A Lady's Life in Tokugawa Japan, Part 3: Fashion & Fun with the Glamorous Geisha
Release Date: 06/06/2024
A Lady's Life in the Viking Age: Finding the Norse
The Exploress
Season 6, Episode 2. In this series, we're exploring what life was like for women in the Viking (Norse) Age. Let's start by talking about our sources: how do we know what we know about the Vikings? We'll explore our written sources, runes, and archeological material, as well as the biases male writers and scholars have brought to the study of women in this age. We'll find out who the Norse where - the time period we're dealing with, societal structure, law and order - and bust some myths about women in the Viking Age. Our experts for this series are Eleanor Barraclough, a broadcaster and...
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A Lady's Life in the Viking Age: The Goddess Freyja
The Exploress
Season 6, Episode 1. In this series, we're going to explore what life was like for women in the Viking (Norse) Age. But first, let's meet Freyja, a powerful Nordic goddess, who will introduce us to the Viking religious pantheon. We'll hear some of her more famous stories and learn about her links to magic, fertility, sexuality, war, and death. She's quite the lady! CW: this one's clean in terms of language, but there are several references to sexy time. Ways to support The Exploress: and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, including one about Tomoe Gozen, an infamous Japanese warrior, and a...
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Love and War in Ancient Rome with Jenny Williamson
The Exploress
Season 6, Episode 1 - It's Exploress Book Club time! Join me for this excellent chat with Jenny Williamson, one half of the podcast Ancient History Fangirl, about her debut steamy ancient Roman romantasy novel, Enemy of My Dreams. We'll discuss her inspiration, how much of the true ancient past made it into her fictional novel, some of the real ancient Roman imperial women who inspired her, and why she loves Alaric of the Goths. You can find out more about Jenny and her book . Listen to wherever you get your podcasts. If you like the Exploress, consider , unlocking access to lots of...
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Re-Release: Spiritualists & Mediums of 19th-Century America
The Exploress
Season 5, Episode 15. Hey listener! I'm currently on maternity leave, but to get us in the Halloween spirit, I'm re-releasing my first ever Halloween special about the 19th-century mediums who used their connection to the dead to find fame and fortune. But this isn’t just an old episode repeating: I’ve remastered and re-recorded it to give it a 2024 glow up. The Exploress will be taking a break in November and December, but I’ll still be dropping new bonus episodes over on my Patreon during that time. So if you like the show and would like more of it, : they get 1 to 2 exclusive...
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Re-Release: The History of Witch Hunts in Scotland and England
The Exploress
Season 5, Episode 14. Down, down, the Witches' Road... I'm currently off on maternity leave, but to get you in the mood for the spooky season I'm re-releasing what must be my most popular Halloween special to date. Between 1450 and 1750, some 100,000 Europeans were tried for witchcraft, and some of the most intense periods of witchy panic took place in Scotland and England. Most, but not all, of these so-called witches were women. During this special Halloween episode, we’ll be tracing the history of witchcraft, and talking about why King James VI was so fanatical about killing witches....
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Forty Elephants: The All-Female Crime Gang of 1920s London
The Exploress
Season 5, Episode 13. Hey listener! I'm currently off on maternity leave, but I've decided to pull some special bonus episodes out of the Patreon vault during September for all my listeners to enjoy. This one's going to take us back to our season on the 1920s to meet the group of sticky-fingered bandits who became England's most notorious thieves. This episode is coming to you with the support of my fabulous patrons. Have you ever thought about becoming one? Patrons get all episodes early and ad-free, voting rights on content, behind the scenes stuff, AND up to two exclusive bonus...
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Lady Pirates and Queen Elizabeth I’s Golden Age of Piracy
The Exploress
Season 5, Episode 12. Today we’ll learn how Queen Elizabeth I strategically defeated the Invincible Spanish Armada by allowing famous pirates like Sir Francis Drake and Sir Thomas Cavendish to take over the Royal Navy and fight on her behalf as “privateers.” We’ll also learn what life was like on a pirate ship in the Elizabethan age, why women were historically not allowed to be pirates, and how some women became pirates anyway. We’ll meet Anne Bonny and Mary Read, the cross dressing swashbucklers of the Bahamas, and we’ll meet Grace O’Malley, the Irish Pirate Queen who defended...
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Announcement!
The Exploress
...see you on the other side, my friends. Have you ever thought about becoming a patron? They get all episodes early and ad-free, voting rights on content, behind the scenes stuff, AND up to two exclusive bonus episodes a month. I'll be posting episodes there throughout my maternity leave, so if you want more Exploress in your life, head on over! You can now try out being a patron with a 7-day free trial! to find out more. My second novel, FYREBIRDS, just came out, and it would mean a huge amount if you’d pick up a copy. If you'd like a recap of NIGHTBIRDS before the sequel arrives, go and...
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The FYREBIRDS Audiobook
The Exploress
I'm thrilled to bring you this extra-long audio sample of the FYREBIRDS audiobook: the Prologue and Chapter 1, narrated by the amazing Saskia Maarleveld. If you like what you hear, the is out now wherever audiobooks are sold. You can request it to stream digitally from your local library; if they don't have it in their collection, you can ask them to buy a copy, usually via their website.
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Writing Magical Women and the Belle Epoque with author Ryan Graudin
The Exploress
Season 5, Episode 11. Guess what? My second novel, FYREBIRDS, hits shelves TODAY. How exciting! I’m celebrating by inviting one of my favorite authors to join us. is the award-winning novel of many books for young adults and children; her debut adult fantasy, THE ENCHANTED LIES OF CELESTE ARTOIS, comes out today. This novel, set in Belle Epoque Paris just before the First World War, is absolutely FULL of my favorite things: history, strong women, and magic. Join us as we talk about her enchanting novel, how she used history as a springboard for writing it, and what she discovered along...
info_outlineSeason 5, Episode 5. In this four-part series, we're time traveling back to Tokugawa Japan (1603-1868) to find out what life was like there for the ladies. If you've been binging Shogun lately, then this one's for you! For show notes, including a list of sources and some cool images, go to The Exploress website (If you're dying for a full transcript, you'll find it over on my Patreon.)
In June, I'm doing a NIGHTBIRDS readalong on my other podcast, Pub Dates. Whether you're looking for a recap before FYREBIRDS comes out or are keen to read along with me for the very first time, it's going to be a lot of fun! And listeners have a chance to win a prize.
Ways to support The Exploress:
- Buy Kate's novel, NIGHTBIRDS, which is already out in hardback, and coming out in paperback on June 4, 2024. You can also pre-order the sequel, FYREBIRDS, out Aug. 27.
- Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, including one about Tomoe Gozen, an infamous Japanese warrior, and an upcoming bonus about Japanese goddess Amaterasu.
- Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop