Alexis Coe, No Man's Land

No Man’s Land is a podcast about women who were too bad for your textbooks. It is hosted by Alexis Coe, the in-house historian for The Wing, a network of work and community spaces for women.

This is one of my favourite podcasts that I have listened to in the last year. As Coe introduces the woman at the centre of each podcast the music builds up into a powerful crescendo like a boxer entering the ring.

Coe’s work as an historian is phenomenally important; to teach us about the women who have gone before us. Feminists I admire have been talking about being a good ancestor (Layla F Saad has her podcast Good Ancestor, Rachel Cargle, Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman) and I have been finding it incredibly rewarding to learn about the women who have gone before me, what their lives were like, and everything they have achieved.

My favourite episode was ‘Four Women, One Devastating Allegation’. This episode focuses on how the classification of homosexual love as a mental disorder came about and the effect it has had on so many lives. It all starts with the fascinating story of the relationship between Alice Mitchell and Freda Ward. I wanted to learn more so I bought a copy of Coe’s book Alice and Freda Forever which is unlike any other book I have ever read. In the introduction Coe writes;

“While I offer historical context in the pages that follow, this is very much about Alice and Freda’s short-lived romance. To tell that story- with so few primary sources, and even fewer trustworthy ones among them- I have strained to hear their voices in the archives, newspapers, medical journals, school catalogues, courtroom proceedings, and of course, their love letters.”

What follows is truly unique. Letters the girls sent to each other, newspaper clippings, illustrations by Sally Klann and woven around it is Coe’s narrative of Alice and Freda’s lives.

We are eagerly anticipating No Man’s Land series two! Alexis has her own website where you can read more about her work alexiscoe.com.

See a rundown of the podcast episodes below;

Women's Social Clubs

When Charles Dickens banned women from dinner, FDR forced Japanese Americans into Internment Camps, and symbolic Civil Rights Legislation was in peril, Women's Social Clubs were the solution. Get to know clubwomen of yore, who were so much more than the white-gloved-ladies-who-lunch that they've been reduced to.

Ana Mendieta

In this episode, we don't let Ana Mendieta's untimely death overshadow her pioneering work. Thanks to our presenting sponsor SAP. To learn more, visit sap.com/womenforward.

Four Women, One Devastating Allegation

Four women who lived a hundred years apart, connected by one devastating allegation: Alice Mitchell was the origin, Dr. Evelyn Hooker was the pioneer, and Barbara Gittings and Kay Lahusen the heroes.

Ida B. Wells

Ida B. Wells was the most famous black woman in America during her lifetime--but how did that happen? We travel to Memphis and learn about the moment that changed the rest of her life--and put her in mortal danger.

Sylvia Plath

Meet the real Sylvia Plath--who is far more than a phase.

Queenie

Queenie was a 1920s Harlem gangster who ruled the illegal numbers game until she disappeared. We set out to find her.