Alison Bechdel (1960-present) is an American cartoonist and graphic memoirist best known for her groundbreaking comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For and her acclaimed graphic memoir Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic (2006). Bechdel is also known for the "Bechdel Test," a measure of gender representation in fiction. In 2014, she was awarded a MacArthur "Genius" Grant for her contributions to literature and visual storytelling.

For Further Reading:

• Alison Bechdel | Biography, Comics, Books, & Facts | Britannica
• Cartoonist and Graphic Memoirist Alison Bechdel, 2014 MacArthur Fellow
• What is the Bechdel test? A shorthand for measuring representation in movies : NPR

This month we're talking about Outsiders -- women who marched to the beat of their own drum and rejected stereotypes about what women "should" be. They are aesthetic pioneers, norm-benders, and often the only woman in their field.

History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.

Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.

Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Sara Schleede, Paloma Moreno Jimenez, Luci Jones, Abbey Delk, Adrien Behn, Alyia Yates, Vanessa Handy, Melia Agudelo, and Joia Putnoi. Special thanks to Shira Atkins.

Original theme music by Brittany Martinez.

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