“The Baby-Sitters Club” has resonated for generations because of the vision of girlhood it presents: one full of autonomy, agency, independence, and community. This episode, author Ann M. Martin tells us how she created the series and the characters, captured the tender years of adolescence, and went on to influence generations of storytellers.
Because the books we love shape us for life.
GUESTS:
- Ann M. Martin is the author of “The Baby-sitters Club”
- Erin McGuirl is Curator of Rare Books for Smith College Special Collections, which includes the Ann M. Martin archives
- Seth Lerer is author of “Children’s Literature: A Reader’s History, from Aesop to Harry Potter”
- Esme Shaller is a psychologist and co-host of “The Stuck In Stoneybrook Podcast”
- Sophie Gilbert is a staff writer at “The Atlantic” and author of “Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Each Other”
- Yumi Sakugawa is an artist and author of the Zine “Claudia Kishi: My Asian-American Female Role Model of the 90s”
- Elysha Dicks was host Daniela Doncel’s fifth grade teacher
- Jackie De Leo and David Levithan are publishers at Scholastic
"Generation: The Media We Love & How It Shapes Us" is a podcast series from Connecticut Public. Each season tells the origin story of a beloved cultural touchstone, asks what keeps it alive across generations, and explores how it helps us become who we are.
"Generation: Baby-Sitters Club" is hosted by Daniela Doncel. This series was reported, written, and produced by Lily Tyson and Daniela Doncel. It was edited and produced by Cassandra Basler. Sound design and mixing by Jay Cowit. Megan Fitzgerald is our project manager. Ayannah Brown and Mark Mirko are our visuals producers. Sam Hockaday created our show art. Marketing support provided by The Podglomerate.
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