Podcasts

We publish a new feminist podcast episode every week. Our hour-long show Popaganda digs deep on movies, books, TV, and media while Backtalk is a snappy conversation between two Bitch editors about the week’s pop culture. Subscribe to the podcasts on iTunes!
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Bitch Popaganda: Our Humps Edition

by Kelsey Wallace on July 15, 2011 at 2:25pm

It’s time for another episode of Bitch Popaganda! Tune in as Ann, Kjerstin, and Kelsey discuss Erica Jong’s Times op-ed “Is Sex Passé?,” Ann Powers article for NPR “Pop’s Punching Bag: Hating the Black Eyed Peas” (and how we feel about the Peas in general), and the new FX show Wilfred. Transcript on the way soon!

B-Sides: The Warpaint Honeymoon is Over

by Katie Presley on July 12, 2011 at 2:35pm

This week’s B-sides is in the flavor of “sad,” unfortunately, in the way that finding out a band I loved last year has taken some missteps since then. I first wrote about Warpaint last November (see the previous link), where I caught a little flak about thinking they’re pretty (heads up: still do) and also generated a thoughtful conversation about Native appropriation in the band’s name and aesthetic style. That discussion stayed with me, and the video NPR just released for Warpaint’s self-titled new single warrants further critical analysis.

Bitch Radio: Women in Open Source, Part 2

by Kjerstin Johnson on July 9, 2011 at 2:18pm

Last week, I spoke with Valerie Aurora of the Ada Initiative about women in open source and how to get more women involved. In Part 2 of women in the open source world, I speak with Sumana Harihareswara (volunteer development coordinator at the Wikimedia Foundation) who I also met at the Open Sourcebridge conference, where she was named on of three Open Source Citizens at the conference (read her recap of the conference here!) In the following interview, Sumana doesn’t just discuss the challenges that open source software and communities face when it comes to women, but open source’s potential for changing the world through diverse voices. It’s not just about getting more women involved–breaking down language, access, and ability barriers from the get-go is also necessary. In the following interview, Sumana talks about initiatives at Wikimedia to reach out since its lack of women contributors made headlines, the potential for open source social justice, and tips for your first go at editing Wikipedia. Also she quotes Mr. Rogers AND the Bible, and explains kyriarchy with a Hyperbole and a Half cartoon, which is awesome. Stream our interview above, download it from archive.org, or subscribe to Bitch radio via iTunes or RSS! Transcript available here (.doc). Thanks, Ann!

**B-Sides: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart's New Video is Summery as F*ck**

by Kelsey Wallace on July 5, 2011 at 2:53pm

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart released the video today for their single “The Body.” In it, the quotidian tasks of the present-day band members (brushing teeth, making eggs) are juxtaposed with images of their child-selves frolicking on the beach. The beach scenes are so summery that you’ll feel like you’ve been transplanted from your desk to the shore (almost), and the kids look so much like the adult band members that the video is worth watching just for that. Check it out: (Song lyrics here)

Bitch Radio: Women in Open Source, Part 1

by Kjerstin Johnson on July 1, 2011 at 1:58pm

I recently attended Open Sourcebridge, a tech conference in Portland Oregon, and got to speak with some really incredible women in the open source world. (Hopefully I’ll be filling the little void left in the hearts of feminerds since Jarrah Hodge’s series ended!) Open Source is a method of development that’s publicly available, collaborative, and peer reviewed. If you read the Bitch website on the reg (which uses Drupal), or browsed the Internet using Mozilla Firefox, or blogged with WordPress, you have used Open Source software! Wikipedia is an example of open source content, where users peer edit the work of others publicly. Like a lot of cool things that should be open to everyone, the open source community can be a bit of a boys’ club. I spoke with Valerie Aurora, programmer, Geek Feminism contributor, and, with Mary Gardiner, co-founder of the Ada Initiative, a “non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the participation of women in open technology and culture.” We spoke about how the Ada Initiative came about, the anti-harassment conference policy she helped put together, and how the tech world can be hostile to women. Stream our interview above, download it from archive.org, or subscribe to Bitch radio via iTunes or RSS! Transcript available here (.doc). Stay tuned next week for Part 2 of women in open source, which will feature Sumana Harihareswara of the Wikimedia Foundation!

B-Sides: The Lovesick Party Jams of Making Friendz

by Kjerstin Johnson on June 28, 2011 at 3:02pm

Social Life (Last Bummer Records), Making Friendz’ first album channeling punk, ’80s pop, and R&B through a lo-fi filter, is a great time whether you’re sharing it with your crush de jour or or having a lone sing-along pining sesh in your bedroom. With lyrics like “Don’t want to hurt nobody/just want to touch your body” (“Situation”) and “Don’t make me cry, I just want to be inside you” (“Don’t Make Me Cry”), Tami Hart’s songs are less about love and more about friends with benefits, and her beats are sharp but have a sloppy fuzziness that adds to the party appeal. This isn’t cold, electronic-driven pop, Hart’s inflections (and goofy flourishes from the 80s–cheesy synth takes on a new sincerity when it’s about getting in someone’s pants) give it warmth and personality that brings together dancefloor fun and hardcore longing.

Bitch Popaganda: It's the Finale Countdown!

by Kelsey Wallace on June 24, 2011 at 1:51pm

Welcome back to another episode of Bitch Popaganda! Tune in as Andi, Brian, and Kelsey recap the season finales of AMC’s The Killing and HBO’s Game of Thrones. Also in this episode: Mary McNamara’s recent LA Times article and the burning question, Why do we care about these shows so much? Transcript available here (.doc).

B-Sides: Susan McKeown, "Singing in the Dark"

by Katie Presley on June 21, 2011 at 10:05am

There is, in my opinion, a right way and a wrong way to advertise Irish singer Susan McKeown’s album Singing in the Dark. Calling it “a work exploring Creativity, Suffering and the Pursuit of Happiness,” as her website does, is the wrong way. The project loses its power in those highfalutin capital letters, veering instead to the inspirational spoken-word side of the record aisle. The right way would be to say something more along the lines of, “If this album had existed six years ago, it could have changed the entire course of my life for the better.”

Bitch Radio: Audrey Bilger on Gay Marriage (from the archive)

by Kjerstin Johnson on June 17, 2011 at 2:04pm

With the news in New York that the state Senate is one vote shy of passing same-sex marriage, we thought we’d share an audio segment from the past addressing the issue. Professor, author, and frequent Bitch contributor Audrey Bilger was invited to speak on Seattle-based radio show the Menage, featuring Julie Mains and Jennifer Austin, about her Bitch magazine article “Wife Support” (Issue #45, Winter 2009). In the following interview, Bilger covers gender roles and marriage, life as a lesbian wife, and Roseanne Barr. Also, be sure to read Audrey’s recent update on the Prop 8 trial in California on the Ms. blog! Transcript (PDF)

B-Sides: Wildbirds & Peacedrums

by Nicole Morales on June 14, 2011 at 1:01pm

Wildbirds & Peacedrums have been on the road for the last four years, performing, recording, and taking in the sights. The Swedish duo were kind enough to spare me a quick Q&A before their show in Portland on Saturday.