PODCAST

Unruly Figures

Valorie Clark

A show about history"s favorite rebels. Releasing every other Tuesday. unrulyfigures.substack.com

history

All Episodes

60:56

Unruly Interviews: Debby Applegate

Unruly Figures ·

2023/07/07

Hey folks, I’m really excited to share this interview with Debby Applegate, the author of Madam, the Polly Adler biography. If you liked the story of Polly Adler, you’re going to love this interview. We talk about Applegate’s work as a historian, what’s next for her, and the challenge of writing biographies. We also do a deep dive into what life was like in Jazz Age New York and talk about the unlikely criminal empire of Burbank, California—a particular treat for me, since I live nearby and am

29:14

Episode 29: Sylvia Rivera

Unruly Figures ·

2023/06/20

Hi everyone, I’m so excited to bring you the story of Sylvia Rivera, an incredible queer icon if there ever was one. Rivera was at the Stonewall Uprising (maybe) and she began one of the first-ever US organizations dedicated to advocating for trans rights. Her story is a bit sad, but it gives us good work to aspire to. 🎙️ TranscriptHey everyone, welcome to Unruly Figures, the podcast that celebrates history’s greatest rule-breakers. I’m your host, Valorie Clark, and today I’m going to be covering

69:50

Episode 28: Alan Turing

Unruly Figures ·

2023/06/07

This week, historian and host Valorie Clark is covering the amazing life of Alan Turing, who you might remember as the computer genius that Benedict Cumberbatch played in The Imitation Game. In this episode, Valorie dives deep into the inspiration behind Turing's biggest breakthroughs in computing technology, the questions that occupied him after WWII, and the conspiracy theories which surround his death. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to

88:36

Episode 27: Hans Christian Andersen

Unruly Figures ·

2023/05/26

This week, historian and host Valorie Clark is covering the amazing life of Hans Christian Andersen, who you might remember as the author behind "The Little Mermaid." Though Ariel and The Ugly Duckling are probably two of Andersen's most famous characters, he was an incredibly prolific writer who wrote hundreds of stories during his life. In this episode, Valorie tackles the myths he built around his childhood, his dark experience in school, and the intense debates around his sexuality.Link to

67:58

Episode 26: Polly Adler

Unruly Figures ·

2023/05/12

This week, historian and host Valorie Clark is covering the amazing tale of the Polly Adler, remembered as New York's greatest madam. She immigrated to the US from Russia, destined for a life of poverty and struggle, but rose above it to dizzying heights of money and glamour--and crime. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unrulyfigures.substack.com/subscribe

35:40

Unruly Interviews: Neal Bascomb

Unruly Figures ·

2023/04/14

Historian and host Valorie Clark sits down to talk with Neal Bascomb! Bascomb is the author of Faster, which tells the story of Lucy Schell, René Dreyfus, and how they beat the Nazi Silver Arrows in the Pau Grand Prix. If you liked the Unruly Figures episode on Lucy Schell, you’ll love this interview. We talk about how Neal discovered her story, the research he did, and his experience riding in the car René raced in. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or

69:12

Episode 25: Lucy Schell

Unruly Figures ·

2023/03/29

This week, historian and host Valorie Clark is covering the amazing tale of the 1930s race car driver and Grand Prix team owner, Lucy Schell. She was the first ever female Grand Prix team manager, and in the 1938 season, she fielded a revolutionary car driven by a talented Jewish driver to beat the Nazis. Listen to learn more about their under-dog win. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

3:15

Mailbag Episode: Our First Ever Ask Me...

Unruly Figures ·

2023/03/11

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit unrulyfigures.substack.comI'm finally answering the questions from last month’s AMA! Here we go!

74:17

Episode 24: Catherine de Medici, Part 3

Unruly Figures ·

2023/02/08

This week, historian and host Valorie Clark is covering the third and final part of the story of Catherine de Medici, the famous Florentine Queen of France who would go on to be remembered as the Serpent Queen. Is her historical reputation fair or not? Listen to find out. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unrulyfigures.substack.com/subscribe

69:00

Episode 23: Catherine de Medici, Part 2

Unruly Figures ·

2023/01/24

This week, historian and host Valorie Clark is covering the second part of the story of Catherine de Medici, the famous Florentine Queen of France who would go on to be remembered as the Serpent Queen. Is her historical reputation fair or not? Listen to find out. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unrulyfigures.substack.com/subscribe

74:23

Episode 22: Catherine de Medici, Part 1

Unruly Figures ·

2023/01/10

This week, historian and host Valorie Clark is covering Catherine de Medici, the famous Florentine Queen of France who would go on to be remembered as the Serpent Queen. Is her historical reputation fair or not? Listen to find out. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unrulyfigures.substack.com/subscribe

39:39

Episode 21: Zheng Yi Sao

Unruly Figures ·

2022/11/09

Historian and host Valorie Clark tells the story of China's famous pirate queen and possibly the greatest pirate to have ever lived: Zheng Yi Sao. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unrulyfigures.substack.com/subscribe

23:07

Episode 20: Herman the Recluse

Unruly Figures ·

2022/10/26

In this episode, historian and host Valorie Clark covers the mysterious and harrowing tale of Herman the Recluse, the monk who might have done a deal with the devil to save his own life. As always, you can get ad-free versions of the episode, and much much more on the Unruly Figures Substack: http://unrulyfigures.substack.com That's always where you can find transcripts of each episode, photos of each episode's subject, and behind-the-scenes goodies. So come join us!Cover art by Stuart Kolkovic, who

21:45

Episode 19: Qamar-ol-Moluk Vaziri

Unruly Figures ·

2022/10/18

Hi everyone!First of all, I owe you all a big apology for the missing episode earlier this month. I wanted to publish this research about Qamar two weeks ago, but I got laid off from my job and I’ve been going through a mad scramble trying to apply for jobs ever since. I’ve just been a little overwhelmed trying to get everything done. But! The episode that was supposed to go live today—a spooky 👻 episode for Halloween—will just go live next week, and then I’ll be back on the normal schedule I laid

12:10

Episode 18: Queen Kubaba

Unruly Figures ·

2022/09/20

In the season 2 premier, historian and host Valorie Clark covers the earliest known female ruler in history: Queen Kubaba. She rose from brewing beer to ruling a city-state in ancient Sumer, an ascent historians are still trying to figure out. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unrulyfigures.substack.com/subscribe

63:34

Episode 17: Sophie and Hans Scholl

Unruly Figures ·

2022/07/26

Thanks for subscribing! Your subscription helps fund my research, as well as food and coffee. Not a subscriber yet? Subscribing gets you ad-free episodes right in your inbox, and it supports independent research and publication. Subscribe here.You can also listen to Unruly Figures on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts.Welcome to this week’s episode of Unruly Figures! I’m so excited to be covering the story of Sophie and Hans Scholl and their work in the White Rose

0:59

Trailer: Sophie and Hans Scholl

Unruly Figures ·

2022/07/24

Here’s the trailer for this week’s episode of Unruly Figures! Sophie and Hans Scholl were siblings and brave college students who made up central figures of the White Rose resistance group. They advocated for students to abandon Hitler’s philosophy and openly fight against the Nazi regime. In February 1943, they were executed for their political beliefs. The full episode drops on Tuesday morning at 6 am Pacific time. To get it ad-free, subscribe right here on Substack:Not ready to subscribe? Do the

40:46

Episode 16: Marquis de Lafayette

Unruly Figures ·

2022/07/13

Thanks for subscribing! Your subscription helps fund my research, as well as food and coffee. Not a subscriber yet? Subscribing gets you ad-free episodes right in your inbox, and it supports independent research and publication. Subscribe here.You can also listen to Unruly Figures on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts.Welcome to this week’s episode of Unruly Figures! I’m so excited to be covering the Marquis de Lafayette, one of the heroes of not one but two revolutions: the

19:31

Episode 15: Nobuko Yoshiya

Unruly Figures ·

2022/06/28

Thanks for subscribing! Your subscription helps fund my research, as well as food and coffee. Not a subscriber yet? Subscribing gets you ad-free episodes right in your inbox, and it supports independent research and publication. Subscribe here.You can also listen to Unruly Figures on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts.Welcome to this week’s episode of Unruly Figures! I’m so excited to be covering Nobuko Yoshiya, a beloved Japanese novelist. In addition to living a publicly

20:26

Episode 14: Stormé DeLarverie

Unruly Figures ·

2022/06/14

Thanks for subscribing! Your subscription helps fund my research, as well as food and coffee. Not a subscriber yet? Subscribing gets you ad-free episodes right in your inbox, and it supports independent research and publication. Subscribe here.You can also listen to Unruly Figures on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts.Welcome to this week’s episode of Unruly Figures! I’m so excited to be covering Stormé DeLarverie, the cabaret performer, jazz singer, and all-around badass

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Unruly Figures

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