Unruly Figures

This week, historian and host Valorie Clark is covering the legendary pirate Princess Alfhild, who ran away from her betrothed to become a pirate with a gang of girls who also wanted to escape marriage. This podcast is sponsored by Audible. Get a free trial of Audible, including one free audiobook! Go to audibletrial.com/unruly to learn more. As always, you can get ad-free versions of the episode,...

This week, historian and host Valorie Clark is covering the incredible life of Yasuke, the first known Black samurai in Japan. This podcast is sponsored by Ritual. Try Ritual or expand your subscription, go to ritual.com/unruly to learn more. As always, you can get ad-free versions of the episode, and much much more on the Unruly Figures Substack: http://unrulyfigures.substack.com  There, you can...

Welcome to season 3 of Unruly Figures! We have a couple of exciting changes to the show: New backing music! Huge thanks to Danny Wolf of Wolf and Love for creating this! The Unruly Figures shop is now open! All merch is 15% off until September 10 2023 to celebrate--use code LAUNCH15 This week, historian and host Valorie Clark is covering the incredible--and artistic--life of Blanche Ames Ames, an...

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This week, historian and host Valorie Clark is covering the rebellious life of Mekatilili wa Menza, a key figure in the grassroots fight against British colonization in Kenya. This podcast is sponsored by Audible. Get a free trial of Audible, including one free audiobook! Go to audibletrial.com/unruly to learn more. As always, you can get ad-free versions of the episode, and much much more on the...

This week, historian and host Valorie Clark is covering the amazing life of Sarah Bernhardt, the incredible French actress of the nineteenth century. She was not only an impressive stage actress, she was also a great sculptor and a pioneer of modern celebrity. Want to hear Bernhardt's ethereal and incredible voice? Bernhardt reciting Racine in 1902: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKa7JleYqm8&...

This week, historian and host Valorie Clark is covering the amazing life of Sylvia Rivera, an icon of queer history. She was at Stonewall (maybe), started the first activist group working for trans rights, and more. This podcast is sponsored by Audible. Get a free trial of Audible, including one free audiobook! Go to audibletrial.com/unruly to learn more. As always, you can get ad-free versions of...

This week, historian and host Valorie Clark is covering the amazing life of Alan Turing, who you might remember as the computer genius that Benedict Cumberbatch played in The Imitation Game . In this episode, Valorie dives deep into the inspiration behind Turing's biggest breakthroughs in computing technology, the questions that occupied him after WWII, and the conspiracy theories which surrou...

This week, historian and host Valorie Clark is covering the amazing life of Hans Christian Andersen, who you might remember as the author behind "The Little Mermaid." Though Ariel and The Ugly Duckling are probably two of Andersen's most famous characters, he was an incredibly prolific writer who wrote hundreds of stories during his life. In this episode, Valorie tackles the myths he...

This week, historian and host Valorie Clark is covering the amazing tale of the Polly Adler, remembered as New York's greatest madam. She immigrated to the US from Russia, destined for a life of poverty and struggle, but rose above it to dizzying heights of money and glamour--and crime. As always, you can get ad-free versions of the episode, and much much more on the Unruly Figures Substack: ...

This week, historian and host Valorie Clark is covering the amazing tale of the 1930s race car driver and Grand Prix team owner, Lucy Schell. She was the first ever female Grand Prix team manager, and in the 1938 season, she fielded a revolutionary car driven by a talented Jewish driver to beat the Nazis. Listen to learn more about their under-dog win. As always, you can get ad-free versions of th...

Today, host & historian Valorie Clark is finally getting around to answering your questions from the first ever Unruly Figures AMA! If you want to ask questions in the next AMA (or listen to the full version of this bonus episode) you can do that on the Unruly Figures Substack . 

This week, historian and host Valorie Clark is covering the third and final part of the story of Catherine de Medici, the famous Florentine Queen of France who would go on to be remembered as the Serpent Queen. Is her historical reputation fair or not?  Listen to find out. As always, you can get ad-free versions of the episode, and much much more on the Unruly Figures Substack: http://unrulyf...

This week, historian and host Valorie Clark is covering the second part of the story of Catherine de Medici, the famous Florentine Queen of France who would go on to be remembered as the Serpent Queen. Is her historical reputation fair or not?  Listen to find out. As always, you can get ad-free versions of the episode, and much much more on the Unruly Figures Substack: http://unrulyfigures.su...

This week, historian and host Valorie Clark is covering Catherine de Medici, the famous Florentine Queen of France who would go on to be remembered as the Serpent Queen. Is her historical reputation fair or not?  Listen to find out.  As always, you can get ad-free versions of the episode, and much much more on the Unruly Figures Substack: http://unrulyfigures.substack.com That's always w...

This week, historian and host Valorie Clark is covering Zheng Yi Sao, the Chinese Pirate Queen and the greatest pirate to have ever lived.  As always, you can get ad-free versions of the episode on the Unruly Figures Substack: http://unrulyfigures.substack.com That's always where you can find transcripts of each episode, photos of each episode's subject, and behind-the-scenes goodies. So come...

In this episode, historian and host Valorie Clark covers the mysterious and harrowing tale of Herman the Recluse, the monk who might have done a deal with the devil to save his own life.  As always, you can get ad-free versions of the episode, and much much more on the Unruly Figures Substack: http://unrulyfigures.substack.com That's always where you can find transcripts of each episode, phot...

In this episode, historian and host Valorie Clark covers Qamar-ol-Moluk Vaziri. Better known as simply Qamar, this singer became known as the Queen of Persian Music, and is still beloved by people today. But to become the queen, she had to break the rules--like singing in public and performing without a hijab in front of men. As always, you can get ad-free versions of the episode, and much much mo...

In the season 2 premiere, historian and host Valorie Clark covers the earliest known female ruler in history: Queen Kubaba. She rose from brewing beer to ruling a city-state in ancient Sumer, an ascent historians are still trying to figure out.  This podcast is sponsored by Ritual. Visit ritual.com/unruly for 30% off your new Ritual subscription. As always, you can get ad-free versions of the epis...

Season two is coming on September 20, 2022! Tune in with historian and host Valorie Clark to learn more about what to expect for the new season of Unruly Figures right here. 

In the season 1 finale, historian and host Valorie Clark covers two famous rebel siblings: Sophie and Hans Scholl. These two college students in Munich rebelled against the Nazi regime by publishing pamphlets and leading the resistance group The White Rose. They, along with several others, ended up giving up their lives for their beliefs and are remembered as brave martyrs for the resistance. As a...

This week, historian and host Valorie Clark covers the Marquis de Lafayette, the famous French aristocrat known as the father of two worlds for his defining roles in both the American and French revolutions.  As always, you can get ad-free versions of the episode, and much much more on the Unruly Figures Substack: http://unrulyfigures.substack.com That's always where you can find transcripts...

This week, your host Valorie Clark is covering Nobuko Yoshiya, one of modern Japan's most famous and beloved female novelists. In addition to living a publicly queer life in early 20th century Japan, she was a pioneer of Class S fiction and a foundational writer for today's popular shōjo manga.  As always, you can get ad-free versions of the episode, and much much more on the Unruly Figures S...

This week your host Valorie Clark is covering Stormé DeLarverie, the queer, biracial drag king who threw the first punch at the Stonewall Uprising.  As always, you can get ad-free versions of the episode, and much much more on the Unruly Figures Substack: http://unrulyfigures.substack.com That's always where you can find transcripts of each episode, photos of each episode's subject, and behin...

This week on Unruly Figures I'm covering Jane, better known as the Jane Collective.  As always, you can get ad-free versions of the episode, and much much more on the Unruly Figures Substack: http://unrulyfigures.substack.com That's always where you can find transcripts of each episode, photos of each episode's subject, and behind-the-scenes goodies. So come join us!