What keeps progress alive when the odds feel impossible? In this episode of The Persistence, host Angélica Cordero unravels stories of bold resilience that have shaped history—from Enheduanna, the first-known author who wielded her words to assert power, to Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party, an unapologetic celebration of women’s achievements. Along the way, we explore how oral traditions and collective action have kept the flame of progress burning through the centuries. Tune in for a vibrant mix of history and insight that proves persistence isn’t just a virtue—it’s the force that keeps progress alive.

This episode was written by and produced by Angélica Cordero, with a little help from ChatGPT.

Our theme song is Don’t Kid Yourself Baby by Fold, used with their blessings. Podcast artwork for The Persistence features Mexican-American activist Jovita Idar and was created by Tamra Collins of Sunroot Studio.

Resources For Fellow Wascally Wabbits

Books

The Dinner Party: Judy Chicago and the Power of Popular Feminism, 1970-2007 by Jane F. Gerhard

“What’s in a Sign?” by John Foley in Signs of Orality edited by Anne MacKay

Links

"Revisiting The Dinner Party: Why It's Important Now" with Judy Chicago and Diane Gelon, Through the Flower, YouTube

A Brief History of Archaeology in Mesopotamia, Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative, Oxford University

Judy Chicago Research Portal, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University

In the Spotlight: The New Middle East Gallery at the Penn Museum by Grant Frame, International Association for Assyriology

Nippur, UNESCO, World Heritage Convention

Nippur Expedition, Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, University of Chicago

Nippur: The Babylonian Collections of the University Museum, Penn Museum

Right Out of History: The Making of The Dinner Party (documentary)

Thomas Jefferson, Jefferson's Library, Library of Congress

Ur Online, British Museum and Penn Museum

Support

If you haven’t please yet, subscribe and rate our feed in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And even better, tell your friends.

Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and share your thoughts with Angélica by emailing [email protected].

Don’t forget to sign up for host Angélica Cordero’s newsletter, Obsessively Curious!! It includes short insights that connect unlikely histories, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show.

Or support her caffeine habit and buy her a coffee.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit obsessivelycurious.substack.com