May 31: The Dark Queens with Shelley Puhak
Incredible True Story of Two Powerful Women & their Bloody Rivalry that Forged the Medieval World
Shelley Puhak joins us with a remarkable true tale that few people know of. It’s about two trailblazing Queens from the Early Middle Ages who wielded enough power to shape early Europe, only to be vilified for daring to rule.
We discuss how they formed coalitions, and broke them. Mothered children and lost them. Fought a decades-long civil war—against each other. And we look at why, after the queens’ deaths—one gentle, the other horrific—they were written out of history, their names consigned to slander and legend.
About Shelley Puhak
Shelley Puhak is a critically acclaimed poet and writer whose work has appeared in The Atlantic, Teen Vogue, and elsewhere. Her essays have been included in Best American Travel Writing and selected as Notables in four consecutive editions of Best American Essays. She is the author of two books of poetry, a winner of the Anthony Hecht Prize. Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry That Forged the Medieval World is Shelley Puhak’s debut nonfiction book.
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