The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast

On the Shelf for October 2026 The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 353 with Heather Rose Jones Your monthly roundup of history, news, and the field of sapphic historical fiction. In this episode we talk about: Summer book selling Spin-off projects from the blog An interesting new publisher: Lavender Octavo Recent and upcoming publications covered on the blog DeVun, Leah. 2020. The Shape of...

Is Your Sapphic Protagonist Worried About the Wrong Things? The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 352 with Heather Rose Jones In this episode we talk about: How to make the conflicts in a sapphic historical romance more realistic A transcript of this podcast is available here. Links to the Lesbian Historic Motif Project Online Website: http://alpennia.com/lhmp Blog: http://alpennia.com/blog...

On the Shelf for September 2026 The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 351 with Heather Rose Jones Your monthly roundup of history, news, and the field of sapphic historical fiction. In this episode we talk about: My non-fiction book The Theory of Related-ivity: A History and Analysis of the Best Related Work Hugo Category Resources for the Anthropic class action settlement Authors Guild exp...

Love for Love’s Sake by Shannon Lippert The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 350 with Heather Rose Jones This quarter’s fiction episode presents Love for Love’s Sake by Shannon Lippert, narrated by Heather Rose Jones. A transcript of this podcast is available here. Links to the Lesbian Historic Motif Project Online Website: http://alpennia.com/lhmp Blog: http://alpennia.com/blog RSS: http:...

On the Shelf for August 2026 The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 349 with Heather Rose Jones Your monthly roundup of history, news, and the field of sapphic historical fiction. In this episode we talk about: A brief recap of the podcast’s history. Recent and upcoming publications covered on the blog Roulston, Chris & Caroline Gonda, eds. 2023. Decoding Anne Lister: From the Archives t...

10th Anniversary Special: Interview with Linda Garber The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 348 with Heather Rose Jones An interview with Professor Linda Garber about her research into lesbian historical fiction. Books and Media Mentioned Garber, Linda. 2022. Novel Approaches to Lesbian History. Palgrave. ISBN 978-3030854164 Cruikshank, M. (ed) 1982. Lesbian Studies: Present and Future. The...

On the Shelf for June & July 2026 The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 347 with Heather Rose Jones Your monthly roundup of history, news, and the field of sapphic historical fiction. In this episode we talk about: Recent and upcoming publications covered on the blog Moore, Lisa L. 2005. “Queer Gardens: Mary Delany's Flowers and Friendships” in Eighteenth-Century Studies Vol. 39, No. 1...

Women and Same-Sex Marriage in Western History (Reprise) The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 346 with Heather Rose Jones In this episode we talk about strategies for getting your historical protagonists hitched across the centuries. How the concepts of “women”, “same-sex”, and “marriage” are being defined for the purpose of this discussion Cultures that may have supported marriage between...

So You’re Writing a Sapphic Historical Romance: Questions to Consider (Reprise) The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 345 with Heather Rose Jones In this episode we talk about the questions to ask about sapphic relationships and how they are perceived in your story’s setting: How easy is it to live outside of the heterosexual marriage paradigm? What are the economic, legal, and religious co...

When Did We Become Lesbians? (Reprise) The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 344 with Heather Rose Jones In this episode we talk about: The history of words for women who loved women throughout recorded European history. What words were used? Where did they come from? What shades of meaning did they have? How did those meanings change over time? A transcript of this podcast is available her...

Salt for the Unmarried by Khayelihle Benghu The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 343 with Heather Rose Jones This quarter’s fiction episode presents Salt for the Unmarried by Khayelihle Benghu, narrated by Heather Rose Jones. A transcript of this podcast is available here. Links to the Lesbian Historic Motif Project Online Website: http://alpennia.com/lhmp Blog: http://alpennia.com/blog RS...

A Guide to the Sapphic Regency The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 342 with Heather Rose Jones In this episode we talk about: Demographics and economics affecting f/f couples Legal and religious considerations Friendship and romance Affection and sex The language of lesbianism Models of gender and sexuality Bibliography 18th Century Precursors Bennett, Judith M. & Amy M. Froide eds. 1...

On the Shelf for May 2026 The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 341 with Heather Rose Jones Your monthly roundup of history, news, and the field of sapphic historical fiction. In this episode we talk about: Say hi at GCLS Recent and upcoming publications covered on the blog Traub, Valerie. 1996. “The Perversion of ‘Lesbian’ Desire” in History Workshop Journal 41:19-49. Goode, Dawn M. 2008....

Mary/Charles Hamilton: The Original Female Husband The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 340 with Heather Rose Jones In this episode we talk about: The factual story of Mary/Charles Hamilton Henry Fielding’s fictional version in The Female Husband The larger historic and literary context Sources mentioned Baker, S. 1959. “Henry Fielding’s The Female Husband: Fact and Fiction” in PMLA, 74 pp...

On the Shelf for April 2026 The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 339 with Heather Rose Jones Your monthly roundup of history, news, and the field of sapphic historical fiction. In this episode we talk about: Exciting news about the next season of Bridgerton. The upcoming 10th anniversary Recent and upcoming publications covered on the blog Fielding, Henry. 1746. The Female Husband: or, the...

Anne Bonny, Mary Read, and the Invention of Lesbian Pirates The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 338 with Heather Rose Jones In this episode we talk about: Female pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read in the General History of the Pyrates The motif of “lesbian Bonny & Read” Bonny and Read in lesbian historical fiction Sources mentioned Wikipedia entry: Women in Piracy Women Pirates and the...

On the Shelf for March 2026 The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 337 with Heather Rose Jones Your monthly roundup of history, news, and the field of sapphic historical fiction. In this episode we talk about: Gentleman Jack (ballet) by the Northern Ballet Company Northern Ballet Company You Tube channel Recent and upcoming publications covered on the blog Mourão, Manuela. 1999. “The represe...

Aye, There’s the Rub The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 336 with Heather Rose Jones In this episode we talk about: Vocabulary for women-loving women referring to “rubbing” Shifts of meaning and usage What too many authors get wrong Sources mentioned: see transcript A transcript of this podcast is available here. Links to the Lesbian Historic Motif Project Online Website: http://alpennia....

On the Shelf for February 2026 The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 335 with Heather Rose Jones Your monthly roundup of history, news, and the field of sapphic historical fiction. In this episode we talk about: The 2026 fiction line-up: “Between One Word and the Next” by L.J. Lee “Love for Love’s Sake” by Shannon Lippert “Salt for the Unmarried” by Khayelihle Benghu The Sultan’s Vetala by...

Fiction Double-Header: Down By the Tumbling Stream by E C Hallewell & Where You Go by Jennifer Nestojko The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 334 with Heather Rose Jones This quarter’s fiction episode presents two stories: "Down By the Tumbling Stream" EC Hallewell, narrated by Heather Rose Jones. "Where You Go" Jennifer Nestojko, narrated by Heather Rose Jones. A transcript of this pod...

Our F/Favorite Tropes Part 19: Age Gap The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 333 with Heather Rose Jones In this episode we talk about: The historic and social context of age-differentiated pairings of various genders Why the “age gap” trope tends to be restricted to f/f romance Historic contexts for age-gap relationships A transcript of this podcast is available here. Links to the Lesbian...

On the Shelf for January 2026 The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 332 with Heather Rose Jones Your monthly roundup of history, news, and the field of sapphic historical fiction. In this episode we talk about: Summary of the Project in 2025 Recent and upcoming publications covered on the blog Xie, Wenjuan. 2015. (Trans)Culturally Transgendered: Reading Transgender Narratives in (Late) Impe...

Jane Austen Birthday Celebration The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 331 with Heather Rose Jones In this episode we talk about: The social structures in Jane Austen’s novels in which same-sex relationships could develop A tour through the sapphic potential in each of Austen’s works A survey of Austen-inspired sapphic historical fiction, demonstrating some of that potential Austen-based fi...

On the Shelf for December 2025 The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode # with Heather Rose Jones Your monthly roundup of history, news, and the field of sapphic historical fiction. In this episode we talk about: Accomplishments and upcoming milestones A podcast that listeners may be interested in: Our Dyke Histories Recent publications covered on the blog Levin-Richardson, Sarah. 2013. “Futut...

Ma’am, This is a Fruit Stand by Maya Dworsky-Rocha The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 329 with Heather Rose Jones This quarter’s fiction episode presents "Ma’am, This is a Fruit Stand" by Maya Dworsky-Rocha, narrated and music composition and performance by Heather Rose Jones. A transcript of this podcast is available here. Links to the Lesbian Historic Motif Project Online Website: http...