womanica episodes from across our back catalog. These are women thr...

Poly Styrene (1957-2011) was a feminist punk icon who made her mark on the white male-dominated music genre.

For the past six years, we’ve been telling the stories of women you may or may now know– but definitely should. This month, we’re bringing back our favorite Womanica episodes from across our back catalog. These are women throughout time and around the world who made their mark. 

History classes can get a bad rap, ...

Ch'en Shu (1660–1736) was a Chinese painter from the Qing dynasty, known for her exquisite flower-and-bird paintings that blended precision with delicate beauty. As one of the few recognized female artists of her time, she mastered traditional painting techniques while incorporating her own refined sense of composition and color. 

For Further Reading:

• ‘The Mountains are Quiet and the Days Grow Long': The Steady Hand of C...

Bebe Barron (1925-2008) and her husband Louis’ pioneering work in electronic music helped lay the foundation for the sound of sci-fi. Their blips, buzzes, gurgles and groans in Forbidden Planet (1956) made up the first ever entirely electronic score for a feature film. 

For Further Reading: 

• The Barrons: Forgotten Pioneers of Electronic Music : NPR
• Unearthing Louis and Bebe Barron’s Hidden Tapes | California Festival
• ...

Fatima Jinnah (1893-1967) is remembered in Pakistan as the “Mother of the Nation.” Her memory is a symbol of feminism and democracy.

For the past six years, we’ve been telling the stories of women you may or may now know– but definitely should. This month, we’re bringing back our favorite Womanica episodes from across our back catalog. These are women throughout time and around the world who made their mark. 

History cla...

Florence Foster Jenkins (1868-1944) was an opera singer that drew massive crowds for her terrible voice.

For the past six years, we’ve been telling the stories of women you may or may now know– but definitely should. This month, we’re bringing back our favorite Womanica episodes from across our back catalog. These are women throughout time and around the world who made their mark. 

History classes can get a bad rap, and ...

Toni Morrison (1931-2019) was a groundbreaking writer and the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993. Her works, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Beloved—where she coined the word "rememory"—explore race, identity, and the legacies of slavery. Morrison's profound storytelling has made her one of the most influential voices in American literature.

For Further Reading: 

• National...

Masako Togawa (1931-2016) was a crime novelist, singer, and club owner. She created a chanson salon called the Blue Room, which catered to LGBTQIA+ artists and music enthusiasts during a time of legal discrimination, violence, and prejudice against queer people in Japan. 

For Further Reading:

• “Memories of Masako Togawa”
• The Master Key by Masako Togawa
• The Lady Killer by Masako Togawa

For the past six years, we’ve b...

Mamá Tingó (1921-1974) was an Dominican activist who is often overlooked in historical accounts. She led protests to save her farm — and the farms of 350 other families — from an illegal land seizure. She was assassinated for trying to bring justice to her community. 

For Further Reading:

• Mama Tingo: The Black Dominicana Revolutionary You Should Know | BELatina 
• The female revolutionary history forgot - Women’s Media...

Kiki de Montparnasse (1901-1953) inspired Man Ray and many other painters, photographers and sculptors. An artist herself, she impressed critics with her paintings and made waves with her risqué memoirs. She was a dazzling socialite and style icon, a true “it-girl” of Bohemian Paris.

For the past six years, we’ve been telling the stories of women you may or may now know– but definitely should. This month, we’re bringing back our...

Maya Lin (1959 - present) is a sculptor, architect, artist, and designer known for her memorial work and focus on landscapes and the environment. At age 21 she designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which was dedicated in 1982. Since then she has seamlessly weaved between art and architecture, producing work that has earned her both a National Medal of Arts, as well as a Presidential Medal of Freedom.   

For Furt...

James How, also known as Mary East, and their wife Mrs. How (c. 1760s) were pillars of their eighteenth century English community, until a blackmailer attempted to expose Mr. How's "true" gender.

For the past six years, we’ve been telling the stories of women you may or may now know– but definitely should. This month, we’re bringing back our favorite Womanica episodes from across our back catalog. These are women throughout time...

Minnie Riperton (1947-1979) was an American soul singer, best known for the 1975 hit song “Lovin' You.” From an early age, Riperton captivated audiences with her extraordinary five-octave vocal range and command of the whistle register. At the peak of her commercial success, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and became one of few celebrities to share her diagnosis publicly. She defied expectations for Black artists in the music ...

Margaret Watts Hughes (c.1847-1907) was a Welsh singer, songwriter and scientist. She invented the eidophone, which allowed her to observe and visualize the human voice.

For Further Reading:

• The Century, 1891: Visible Sound
• Picturing a Voice: Margaret Watts Hughes and the Eidophone
• Divine agency Bringing to light the voice figures of Margaret Watts-Hughes (pdf)

For the past six years, we’ve been telling the stories of w...

Anastasia Romanov (1901-1918) was the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia. Her death was hotly debated for years, as she was believed to have survived her family’s execution. 

For Further Reading: 

• A Romanov Fantasy: Life at the court of Anna Anderson 
• The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra
• OTMA - The Romanov Sisters
• Will the Real Anastasia Romanov...

Sappho (c. 615 BC) was an ancient Greek poet and an architect of the very words we use to talk about queer identity today.

For the past six years, we’ve been telling the stories of women you may or may now know– but definitely should. This month, we’re bringing back our favorite Womanica episodes from across our back catalog. These are women throughout time and around the world who made their mark. 

History classes can g...

Regina Jonas (1902-1944) asked a short, but important question: Can women serve as rabbis? She dedicated her life to proving that the answer to that question was 'Yes.'

For the past six years, we’ve been telling the stories of women you may or may now know– but definitely should. This month, we’re bringing back our favorite Womanica episodes from across our back catalog. These are women throughout time and around the world who m...

Juana Maria (unknown-1853), also known as the lost woman of San Nicolas island, lived a solitary and fabled life as one of the last members of the Nicoleño tribe.

For the past six years, we’ve been telling the stories of women you may or may now know– but definitely should. This month, we’re bringing back our favorite Womanica episodes from across our back catalog. These are women throughout time and around the world who made th...

Gwen Verdon (1925-2000) was a true Broadway icon. Her status as a triple threat dancer, actor and singer earned her four Tony awards during her career. 

For the past six years, we’ve been telling the stories of women you may or may now know– but definitely should. This month, we’re bringing back our favorite Womanica episodes from across our back catalog. These are women throughout time and around the world who made their m...