Episodes

Many of us were lucky enough to grow up on Jim Henson's magical film, Labyrinth. But what is it about the film and its female protagonist that speaks to so many? In memory of the late David Bowie and celebrating the film's 30th anniversary, Charlotte, Megan, and Lucy discuss why the film remains such an important and landmark fantasy film.

This Monday marked the 30th anniversary of Labyrinth’s release (in the US). In these three decades, the entire world has been captivated by the story of teenager Sarah and her adventures in the labyrinth. The film is dark, imaginative, and strangely relatable for such a weird fantasy world. With David Bowie’s sexually charged performance, Jim Henson’s […] The post Labyrinth first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Megan Leigh interviews fantasy writer Ben Peek. The discussion covers his gender and ethnically diverse Children Trilogy, tropes of female characters in fantasy, and the pitfalls involved with marketing writers must navigate once they secure a publishing deal.

This week on Breaking the Glass Slipper, I interview Aussie fantasy writer Ben Peek. If you aren’t familiar with Ben’s writing, show your support for an emerging talent by buying his books! His most recent publication is Leviathan’s Blood, the second in the Children Trilogy. The first in the series, The Godless, set-up an intriguing and original […] The post Interview with Ben Peek first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Today’s episode is an interruption to our previously scheduled episode, an interview with Ben Peek. Fear not, we will post the interview next time. In the meantime, a controversy amongst the SFF community was recently sparked by a British educator when he posted a blog about the dangers of exposing children to fantasy. When we […] The post Samantha Shannon on the imagination of the child first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

When a headteacher in the UK wrote a blog decrying fantasy and science fiction books, purporting that they are damaging to children's minds, YA author Samantha Shannon hit back with a commentary piece in The Guardian. We invited her to join us and discuss the importance of exposure to the fantastical at a young age.

How hard is it to write characters of the opposite gender? Are there merits to gender stereotypes in writing? Lucy, Charlotte, and Megan discuss gender in terms of their own writing and reading experiences.

When you set out to write a novel or short story, do you find yourself naturally writing a male protagonist? What about peripheral characters, do you unconsciously refer to them as he? Gender is an inescapable part of character development. An author must choose what gender to make their characters just as they decide cultural […] The post Writing gender first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Episode 2 of Breaking the Glass Slipper features host Lucy Hounsom interviewing fantasy writer Jen Williams. Williams is the author of the Copper Cat trilogy (The Copper Promise, The Iron Ghost, and The Silver Tide).

This week, host Lucy Hounsom interviews Jen Williams. Jen Williams is the author of The Copper Cat trilogy: The Copper Promise, The Iron Ghost, and The Silver Tide, and is currently working on the first book in a new fantasy series. Along with writer Den Patrick, Jen runs the Super Relaxed Fantasy Club in London on […] The post Interview with Jen Williams first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Welcome to the brand new podcast, Breaking the Glass Slipper. There are so many wonderful women writers of science fiction, fantasy, and horror but they are often overlooked. We ask why gender inequality continues to pervade best of lists and where the bottleneck may lie. If you’re interested in any of the lists or articles […] The post Gender inequality in ‘best of’ lists first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

The very first episode of a new podcast discussing women (writers and characters) in science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Hosted by Megan Leigh, Charlotte Bond, and Lucy Hounsom. This week's topic is best of lists and the gender inequality in them we see time and time again.