Alice Rothchild & Grace Tiffany on Women’s History, Power, and Resistance

Episode Summary

We speak with two remarkable writers about two fascinating stories—one rooted in personal history, the other in literary imagination—both shedding light on the fight for justice and self-determination.

First, Alice Rothchild tells us about Inspired and Outraged: The Making of a Feminist Physician. It’s a powerful memoir in free verse exploring her journey as a feminist, activist, and doctor.

“I had potholders on the stirrups, I had a mirror, I had a flashlight, and every woman was invited to take a look down there. It changes the power dynamic.” – Alice Rothchild

Then, we turn to historical fiction with Grace Tiffany, whose novel The Owl Was a Baker’s Daughter is a feminist re-imagining of the life of Shakespeare’s daughter during the tumultuous English Civil War.

“Women healers were often accused of witchcraft. If something went wrong, you became a target.” – Grace Tiffany

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Key Words: Alice Rothchild Inspired and Outraged, Grace Tiffany The Owl Was a Baker’s Daughter, Feminism and women’s rights, Shakespeare’s daughter Judith, reproductive rights, women healers and witchcraft accusations, Historical fiction and feminist literature

You Might Also Like: Laura Kaplan, JANE, Kerri Maher, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS CALL

Topics Covered: Alice Rothchild

Writing a memoir in free verse
The personal as political: feminism, activism, and medicine
Growing up Jewish and navigating identity in 1950s America
Founding one of Boston’s first all-women medical practices
The fight for reproductive rights and the impact of Our Bodies, Ourselves
Lessons from the past for today’s feminist and political struggles

Topics Covered: Grace Tiffany

Shakespeare’s daughter Judith: Fact vs. Fiction
Women as healers and the threat of witchcraft accusations
The English Civil War and its parallels to modern political struggles
Puritanism, censorship, and the banning of Shakespeare’s plays
A woman’s journey through war, power, and forbidden love

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Writer's Voice

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