Learning Through Fact and Fiction

While we love a good fluffy book, there’s just something about diving deep into a specific subject. At FBC, we know we can do that through both fiction and non-fiction. In this episode, Nox shares a non-fiction book about reproductive health that opened her eyes to how much learning she has to do. Then Renee talks to Monique Roffey about femicide in the Caribbean in her new book Passiontide. 

It’s Not Hysteria: A Review (0:21)

Nox discusses It’s Not Hysteria by Karen Tang, an important (and gender-inclusive!) book about the reproductive system. Tune in to hear why this book was so meaningful to her and how it empowered her to learn more.

Femicide in the Caribbean (10:50)

Renee chats with Monique Roffey, author of the new book Passiontide, about femicide in the Caribbean. Passiontide is a fictional novel inspired by women’s protests in Trinidad after a Japanese steel pan player was murdered in 2016. Monique shares startling statistics about the murder of women globally but particularly in Trinidad and why it was so important to her to write about this issue.

Mentioned in this episode:

It’s Not Hysteria by Karen Tang, MD, MPH

Passiontide by Monique Roffey

The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey

The Web of Meaning by Jeremy Lent

The Living Goddesses by Marija Gimbutas

Support this episode’s hosts and guests:

Follow Nox: Instagram // Twitter // TikTok

Follow Renee: Instagram // The StoryGraph

Follow Monique Roffey: Instagram

Today’s episode is sponsored by Gretchen Sisson, author of Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood. Your support helps keep feminist media independent!

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This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people.

Original music by @iam.onyxrose

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Renee Powers

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Renee Powers founded Feminist Book Club in 2018 to provide a space for intersectional feminists to learn, grow, and connect. When not reading or running the biz, you can find her drinking coffee and trying unsuccessfully to teach her retired racing greyhound how to fetch. Favorite genres: feminist thrillers, contemporary literary fiction, short stories, and anything that might be described as "irreverent"