In Walks a Woman

About In Walks a Woman

We take on old and new stories and ask how they have shaped us. Sonja's a historian and Vanessa's a literary scholar, and both are experienced educators. In Walks a Woman podcast is educational, engaging, and relatable. Visit our website: inwalksawoman.com. Support our work on Patreon: patreon.com/InWalksaWoman and follow us on Instagram @inwalksawoman

Publisher

Books, History, Culture, Feminism

Category

arts

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

4 Jan 2025

Latest episode

9 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

89 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   9 Oct 2026

   87. Netflix's Lizzie Borden: Truth or Male Fantasy? with Rachel McCarthy James

   Content note: This episode discusses sexual violence, which is depicted in the Netflix series. Please make sure this episode is a good fit for you. In a spoiler-filled review of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan's eight-part series MONSTER: THE LIZZIE BORDEN STORY, ax expert Rachel McCarthy James joins us in the studio to discuss how closely the show follows the historical record. Were Lizzie and her maid, Bridget, in a sexual relationship? Was Lizzie obsessed with doves? How similar is the house in the show to the actual Borden house? Did Mr. Borden really have a closet full of axes with women's names? How did Lizzie clean up a double ax murder in thirty minutes? Did she even commit the crime? And, perhaps most importantly, we tackle the pressing question of whether cherry trees can bloom and bear ripe cherries at the same time, from April to June. If you don't plan to watch the show (and no one would think less of you), this is still a great episode for learning the true story of Lizzie Borden from Rachel McCarthy James, author of WHACK JOB: A HISTORY OF AXE MURDER, and for a look at how men tell women's stories. For starters, the series throws in nearly every woman ever linked to murder: Aileen Wuornos, Elizabeth Báthory, and Bertha Manchester all somehow make an appearance. Created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, written by Brennan, and with six of its eight episodes directed by Max Winkler, the series may end up being a revealing window into how men think about women in 2026. Rather than shedding light on Lizzie Borden, it tells us more about what men think they understand about female relationships, psychology, and rage. Along the way, Sonja does her Beavis and Butt-Head impression, Vanessa asks about imperforate hymens, and Rachel recommends a good "beginner murder weapon." REFERENCES: Rachel McCarthy James's 2025 book, WHACK JOB: A HISTORY OF AXE MURDER (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=whack+job&crid=2U9UIZ1BTGTI1&sprefix=whack+job%2Caps%2C280&ref=nb_sb_noss_1), is a far more reliable source on Lizzie and all things axe-related. Plus, it's a fascinating read! We also recommend THE MAN FROM THE TRAIN: THE SOLVING OF A CENTURY-OLD SERIAL KILLER MYSTERY (https://www.amazon.com/Man-Train-Solving-Century-Old-Mystery-ebook/dp/B01M4QEECQ/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=iXFxk&content-id=amzn1.sym.ac827e48-2948-4721-83ef-3e7648ac35cb&pf_rd_p=ac827e48-2948-4721-83ef-3e7648ac35cb&pf_rd_r=140-2862875-5519024&pd_rd_wg=1zgm1&pd_rd_r=eab47a46-e648-48c5-8df2-f55e76d3dd16), co-authored by Rachel McCarthy James and her father, baseball statistician Bill James. It's a great read! If you, too, missed the wild song about vaginas in THE LIZZIE BORDEN STORY, check out Episode 2 and fast-forward to the scene where the rotten oyster soup is made.

2. 

   2 Oct 2026

   86. Buried Treasure: Clay Wirestone's OPINIONATED on the Women Who Wrote Kansas

   Clay Wirestone, award-winning opinion editor at the Kansas Reflector, was so generous to join us in studio for a great interview about his new book, Opinionated: Kansas Journalists Who Proved Why Commentary Matters — Then and Now, published by the University Press of Kansas. In his impressive tour of Kansas journalism from the 1920s to the 1970s, Clay honors some truly remarkable women who helped build and sustain their communities through their writing. Clay shares wonderful details about Mamie Boyd of Mankato, Zula Bennington Greene of Topeka, Donna Burough Opat of Lindsborg, and Lucile Bluford, who edited the Kansas City Call. We talk about a time when newspapers were truly local, and the people writing them were deeply woven into the lives of their towns. These women wrote about their neighbors, their politics, and their daily lives, and much of that writing has been lost, buried in the archives of small towns, some of which are nearly ghost towns today. Clay's book brings their words back into the light. Kansas is remarkable for so many reasons, and its legacy of fearless local opinion writing is one of them. As an opinion writer himself, Clay isn't studying the craft from the outside. He explores these columnists with the insight of someone who knows exactly what it takes to put your opinions in print, week after week, for the community you call home.

3. 

   13 Sept 2026

   85. Kristin Hannah's THE WOMEN, a Nurse's Perspective, with Carmen Caffey

   Content Note: This episode discusses war, physical trauma and injury, PTSD, and suicide, as portrayed in the novel and in the historical record. Please take care while listening, and feel free to skip or pause as needed. IWAW Welcomes Guest Reader, Carmen Caffey RN: This episode takes a closer look at Kristin Hannah's #1 bestselling novel THE WOMEN (St. Martin's Press, 2024), the story of Frances "Frankie" McGrath, a young nurse who serves with the U.S. Army Nurse Corps during the Vietnam War and returns home to a country that isn't ready to see her. Joining us is guest reader Carmen Caffey, a nurse who specializes in burn trauma care and is also a cancer survivor. Carmen brings a clinician's eye to the novel, weighing in on the medical realities of trauma nursing. Sonja rounds out the conversation with historical research into how Vietnam veterans were received upon returning home, the long fight to recognize the women who served as nurses, oral history projects that have preserved their stories, and the progress made over the decades to honor them. If you've read THE WOMEN, this episode is a chance to get a medical and historical perspective on the events in the novel. Thank you for listening. If this episode brought up anything difficult, please reach out to someone you trust, or to a crisis or veterans' support line in your area. REFERENCES: Echoes of the War (https://www.vvmf.org/topics/Women-in-Vietnam/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=10392813115&gbraid=0AAAAADtEeMPQ1VdIulOoL4kP77rDUUBcG&gclid=CjwKCAjwvZHTBhAlEiwA1ug5P5IvZ_xX2Hwm-xfldhjTvSIok3GlUGGFzySnElwG0LwwrCY7g5839RoCcukQAvD_BwE) podcast Myth of the spat-on Vietnam veteran (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myth_of_the_spat-on_Vietnam_veteran) The Spitting Image: Myth, Memory, and the Legacy of Vietnam (https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt9qggh9.4?seq=2) by Jerry Lembcke Argues that contrary to popular myth, relations between veterans and antiwar activists were mutually empathetic and supportive for the most part Diane Carlson Evan’s book: Healing Wounds (https://www.amazon.com/Healing-Wounds-Vietnam-10-Year-Washington-ebook/dp/B086HS8S7B?ref_=ast_author_mpb) Diane Carlson Evans: “The memorial was established not only to honor those women who served, but also for the families who lost loved ones in the war, so they would know about the women who provided comfort, care, and a human touch for those who were suffering and dying.” VVMF.org (http://vvmf.org) Remember, if you'd like a chance to be a guest reader and pick a book and visit with us on the show, there is a chance in February 2027. We are proud faculty of Bishop Seabury Academy, (https://www.seaburyacademy.org/) and if you get in touch at iwawpod@gmail.com, we'll get you set up to bid on the chance. You can do this from literally anywhere in the world! We'd love to have you suggest a new read to us, and we'd love to hear your thoughts on it in 2027--and you'd be supporting a wonderful independent school in Lawrence, Kansas.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

22 ratings

Spotify

4.9 / 5

61 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 37 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

53

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

51

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