History. Sex. Power.
Essays on women, power, desire, ambition, and the histories that still shape us.
By Karen Essex
FEATURED ESSAY
FEATURED ANALYSIS • JUNE 2024
A recurring dream of an alternate Roman Empire became so vivid, persistent, and dangerous that eventually I had no choice but to write it down.
RECENT CHRONICLES
500 Years and Nothing Has Changed
A RENAISSANCE COUPLE ARGUES ABOUT MONEY!
Half a millennium ago, an ambitious Renaissance couple fought over money, status, and power in ways that feel remarkably familiar today.
Death is Inevitable. Or is It?
Why I Want to be a Vampire
After researching immortality for Dracula in Love, I had to wonder whether vampirism has more advantages than anyone cares to admit.
Divine Intervention
The Miraculous Research Behind My Renaissance Novels
Some discoveries feel like luck, but a few have made me wonder whether something larger was guiding the research.
SUBJECTS
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Monthly dispatches on the hidden histories of power and the women who wielded it.
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