Breaking the Glass Slipper – A podcast about women in speculative fiction

Breaking the glass slipper

Women in Speculative Fiction

Women have been creating and starring in science fiction, fantasy, and horror since the genre began. We are here to celebrate the wonderful contribution of women to speculative fiction. We are an intersectional feminist podcast and embrace all voices.

Breaking the Glass Slipper won Best Audio in the 2019 British Fantasy Awards and was nominated for a Hugo Award.

Learn More

Subscribe and Listen

We are here for you, any way you want us.

Spotify

iTunes

Soundcloud

About the podcast

Our episodes discuss trends and issues in speculative fiction across books, films, TV, and games, including interviews with industry experts.

Science fiction

Science and technology are the order of the day. Let’s explore the final frontier together.

Fantasy

The home of magic and dragons. The only limit is your imagination.

Horror

Be prepared for thrills and chills. This is no place for the faint hearted.

Epic episodes

Sometimes you will find us arguing amongst ourselves and for other episodes, we will bring on one or two special guests to throw the discussion open with diverse voices.



Discussion



Interviews

Who We are

The podcast was the brainchild of pop culture commentator Megan Leigh, who enlisted the help of fantasy author Lucy Hounsom and horror writer and romance editor Charlotte Bond to create the perfect podcasting dream team.

Charlotte Bond

Ghostwriter, author, commissioning editor and reviewer. In 2015, she became the commissioning editor for Gemstone Romance. She is also a reviewer on the Ginger Nuts of Horror website and a guest reviewer at Jane and Bex’s Book Blog. You can find her on her FaceBook page or follow her on Twitter @offred85.

Lucy Hounsom

Lucy Hounsom/Holland is an author working across the fields of history, mythology and fantasy. Her current interest lies in re-imagining folktales and Celtic myth, with a view to re-situating the stories of queer people and uncovering the complex regional histories of early medieval Britain. Her novel, Sistersong, was a finalist for both the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award, and the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 2022. Her second historical fantasy, Song of the Huntress, was published in 2024. Both books are set in the West Country where she lives, and were inspired by its rich local folklore and history.

She is a tutor with Curtis Brown Creative and created their flagship “Writing Fantasy” course. In June 2024, she was selected by UNESCO Cities of Literature as one of the ILX10: Rising Stars of UK Writing. You can follow her @lucyhollandauthor.

Megan Leigh

Writer and avid reader. If she’s not got her nose in a book, you will likely find her tending her oversized garden with at least one of her five cat masters. Follow her @m_leigh_g.

Latest Episodes

You can listen to Breaking the Glass Slipper on most platforms, for instance: Spotify, iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, TuneIn, and via RSS Feed.

Ways of running the world – with K.L Kaine

For many fantasy writers, one of the great joys of writing a book is the opportunity it gives you to build a brand-new world. It can be based on the one we live in but with key differences. What if animals could talk? What if fairies were real? The possibilities are...

Creation, consent & control – with Bar Fridman-Tell

The beauty of myth is that it grows with us, that every generation brings its own perspective and interpretation to ancient stories to create something fresh, new and relevant to the concerns of a contemporary audience. Honeysuckle by Bar Fridman Tell was inspired by...

In the halls of learning – with Danielle Knight

Dark academia is a genre that has proven pretty popular. We’ve all been to school and plenty of us have been to university, so is it the pull of nostalgia that attracts readers? Or were our school days so dull that we crave reimagining them with a healthy dose of...

Theatre as portal fantasy – with Rym Kechacha

In this month's episode, we are taking you to the ballet, where stories are told through the medium of body and music. Just as this art can bring things to magical life, so too can it foster obsession in those who strive to achieve the perfect form. The Apple and the...

Far future food – with Lavanya Lakshminarayan

The beauty of science fiction is that it can be pretty much anything. It can be people on spaceships exploring the stars. It can be settlers being stalked and killed by an alien monster. It can be about an alien trying to blend in with humans. It can be bold, scary,...

Conventions – with Katie Bruce

Something a little bit different this month! Anyone who follows us on social media will be aware that we were completely thrilled and surprised to win the 2025 British Fantasy Award for Best Audio last month. In our somewhat unprepared acceptance speech, we said that...

Writing the magic – with Juliet E. Mckenna

So, this is a bit of an unusual episode. Normally, we get an author on to discuss their new book. But today we have three authors talking about a brand new non-fiction book they’re part of, and two of them are your hosts! The book in question is Writing the Magic, the...

Alternate histories – with Sarah Brooks

For many writers, history can be both an inspiration and a source of plot. No one is going to call a fantasy writer out for "making it up". With historical fiction, however, you have to be more careful - there are always a bunch of readers out there ready to spot...

Zombies are us – with Leigh Radford

Zombies first shambled onto our cinema screens in the 1932 film White Zombie staring Bela Lugosi. Early incarnations involved voodoo reanimation and lacked the whole brain-eating aspect. (There’s a really interesting article by Carnegie Mellon University...

Big deck energy – with Frances White

Part of a murder mystery's charm is the narrative movement from chaos to order. The natural balance of justice is overturned and it’s up to ordinary people - rather than the law - to fix it. The uncovering of clues, red herrings, the many suspicious characters - all...

Our blog

Is audio content not your bag? No worries! Every two weeks we interview some of your favourite authors, editors, and content creators on our blog!

Read the blog