MARCH IS WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

The Boston Sisters spotlight the HBO miniseries JOHN ADAMS, based on David McCullough's biography of the 2nd U.S. President. Historians Cassandra Good (Founding Friendships) and Sara Georgini (Adams Family Papers, Massachusetts Historical Society) delve into the friendship and correspondence between John and Abigail Adams, highlighting the role of women in the American Revolution and the complexities of “mixed-sex” friendships.

In episode 90 (part 2) The Boston Sisters talk with Marjorie J. Spruill, historian and author of “Divided We Stand” — a key resource for the creation of the 2020 FX miniseries MRS. AMERICA — about the rise of Phyllis Schlafly, and the two women’s movements that emerged from the 1977 National Women’s Conference in Houston, TX that continue to feed the political discourse and its divisions today. We also get an update on the current status of the ERA.

In episode 89, The Boston Sisters talk with Marjorie J. Spruill, historian and author of “Divided We Stand,” a key resource for the creation of the 2020 FX miniseries MRS. AMERICA about the battle for women’s rights and the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). In part 1 we explore the history of ERA from its suffragist origins, its ties to labor history, and the bipartisan support it received until the unexpected backlash from conservative women led by Phyllis Schlafly (Cate Blanchett).

Episode 84 features a conversation with historian Anthony Cohen about the Underground Railroad and its legendary conductor Harriet Tubman as seen in the 2019 film HARRIET.  In 1996, Anthony Cohen personally retraced the  journey of the Underground Railroad and self-emancipation by foot, rail, and boat from Maryland to Canada.  He also prepared Oprah Winfrey for her role as Sethe in the 1998 film BELOVED based on the Toni Morrison novel.

In episode 82, the Boston Sisters talk with award-winning author Vanessa Riley about her experience as the historical and cultural consultant for the Hallmark Channel’s 2024 adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. Vanessa Riley also talks about the research for her historical novels, Queen of Exiles and Island Queen based on the lives of Marie Louise Christophe, Haiti's only queen; and Dorothy “Doll” Kirwan Thomas, a formerly enslaved woman who became a wealthy entrepreneur in the Caribbean in the 1800s. The podcast is the final episode in a 3-part miniseries, JANE AUSTEN ADAPTED, commemorating the 250th anniversary Jane Austen’s birth.

In episode 81, the Boston Sisters (Michon and Taquiena) continue their conversation with costume historian and curator Alden O’Brien (the 2nd in a 3-part mini series, JANE AUSTEN ADAPTED). The conversation explores how costumes, on screen, bring to life iconic characters in 3 adaptations of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice

In episode 80, the first of our 3-part mini-series JANE AUSTEN ADAPATED, we talk with costume historian and curator, Alden O’Brien and explore the fascinating elements of style in Regency and Federal era clothing, the sources for materials, inspirations, and the fashion clues that bring Jane Austen’s characters to life.

The Kirklands of Newport are introduced in season 3 of HBO’s THE GILDED AGE. Ep. 74 features a conversation with Keith W. Stokes, Rhode Island State Historian Laureate, and Theresa “Soni” Guzman Stokes, Executive Director for the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society about African heritage history, society, and communities in Newport, Rhode Island.

In episode 71 we talk with Gill Hornby, author of the best-selling novel Miss Austen which has been adapted for a 4-part series premiering on MASTERPIECE on PBS. MISS AUSTEN seeks to unravel the historic literary mystery by reimanging Cassandra Austen’s act of sisterly love in burning the letters of her famous author sister Jane Austen after Jane’s death in 1817.  

Episode 70 goes behind the scenes of CALL THE MIDWIFE with Jenny Agutter who portrays Sister Julienne in the series. Jenny Agutter has been with CALL THE MIDWIFE since the series premiere in 2012. Created and written by Heidi Thomas, CALL THE MIDWIFE is based on the trilogy of memoirs by Jennifer Worth about her experiences as a midwife nurse in London’s East End during the 1950s (Season 14 is set in 1970).

In episode 66, The Boston Sisters (Michon and Taquiena) dive into the Tyler Perry film THE SIX TRIPLE EIGHT with Brenda L. Moore, associate professor of sociology at the University at Buffalo and author of “To Serve My Country, To Serve My Race: The Story of the Only African American WACS Stationed Overseas During World War II.” Both the book and film tell the story of the only Women’s Army Corps unit of color to serve overseas in World War Two and their extraordinary mission.

SHIRLEY, featuring Oscar winner Regina King as New York Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, tells the story of the first Black congresswoman and political icon and her trailblazing 1972 run for president of the United States. Our guest is Dr. Zinga A. Fraser, a foremost expert on Shirley Chisholm, Director of the Shirley Chisholm Project on Brooklyn Women’s Activism, and the historical consultant for the Netflix feature SHIRLEY. 

Episode 56 features a conversation with actor Ruth Gemmell, best known as Lady Violet Bridgerton in the BRIDGERTON series and its prequel QUEEN CHARLOTTE: A BRIDGERTON STORY from Shonda Rhimes’s Shondaland based on the Regency romance novels by Julia Quinn.

Episode 55 features a conversation with Damianne Scott “Dami,” creator of Black Girl Loves Jane about the Regency-era Shondaland series BRIDGERTON now in its 3rd season on Netflix. What would Jane Austen think about the people of the ton? Are we seeing a surge in new historical drama fans as a result of “The Bridgerton Effect”?

The Boston Sisters have selected 5 books for summer reading inspired by past episodes of the podcast since its launch in 2021. We’ve got your covered for historical drama for summer 2024.

Episode 49 we talk about PACHINKO, the 2022 Apple TV+ series based on Min Jin Lee’s epic novel about 4 generations of Koreans from the early 1900s to the 1980s. Korean-adoptee and everything Korean blogger Kat Turner, and writer, artist, entrepreneur Taylor Turner for a mother-daughter conversation about PACHINKO

JULIA, based on the life of the "French Chef" star and cookbook author Julia Child, is back for a 2nd season on Max. Also back on the podcast is wine expert and restaurant strategist Janet Cam, co-founder of Washington, DC's storied Le Pavillon restaurant, the first nouvelle cuisine restaurant of its kind in the U.S. We talk about the challenges for Julia Child to recreate classic French dishes in the U.S., women in the culinary industry, and Julia and Janet's journeys and adventures through wine and food in the domestically and abroad.

Episode 42 features THE GREAT “by request” by podcast subscriber MARSHA WEINER and a conversation with SAM DIXON, food stylist for THE GREAT’s 2nd and 3rd seasons for a behind-the-scenes look at food in the satirical comic series about the rise of Catherine the Great.

The Sanditon Sisterhood #SaveSanditon campaign helped renew SANDITON for 2 additional seasons after it was canceled in its 1st season by ITV in the UK before its U.S. premiere on PBS MASTERPIECE in 2020. The How did they do it? We talk with Juliet Creese and Moni Sengupta, part of the Sanditon Sisterhood Strategy Group about their experiences, the friendships that came out of the fandom campaign, and if fans got the Jane Austen ending they were hoping for?

In Ep. 35 we’re talking with actress Pearl Mackie about the PBS MASTERPIECE mini series TOM JONES. Pearl Mackie plays Honour Newton, the worldly-wise trusted lady’s maid of Sophia Western (Sophie Wilde) in a 4-part reimagining of Henry Fielding’s comic novel, The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling, published in 1749.

The Boston Sisters welcome back SHARON D. JOHNSON, script and story consultant for MASTERPIECE and SANDITON. In part 2 of a 2-part conversation, we focus on Georgiana Lambe, her search for her mother, and the relationships she’s made in Sanditon to protect her inheritance, reputation and find true love. SANDITON is based on Jane Austen’s unfinished novel.

The Boston Sisters welcome back SHARON D. JOHNSON, script and story consultant for MASTERPIECE and SANDITON. In part 1 of a 2-part conversation, we focus on the themes of Marriage, Love, and Friendship between new and familiar characters over the past 3 seasons of SANDITON series based on Jane Austen’s unfinished novel.

A conversation with Carla L. Peterson, author of the 2011 book “Black Gotham: A Family History of African Americans in 19th Century New York City.” Professor Peterson’s book served as a resource for the creation of the characters, story, and the Black community in HBO’s THE GILDED AGE.

THE CROWN is a fictional drama inspired by real events during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II (1926 - 2022) in the last half of the 20th century. Rev. Dr. Terasa Cooley, author of “Transforming Conflict” joins us for a conversation about leadership portrayals of Queen Elizabeth II, PM Margaret Thatcher, and Diana, Princess of Wales in THE CROWN series.

An exciting new season for PBS MASTERPIECE and MASTERPIECE MYSTERY!  Executive producer SUSANNE SIMPSON returns to the podcast to talk about the 2nd season of MISS SCARLET AND THE DUKE in addition to other exciting women detective mysteries and a preview of what’s coming in 2022 and 2023 on the award-winning PBS drama series.

We take a deep dive into THE WOMAN KING with depth psychologist, media scholar, and writer Sharon D. Johnson, Ph.D. THE WOMAN KING, is the remarkable story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with skills and a fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen.

Shondaland's Bridgerton (Netflix) presents a Regency Britain where people of diverse colors, races, and cultural backgrounds meet and mate through choreographed matchmaking in grand ballrooms and frollicking country estates of "the ton." Part 2 of our 2-part podcast about season 2 of Bridgerton and the entrance of the Sharma family from Bombay continues with special guest Durba Ghosh, professor of history at Cornell University and author of Sex and Family in Colonial India: The Making of Empire.

Shondaland's Bridgerton (Netflix) presents a Regency Britain where people of diverse colors, races, and cultural backgrounds meet and mate through choreographed matchmaking in grand ballrooms and frollicking country estates of "the ton." Part 1 of our 2-part podcast about season 2 of Bridgerton and the entrance of the Sharma family from Bombay with special guest Durba Ghosh, professor of history at Cornell University and author of Sex and Family in Colonial India: The Making of Empire.

Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters (ep. 3) Susanne Simpson, Executive Producer of the PBS drama series, MASTERPIECE, shares how this 50-year phenom is changing to bring more diversity to the stories, casts, and creative production of historical dramas, fiction adaptations, and mystery series set in the past with UK partners.

HBO Max's JULIA is inspired by Julia Child's extraordinary life and her long running public television series, The French Chef, which pioneered the modern cooking show. In this podcast, The Boston Sisters riff on impressions of the HBO Max series and Julia Child's impact on American cooks, public television, and our own palates with restaurant consultant and wine expert, Janet Cam, who was the co-owner of America’s first nouvelle cuisine restaurant, Le Pavillon.