Breaking The Glass Slipper: Women In Science Fiction, Fantasy, And Horror

Redshirts. No sooner are they introduced than they are killed. The tension rises, there are beads of sweat on Kirk’s brow… now the audience knows the peril is real. These stock, disposable characters exist in a story solely for the purpose of being disposed of – kidnapped or killed, etc, to push the protagonist into […]

Lucy and Charlotte talk to horror writer Catriona Ward about the art of the horror novel and her books Rawblood and Little Eve. For full episode notes, visit www.breakingtheglassslipper.com

A Charlotte and Lucy special! After the success of our Labyrinth episode, we thought we’d have a bit of fun and take another look at one of our favourite films: The Dark Crystal. How does it hold up after 36 years?

Social inequality and the unequal distribution of wealth is more prevalent than ever and it’s a subject that sits at the heart of Dr Vic James’ fantasy trilogy. We talk to her about power plays and politics, female ambition, naughty aristocrats, class division, reclaiming the bitch and our fascination with family drama. Full episode notes […]

Having already looked at women’s jobs in science fiction, we decided to turn our critical gaze to fantasy. Fantasy fiction tends to mimic the world that we know, whether historical or contemporary, but alters it in ways that can either be subtle or all-consuming. If you can believe that dragons exist in an alternative world, […]

We spoke with author Anna Smith Spark, Queen of Grimdark, to try and get to the bottom of what exactly Grimdark is. “In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war.” Full episode notes, including texts mentioned in the episode, can be found at www.breakingtheglassslipper.com

With equality of pay and the drive to get more women in top executive jobs reaching the headlines in our current era, does the world of the future have women in the same roles they occupy now, or do they have them in traditionally male-dominated jobs? We celebrate the wonderful women who are shattering the […]

We started this podcast to highlight the issues around the representation of women in genre fiction. But women aren’t the only ones who suffer at the hands of harmful tropes, poor characterisation, and limiting traditional gender roles. In this episode, we discuss the men-folk. While they may tend to get the majority of ‘screen time’ […]

Ghost literature written by women in the 19th century was more about social commentary than pure entertainment, argues academic Melissa Edmundson Makala. Charlotte positively geeks out with Melissa about her book, Women’s Ghost Literature in Nineteenth-Century Britain (Gothic Literary Studies).  Full episode notes are available at www.breakingtheglassslipper.com

Mary Sues are idealised characters with no real flaws. They are dull, irritating, and strangely prevalent. We look at what it means to be a Mary Sue, why they can be problematic, and whether they might actually work… sometimes. Full episode notes available at www.breakingtheglassslipper.com

We ask Paige L Christie about sacrificial tropes, using education as a kind of rebellion, and how cultural myths are used to oppress and establish social order. Full episode notes are available at www.breakingtheglassslipper.com If you enjoy what we do, please leave a review!

Why is it such a problem that men write poor descriptions of women? And what makes them bad descriptions in the first place? Breaking the Glass Slipper speak to YA author Gwen C. Katz about the pervasiveness of poor descriptions of women across genres and what we can do to address the problem. Full episode […]

Can writing be taught? Why go to a genre-specific writing course? What do students learn at such workshops? Charlotte and Megan talk to writer and founder of Odyssey Writing Workshops, Jeanne Cavelos, about teaching creative writing in a genre-specific context. http://www.odysseyworkshop.org Full episode notes available at www.breakingtheglassslipper.com

Charlotte interviews writer David Tallerman about writing fantasy and crime, writing-for-hire, Dungeons and Dragons, and the current trend for nostalgia in a lot of genre fiction. David Tallerman has written novels, novellas, short stories, and comics. You can find him online at www.davidtallerman.co.uk Full episode notes are available at www.breakingtheglassslipper.com

In this episode, Charlotte and Lucy talk to writer and lecturer Tiffani Angus. They discuss the estrangement of women’s bodies in apocalyptic fiction. While there is a lot of genre fiction written about the apocalypse, many would fail a ‘realism’ test when it comes to basic bodily functions. Women menstruate. They go through menopause. They […]

Do science fiction, fantasy, and horror narratives require violence? Are there other ways of creating conflict and tension in genre stories? This week, Charlotte, Lucy, and Megan look at how violence is used in genre fiction as the default approach to conflict. Full episode notes including further reading and all texts mentioned can be found […]

For over 30 years we have used the Bechdel-Wallace test to push for gender equality in film. But does it go far enough? The Bechdel-Wallace test should be applauded for getting the conversation started, but we believe it is time to move on. We should be demanding that a higher bar is set and that our media […]

We chat to fantasy writer Jeannette Ng about her use of Christian mythology in her debut novel, Under the Pendulum Sun. Full episode notes are available here: http://wp.me/p7P6my-cd

Charlotte, Lucy, and I discuss our favourite genre pieces of 2017 and what we’re most looking forward to in 2018. Get ready for your to-read and to-watch lists to explode! Full notes, including all texts mentioned in the episode are available at www.breakingtheglassslipper.com

Charlotte interviews RJ Barker on writing female characters, his favourite genres, and writing characters with disabilities. Full episode notes available at www.breakingtheglassslipper.com