Women Making History

On this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Way Back When" History Podcast, we explore the powerful story of the Amazon Army March of 1921 in Southeast Kansas. Thousands of women — armed not with weapons, but with pots, pans, and unshakable courage — marched to support miners demanding fair working conditions. This occurred on the historic Jefferson Highway. Featured guests are: - Phyllis Bitner – Chair...

On this episode of Big Blend Radio, author Sarah May discusses her inspiring memoir, She Journeys: A Memoir of Heartbreak and Homecoming (She Writes Press, Sept. 9, 2025). Through her personal story, Sarah shares how she overcame heartbreak, trauma, and toxic relationships, ultimately creating a life rooted in freedom, gratitude, and love. In this heartfelt conversation, Sarah reflects on the impo...

On this episode of Big Blend Radio, award-winning author Hendrika de Vries discusses her moving and reflective new memoir, “Open Turns” (She Writes Press, September 2, 2025). From surviving Nazi-occupied Amsterdam as a child to navigating immigration and competitive swimming in 1950s Australia, Hendrika shares her remarkable coming-of-age story of survival, strength, and self-discovery. As a teena...

In this episode of Big Blend Radio, author Sam Davey talks about her powerful new novel "The Chosen Queen," a feminist reimagining of the Pendragon prophecy told through the eyes of Igraine—Arthur’s mother and a woman of great strength, wisdom, and influence. Shifting the spotlight from kings and knights to queens and mothers, this is a story about power, destiny, and the women who shaped legend....

In this episode of Big Blend Radio’s World of Art podcast, artist and art historian Victoria Chick shares the remarkable life and legacy of Fanny Adele Watson (1873–1947), a pioneering American artist whose work—especially her landscapes and depictions of national parks—stood out in a male-dominated art world. The conversation explores Watson’s unique artistic voice, her influences, and the histor...

Celebrate National Moonshine Day with this spirited episode of Big Blend Radio as we dive into the Moonshiner, Bootlegger, and Temperance history of Kansas. Featured guests include Kenneth J. Peak, author of Kansas Bootleggers and Kansas Temperance, and Phyllis Bitner, Chair of the Miners Hall Museum Foundation. This fascinating conversation explores the complex world of moonshining and bootleggin...

In this episode of Big Blend Radio's JEFFERSON HIGHWAY Show, we chat with Jordan Boyd, Executive Director of the Dobson Museum and Home in Miami, Oklahoma — a must-visit destination located along both the historic Jefferson Highway and Route 66. Discover how the Dobson Museum serves as a vibrant cultural hub, preserving the history of Ottawa County and honoring the vision of Nellie Dobson, who aim...

In honor of Military Appreciation Month, this inspiring episode of Big Blend Radio’s “Women Making History” podcast shines a spotlight on the untold and often overlooked stories of women in wartime —from espionage to frontline heroism. Featured Guests: Glynn Burrows shares the legacies of nurse Edith Cavell and WWII’s Jeannie MacIntosh. 🔗 https://norfolk-tours.co.uk/   📖 https://blendradioandtv....

Who was Louise-Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun—and why is one of history’s most successful female artists still relatively unknown? 📘 In this episode, historian and biographer Judith Lissauer Cromwell shares insights from her new book: “Louise-Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun: Portrait of an Artist, 1755–1842.” From 18th-century France to exile during the French Revolution, discover how this trailblazing portrait...

In this empowering episode of Big Blend Radio’s "Books & Authors Show" with Books Forward, we chat with debut author Deb Miller and her daughter Hadley Edwards about Deb’s inspiring new memoir, Forget the Fairy Tale and Find Your Happiness (She Writes Press, June 24, 2025). Blending memoir with cultural commentary, Deb shares how she broke free from the traditional "happily-ever-after" narrati...

In this heartwarming and inspiring episode of Big Blend Radio, we raise a year-round toast to the incredible women who shape our lives — celebrating motherhood in all its forms. From powerful personal stories to fascinating insights into the animal kingdom and human history, this special show goes far beyond a single day of recognition. Nancy J. Reid & Lisa D. Smith, the mother-daughter duo be...

In celebration of National Parks Week, we're revisiting this Big Blend Radio interview with landscape artist and soft pastelist Beth Williams, and her daughter, Hailey Williams who is a writer and poet. The very first pair of mother and daughter artists chosen for the National Parks Arts Foundation's artist-in-residence program, they spent September 2019 immersed in their artistic and environmenta...

The wine industry is experiencing a lot of change. From climate change and water issues to demographic spending shifts, wineries must navigate these changes to stay relevant and successful. This shared episode of Big Blend Radio's "Wine Time with Peggy" podcast focuses on Wine & Food Trends in Arizona, as well as the growing wine and culinary scene in Greater Phoenix and Scottsdale.  ON THIS E...

Celebrating Women's History Month, this episode of Big Blend Radio features award-winning journalist Maura Casey who discusses her debut memoir, "Saving Ellen: A Memoir of Hope and Recovery” (Skyhorse Publishing, April 1, 2025). The book crafts a vivid and poignant narrative of a working-class family’s resilience in the face of a terminal diagnosis. Growing up in a family torn by addiction and fin...

We all know Vincent van Gogh, but who was the powerhouse woman who turned his failed art career into an international success? In celebration of Women's History Month, and the birth anniversary of artist Vincent van Gogh (March 30, 1853), this episode of Big Blend Radio features author Joan Fernandez who discusses her book, "Saving Vincent: A Novel of Jo van Gogh." Releasing April 15, 2025 through...

Celebrate the end of Women's History Month with this episode of Big Blend Radio that features author Iris Mitlin Lav, who discusses her historical novel, "Gitel's Freedom."  This depression-era book shares the story of Jewish immigrants and one woman’s journey toward personal freedom. It's a compelling tale of women’s resourcefulness and resilience amid limiting and often oppressive expectations....

Celebrate International Women in Music Day with this "Blast from the Past" episode of Big Blend Radio (2017) featuring Swedish performer, rock star and “field artist” Nina Söderquist. Hear about her music career and success in London's West End with the musical SPAMALOT, her music career, and single at the time “Goodbye”, a duet with Björn Skifs (Blue Swede, “Hooked on a Feeling”).  More: www. Nin...

In celebration of Women's History Month, this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Women Making History" Podcast shines the spotlight on six noteworthy American Women who made a positive impact across the country and around the world. Featured guests are travel writers Barbara Redding, Jo Clark, Kathleen Walls, and Linda Ballou. ON THIS EPISODE: - TEXAS WOMEN - Barbara Redding discusses Claudia Alta "Lad...

Celebrate Women's History Month with this shared episode of Big Blend Radio's "Tales of Southwest Artist Ted DeGrazia" Podcast. Featuring Lance Laber, Executive Director of the DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun, this episode focuses on some of the noteworthy women in Southwest Artist Ted DeGrazia's life including his Mother, first wife Alexandra Diamos, second wife artist Marion DeGrazia, Carol Locust -...

Celebrate Women's History Month with this shared episode of Big Blend Radio's "Lost Angel Travel Adventures with Linda Ballou" Podcast. Linda talks about seven formidable women in history that she admires, with two being inspirations behind her books "Wai-Nani" and "Embrace of the Wild."  Hear about author Simone de Beauvoir, Ka’ahumanu who was the favorite wife of Kamehameha the Great, adventurer...

This episode of Big Blend Radio’s 3rd Monday “Food, Wine & Travel” Show with IFWTWA features travel writer and author Emily Molina who discusses her book, "Tacoma's Tall Ship: The Extraordinary Journey of the Odyssey," out now through Arcadia Publishing.  In 1978, the Odyssey, a 90-foot wooden yawl, arrived in Tacoma to serve as a training vessel and beloved landmark, standing tall in the harb...

Happy St. Patrick's Day! With March being National Reading Month, Irish-American Heritage Month, and Women's History Month, we're revisiting this episode of Big Blend Radio featuring author and travel writer Anna Marie Jehorek. Hear about her travel adventures and two women’s fiction novels, “The Cottage on Lough Key" and “The House With the Georgian Door,” which are both set in Ireland. More:  ht...

Celebrate National Quilting Day with this "From the Vault" episode of Big Blend Radio's 1st Friday "Toast to The Arts & Parks" Show featuring fiber artist Nancy Hershberger, who talks about her experience as the National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF) artist-in-residence in Fort Union National Monument in Northern New Mexico. Nancy's art quilts have been shown in exhibitions in the US and intern...

Travel blogger Kim Dinan quit her job, sold her home in Portland and convinced her husband to embark on a round-the-world travel adventure with no timeline or particular destination in mind. On the eve of their departure, they received an unusual going away gift from friends…a yellow envelope with $1,000 and three simple instructions for giving it away during their travels: Rule #1: Don’t over thi...

In observance of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, listen to this "From the Vault" Big Blend Radio interview with Diane Reeve. Known as ‘The New Face of HIV’, Diane Reeve talks about how her ex-fiance cheated on her and knowingly infected her (along with numerous other women) with HIV. Her gut-wrenching journey for justice is documented in her memoir written with Jenna Glatzer, ‘Sta...