About this episode

The episode explores Laura Lee Davidson's solitary winter experience on an island in Canada, highlighting her connections with nature and community.

To snowy Ontario, Canada for our 2026 Christmas Special! Living out the dream of countless exhausted women, Laura Lee Davidson retreated to an island in the middle of a lake, and lived there alone through a long Canadian winter. But she wasn't really alone. Wild creatures became her friends, and she was constantly the recipient of neighborly kindness from folks on the mainland. Laura Lee's 1922 book about her winter on the island is now considered a classic of Canadian literature, and a vivid portrait of time gone by. Katie reads some of her favorite excerpts from the book, and we all tag along with Laura Lee Davidson, retreating into a remote winter solitude, and marveling at the wonders of nature. ___________________________________ Find Laura Lee Davidson's A Winter of Content HERE, or read a digital copy HERE. The What'sHerName SHOP is open, and check out our TOURS to join us on our next women's history adventure! Music in this episode: Deck the Halls, Air Prelude, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, and Angels We Have Heard on High by Kevin MacLeod; The First Noel by Quincas Moreira; I Saw Three Ships by Audionautix; The Friendly Beasts by Marc Nelson; Unrequited by Asher Fulero…

Topics covered

• Canadian literature
• winter solitude
• nature
• women's history

More episodes of What'sHerName

• THE MATRIARCH OF CHINATOWN Ou Shee Eng · April 27, 2026 · 60 min
• THE VOICE OF EXPERIENCE Catherine Jemmat · March 16, 2026 · 46 min
• THE GIRL SCOUT Juliette Gordon Low · March 2, 2026 · 1h 0m
• THE PREACHER Jarena Lee · February 17, 2026 · 47 min
• THE KLONDIKE QUEEN Shaaw Tláa (Kate Carmack) · January 19, 2026 · 59 min
• THE SCANDALOUS WOMAN Uno Chiyo · January 7, 2026 · 57 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the What'sHerName podcast page.