Showy Ovaries with Penny Ashton.

Send us a textGlobal juggernaut for body positivity, US Slam Poet champ poet and zen mistress repping for the Scorpio Dragons, Sonya Renee Taylor invited Penny into her West Auckland Air BnB to chat all thing Body. Friends for 20 years they initially reminisced about the UK Poetry tour that brought them together, complete with Penny's diary comments from 2006 on Sonya's "delight" at sharing a room with three poetesses and three wigs.From there, they dive into Sonya’s groundbreaking book and global movement The Body Is Not an Apology, her early struggles accepting baldness and Penny’s ongoing difficulty loving her own fleshy bone bag.Then also chatted about who and what Sonya got up to in college, about her 12 step journey, what it's like performing for Barack Obama at the Whitehouse and Penny’s firm disbelief in astrology — which, frankly, is exactly what you’d expect from an Aquarius. Finally Sonya blew Penny's levels and ear drums away with a delightful hidden talent to rival Pavarotti. CW: Drug addiction, sex addiction Support the show

Send us a textHoorah! Showy Ovarians, grab your bonnets and pop the kettle on because today, December 16th 2025, we’re throwing a literary birthday bash! Jane Austen turns a whopping 250 and what better excuse for a Showy Bonnets Special? And who better to to spill the tea on all things Austen than NZ's other Janeite of notoriety, the head of the Jane Austen Society of Australia for 30 years; Kiwi Susannah Fullerton. Susannah is a global Jane Austen powerhouse. A writer, academic, tour guide, speaker and all round literary super fan from the moment she could pick up a book. She has led JASA to being the largest literary association in Australia and is also variously patron, founder and member of numerous other societies from Dickens to Georgette Heyer. Penny beamed into her Paddington pad to chat about Susannah's body's favoured position, her skill at hitting a ball, the alarming notion of giving birth 18 times and Great Writers and the Cats Who Owned Them.  But mostly she and Penny both wax lyrical on the proto-feminist, supremely witty, joyous literary superstar that has changed both of their lives, our dear lady Jane Austen. If only Jane could see how her star shows no sign of dimming, even if her life was tragically cut short. Apologies for some of the high feedback along this podcast. CONTENT WARNING: A touch more swearing than in Pride and Prejudice.... ALSO sending love to Sydney and all it endured in its horrific attack at Bondi Beach only 2 days ago. Support the show

Send us a textWay back in March Penny performed this poem at WOMAD spurred on by some political bullshit by a well known "church" attacking a local LGBT+ superstar who was simply performing their show about the WEATHER to kids. The NZ leading coalition's current curriculum nonsense has spurred her again to upload this, in case any Showy Ovarians were missing hearing her be funny whilst swearing and ranting a bit. So yes trigger warning: funny sweary ranty lady ahead. Also head to https://www.hotpink.co.nz/austen-found/ to book to see two happy funny ladies performing an improvised musical for Jane Austen's 250th Birthday. Starring Lori Dungey, Penny Ashton and Greg Ward on the keys. Toodles. Support the show

Send us a text2021 New Zealander of the year, microbiologist and award winning science communicator, Siouxie Wiles cycled to Penny's west Auckland whare this week to chat about making the world a little pinker. They got the party started chatting about her lawsuit with her employer, the online abuse she suffered at the hands of internet AND parliamentary trolls during her promotion of the NZ Government's eradication response to COVID, and her ambitions to be Maverick in Top Gun. From there she discussed her polycystic ovarian diagnosis, her inspirational science teacher and what her boobs have in common with The Queen. Also turning 50, making bacteria glow in the dark and being fueled by all consuming rage. Oh yes and fabulous pink hair. Obviously.  Penny also made a concerted effort to praise Siouxie's brain, even if she took some convincing. People of New Plymouth, come and see Penny in The Tempestuous May 16-17. https://www.iticket.co.nz/events/2025/may/the-tempestuous Support the show

Send us a textIt's another Showy Ovaries Live and this time from New Plymouth's beautiful Pukekura Park for WOMAD Aotearoa. Penny was delighted to chat to one of New Zealand's most prolific and talented actresses Morgana O'Reilly, fresh from her stint as "health butler" and cellphone thief in the global smash hit, The White Lotus. Penny and Morgana discussed life on set, taming imposter syndrome, agonising over which accent to use, attending the glitzy LA premiere and how to use a blender for comedic effects. They also touched on her painful diary entries as a teenager, not wanting to be seen in togs at school, how to reframe narratives around bodies for her childen and for ourselves, and just how does it feel to get your toes sucked for cash. Morgana's IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2837410/?ref_=ext_shr_lnkStories About My Body: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33088099/Penny's ShowsMarch 27 - 28 Q Theatre https://www.qtheatre.co.nz/shows/austen-found April 4th Stratford https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/olive-copperbottom-a-dickensian-tale-of-love-gin-and-the-pox-tickets-1243841095199May 16 - 18 https://www.iticket.co.nz/events/2025/may/the-tempestuousSupport the show