American Women Making History and Culture: 1963-1982

  • The trial of Dr. Spock / Jessica Mitford ; interviewed by Dale Minor.

    Dale Minor interviews Jessica Mitford (1917-1996) on her newly published book “The Trial of Dr. Spock” and on Spock’s trial for promoting draft resistance.

  • Lysistrata’s daughters / produced by Trevor Thomas and John Harris

    Documentary on the Women’s Strike for Peace organization, founded by Dagmar Wilson and Bella Abzug. This program includes actualities from the United Nations Plaza protest for peace. One participant says their motivation is “Emotional, not political. We want to save our children.” Actualities, interviews, speeches over megaphone. Includes interview with Dagmar Wilson, co-founder of Women…

  • The Pillow book / by Sei Shonagan ; read by Karen Lindsey

    In this 5 part program, Karen Lindsey reads Professor Ivan Morris’ translation of “The Pillow Book,” (1967) a book of observations and musings recorded by Sei Shōnagon during her time as court lady to Empress Consort Teishi (定子) during the 990s and early 11th century in Heian Japan. In Part 1, Ms. Linsey interviews Professor…

  • The Seasons of time: Tanka poetry of Japan / moderated by Ellen Jaffe

    Mrs. Virginia Baron, editor, and Mr. Yasuhide Kobashi, illustrator, discuss their anthology of ancient Japanese tanka poetry (or waka) with host Ellen Jaffe. They also discuss Japanese calligraphy and its relation to illustration. Both Baron and Kobashi read some of the mood poems, in English and Japanese. RECORDED: 26 Apr. 1968. BROADCAST: WBAI, 19 June…

  • The Gormenghast trilogy: a discussion with Maeve Peake and Jonathan Williams

    American poet Jonathan Williams speaks with Maeve Peake, wife of English author, poet and illustrator Mervyn Peake (1911-1968), about the books that comprise The Gormenghast Trilogy. Permission to use this tape was provided courtesy of the Library at the University of California, Los Angeles and Jonathan Williams.

  • Valerie Bettis interviewed by Baird Searles

    Valerie Bettis was a famous modern dancer, also known for her dance and acting appearances on Broadway, in films, and on television, but has consistently returned to her first source of fame: modern dance. She talks with Baird Searles about the many facets of her career, such as her performance with the World’s Fair of…

  • A thousand years of Vietnamese poetry / translated and read by Robin Morgan and Nguyen Ngoc Bich

    A Thousand Years Of Vietnamese Poetry was an evening of poetry translated and read by Robin Morgan and Vietnamese scholar Nguyen Ngoc Bich. Morgan and Nguyen read selections from Vietnamese poems in an anthology collected by the Asian Literature Program of the Asia Society. Morgan introduces the proposed chronological order of readings, starting with the…

  • A conversation with Doris Lessing / interviewed by Richard Keffler

    Doris Lessing, the author of The Golden Notebooks and other novels, talks with free-lance writer Richard Koffler about society and writing. The program was specially recorded for Pacifica at the London studios of the BBC. RECORDED: by the BBC in London, England. BROADCAST: WBAI, 13 Oct. 1963.

  • The call girl / Dr. Harold Greenwald

    Dr. Harold Greenwald, author of The Call Girl: A Social and Psychoanalytic Study (Ballantine), discusses the modern form prostitution takes in the United States, and its relation to the general moral aspect of the nation. Recorded in the studios of WBAI in 1960. Broadcast on WBAI and KPFA in 1961 and 1962.

  • Why I am an atheist / Madalyn Murray.

    Madalyn Murray (O’Hair), founder of American Atheists who was dubbed “the most hated woman in America” by Life Magazine in 1964, talks about her philosophy in these two recordings. On the first program, she goes into more detail about her atheism. On the second program, she discusses some of the incidents she’s encountered in her…