Womanica

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Latest Episodes:

Word Weavers: Toni Morrison May 02, 2025

Show notes

Toni Morrison (1931-2019) was a groundbreaking writer and the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993. Her works, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Beloved—where she coined the word "rememory"—explore race, identity, and the legacies of slavery. Morrison’s profound storytelling has made her one of the most influential voices in American literature.

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This month, we’re talking about Word Weavers — people who coined terms, popularized words, and even created entirely new languages. These activists, writers, artists, and scholars used language to shape ideas and give voice to experiences that once had no name.

History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.

Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.

Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Sara Schleede, Paloma Moreno Jimenez, Luci Jones, Abbey Delk, Adrien Behn, Alyia Yates, Vanessa Handy, Melia Agudelo, and Joia Putnoi. Special thanks to Shira Atkins.

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Cultivators: Janaki Ammal Apr 30, 2025

Show notes

E. K. Janaki Ammal (1897-1984) was a botanist and cytogenecist, referred to as India’s first woman botanist. She gained expertise in crossbreeding hybrid species of plants while studying at the University of Michigan, where she became the first Indian woman to earn a Ph.D in botany in the U.S. She is best known for her work to improve India’s native sugarcane, which led to India ending its imports of the crop and becoming independent. She went on to fight for the preservation of India’s indigenous plants and end deforestation as a part of the 1970s Save Silent Valley movement.

For Further Reading:

This month, we’re talking about cultivators — women who nurtured, cross-pollinated, experimented, or went to great lengths to better understand and protect the natural world.

Original theme music composed by Brittany Martinez.

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Cultivators: Berta Isabel Cáceres Flores Apr 29, 2025

Show notes

Berta Isabel Cáceres Flores (1971-2016) was a Honduran environmental activist who spent decades leading various land and water struggles in western Honduras. In 1993 she helped found and coordinate the Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras, known by its Spanish acronym COPINH. In the late 2000s, Berta organized a lasting resistance to the construction of the Agua Zarca Dam on the Gualcarque River, whose construction violated the rights of indigenous peoples, and would have effectively cut them off from important resources. She was awarded the 2015 Goldman Environmental Prize (the highest honor in the field) for her success in stopping the dam’s construction through grassroots movements.

For Further Reading:

This month, we’re talking about cultivators — women who nurtured, cross-pollinated, experimented, or went to great lengths to better understand and protect the natural world.

Original theme music composed by Brittany Martinez.

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Cultivators: Rahibai Soma Popere Apr 28, 2025

Show notes

Rahibai Soma Popere (1964 - present) is an Indian farmer known for her work preserving indigenous seed varieties and promoting sustainable agriculture. She is often referred to as the “Seed Mother” for her commitment to protecting biodiversity and traditional farming practices in India.

For Further Reading:

This month, we’re talking about cultivators — women who nurtured, cross-pollinated, experimented, or went to great lengths to better understand and protect the natural world.

Original theme music composed by Brittany Martinez.

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Cultivators: Aino Henssen Apr 25, 2025

Show notes

Aino Henssen (1925-2011) was a globally recognized lichenologist. Her interest in the organism advanced the study and understanding of lichen and actinomycete taxonomy. She wrote over 100 papers on lichen and had several named after her.

For Further Reading:

This month, we’re talking about cultivators — women who nurtured, cross-pollinated, experimented, or went to great lengths to better understand and protect the natural world.

Original theme music composed by Brittany Martinez.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cultivators: Margaretta Morris and Elizabeth Carrington Morris Apr 24, 2025

Show notes

Margaretta Morris (1797-1867) and Elizabeth Carrington Morris (1795-1865) were sisters from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who worked in botany, entomology, and the natural sciences. They have been credited with helping transform American science in the 19th century, but their impact has been largely forgotten.

For Further Reading:

This month, we’re talking about cultivators — women who nurtured, cross-pollinated, experimented, or went to great lengths to better understand and protect the natural world.

Original theme music composed by Brittany Martinez.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cultivators: Margaret S. Collins Apr 23, 2025

Show notes

Margaret S. Collins (1922-1996) was a pioneering entomologist and civil rights activist, known for being the first African American woman to earn a PhD in entomology. Specializing in termites, she conducted significant research, including field studies in Guyana, and contributed to both science and social equality, becoming a prominent figure in both the scientific and civil rights communities.

For Further Reading:

This month, we’re talking about cultivators — women who nurtured, cross-pollinated, experimented, or went to great lengths to better understand and protect the natural world.

Original theme music composed by Brittany Martinez.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cultivators: Chen Shu Apr 22, 2025

Show notes

Ch’en Shu (1660–1736) was a Chinese painter from the Qing dynasty, known for her exquisite flower-and-bird paintings that blended precision with delicate beauty. As one of the few recognized female artists of her time, she mastered traditional painting techniques while incorporating her own refined sense of composition and color.

For Further Reading:

This month, we’re talking about cultivators — women who nurtured, cross-pollinated, experimented, or went to great lengths to better understand and protect the natural world.

Original theme music composed by Brittany Martinez.

Follow Wonder Media Network:

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cultivators: Winona LaDuke Apr 21, 2025

Show notes

Winona LaDuke(1959-present) is an environmental activist, economist, and writer of Ojibwe descent. Winona has dedicated her life to working on issues of land reclamation and food sovereignty, as well advocating for the rights of Native women, and participating in decades of protest against oil pipelines encroaching on and destroying native land.

For Further Reading:

This month, we’re talking about cultivators — women who nurtured, cross-pollinated, experimented, or went to great lengths to better understand and protect the natural world.

Original theme music composed by Brittany Martinez.

Follow Wonder Media Network:

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cultivators: Buffalo Bird Woman Apr 18, 2025

Show notes

Buffalo Bird Woman (c. 1839-1932), also known as Maxidiwiac, was a Hidatsa woman whose recollections on traditional Hidatsa culture, customs, and especially agricultural knowledge, were written down and preserved through interviews at the turn of the 20th century.

For Further Reading:

This month, we’re talking about cultivators — women who nurtured, cross-pollinated, experimented, or went to great lengths to better understand and protect the natural world.

Original theme music composed by Brittany Martinez.

Follow Wonder Media Network:

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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