From the renaissance to the pre-raphaelites, to women's political mobilisation, fashion and tattoos- Medusa has always been relevant. The journey that the symbol of Medusa has gone on can teach us that feminist reimaginings of core social stories help us understand the roles and spaces women have been confined to throughout history, and how to deconstruct them. Let's walk through her history and learn how Medusa was reborn.

Sources:

Shearman, John. Art Or Politics in the Piazza? Benvenuto Cellini. Kunst und Kunsttheorie im 16. Jahrhundert (2003): 19–36

Cixous, Hélène, et al. “The Laugh of the Medusa.” Signs, vol. 1, no. 4, 1976, pp. 875–93. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3173239. Accessed 25 Sept. 2023.

http://preraphaelitesisterhood.com/aspecta-medusa/

Kiefer, Frederick, ed. Masculinities and Femininities in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Arizona Studies in the Middle Ages and Renaissance 23. Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols, 2009.

Wendy Pollard Pamela Hansford Johnson: Her Life, Work and Times (Shepeard-Walwyn, UK, 2014)

Sitwell, Edith. The Collected Poems of Edith Sitwell. Vanguard Press, Inc., 1968.

Song:

Cinematic Electronic, Content Licence:

https://pixabay.com/music/beats-cinematic-electronic-inspiration-background-159335/

The Rebirth of Medusa in Art:

Literature:

• Stone Blind, Natalia Haynes.
• Medusa, Louise Bogan. 
• Medusa, Carol-Ann Duffy

Sculpture:

• Medusa, Camille Claudel
• Medusa, Kiki Smith

Photography:

• Medusa, Cindy Sherman

Mixed Media:

• Medusa, Joyce Cutler-Shaw
• Medusa, Judy Chicago
• Medusa, Yayoi Kusama
• Medusa, Ghada Amer

Performing Arts:

• Medusa, Ana Mendieta

Serious book people don't like fan fiction...but should they? The history of reimagining stories (and making them a little spicy) is anything but brief. From Medieval Mystics and Jesus Christ all the way to Drive to Survive, there’s actually a reason behind fanfiction. Let's chat about it!

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Sources:

Kempe Margery and Lynn Staley. The Book of Margery Kempe. Published for TEAMS (the Consortium for the Teaching of the Middle Ages) in Association with the University of Rochester by Medieval Institute Publications Western Michigan University 1996.

https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA361553270&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkaccess=abs&issn=12192589&p=LitRC&sw=w&userGroupName=anon%7Ed331d65f&aty=open-web-entry

Mixer, Lindsay M., "And then they boned: an analysis of fanfiction and its influence on sexual development" (2018). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 131.

Higgs, Laquita. “Margery Kempe: ‘Whete-Breed or Barly-Breed?’” Mystics Quarterly, vol. 13, no. 2, 1987, pp. 57–64. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20716791. Accessed 10 Aug. 2023.

Stampa, Gaspara (1994). Laura Anna Stortoni; Mary Prentice Lillie (eds.). Gaspara Stampa: Selected Poems. New York: Italica Press.

https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2020/02/surprising-18th-century-origins-fan-fiction/606532/

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/aug/13/fan-fiction-fifty-shades-grey

Song:

Cinematic Electronic, Content Licence:

https://pixabay.com/music/beats-cinematic-electronic-inspiration-background-159335/

The biggest colour of the 2023 summer has many stories to tell. One of them takes us to Mexico in the early 20th century, where the palette of a nation's identity begins to take shape. In fashion, architecture, advertisements, and even taxis, pink is everywhere in Mexico. This is the story of why.

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Sources:

https://www.anothermag.com/fashion-beauty/14374/valentino-pink-pp-pierpaolo-piccioli-show-collection-2022-aw22-fw-22

​​https://www.anahuac.mx/generacion-anahuac/la-historia-detras-del-rosa-mexicano#:~:text=M%C3%A1s%20que%20un%20color%20espec%C3%ADfico,nacional%20en%20los%20escenarios%20internacionales.

https://www.katarsiamoda.com/rosa-mexicano/

https://www.thecollector.com/vantablack-anish-kapoor-stuart-semple-controversy/

Song:

Cinematic Electronic, Content Licence:

https://pixabay.com/music/beats-cinematic-electronic-inspiration-background-159335/

The first ever recorded bookclubs were created by women. From the British Colonies to Paris to Mexico, women's bookclubs have had an impact on the rise of literacy, feminist thought, and even changed the face of the publishing industry.  But how did it happen?

----------

Sources:

Malini Ghose. “Literacy, Power and Feminism.” Economic and Political Weekly, vol. 37, no. 17, 2002, pp. 1615–20. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4412039. Accessed 26 June 2023.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2010/09/350122

Lucy Delap, Feminist Bookshops, Reading Cultures and the Women’s Liberation Movement in Great Britain, c. 1974–2000, History Workshop Journal, Volume 81, Issue 1, Spring 2016, Pages 171–196.

Regis, Pamela. Publishing Romance: The History of an Industry, 1940s to the Present. University of Michigan Press, 2007.

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED496343.pdf

Song:

Cinematic Electronic, Content Licence:

https://pixabay.com/music/beats-cinematic-electronic-inspiration-background-159335/

How does the way we speak change our relationship with people, and why do we speak the way we do to begin with? I ask myself these questions a lot, and in this episode I talk about some of the thoughts I have about it. Featuring contributions from Ale de Luis.

Socials:
Me - Instagram: @itsnotthatsmart
Ale - Instagram: @churchofmidnight

Sources:
DeBose, Charles (1992). "Codeswitching: Black English and Standard English in the African-American linguistic repertoire". In Eastman, Carol (ed.). Codeswitching. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. pp. 157–167.

Norman, Johanna. “Student’s Self-Perceived English Accent and Its Impact on Their Communicative Competence and Speaking Confidence An Empirical Study Among Students Taking English 6 in UpperSecondary School .” University of Stockholm Academy for Education and Economics, University of Stockholm Press, 2017, pp. 1–26. 

Subtirelu, Nicholas Close. “‘She Does Have an Accent but…’: Race and Language Ideology in Students' Evaluations of Mathematics Instructors on RateMyProfessors.com.” Language in Society, vol. 44, no. 1, 2015, pp. 35–62., doi:10.1017/S0047404514000736.

Baratta, Alex. (2016). Keeping it real or selling out: The effects of accent modification on personal identity. Pragmatics and Society. 7. 291-319. 10.1075/ps.7.2.06bar. 

Song:

“Synthwave” by Ryan Andersen, licence link- 

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ryan_Andersen#contact-artist

Having experienced what it felt like to lose a sense of agency in my own voice, I take you through the journey that helped me find it again, and tell you all the things I've learnt about being empowered in your speech and feeling like you have purpose.

Socials:
@itsnotthatsmart, instagram

Cited:

https://www.healthline.com/health/what-is-purpose-anxiety-do-you-have-it#The-psychology-of-purpose

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9637619/young-brits-life-lacks-purpose/

Song: 

“Synthwave” by Ryan Andersen, licence link- 

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ryan_Andersen#contact-artist

This episode looks at the origins and background of body liberation movements and differentiates between its different branches. I also tell you about what my personal approach to body liberation is, and why I do not support the body positivity movement. 

Worthy Follows:
@fatfabfeminist
@yrfatfriend
@hannahtalksbodies
@drjoshuawolrich

Cited:

Nash, Meredith, and Megan Warin. “Squeezed between Identity Politics and Intersectionality: A Critique of ‘Thin Privilege’ in Fat Studies.” Feminist Theory, vol. 18, no. 1, 2016, pp. 69–87., doi: 10.1177/1464700116666253. 

Tomiyama, A J, et al. “Misclassification of Cardiometabolic Health When Using Body Mass Index Categories in NHANES 2005–2012.” International Journal of Obesity, vol. 40, no. 5, 2016, pp. 883–886., doi:10.1038/ijo.2016.17.

https://www.onewomanproject.org/blog/2020/9/9/concept-body-neutrality

Song: 

“Synthwave” by Ryan Andersen, licence link- 

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ryan_Andersen#contact-artist

"Minimalism" seems to be quickly turning into a hot topic in social conversations. For me, its much more than a passing trend, and a huge reason why my life has improved in my 20s. In this episode, I answer my followers' introductory questions about minimal and intentional living and share my own personal application of this ideology. Hope you enjoy!

Social links:
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/arantzaai/

Sources:
From Stoicism to minimalism:
https://minimalistfocus.com/stoicism-and-minimalism-10-lessons-from-philosopher-marcus-aurelius/

minimalist literature:
https://literarytonic.com/minimalisminliterature

The minimalists definition of minimalism:
https://www.theminimalists.com/minimalism/

Music: "Synthwave" by Ryan Andersen, license link-
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

In this episode I dive into the topic of contraception. Exploring three different issues it relates to: development and access issues, reproductive responsibilities for men and women, and what the future might bring; I reflect on the relationship that contraception and birth control has had with women's liberation movements.

**note- I miss read the cost the APA calculates for contraception as 20-80 usd per year. It actually is that amount per month.

Sources:

https://www.pandiahealth.com/resources/birth-control-throughout-history/#:~:text=The%20earliest%20forms%20of%20birth%20control%2C%20as%20well%20as%20abortion,sperm%20from%20entering%20the%20womb.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/support-and-services/sex-and-contraception-after-birth/#:~:text=Contraception%20and%20breastfeeding,lactational%20amenorrhoea%20method%2C%20or%20LAM.

https://ehne.fr/en/encyclopedia/themes/gender-and-europe/demographic-transition-sexual-revolutions/birth-control-in-europe

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jun/05/male-birth-control-step-up-responsibility

https://www.bustle.com/p/we-asked-226-women-to-tell-us-the-biggest-stigma-that-still-exists-around-womens-sexual-health-11832119

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/contraceptive-pill-us-uk-costs-reproductive-rights-america-a9500631.html

https://www.healthline.com/health/fertility-timeline#Takeaway

https://www.thecut.com/article/why-women-are-going-off-birth-control-pills.html

Life in a pandemic has brought out all of our creative energy in different ways. For me, the focus is here on starting this podcasting journey. In this episode I share why I was drawn to starting a podcast in the middle of so much content, offer some background on who I am, and go on to explore the idea of creativity and content creation in the age of social media.


Books mentioned:
Plato’s Ion- https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ion-Plato/dp/1161436987
Kant’s Critique of The Power of Judgement-   https://www.amazon.co.uk/Critique-Power-Judgment-Cambridge-Immanuel/dp/0521348927

Guardian article:
https://www.theguardian.com/media/shortcuts/2019/oct/16/chiropractors-barbie-everyone-an-influencer

Music: “Synthwave” by Ryan Andersen, licence link-
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/