Literary Aviatrix: The Power of Story - Women in Aviation
Join Liz Booker as she interviews authors whose books feature women in aviation from across genres, historical periods, and types of flying, and be inspired by the tenacity, adventure, and courage of our sisters in the air.
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Liz not only promotes books featuring women in aviation, but also provides the tools and information for other women to tell their stories. Check out Writers' Room interviews for in-depth discussions on writing, publishing, and book promotion.
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Liz is a retired Coast Guard helicopter pilot and writer, and host of the Aviatrix Book Club, Aviatrix Writers' Group, and Literary Aviatrix website where you'll find hundreds of books featuring women in aviation for all ages.
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Sign up for the Literary Aviatrix Newsletter to stay up to date on book news and book discussions and follow her on social media @LiteraryAviatrix.
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https://linktr.ee/literaryaviatrix
Literary Aviatrix: The Power of Story - Women in Aviation
Literary Aviatrix Classics: Aviatrix by Elinor Smith — The Flying Flapper Who Outsmarted Putnam, Outflew the Boys, and Spilled All the Aviation Tea
Hold on to your flight goggles — this episode might be our juiciest Literary Aviatrix Classics yet.
In this roundtable, Dr. Jacque Boyd, Captain Jenny Beatty, and I dive into Aviatrix: The Story of Elinor Smith, the 1981 memoir of the teenage pilot who took the 1920s aviation world by storm.
Elinor Smith — “The Flying Flapper of Freeport” — was famous for flying under New York’s East River bridges at just seventeen, setting endurance and altitude records, and standing toe-to-toe with the biggest names in early aviation, from Jimmy Doolittle to Amelia Earhart.
We talk about her outrageous feats, her sharp wit, her complicated relationships with the men (and women) of her era, and the political games of George Putnam that still echo through aviation history.
It’s history, fierce flying, gossip, mentorship, and womanhood — all wrapped in one bold memoir.
✈️ Topics include:
· Elinor’s bridge stunt and early fame
· The rivalry (and respect) between Elinor Smith and Amelia Earhart
· The dirty dealings of aviation icons and prominent promoters.
· Women’s solidarity and tension in 1920s aviation
· Why Aviatrix should be required reading for every pilot
Even after you listen to us dish about it for 2+ hours you’ll still want to read it yourself. There are a few used copies on the market and it’s available in e-book: https://literaryaviatrix.com/book/aviatrix-elinor-smith/
Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/
Thanks so much for listening!
- Stay up to date on book releases, author events, and Aviatrix Book Club discussion dates with the Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.
- Visit the Literary Aviatrix website to find over 600 books featuring women in aviation in all genres for all ages.
- Become a Literary Aviatrix Patron and help amplify the voices of women in aviation.
- Follow me on social media, join the book club, and find all of the things on the Literary Aviatrix linkt.ree.
Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening!
-Liz Booker
