Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Literary Aviatrix: The Power of Story - Women in Aviation
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| Aviatrix Classics: Lady Mary Heath - The Woman Who Challenged Aviation's Gendered Rules | Woman and Flying (1929) | 31 Oct 2026 | 01:59:04 | |
In 1925, when women were prohibited from obtaining commercial pilot licenses in Britain, Irish aviator Lady Mary Heath wrote a letter to the International Commission for Air Navigation challenging the medical assumptions being used to exclude them. She brought her expertise in physiology and women's athletics to the argument, offered herself for scientific testing, and made a compelling case that women's bodies were perfectly capable of meeting the demands of professional aviation. In this installment of our Literary Aviatrix Classics series, I'm joined by Dr. Jacque Boyd and Captain Jenny Beatty to discuss Woman and Flying, by Lady Mary Heath and journalist Stella Wolfe Murray, with contributions from fellow aviator Lady Bailey, published in 1929. We came to this book because Lady Heath kept appearing in the memoirs and histories we've been reading. She was a mentor to Elinor Smith, a contemporary of Amelia Earhart, an accomplished athlete, and a pioneering aviator who flew solo from Cape Town to England in 1928. But the more we learn about her, the more complicated and interesting she becomes. We explore her difficult childhood, athletic achievements, marriages, aviation advocacy, spectacular flying adventures, and tragic later years. We also examine the book itself, which offers an intriguing window into the early days of commercial aviation, when flying was still a novelty and its advocates were working to persuade the public that it had a future. There's plenty to marvel at, including Lady Heath's resourcefulness as a pilot and mechanic, her ingenious (if unsuccessful) attempt to improvise flotation equipment for a Mediterranean crossing, and the extraordinary collection of tools, spare parts, clothing, and personal possessions she carried across Africa. We also wrestle with the attitudes embedded in the writing, particularly its colonial worldview, assumptions about class and privilege, and the ways women of the period understood their own roles in aviation. And then there's that letter. For me, Lady Heath's willingness to confront the people making decisions about women's bodies and professional opportunities is among the most important things we discover in this book. Her argument is familiar, and our discussion leads to a larger conversation about the importance of women speaking openly about their experiences, challenging institutional assumptions, and preserving the stories that don't always make it into the official histories. We also share recommendations for additional reading about Lady Heath, including Lindie Naughton's biography Lady Icarus, and a recent historical fiction which I have since read and is very well written, The Sky is Not Enough, by June O’Sullivan. Look for it on the 2027 Aviatrix Book Club reading list. A guide to Lady Mary’s long list of names: Born Sophie Catherine Theresa Mary Peirce-Evans (1896–1939), she was also known as: 1. Sophie Peirce-Evans — her maiden name, sometimes written Pierce-Evans in historical sources. 2. Sophie Elliott-Lynn — her name following her first marriage to William Elliott-Lynn. 3. Lady Mary Heath — the name under which she became internationally famous as an aviator, following her marriage to Sir James Heath. 4. Mary, Lady Heath — a formal variation commonly used in contemporary publications and archival records. 5. Mary Heath — the shorter name appearing in aviation histories. 6. Mary Williams — her name following her third marriage to American aviator Jack Williams. 7. Lady Icarus — her famous nickname, particularly associated with her pioneering long-distance flights.
Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Flight Path of Fortitude: Olga Custodio on Breaking Barriers, Finding Allies, and Staying the Course | 09 Oct 2026 | 01:10:20 | |
What does it take to keep pursuing a dream when the institution you want to join isn't ready to welcome you? In this episode, I talk with trailblazing military and airline pilot Olga Custodio about her memoir, Flight Path of Fortitude, and the remarkable journey that made her the first Latina and first Puerto Rican woman to become a U.S. Air Force pilot. Olga grew up around the world as the daughter of an Army serviceman and knew from an early age that she wanted to wear a military uniform. But when she tried to join Air Force ROTC, women weren't permitted to participate. A later attempt to enter the Air Force as an officer was similarly unsuccessful. It would take ten years, several career detours, and an extraordinary amount of determination before she finally found her opportunity. By then, Olga was married and raising a young daughter. She entered military flight training at 26, navigating the demands of learning to fly high-performance jets while building a support system that made it possible to succeed as both a mother and a pilot. Olga and I share our experiences of going through military flight training as mothers, discuss the importance of finding advocates and speaking up for ourselves, and explore the challenges of entering aviation environments where women were still very much the exception. We follow her transition from Air Force instructor pilot to American Airlines, where she became a pioneering Latina airline captain, and talk about the unexpected places discrimination can come from—including other women. But Olga's story extends well beyond the flight deck. She's a musician, a champion of Puerto Rican culture, a sought-after speaker, and a passionate advocate for the next generation. We talk about her appearance in Modelo's Fighting Spiritcampaign, her induction into the Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame, and why she waited until retirement to write her memoir. Throughout our conversation, Olga returns to the importance of confidence, flexibility, mentorship, and staying open to opportunities that may not look anything like the original plan. Her message is especially meaningful for anyone who has ever been told no, struggled to find a way forward, or wondered whether a dream is still worth pursuing. In this episode, we explore:
Olga reminds us that role models need to be more than visible. They need to be accessible, willing to share their experiences and help others discover what might be possible. And sometimes the most important thing we can do is take the next step, even when we can't yet see the whole path. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Astronaut Karen Nyberg and children's author Ann McCallum Staats talk about their new book A Quilt of Stars: Astronaut Karen Nyberg Stitches a Dream | 05 Sep 2026 | 00:50:03 | |
What happens when an astronaut takes a needle and thread to space? Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| The Fearless Harriet Quimby: The Aviation Pioneer History Forgot, with Author and TV Journalist Don Dahler | 29 Aug 2026 | 01:02:17 | |
A decade before Amelia Earhart became a household name, Harriet Quimby made aviation history. In 1911, Quimby became the first woman in the United States to earn a pilot’s license. The following year, she became the first woman to fly solo across the English Channel—a dangerous and extraordinary achievement at a time when aviation itself was still in its infancy. And then history largely forgot her. In this episode I talk with longtime television journalist and author Don Dahler about his biography Fearless: Harriet Quimby, a Life Without Limit. He shares Quimby’s beginnings on a struggling Michigan farm; her successful career as a journalist, critic, and travel writer; her determination to learn to fly despite widespread resistance to women in aviation; her ingenious plum-colored flying suit; and the extraordinary 1912 English Channel flight whose moment in the headlines was eclipsed by the sinking of the Titanic. And Harriet was much more than a pilot. Don describes a fiercely independent woman who traveled the world, wrote fearlessly, resisted the limitations society placed on women, supported her family, wrote screenplays, and imagined an eventual career as a novelist—a future cut short when she died in an aviation accident at just 37. We also wander into Don’s own fascinating story. A former CBS News correspondent and war reporter, Don is the author of the memoir Souvenirs from an Absurd Life. We talk about journalism, adventure, writing, encounters from Ethiopia to Grenada, retirement, curiosity, and what a lifetime spent deliberately seeking out the wider world has taught him. And near the end, our conversation circles back to the word at the heart of Harriet’s story: fearless. Is anyone really fearless? Or is courage something more interesting—the ability to acknowledge fear, accept the risk, and keep doing the thing that matters anyway? Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Retired Airline Captain Michelle Huntington talks about transoceanic ferry flights, lightning strikes, and breast cancer with humor and grace in her entertaining and impactful memoir, Lady MacGyver | 16 Jul 2026 | 01:04:05 | |
In her memoir, Lady MacGyver, Michelle Huntington shares everything from ferry flights across oceans to surviving a lightning strike over Australia's Snowy Mountains, building an airline career after being told women couldn't be pilots, motherhood, breast cancer, and the mindset that carried her through it all. Our discussion explores those experiences, along with her writing process, her philosophy of "keep going until you can't," and even a friendly debate about the word aviatrix. But when we chatted, I hadn’t finished the book yet. Without spoiling the ending, I'll simply say that the final chapters gave me an even deeper appreciation for Michelle's courage and reminded me that the barriers women face in aviation are far more recent, and far more persistent, than we'd like to believe. Lady MacGyver needs to be on every aviation company CEO’s, COO’s, and Human Resources Manager’s reading list. Our community’s culture still needs a lot of work. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Author Laurie Gwen Shapiro on the real mystery of Amelia Earhart illuminated in her book The Aviator and the Showman: Amelia Earhart, George Putnam, and the Marriage that Made an American Icon. | 19 Jun 2026 | 01:42:12 | |
Few figures loom larger in aviation history than Amelia Earhart. Yet after hundreds of books, countless documentaries, and nearly a century of speculation, how much do we actually know about the woman behind the legend? In this episode, Laurie Gwen Shapiro talks about her bestselling book, The Aviator and the Showman. Drawing on newly digitized interviews, archival discoveries, and years of research, Laurie argues that the real mystery of Amelia Earhart isn't what happened to her at the end of her final flight—it's understanding who she was as a person. We explore Earhart's journey from social worker and hobby pilot to international celebrity, the complicated role publisher and promoter George Palmer Putnam played in her fame, and the tension between aviation skill, public image, and advocacy. We also discuss the extraordinary ways Earhart used her platform to champion both aviation and women's rights. Along the way, we venture into the world of some of Earhart's remarkable contemporaries, including Eleanor Smith, Louise Thaden, Lady Mary Heath, Bessie Coleman, and Jackie Cochran. We also talk about the challenges—and rewards—of writing history that is deeply researched, rigorously sourced, and unafraid to embrace the complexity of its subjects. Whether you're a lifelong Amelia Earhart enthusiast or someone who has wondered why she continues to captivate the public imagination nearly a century later, I think you'll find this conversation both thought-provoking and illuminating. And if you're a writer hoping to dig into a different historical mystery, you'll learn from Laurie's expertise as an author, journalist, and professor of journalism.
Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Author Cindy Weigand on how a family scrapbook featuring her barnstorming uncle led her to the history of our pioneering women in aviation and her novel Mavis Perkins Flying Journalist | 29 May 2026 | 00:39:56 | |
What happens when a family scrapbook opens a door into a forgotten chapter of aviation history? Author Cindy Weigand never intended to become a historian of women in aviation. While sorting through her late mother's belongings, she discovered scrapbooks and newspaper clippings connected to her great-uncle Jack, a barnstormer of the 1920s. What began as a family history project soon became a deep dive into the remarkable women pilots who shared the skies during aviation's Golden Age. In this conversation, Cindy and I discuss her novel Mavis Perkins: Flying Journalist, a work of historical fiction inspired by the real women aviators of the 1920s. Together we explore the world of barnstormers, air races, flying clubs, Billy Mitchell's controversial warnings about air power, and the women who flew alongside Amelia Earhart whose stories are rarely told today. The conversation also touches on Cindy's earlier work documenting Texas women who served during World War II, the challenges of historical research, self-publishing, and her efforts to adapt these stories for film. If this history piques your interest, you might enjoy my Aviatrix Classics discussions with Dr. Jacque Boyd and Captain Jenny Beatty. You can find our latest conversation about Ruth Nichols, one of Mavis’ Snooty Skylarks in Cindy’s book, on the Literary Aviatrix website, YouTube Channel, and podcast. https://literaryaviatrix.com/ruth-nichols/ Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Self-Publishing Without Losing Control: A Conversation with Polly Letofsky | 12 Apr 2026 | 01:01:13 | |
If you’ve ever wondered whether self-publishing is the right path—or how to do it without getting overwhelmed or taken advantage of—this conversation is for you.
Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Airline Captain Heidi A. Porch talks about her memoir Ditching the Sky about a ferry flight engine failure 540 miles from Hawaii, a Cold War rescue, and the long road from ocean ditching to the 747 | 27 Feb 2026 | 01:01:30 | |
Heidi Porch was 540 miles east-northeast of Hawaii when her engine began losing oil pressure. She was 500 feet above the Pacific when she turned off the master switch and prepared to ditch. In this episode, Heidi joins me to talk about Ditching the Sky, her gripping memoir of ferrying single-engine Cessnas across the Pacific in the 1980s—and the day her engine quit over open ocean. We talk about:
We also talk about writing the book decades later, self-publishing, narrating her own audiobook—and the unexpected recognition that followed. This is a story about preparation, intuition, resilience, and the long arc of a career that almost ended before it began. Buy the book: https://literaryaviatrix.com/book/ditching-the-sky/ Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Flying Around Australia: Author and general aviation pilot Fran West talks about Plane Reflections about her three-month flight around Australia’s coastline—weather, grit, and why turning back is sometimes the bravest choice | 19 Feb 2026 | 01:06:44 | |
Australian private pilot and author Fran West joins me to talk about her remarkable three-month journey flying around the coastline of Australia in a Cessna 172—an adventure she later captured in her photo-rich journal, Plane Reflections. What began as inspiration from the 1978 aerial circumnavigation known as “Pelican’s Progress” became Aus Flight ’99—a meticulously planned, shoestring-budget flight completed with grit, humility, and hard-earned wisdom. Fran shares what it really takes to execute a marathon aviation journey: · 52 charts · 67 flight plans · 75 mainland airstrips + 15 in Tasmania · 101 landings · Multiple weather turn-backs · And the emotional weight of flying in a community that didn’t always support her We talk about: · Growing up inspired by aviation books (and inheriting a library of them) · Becoming a private pilot while building a career as a librarian · Navigating male-dominated flying spaces · The curious scrutiny around “solo” flights · Why turning back is not failure · Writing and self-publishing Plane Reflections · And an unforgettable chocolate cake “mud map” story This conversation is about aviation, resilience, self-trust, and doing the dream. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Caroline Paul’s Why Fly—open-cockpit flight, awe from above, and the hard-won clarity that comes when life on the ground gets turbulent | 07 Feb 2026 | 01:32:53 | |
Caroline Paul—former San Francisco firefighter, lifelong adventurer, and pilot—joins me for a wide-ranging conversation about her new book, Why Fly (launching February 24). We talk gyrocopters, paragliding, trikes, the “rat-tat-tat” rhythm of humor and terror in pilot stories, and the way aviation can become both refuge and mirror when relationships shift and life asks us to find our footing again.
Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Aviatrix Writers' Room - Children's Author Kirsten W. Larson talks about writing, publishing, and her 'Reimagine Your Writing' craft books | 22 Jan 2026 | 00:21:36 | |
In this Aviatrix Writers’ Room conversation, former NASA public affairs specialist and author of four nonfiction picture books, Kirsten W. Larson talks about writing true stories for young readers. We dig into how she learned the craft, the communities and organizations that helped her grow, and the realities of traditional publishing timelines (especially for illustrated nonfiction).
Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Kirsten W. Larson on Wonder Woman, aircraft designer E. Lillian Todd, and astrophysicist Cecilia Payne | 22 Jan 2026 | 00:37:43 | |
I’m joined by Kirsten W. Larson, former NASA public affairs specialist and author of four nonfiction picture books—including Wood, Wire, Wings, the story of pioneering airplane designer E. Lillian (Emma) Todd, and A True Wonder, a biography of Wonder Woman as a cultural icon shaped by women’s history. Buy the book: https://literaryaviatrix.com/book/wood-wire-wings-emma-lilian-todd-invents-an-airplane/ Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Breaking formation – U2 Pilot Merryl Tengesdal on graphic novels, confidence and courage, and raising the next generation of leaders. | 14 Jan 2026 | 00:23:47 | |
In this interview, Merryl Tengesdal, Col USAF (ret.) returns to talk about Shatter the Sky: Tales of Dragon Lady 788— a comic designed to bring confidence, critical thinking, and leadership lessons to younger readers. We discuss why comic books and graphic novels matter, how real-world aviation experiences shaped this story, and why kids (and adults) need to listen to their inner voices and speak up when something doesn’t feel right. This conversation moves from the cockpit to the classroom to the living room — touching on parenting, peer pressure, mental health, and the responsibility of preparing the next generation to lead with integrity. Buy the Book: https://literaryaviatrix.com/book/shatter-the-sky-tales-of-dragon-lady-788/ If you haven’t listened to my full interview with Merryl about her memoir, Shatter the Sky, you can find it here: https://literaryaviatrix.com/shatter-the-sky/ Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Aviatrix Classics: Pioneer Ruth Nichols’ Wings for Life—record-setting flights, devastating crashes, and the resilience to find purpose that joined aviation skill with Quaker compassion to deliver air relief worldwide. | 31 Dec 2025 | 03:41:47 | |
In this deeply immersive Literary Aviatrix Classics conversation Dr. Jacque Boyd, Captain Jenny Beatty and I discuss Wings for Life, the extraordinary memoir of pioneering aviatrix Ruth Nichols. Nichols’ life reads like myth—altitude, speed, and distance records; repeated catastrophic crashes; unrelenting physical pain; and a relentless return to the cockpit. Beneath the headlines lies a story of discipline, preparation, spiritual conviction, and resilience shaped by mentorship, friendship, and loss. We trace Nichols’ journey from debutante to record-setting pilot, from shattered vertebrae to historic long-distance flights, and from personal heartbreak to immensely impactful global humanitarian work. This conversation also places Nichols within the broader context of women’s aviation history—alongside Amelia Earhart, The Ninety-Nines, and the interwar aviation world that shaped (and constrained) women’s opportunities. What makes this episode special is not just what Nichols accomplished—but how she endured. This is a story about what happens when a woman refuses to disappear, even when the world—and her own body—tries to stop her. Topics Covered · Ruth Nichols’ record-setting flights in altitude, speed, and distance · The brutal physical cost of early aviation—and survival against the odds · Mentorship from Harry Rogers and Clarence Chamberlain · Women pilots, publicity, and the economics of survival in aviation · The founding and early purpose of The Ninety-Nines · Competition, friendship, and tension with Amelia Earhart · Faith, Quaker values, and Nichols’ pivot toward humanitarian aviation · Relief Wings, disaster response, and the roots of Civil Air Patrol · Why Ruth Nichols deserves a larger place in aviation history Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Captain Lynn Rippelmeyer — From TWA Stewardess to Pioneering 747 Captain | 22 Dec 2025 | 01:35:04 | |
Pioneering airline pilot Lynn Rippelmeyer reflects on her extraordinary journey from being hired as a TWA stewardess in the early 1970s to becoming one of the first women to fly the Boeing 747, and later retiring from United Airlines after a career shaped both by deregulation, mergers, and furloughs, and by generosity, unexpected opportunities, and adventure. We talk about her two-part memoir, beginning with Life Takes Wings, which traces her path from the cabin to the flight deck at a time when women were told — explicitly — that they didn’t belong there. Lynn shares unforgettable stories from the cockpit, including a laugh-out-loud reading involving a seeing-eye dog, Florida mud, and an entire airport watching it unfold. In Life Takes Flight, the adventures continue as she pursues her flying career, takes a break to raise a family, and then returns to flying as a single mom. This episode also explores:
Lynn’s story sits at the intersection of aviation, feminism, labor history, and storytelling — and it’s one every aspiring aviator (and writer) should hear. Buy the books directly from Lynn to support her non-profit Roatan Support Effort. https://lynnrippelmeyer.com/purchase-now Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Tracey Curtis-Taylor — Bird: Flying the Spirit of Artemis Across Continents and Confronting the Old Boys’ Club | 31 Oct 2025 | 01:22:05 | |
If you love daring women, vintage airplanes, and real-world adventure, you’re going to love this one. Pilot and author Tracey Curtis-Taylor shares her journey from a $15 introductory flight in Canada to flying her restored 1942 Stearman across Africa, from UK to Australia, and across the United States. We talk about her inspirations — Lady Mary Heath, Amy Johnson, Out of Africa — and her experiences confronting backlash in modern aviation. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Literary Aviatrix Classics: Aviatrix by Elinor Smith — The Flying Flapper Who Outsmarted Putnam, Outflew the Boys, and Spilled All the Aviation Tea | 20 Oct 2025 | 02:26:09 | |
Hold on to your flight goggles — this episode might be our juiciest Literary Aviatrix Classics yet. In this roundtable, Dr. Jacque Boyd, Captain Jenny Beatty, and I dive into Aviatrix: The Story of Elinor Smith, the 1981 memoir of the teenage pilot who took the 1920s aviation world by storm. Elinor Smith — “The Flying Flapper of Freeport” — was famous for flying under New York’s East River bridges at just seventeen, setting endurance and altitude records, and standing toe-to-toe with the biggest names in early aviation, from Jimmy Doolittle to Amelia Earhart. We talk about her outrageous feats, her sharp wit, her complicated relationships with the men (and women) of her era, and the political games of George Putnam that still echo through aviation history. It’s history, fierce flying, gossip, mentorship, and womanhood — all wrapped in one bold memoir. ✈️ Topics include: · Elinor’s bridge stunt and early fame · The rivalry (and respect) between Elinor Smith and Amelia Earhart · The dirty dealings of aviation icons and prominent promoters. · Women’s solidarity and tension in 1920s aviation · Why Aviatrix should be required reading for every pilot Even after you listen to us dish about it for 2+ hours you’ll still want to read it yourself. There are a few used copies on the market and it’s available in e-book: https://literaryaviatrix.com/book/aviatrix-elinor-smith/ Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Finding Myself in Aviation | Mary Build’s Inspiring Story of Flying, Seaplanes, and Second Chances | 27 Sep 2025 | 01:06:35 | |
At age 47, Mary Build took her very first flight lesson. What followed was a remarkable 30-year career in aviation—flying seaplanes, running her own seaplane base in Maine, flying to Alaska, competing in the Air Race Classic, and serving as a Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE). In this interview, Mary shares her powerful journey from overcoming personal challenges to becoming a respected leader in aviation. We talk about her memoir Finding Myself in Aviation, the courage it takes to start something new later in life, and the joy of never saying no to opportunity. 📚 Finding Myself in Aviation was the Aviatrix Book Club pick for August. Order it here: https://literaryaviatrix.com/book/finding-myself-in-aviation/ ✈️ Topics we cover:
💙 Blue skies and happy reading! #WomenInAviation #Seaplanes #AirRaceClassic #AviationHistory #PilotLife #LiteraryAviatrix Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Captain Tammie Jo Shults — Southwest Airlines Pilot of Flight 1380, Navy Jet Pioneer, and Author of Nerves of Steel | 16 Sep 2025 | 01:04:11 | |
In this episode, I sit down with Captain Tammie Jo Shults — one of the first women to fly Navy tactical jets, longtime Southwest Airlines captain, and author of Nerves of Steel. Tammie Jo is best known for her extraordinary leadership on Southwest Flight 1380, but as she shares in this conversation, her story is about much more than one day in the cockpit. It’s about the obstacles she faced along the way, the resilience she built, and the way her faith, perseverance, and preparation equipped her for the moment the world was watching. We talk about:
This is a conversation about resilience, truth, and the power of persistence — one that will inspire anyone navigating obstacles in their own path. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Captain Patty Bear Book Launch: Air Force KC-135 Veteran & Airline Pilot on Wisdom Hacks, Decision-Making, Career Transitions, and Women in Aviation | 04 Sep 2025 | 00:50:08 | |
This is my first in-person interview, recorded at Patty Bear’s home in a medieval village in Provence. Her new book, Captain Patty’s Wisdom Hacks, launches September 9 and is available for preorder now. We bridge the years after her memoir From Plain to Plane—from USAF KC-135 pilot (Desert Shield/Desert Storm) to nearly 30 years at United Airlines, parenting, coaching, and building a life between the U.S. and France. In this episode:
Preorder: link in show notes Also by Patty: From Plain to Plane and House of the Sun. #AviatrixBookClub #WomenInAviation #Leadership #Resilience #Provence Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Bestselling author Tracey Enerson Wood on her historical novel, Katharine: The Wright Sister, and how Katharine Wright changed the course of aviation history | 24 Aug 2025 | 00:34:05 | |
This June, I sat down with bestselling author Tracey Enerson Wood to talk about her newest historical novel, Katharine, the Wright Sister: A Novel (2024). The book shines a spotlight on Katharine Wright, the often-overlooked sister of Wilbur and Orville Wright—whose contributions were vital to the invention and promotion of the airplane. Tracey and I talk about her path from registered nurse to novelist, her love of writing about “hidden women in history,” and her other works: The Engineer’s Wife, The War Nurse, The President’s Wife, Homefront Cooking, and Life Hacks for Military Spouses. Since recording this, I’ve begun work on my women in aviation history textbook—and Katharine appears in Chapter One, in a sidebar about the hidden women who shaped early flight. Listen in for a lively, inspiring conversation about writing, research, and the women who changed history. Buy the book: Katharine, the Wright Sister #AviationHistory #WomenInAviation #BookClub #Podcast Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Yogini Modi: Entrepreneur, Aviation Mentor, and Community Leader, talks about how her flight school in Homestead Florida is helping to grow India's commercial pilots | 19 Aug 2025 | 00:59:21 | |
From growing up in a Gandhian school in India, to serving ten years in the Indian Army, to founding a thriving flight school in South Florida, Yogini “Yogi” Modi’s journey in aviation is extraordinary. In this interview, Yogi shares how her father’s encouragement sparked her passion for flying, how she became one of the Indian Army’s microlight pilots, and how she has dedicated her career to training and mentoring the next generation of aviators — many of them women from India who return home to join the airlines. We also talk about:
📖 Listen to the full interview here, or watch on the Literary Aviatrix Website, and check out my feature article about her in the July - September 2025 issue of Aviation for Women Magazine! Visit Pilot Training Center Homestead: https://www.pilottrainingcenterhomestead.com/ Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Shirley M. Phillips — How Not to Fly an Airplane: Lessons from 40 Years in Aviation | 09 Aug 2025 | 00:55:44 | |
Shirley M. Phillips is a pioneering female pilot and author whose new aviation memoir, How Not to Fly an Airplane, captures four decades of pilot life stories and lessons from the cockpit. From her start as a teenage student pilot in New Hampshire to becoming the first pregnant airline pilot at her company, Shirley’s career in aviation is filled with grit, humor, and resilience. In this pilot interview, Shirley shares what it’s really like to be a flight instructor, including wild stories like regaining control from a student who froze on the controls, instructing state troopers in Cessnas, and discovering a student was on trial for murder. She also talks about her unconventional publishing journey with Apprentice House Press, a small press run by publishing students at Loyola University Maryland — offering valuable insight for memoir writers and indie authors. 📖 Buy the Book: https://literaryaviatrix.com/book/how-not-to-fly-and-airplane/ Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Women's military equality advocate and author Bridges DelPonte talks about the 14 trailblazing women pilots whose histories intersect with Florida in her book She Soars | 09 Jul 2025 | 01:09:25 | |
In this interview with author Lucille Ponte, writing under the penname Bridges DelPonte, we talk about the fabulous fourteen women featured in her non-fiction anthology, She Soars: Trailblazing Female Pilots in Florida, and her professional advocacy for women’s equality in the military as an attorney and law professor. The book highlights fun and interesting facts about names we know from our cast of women in aviation history and introduces us to a few remarkable new ladies and their impressive accomplishments and contributions. While the Florida nexus strikes a chord with me personally as a South Florida resident, these stories will resonate with and inspire any reader with an interest in aviation. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Author Leona Cobham, granddaughter of pioneering aviation advocate Sir Alan Cobham, joins me again to talk about the latest in her middle grade chapter book series featuring vintage British aircraft, Flying Circus: Above and Beyond | 06 Jul 2025 | 00:24:59 | |
In this interview I talk with author Leona Cobham about the latest in her middle grade chapter book series featuringa cast of vintage British aircraft characters, Airplane Adventures Flying Circus: Above and Beyond. I first interviewed Leona in 2023, and we talked briefly about her grandfather, Sir Alan Cobham and his pioneering contributions to air-to-air refueling. We talk a little more about his advocacy for the advancement of aviation in this conversation. Check out the original interview, and a clip of Sir Alan Cobham himself from the 1930s in the links below: https://literaryaviatrix.com/leona-cobham/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7eu7rYMS8s&list=PLDIDPYt9Z0z6KZF6lDqTNx3iL0FSNRt_Y&index=4 Buy the books: Book 1: Flying Circus Takes to the Skies Book 2: Through Thick and Thin Book 3: Above and Beyond Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Debut author Carolyn Dasher, talks about her new historical novel, American Sky, which features two women who join the WASP in WWII and their legacy across three generations | 01 Jul 2025 | 00:31:22 | |
In this interview with debut author Carolyn Dasher, we talk about her new novel, American Sky, which features two women who join the WASP in WWII and their legacy across three generations. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Fantasy and speculative fiction author of The Improvisers, Nicole Glover, talks about how she wove historical themes of aviation, race and civil rights, historically Black communities, music, family, and sisterhood into a magical fantasy fiction mystery | 25 Jun 2025 | 00:28:29 | |
In this interview with Nicole Glover, author of the Aviatrix Book Club discussion book for June 2025, The Improvisers, we talk about how she wove historical themes of aviation, race and civil rights, historically Black communities, music, family, and sisterhood into a magical fantasy fiction mystery set in the 1930s. Buy the Book: https://literaryaviatrix.com/book/the-improvisers-a-murder-and-magic-novel/ Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Dr. Jacque Boyd and Captain Jenny Beatty are back for another Literary Aviatrix Classics episode about Amy Johnson | 17 Jun 2025 | 01:21:54 | |
Finally, another Literary Aviatrix Classics episode with my guest hosts Dr. Jacque Boyd and Captain Jenny Beatty! This episode is all about Amy Johnson. We started off with her book Sky Roads to the World but, truth in advertising, we did not love this book. It’s a great history of aviation exploits of the time with insightful predictions of what aviation would offer in the future, but we gleaned almost nothing about Amy herself. We were able to cobble together our impressions of her, her life, and her aviation exploits from other sources, and Jenny, fabulous book and women’s aviation history nerd that she is, gives us a rundown of several additional books and places Amy in the context of other women who were flying in the British Isles around her time. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Final Flight, Final Fight: Author Erin Miller talks about her crusade to change federal law to inter her WASP Grandmother at Arlington National Cemetery | 05 Jun 2025 | 01:03:17 | |
In this interview with author, lawyer, and pilot Erin Miller, we talk about her journey through the halls of congress to change federal law so she and her family could honor her WASP Grandmother, Elaine Danforth Harmon's wish to be laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| In this Writers' Room conversation with author Susan Tate Ankeny, we talk about writing and traditionally publishing historical non-fiction | 28 May 2025 | 00:43:28 | |
In this Writers' Room conversation with author Susan Tate Ankeny, author of two historical works, we talk about her journey to publish her first book, The Girl and the Bombardier: A True Story of Resistance and Rescue in Nazi Occupied-France about her father's experience in WWII, and how that led to her agent offering her the opportunity to write and publish, American Flygirl, about WWII WASP Hazel Ying Lee. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Susan Tate Ankeny talks about Chinese American WWII WASP Hazel Ying Lee, the subject of her latest book American Flygirl | 10 May 2025 | 00:43:28 | |
In this interview with author Susan Tate Ankeny, we talk about her biography of Chinese American WWII Women Air Force Service Pilot, Hazel Ying Lee, American Flygirl, the Aviatrix Book Club discussion book for May 2025. Children's Books about Hazel: Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Book Launch! Author Becky Aikman talks about her new book Spitfires: The American Women Who Flew in the Face of Danger in WWII about the women who flew for the Air Transport Auxiliary | 05 May 2025 | 00:41:11 | |
In this interview with author Becky Aikman we talk about her new book Spitfires: The American Women Who Flew in the Face of Danger about the women who flew for the Air Transport Auxiliary in Britain. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Aviatrix Writers' Room with USA Today Best-Selling Author Heather B. Moore who shares her tips on launching a writing career and how to navigate publishing options. | 30 Apr 2025 | 00:31:22 | |
In this writers' room interview I talk with Heather B. Moore, who has been writing for 20 years and is a USA Today best-selling author with over a hundred books published about her writing journey. She offers her tips on launching a writing career, how to navigate publishing, and shares how she manages her writing life. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Author Amanda Harrison talks about her book Solo2Darwin, a memoir of her attempt to fly solo along Amy Johnson's path from England to Australia in her open cockpit Tiger Moth airplane | 29 Apr 2025 | 01:05:26 | |
In this interview with Amanda Harrison we talk about her memoir, Solo2Darwin: In the Footsteps of Amy Johnson, in which she recounts her attempt to fly solo from England to Australia in her vintage open cockpit Tiger Moth. We also talk about the other themes shared in her book about grieving the loss of her father, her breast cancer journey, and the experience of navigating life with dyslexia. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| USA Today best-selling author Heather B. Moore talks about her biographical fiction, Lady Flyer, about WWII WAFS/WASP pilot and leader Nancy Harkness Love | 24 Mar 2025 | 00:31:50 | |
In this interview with USA Today best-selling author, Heather B. Moore, we talk about her biographical fiction of, Lady Flyer, about Nancy Harkness Love, who led the establishment of the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron at the beginning of WWII, and whose efforts were both at odds with and in support of Jackie Cochran’s initiative to create the Women Airforce Service Pilots. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Retired airline pilot and voice actress Pamela Almand, a.k.a. The Captain's Voice, talks about her flying career, how she became an audio book narrator, and what that relationship looks like for authors | 25 Feb 2025 | 00:37:19 | |
In this interview with airline pilot and award-winning voice actress, Pamela Almand, we talk about her aviation career, how she made her way into the voice acting and narration business, and the special experience of narrating two of Amelia Earhart's books: The Fun of It and 20 Hrs. 40 Min.: Our Flight in the Friendship. Pamela is available for book narration! You can find her on social media @thecaptainsvoice and: https://www.thecaptainsvoice.com/ https://www.audiobooksbythecaptain.com/ Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Aviatrix Classics - Jacque, Jenny, and I completely geek out on the incredible adventures of pioneering New Zealand pilot Jean Batten who set multiple records in the 1930s, including being the first person to fly solo from England to New Zealand | 05 Jan 2025 | 02:03:21 | |
In the 1930’s, pioneering New Zealand pilot Jean Batten set multiple aviation records, including a speed record from London to Sydney, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic from East to West in 1935 (which, before reading this I routinely accredited to Beryl Markham), and first person to fly solo from London to New Zealand to prove how aviation could connect her homeland to the rest of the world. “Alone in the Sky” is an apt summation of this pilot’s jaw dropping accomplishments. If you love flying and aviation history, you’ll love this book and our conversation.
That’s just the half of it. Have I mentioned how awesome my co-hosts Dr. Jacque Boyd and Capt. Jenny Beatty are? It is an honor and privilege to talk about our pioneers with these two incredibly accomplished and insightful women, both self-proclaimed aviation and book nerds, whose general aviation flying, aviation education, and airline careers, along with their long history of advocacy for women in aviation, complement my own military experiences, giving us the opportunity to approach our collective history from a variety of perspectives to help us all understand it better.
As we honor the anniversary of Amy Johnson’s passing today, the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia, we celebrate the many adventurers who came after her. Later this year, the Aviatrix Book Club will discuss the memoirs of two women who celebrate this legacy of adventure: Solo 2 Darwin by Amanda Harrison, and Bird by Tracey Curtis-Taylor.
Special shout out to author Maggie Shipstead, whose novel Great Circle was inspired by Jean Batten, and is a story that honors the spirit of our women pioneers.
You don’t want to miss the Aviatrix Classics Series. More to come in 2025 . . .
Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| NYT Best-selling author Lorraine Heath talks about her novel The Girls of Flight City featuring the women who trained British Royal Air Force pilots before the U.S. entered WWII | 03 Jan 2025 | 00:27:56 | |
Before the U.S. entered WWII, the British Royal Air Force sent prospective pilots to the U.S. for training because they didn’t have the capacity to train the numbers they needed for the fight, and America’s women pilots helped train them. New York Times and USA Today Best-Selling author Lorraine Heath explores this fascinating niche of our history in her novel The Girls of Flight City, the December 2024 Aviatrix Book Club discussion book. Lorraine was inspired by a story she read in 1991 about a woman in Terrell, Texas who tended the British Cemetery, and filed the idea away as she pursued an award-winning writing career spanning the past 30 years, publishing over 60 Romance novels and books for young adults, before returning to this story that not only piqued her curiosity, but tugged at her emotional connections to her British mother who lived through WWII in the UK, and her Texan father who graduated from high school in Terrel. Over 2,000 RAF cadets trained at the Terrell Aviation School, just one of seven British Flying Training Schools in the U.S. at the time. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| USAF Judge Advocate General Samantha Arrington Sliney dives deep into the evolution of military aviation pregnancy policies and talks about her new picture book All the Things Our Mommy Can Do coauthored by USAF Pilot Megan Biles | 26 Nov 2024 | 01:14:11 | |
In this interview with co-author Samantha Arrington Sliney, a USAF Judge Advocate General (JAG) and Women's Initiative Team (DAF WIT) member, we talk about the new picture book she co-authored with fellow DAF WIT member, USAF pilot Megan Biles, All the Things Our Mommy Can Do, and we dive deep into military aviation pregnancy policies. While the focus of our conversation is centered around military aviation, the questions of law and policy impacting women's careers, and the book itself, have much broader relevance and appeal. Special shout out to Jessica Ruttenber who continues to advocate for women's rights, including military aviation policies, and who introduced us. The conversation is a great one for anyone in a leadership position where women's physical status might affect their job performance, for any woman considering navigating her own aviation and/or military career while balancing the decision to carry her own children, and the book is perfect for any expecting mother, especially one with older siblings. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor recipient and Air National Guard Combat Search and Rescue Helicopter Pilot Mary Jennings Hegar talks about her memoir Shoot Like a Girl | 22 Nov 2024 | 00:52:58 | |
Mary Jennings Hegar is the recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor, the Purple Heart, and five Air Medals for her service as an Air National Guard HH-60 Pave Hawk Combat Search and Rescue Pilot on three deployments in Afghanistan and many domestic civil humanitarian missions. When her aircraft was shot down in Afghanistan, she sustained back injuries that prevented her continued service as a pilot. The existing Ground Combat Exclusion Policy that prohibited women from serving in ground combat roles meant she could not apply for re-designation as a special tactics officer where her skills and experience could best support the mission. In 2012, she was the lead plaintiff against the Secretary of Defense in a case to abolish the Ground Combat Exclusion Policy and enhance military effectiveness. The policy was repealed in 2013.
MJ’s journey began in Air Force ROTC with a follow-on Air Force commission. After she was sexually assaulted by her Flight Surgeon during a qualifying flight physical, and witnessed his subsequent impunity, she made the difficult decision to leave active duty and pursue her dream of ‘becoming Han Solo’ through the Air National Guard. In this interview we talk about why she felt it was important to share her story to educate the public, politicians, and policy makers on both the achievements and contributions of women in combat operations, and the challenges they face in navigating military careers from negative individual and institutional biases.
Shoot Like a Girl is the November 2024 Aviatrix Book Club discussion book. There is also a young adult version, Fly Like a Girl, for readers ages 12-16. If you haven’t read this book, add it to your TBR list.
Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Aviatrix Classics - A Pair of Wings about Bessie Coleman with special guest, author Captain Carole Hopson | 09 Nov 2024 | 01:13:22 | |
In this Aviatrix Classics conversation with Guest Hosts Dr. Jacque Boyd and Captain Jenny Beatty, we welcome guest Carole Hopson, author of A Pair of Wings, to discuss the remarkable accomplishments of pioneering aviatrix Bessie Coleman. Despite all of the odds against her, Bessie learned to fly and earned her license in France in 1921, then returned to Europe to learn aerobatics before drawing mixed-race audiences to watch her perform in the U.S. Carole learned about Bessie Coleman from Jenny at a Women in Aviation International conference. In this conversation, she and Jenny share that exchange and talk about the impact it had on Carole’s pursuit of her own dream to fly, and on her inspiration to write this book. We also talk about how Carole took her book from self-published in 2021 to traditionally published by Holt in 2024. Buy the book: https://literaryaviatrix.com/book/a-pair-of-wings-a-novel/ Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| U.S. Army AH-64 Apache combat helicopter pilots Laura Pangallo Fryar and Morgan Samuels talk about their careers and their picture book Be Something Epic | 06 Nov 2024 | 00:58:19 | |
Don’t be fooled by the sweet cover of this picture book by U.S. Army AH-64 Apache combat helicopter pilots, Laura Pangallo Fryar (author) and Morgan Samuels (illustrator). In this interview we geek out on helicopter flying, military careers, “delivering justice” for U.S. ground forces, active duty parenthood, and creative pursuits—and also about their inspiring picture book, Be Something Epic.
Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Alaska Bush and Glacier Pilot Kitty Banner Seemann talks about flying elite mountain climbers, hunters, and adventurers into remote locations in some of the most challenging conditions in the world. | 21 Oct 2024 | 01:14:33 | |
In this conversation with Kitty Banner Seemann, we talk about her spectacular experiences flying as a bush and glacier pilot in Alaska in planes full of mountain climbers, hunters, and adventurers to remote locations in some of the most challenging flight conditions imaginable, all described in her book Wings of Her Dreams: Alaska Bush and Glacier Pilot Kitty Banner. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Aviatrix Classics with guest hosts Dr. Jacque Boyd and Capt. Jenny Beatty - The Fun of It by Amelia Earhart | 30 Sep 2024 | 02:08:33 | |
In this episode of Literary Aviatrix Classics with guest hosts Dr. Jacque Boyd and Capt. Jenny Beatty, we discuss The Fun of It: Random Records of My Own Flying and of Women in Aviation by Amelia Earhart. This book offers fascinating insights to where aviation was at the time the book was published and how Amelia and her contemporaries imagined aviation would impact the future. We also learn from AE’s own words about her pre-aviation life, her selection and participation in the Friendship Flight as a passenger on a transatlantic flight, and ultimately about her own solo flight across the pond. My favorite parts of the book were her summaries of women’s accomplishments and potential in aviation. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Aviatrix Writers' Room: Canadian pilot and author Lola Reid Allin talks about writing her memoir, Highway to the Sky, and hybrid publishing with She Writes Press | 12 Sep 2024 | 00:52:04 | |
In this Literary Aviatrix Writers' Room interview with Lola Reid Allin, she talks about her writing journey including courses at Gotham Writers in NYC, overcoming the fear of sharing personal details, hybrid-publishing with She Writes Press, book launch promotion, and her lessons learned on the value of critique. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Book launch interview with Canadian pilot Lola Reid Allin about her memoir, Highway to the Sky: An Aviator's Journey, out on September 17th 2024 | 12 Sep 2024 | 01:02:43 | |
In this interview with Canadian pilot Lola Reid Allin, we talk about her new memoir, launching on September 17th, 2024. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Aviatrix Writers' Room Picture Book Publishing Panel: Five authors share their journeys through traditional, hybrid, and self-publishing. | 13 Aug 2024 | 01:09:58 | |
In this Picture Book Panel discussion, we hear from five recently published authors who navigated various routes to publication including traditional, hybrid, and self-publishing to get their stories into print. They very generously share those journeys with us here—everything from the decision about which route to go, to the editing process, how they found their illustrators, what their distribution looks like, the percentage return they receive on book sales, special military/aviation-related considerations about depicting specific ‘brand’ images, to book promotion and lessons learned along the way. If you’re not writing with the specific niche of women in aviation in mind, the information here will still be of tremendous value as you contemplate your options.
00:00 – 02:49 Intro 02:50 – 06:58 Author Intros 07:00 – 15:08 Manuscript Prep/Edit 15:10 – 18:22 Finding an Artist 18:23 – 24:47 Why did you choose your pub route/timeline to publication 24:48 – 30:33 Distribution 30:34 – 36:04 Promotion and sales 36:05 – 43:05 Percent earnings on sales 43:06 – 47:24 Activity books 47:25 – 53:58 Book Promotion 53:59 – 58:59 Special military and branding image considerations 59:00 – 1:00:05 Lessons learned/advice
If you have a great picture book idea to help inspire the next generation of women in aviation, I hope you’ll pursue it, and I hope this panel discussion helps you on your journey!
A big takeaway from this panel is the importance of community. If you’re writing books featuring women in aviation, I hope you’ll consider the Literary Aviatrix community as yours along your journey, and if you’re not, find your people! The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) is an awesome starting point.
Show some love for the authors: visit their websites, follow them and share their content on social media, buy their books, and drop a review on Amazon and Goodreads.
Kodey Bogart @helogirlsbook – Helo Girls series – https://www.helogirls.com Darcy Guyant @darcy_guyant_author – Dolph and Gwen series - https://www.darcyguyant.com Caroline “Blaze” Jensen @adventures_of_thundermouse – Thundermouse – Erin Murphy @erinmurphybooks – Halfway Home & Daring Dexter – https://www.erinmurphybooks.com Teri Weber @teriweberwrites – Operation Aviation series - https://teriweberwrites.com Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Aviatrix Classics with guest hosts Dr. Jacque Boyd and Captain Jenny Beatty: I Taught Amelia to Fly by Neta Snook Southern | 02 Aug 2024 | 01:52:36 | |
Join guest hosts Jacque Boyd, Jenny Beatty, and me as we discuss this out-of-print treasure, Neta Snook Southern’s I Taught Amelia to Fly. Through Neta’s own aviation journey, we get a very special lens into the experiences of aspiring pilots in the U.S. as they pursued their dreams during and after WWI. Her childhood stories emphasize the importance of exposing our girls to science and mechanics as that exposure imbued her with the skills and confidence to not only hold her own in a male dominate world, but endeared her to her peers. Neta also offers us a new and intimate perspective of iconic Amelia Earhart during her formative years as a pilot in training. Since the book is difficult to find, we take you through all of the wonderful and surprising highlights. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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| Leadership & Development: Author Martha LaGuardia Kotite talks about her books So Others May Live, about U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers and Changing the Rules of Engagement, which features several aviatrix heroines including Tammy Duckworth, Pam Melroy, | 10 Jun 2024 | 01:09:33 | |
In this interview with author and retired U.S. Coast Guard Captain Martha LaGuardia-Kotite, we talk about her career, which culminated in being recalled to active duty as the Commandant’s Press Secretary, then we get into her books - So Others May Live: Saving Lives, Defying Death; Changing the Rules of Engagement: Inspiring Stories of Courage and Leadership from Women in the Military; and My Name is Old Glory: A Celebration of the Star Spangled Banner. The first two books feature stories of incredibly inspiring women in aviation, including the U.S. Coast Guard’s first qualified female rescue swimmer, Kelly Mogk Larsen and the first Vice Commandant of any U.S. Military service, Vice Admiral Vivien Crea, along with Nicole Malachowski, the first woman Thunderbird demonstration team pilot, Senator Tammy Duckworth, U.S. Army Blackhawk pilot and combat amputee survivor, and Pam Melroy, one of only two women to command a U.S. Space Shuttle. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening!
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