Ria speaks with Femme On co-host Alyson Shelton about her amazing poetry series, Where I'm From. As Alyson nears her 200th episode she shares the importance of sharing stories and how she started the series for herself. George Ella Lyon's Where I'm From started as a poetry prompt for Alyson, and after completing her poem, she thought, “What if I shared these prompts and people shared their poems with me? Could be fun.” And it was. Alyson has had nearly 200 guests share their poems on Instagram L...
Jun 24, 2025•42 min•Ep. 179
It's time for another Ria's questions! This time, the collective answers the age old question of... Would you rather fridge cold chocolate or room temperature chocolate? There's a split in the collective with this question, mostly between those who want to eat chocolate straight away and those who are surprisingly specific about how they eat chocolate.
Jun 02, 2025•11 min•Ep. 178
Our host, Jess speaks with friend of the podcast and author A R Farina about Becky Chambers’ Psalm for the Wild Built. Jess and Tony chat about having respectful conversations with humans (or robots) that don’t share your experiences, why having a purpose is not the end of the world, and hope. Tony also talks us through his second Austen Chronicles book, That Other Dashwood Girl, widely available to buy! Don’t forget to leave a review if you read it, it really helps other people discover it. Fin...
May 20, 2025•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 177
This episode was first published in March 2023 With season two of The Last of Us in full swing, we are resharing this awesome episode. Ria leads a discussion with Alyson, Tonya and special guest Michelle Yang about the women of HBO's The Last of Us. They discuss the naunced female characters, all who have their own agency and point of view and how this enhances the overall story. Michelle is a writer and mental health advocate and you can follow Michelle's amazing work at michelleyangwriter.com ...
May 08, 2025•58 min•Ep. 176
This episode was first published in February 2023 Alyson and Ria Carrogan (host of Femme on Film and founder of the Femme On Collective) talk about the HAND FLEX from Joe Wright’s film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice ( watch the scene here on YouTube here ) starring Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennett and Matthew MacFadyen as Mr. Darcy. They talk about how this is the sexiest non-sexual scene in the world, thank you female gaze! And how they appreciate watching a scene and a mov...
Apr 23, 2025•24 min•Ep. 175
This episode was first published in May 2023 In this episode, Ria, her Femme on co-hosts Alyson and Tonya and guests Suzan Aiken and Wendy Wimmer discuss Joe Wright's 2005 Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen and Rosamund Pike. They discuss how this film has obsessed generations of film lovers, the hand flex (obviously) and how each actor bring their roles alive. This conversation was inspired by Ria and Alyson's chat about said hand flex in Alyson's show, Fine Cut. Li...
Apr 23, 2025•53 min•Ep. 174
In this episode of Active Activism, Tonya speaks with author and speaker Sheryl Green about her journey into activism, speaking about how animal rescue pulled her out of depression and how to ensure you maintain boundaries when being an activist. She also shares how advocacy has influenced her writing and how a plane journey alone with her thoughts helped her outline her new book, You Had Me At No: How Setting Healthy Boundaries Helps You Banish Burnout, Repair Relationships, and Save Your Sanit...
Apr 16, 2025•35 min•Ep. 173
In this episode of Femme On Creatives, author Kuchenga Shenjé speaks to Tonya about Bohemian life, colonization of the mind, the value of Virgos, and how she went about slipping truth into fiction for her debut novel The Library Thief . Kuchenga's Links: Website: https://kuchenga.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kuchenga Buy The Library Thief : https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-library-thief-kuchenga-shenj/1144095064 https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-library-thief/kuchenga-shenj/97...
Mar 29, 2025•40 min•Ep. 172
Join us on #IWD25 as we speak with the amazing Dena Moes RN CNM about her new book, It's Your Body: The Young Woman's Guide to Empowered Sexual Health. Dena is a nurse-midwife with 26 years' experience in reproductive health and her book fills information gaps on all things contraception, sexual health and abortion, for teens and young adults in Trump's America. We discuss how Dena's book is an essential resource for all everyone, but mostly to help young women make decisions about their bodies,...
Mar 08, 2025•42 min•Ep. 171
In honour of the release of Onyx Storm, Literature for Life is coming out early! Yes, listen to Jess, Brigitte and Ria discuss the second book in The Empyrean, Iron Flame. They talk shadow daddies (of course), friendship and a couple of predictions for Onyx Storm. Come and have fun with the Thirsty Three!
Jan 20, 2025•50 min•Ep. 170
Poetry Theatre is back! And what an episode. Ada speaks with Chelsey Pippin Mizzi , a tarot skeptic turned professional tarot reader and creativity consultant about her book Tarot for Creativity: A Guide to IgnitingYour Creative Practice (Chronicle, October 1, 2024) is the new guidebook for generating creative intuition, generating anew, and a new way to get unstuck. They discuss using the tarot to navigate seasons in our creative lives (from The Wands’ representing passionate new ideas, to The ...
Jan 17, 2025•39 min•Ep. 168
Alyson and Ria speak with Jo-Ann Finkelstein, PhD , about her book Sexism and Sensibility. Jo-Ann shares how she intended to write a book for girls and young women but instead ended up writing a parenting book, and her hope that the book would help heal everyone who reads it. They discuss how Sexism and Sensibility wasn't written to shame parents and how Jo-Ann shares her own experiences throughout the book. Find out more about Jo-Ann: Website: https://www.joannfinkelstein.com/ Substack: https:/...
Jan 07, 2025•46 min•Ep. 167
In Never Cross a Highlander , author Lisa Rayne manages to seamlessly weave between topics like African gods and Christianity, slavery and scandalous sex, while teaching readers a forgotten history and still offering them a great happily-ever-after love story. This episode of Femme On Creatives reveals the way the universe guided Lisa to start a writing career, what prompted her to focus her story on a Black Highlander, and how she finds her way out of research rabbit holes. Lisa's Links Website...
Dec 31, 2024•42 min•Ep. 166
Ria and Alyson sit down with the insightful, funny and awesome Celeste Davis to discuss her substack article The men who like women and the men who don't. Yes we can tell. Based on an essay by Anne Helen Peterson called A Unified Theory of Glen Powell , we have a interesting discussion about men in media, how the patriarchy prioritises male-centred media, how famous women are held to different standards to famous men, and Taylor Swift!...
Dec 24, 2024•35 min•Ep. 165
Tonya speaks with literary agent Cole Lanahan about her devotion to veterans, how her interest in dogs inspired her advocacy, and the ways her work as a literary agent allows her to flex her activist muscles. Links for Cole Lanahan: https://gotyoursixsupportdogs.org https://x.com/LanahanCole https://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/cole-lanahan/...
Dec 17, 2024•20 min•Ep. 164
Jess gets worked up about naked chests in The Merry Gentlemen, whilst Ria is convinced that the FMC is way too good for Chad Michael Murray. Listen as they discuss Netflix Christmas film, The Merry Gentlemen and slowly lose their minds.
Dec 15, 2024•32 min•Ep. 169
Welcome to Femme On Film. Join Ria and Jess as, once again, they watch the HOTTEST Christmas films available in streaming. In this episode they discuss future Christmas classic (according to Ria), Hot Frosty. SNOW NIPPLES. Did you enjoy Hot Frosty? Let us know! Also, be amazing and rate, subscribe and all of that stuff. We love our listeners! Music: Christmas Spirit by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
Dec 06, 2024•41 min•Ep. 163
Continuing their chats about romantasy fiction, Jess is joined by Femme On producer Ria and romantasy lover Brigitte to discuss the incredibly popular ACOTAR (A Court of Thorns and Roses) by Sarah J Maas. Ria goes off on one about Feyre while Brigitte shares her wisdom about character growth and shadow daddies. Jess simply tags along for the fun. Don't forget to check out @zeereads on Instagram! Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe if you haven't already. Happy listening, friends!...
Dec 04, 2024•47 min•Ep. 162
Alyson and Ona Gritz (author of, most recently, a memoir entitled Everywhere I Look and a YA Novel in Verse, Take a Sad Song ) discuss a moment in the film adaptation of Judy Blume’s beloved book, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. The moment they discuss is when Rachel McAdams’s character, Barbara, notices a bird out the window and is struck by creative inspiration only to be interrupted by the doorbell. This moment speaks to both Ona and Alyson and really anyone who is trying to balance a c...
Nov 19, 2024•20 min•Ep. 161
Lit for Life is back! Our host Jess invites producer of the podcast Ria and smut-lover Brigitte to chat about Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. We talk sex, dragon riders and how enjoyable the characters are in this romantic fantasy favourite. We save spoilers for the end, in case you're worried! If you love this, keep your eyes and ears peeled for more chats about romantasy novels. And don't forget to rate, review, subscribe and follow - all the good things! happy listening....
Nov 05, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 160
n this episode, Tonya's guest Dr. Wendy Wimmer (author of the short story collection Entry Level ) explains Plot Candy, reveals her discovery of Mr. Collins as a salty snack, and goes on a Ria-style Rant about her beef with Percy Bysshe Shelley. Wendy's book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60557291-entry-level Wendy's website: http://www.wendywimmer.com/ Wendy’s Social media: https://www.instagram.com/wendy_wimmer/ https://www.facebook.com/wmwimmer https://bsky.app/profile/wendywimmer.bsky....
Oct 31, 2024•54 min•Ep. 159
Ria's questions is back!!!!!! It's another burning question from Ria's brain! There is a clear divide in the collective between the normal people who like fridge cold chocolate (Ria and Tonya) or the weirdos who eat room temperature chocolate (Alyson, Ada and Jess). Tell us, would you rather eat fridge cold chocolate or room temperature chocolate. Read more of Ria's questions here: https://www.riasquestions.com/
Oct 30, 2024•10 min•Ep. 157
In this AMAZING episode of Femme on Film, fantastic and talented Jessica Petelle and Alyson Shelton take the lead to discuss their short film, To Hold The Night. Ria speaks with them about how they made the film and how they managed to make water so utterly terrifying! About the film: Set in the 1960's, Nadine (Anwen O'Driscoll), a young flight attendant, wakes up in her childhood home on her wedding day. Not only does she not remember getting there, she doesn't remember the groom or their court...
Oct 22, 2024•42 min•Ep. 158
In this episode of Femme on TV, it was Alyson's turn to recommend a TV show to Ria, and so they discuss Michelle Buteau and Danielle Sanchez-Witzel's Survival of the Thickest. Once again, Ria over uses the word 'joy' and Alyson brings fun and thoughtful commentary on this hilarious Netflix show.
Oct 17, 2024•25 min•Ep. 156
Tonya speaks with Donna Dees Thomases about the Million Mom March, her role in helping to reunite families after Hurricane Katrina, and her award-winning short film “Snowdrops for the Bairns," which shares how the grassroots petitions that emerged after a 1996 school shooting in Dunblane, Scotland changed the gun laws in the UK. Trailer for Snowdrops for the Bairns: https://vimeo.com/906099379 Donna's Book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1579549977/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1 To join a Brady chapte...
Oct 08, 2024•50 min•Ep. 155
Today’s book: Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo (2020) Banned Books Conversations: Where Radical Readers Discuss Prohibited Prose Banned books are works that have been removed from a library shelf or school curriculum. Over the course of Banned Books Week, this series covers seven different books, the reasons they were banned, and the value in reading them. Guest Links: Lisa Rayne https://lisarayne.com/ Instagram: @authorrayne https://www.bookbub.com/profile/lisa-rayne Alyson Shelton https...
Sep 28, 2024•57 min•Ep. 154
Today’s book: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (2005) Banned Books Conversations: Where Radical Readers Discuss Prohibited Prose Banned books are works that have been removed from a library shelf or school curriculum. Over the course of Banned Books Week, this series covers seven different books, the reasons they were banned, and the value in reading them. Guest Links: Wendy Wimmer Entry Level - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60557291-entry-level Social Media: @wendywimmer http://www.wendy...
Sep 27, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 153
Today’s book: Losing the Girl: Book 1 in the Life on Earth series by MariNaomi (2018) Banned Books Conversations: Where Radical Readers Discuss Prohibited Prose Banned books are works that have been removed from a library shelf or school curriculum. Over the course of Banned Books Week, this series covers seven different books, the reasons they were banned, and the value in reading them. Guest Links: Veronica Klash https://veronicaklash.com/ Instagram & Twitter: @veronicaklash Ada McCart...
Sep 26, 2024•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 152
Today’s book: Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (1952) Banned Books Conversations: Where Radical Readers Discuss Prohibited Prose Banned books are works that have been removed from a library shelf or school curriculum. Over the course of Banned Books Week, this series covers seven different books, the reasons they were banned, and the value in reading them. Guest Links: Anthony Holt Jr. https://accomplishinginnovationpress.com/product/comics-lit-vol-1/ Fly Messias Instagram: @flyinhd Facebook: @Mzz...
Sep 25, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 151
Today’s book: And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell (2005) Banned Books Conversations: Where Radical Readers Discuss Prohibited Prose Banned books are works that have been removed from a library shelf or school curriculum. Over the course of Banned Books Week, this series covers seven different books, the reasons they were banned, and the value in reading them. Guest Links: Diamond Larson https://www.wehaveavoicenonprofit.org/ https://www.instagram.com/whavnonprofit/ https...
Sep 24, 2024•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 150
