Journalist E. Jean Carroll hopped a ride on the Love Train with dozens of romance authors in 1983, hoping to discover "how to catch a man." But did she actually discover who women* in America were fantasizing about being? Steve Ammidown, archivist and historian of the romance genre, joins me to discuss Where the Heart Roams, a 1987 documentary about romance authors, culture clashes, silk sheets and lavender sachets, men with a lot of flash (there aren't many), and many conflicting theories about how to catch a man.

Appearances by: Vivian Stephens, Janet Dailey, Barbara Cartland, and many more! 

*middle class white cis heterosexual women...

Discussed: Where the Heart Roams (1987) documentary by George Csicsery

Available on Vimeo

Guest: Steve Ammidown

Steve Ammidown is an archivist and historian of the romance genre. In 2019, he was the Cathie Linz Librarian Of The Year.

He currently writes about romance history on his blog, romancehistory.com.

Find him on Twitter: @stegan

Shelf Love:

• Sign up for the email newsletter list | Website | Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
• Email: [email protected]

Mentioned:

• Bizarre Life Magazine photo essay
• Labor force participation rates from 1890 to 2016
• E. Jean Carroll's Female Difficulties
  • Short excerpt on E. Jean's website

Shelf Love:

• NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
• Email: [email protected]