Wander Women: Tales of Transgression in a Bordered World w/ Alexandra Blanchard & Alex Howlett

Join Alexandra Blanchard and Alex Howlett for a talk about their new book Wander Women, a thoughtful, intimate yet political exploration of women’s free and unfree movement, sharing stories from refugees, disability activists and more.

Governments’ decisions usually impact most on the lives of women and people of marginalised genders–yet their stories often go unheard. Wander Women unites tales of different journeys around the world and shines light on the boundaries and constraints–both physical and invisible, political and social–that mould the lives of cis women, trans people and gender-nonconforming individuals.

In this moving and reflective book, two journalists draw links between the gendering of migration and the policing of gender; between cities and borders that restrict mobility. Those sharing their stories tell us what it is like to move through the world with a ‘threatening’ gender identity, the ‘wrong’ nationality, ‘transgressive’ politics, or a ‘disability’.

From the streets of London to the ruins of Syria, from Calais to Russia to Western Sahara, this book gathers voices of all ages–of pioneering activists and artists, matriarchs and mothers, politicians and humanitarians. They paint a picture of structural inequality, in which gender, movement and freedom have long been intertwined.

A current of warmth and resilience runs through and connects these extraordinary voices. They offer tales of resistance and determination, in a world that tries to deny many the right to make their own choices.

About the authors

Alexandra Blanchard is a writer, teacher and host of the podcast The Grand Thunk.

Alex Howlett is currently a reporter with Al Ja