Dead Ladies Show Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 43 - Bebe Barron May 13, 2021

Show notes

This episode the introducing duties go to DLS co-founders Katy Derbyshire and Florian Duijsens as they hand off to podcast producer and host Susan Stone to present the featured Dead Lady -- Bebe Barron.

Known as the "First lady of Electronic Music," Bebe was a classically trained musician who found her joy with husband Louis in the eerie tones made by dying circuits. Their tape loops and new technology helped set the stage for the bleeps and bloops we all love today, and they created the first ever all-electronic film score for sci-fi flick Forbidden Planet. Plus, Bebe was a part of the Avant-Garde set, hanging out in New York and California with Anais Nin, Maya Deren, and Henry Miller.

The DLS crew also talk about what it's like to meet a living legend, and dish on a new documentary about women electronic music pioneers.

More info, links, and pics can be found at deadladiesshow.com/podcast

Episode 42 - Emily Hahn Apr 08, 2021

Show notes

This episode we meet the intrepid Emily Hahn, an American writer and passionate traveller who wrote 54 books while reporting for the New Yorker.

As a young woman, she was the first woman to graduate in mining engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, then donned men's clothes to travel across the US with friends. Wanderlust took her to the Belgian Congo, where she worked for the Red Cross, then on to Shanghai, and later Hong Kong where she reported, flirted, and partied for a decade. She returned to the US from occupied China in 1943 with a 2-year-old in tow along with a newly divorced British intelligence officer.

Hahn, known as Mickey to her friends, was legendary for her beauty and wit, and also for her pet monkeys.

To learn more about Emily Hahn and her adventures visit our episode page here: https://deadladiesshow.com/2021/04/08/podcast-42-emily-hahn/

Our theme music is "Little Lily Swing" by Tri-Tachyon.

Thanks for listening! We'll be back with a new episode next month.

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The Dead Ladies Show is a series of entertaining and inspiring talks about women who achieved amazing things against all odds, presented live in Berlin and beyond. This podcast is based on that series. Because women's history is everyone's history.

The Dead Ladies Show was founded by Florian Duijsens and Katy Derbyshire.

The podcast is created, produced, edited, and presented by Susan Stone.

Don't forget, we now have a Patreon! Thanks to all of our current supporters! Please consider supporting our transcripts project and our ongoing work: www.patreon.com/deadladiesshowpodcast

If you prefer to make a one-time donation, here's the link: paypal.me/dlspodcast

Episode 41 - Annette von Droste-Hülshoff Mar 14, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, Anneke Lubkowitz introduces us to the brilliant and strange 19th century writer and poet Annette von Droste-Hülshoff.

This Dead Lady was a Lady in the literal sense - she was born into nobility, and the life her family expected for her was far different from the one she led. Choosing the male occupation of poet, and the unladylike hobby of fossil collecting, nature devotee Annette could often be found wandering the muddy moors or writing away in a turret. Her ahead-of-her-time way with verse included timeless poems and a work of gothic fiction considered by some to be one of the first murder mysteries.

Via Zoom from the bright green rooms of Annette von Droste-Hülshoff's former home Haus Ruschhaus, Anneke also reads some newly translated poems from Droste's collections.

This show was created in collaboration with StAnza, Scotland's International Poetry Festival, with help from the Burg Hülshoff Center for Literature. Thanks to both!

To learn more about Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, visit our episode page here: https://deadladiesshow.com/2021/03/15/podcast-41-annette-von-droste-hulshoff/

Our theme music is "Little Lily Swing" by Tri-Tachyon.

Thanks for listening! We'll be back with a new episode next month.

****

The Dead Ladies Show was founded by Florian Duijsens and Katy Derbyshire.

The podcast is created, produced, edited, and presented by Susan Stone.

Don't forget, we now have a Patreon! Thanks to all of our current supporters! Please consider supporting our transcripts project and our ongoing work: www.patreon.com/deadladiesshowpodcast

If you prefer to make a one-time donation, here's the link: paypal.me/dlspodcast

Episode 40 - Beryl Gilroy Feb 12, 2021

Show notes

The star of our 40th (!) episode is author, educator, and therapist Beryl Gilroy. Born in what was then British Guiana, she trained as a teacher before migrating to London in 1952 as part of the Windrush generation and work all manner of jobs until becoming one of the very first Black head teachers in the UK. Her groundbreaking debut, Black Teacher (1976), documented her journey that that point, and she'd keep publishing all the way to her death in 2001. Telling her story is Berlin-based author Divya Ghelani.

DLS co-founder Florian Duijsens joins host/producer Susan Stone to add some Beryl-related news, and also to talk about our upcoming March 11, 2021 Zoom Dead Ladies Show event with Scotland's International Poetry Festival, StAnza, with tickets available here: https://stanzapoetry.org/festival/events/past-present-annette-von-droste-h-lshoff

To learn more about Beryl Gilroy, and see some lovely photos, visit our episode page here: https://deadladiesshow.com/2021/02/12/podcast-40-beryl-gilroy/

Our theme music is "Little Lily Swing" by Tri-Tachyon.

Thanks for listening! We'll be back with a new episode next month.

****

The Dead Ladies Show was founded by Florian Duijsens and Katy Derbyshire.

The podcast is created, produced, edited, and presented by Susan Stone.

Don't forget, we now have a Patreon! Thanks to all of our current supporters! Please consider supporting our transcripts project and our ongoing work: www.patreon.com/deadladiesshowpodcast

If you prefer to make a one-time donation, here's the link: paypal.me/dlspodcast

Episode 39 - Gráinne Mhaol (Grace O'Malley) Jan 16, 2021

Show notes

Episode 39 introduces Gráinne Mhaol, also known as Grace O'Malley, the legendary Irish pirate queen.

Translator Laura Radosh presents the rollicking tale of this tremendous woman, who has been lauded as "a most famous femynyne sea captain," and "the dark lady of Doona." Gráinne Mhaol was head of the O'Malley dynasty in 16th-century Ireland, owning up to 1000 cattle and horses, leading men on land and sea, and allegedly wreaking cruel vengeance for the murder of a lover. When her sons and half-brother were captured by the English, is said to have met with Queen Elizabeth I and negotiated their release in Latin.

DLS co-founder Katy Derbyshire joins host/producer Susan Stone to hear about the pirate booty gained by this historic beauty.

Katy also tells us about the new DLS Bookshop stores where listeners can find all the Dead Lady books they've always wanted, while contributing to independent bookstores and a little bit to our show, too.

US: https://bookshop.org/shop/deadladiesshow

UK: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/deadladiesshow

To learn more about Gráinne Mhaol, visit our episode page here: https://deadladiesshow.com/2021/01/16/podcast-39-grainne-mhaol-grace-omalley/

Our theme music is "Little Lily Swing" by Tri-Tachyon.

Thanks for listening! We'll be back with a new episode next month.

****

The Dead Ladies Show was founded by Florian Duijsens and Katy Derbyshire.

The podcast is created, produced, edited, and presented by Susan Stone.

Don't forget, we now have a Patreon! Thanks to all of our current supporters! Please consider supporting our transcripts project and our ongoing work: www.patreon.com/deadladiesshowpodcast

If you prefer to make a one-time donation, here's the link: paypal.me/dlspodcast

Episode 38 - Sister Rosetta Tharpe Dec 09, 2020

Show notes

In episode 38, we hear the sweet, sweet music of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, known as the godmother of rock'n'roll.

DLS co-founder Florian Duijsens brings us the tale of this legendary guitarist and gospel singer who had a profound influence on musicians like Little Richard, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, and Aretha Franklin. She took to the stage at the age of four, and never really left it.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe made the first gospel record to hit the charts, played with Cab Calloway at the Cotton Club, attracted 25,000 paying customers to her third wedding, got in trouble with gospel purists and recorded a live album in Paris in 1964.

To start off the episode, Susan and Katy toast to the end of a strange year with the Dead Ladies Show signature tipple, affordable German bubbly Rotkäppchen (Red Riding Hood) and give thanks for the support we've had and that yet to come.

The presentation in this episode was recorded live with help from Brigitte Hamar at the Studiobühne der Universität Münster where we were invited by the Burg Hülshoff Center for Literature. Other talks from this event in German can be found here:

https://www.burg-huelshoff.de/en/medien/mediathek/dead-ladies-show

Thanks also to Fiona, Kati, Tobias, Feline and Jörg for inviting and assisting us.

To learn more, visit our episode page here: https://deadladiesshow.com/2020/12/09/podcast-38-sister-rosetta-tharpe

Our theme music is "Little Lily Swing" by Tri-Tachyon.

Thanks for listening! We'll be back with a new episode next month.

****

The Dead Ladies Show was founded by Florian Duijsens and Katy Derbyshire.

The podcast is created, produced, edited, and presented by Susan Stone.

Don't forget, we now have a Patreon! Please consider supporting our transcripts project and our ongoing work: www.patreon.com/deadladiesshowpodcast

If you prefer to make a one-time donation, here's the link: paypal.me/dlspodcast

Episode 37 - Chevalière d'Éon Nov 12, 2020

Show notes

In Episode 37, Dead Ladies Show co-founder Katy Derbyshire introduces French spy, diplomat, and enigma, the Chevalière d'Éon.

Born Charles Geneviève Louise Auguste André Timothée d'Éon de Beaumont, the Chevalière d'Éon lived for 49 years as a man and spent the last 33 years of her life as a woman.

She claimed to have been assigned female at birth in 1728 Burgundy and raised as a boy, but her elderly roommate got quite a shock when she found that the dead body had male genitalia.

Having served as a spy to the French king, the Chevalière went into the military and then diplomacy, continuing her espionage for Louis XV from London. When the king died, d'Éon negotiated a return to France and legal recognition as a woman, then reluctantly assumed women's clothing, made for her by Marie Antoinette's personal dressmaker.

She earned a meagre living after the French Revolution by performing in English fencing tournaments, wrote an unreliable autobiography, developed her own theology of virtuous womanhood (Mary Wollstonecraft was a fan of hers) and died at the impressive age of 82.

Our other DLS-co-founder Florian Duijsens joins host/producer Susan Stone to discuss how and if we should apply contemporary thinking about gender to people from the past.

To learn more, visit our episode page here: https://deadladiesshow.com/2020/11/12/podcast-37-chevaliere-deon/

Our theme music is "Little Lily Swing" by Tri-Tachyon.

Thanks for listening! We'll be back with a new episode next month.

****

The Dead Ladies Show was founded by Florian Duijsens and Katy Derbyshire.

The podcast is created, produced, edited, and presented by Susan Stone.

Don't forget, we now have a Patreon! Please consider supporting our transcripts project and our ongoing work: www.patreon.com/deadladiesshowpodcast

If you prefer to make a one-time donation, here's the link: paypal.me/dlspodcast

Episode 36 - Shirley Jackson Oct 15, 2020

Show notes

Our 36th podcast episode brings you a glimpse of the acclaimed author of some of the most chilling tales in contemporary American literature, Shirley Jackson. Her short story "The Lottery" is a true classic since its publication in 1948.

Shirley Jackson blended gothic and horror elements with explorations of women's alienation and search for identity. In her real life, she was forced to balance her tremendous talent with the everyday duties of a wife and mother and societal expectations of femininity, which she defied at almost every step.

Our presentation from Krista Ahlberg comes courtesy of Dead Ladies Show NYC, and was recorded live by Christopher Neil in the Red Room at New York's KGB Bar in 2019.

Dead Ladies Show co-founder Florian Duijsens joins podcast host/producer Susan Stone to discuss some of Shirley's stories and the films and series in the Shirley Jackson extended universe.

For all things Shirley, check out our episode page here: https://deadladiesshow.com/2020/10/15/podcast-36-shirley-jackson/

Our theme music is "Little Lily Swing" by Tri-Tachyon.

Thanks for listening! We'll be back with a new episode next month.

****

The Dead Ladies Show was founded by Florian Duijsens and Katy Derbyshire.

The podcast is created, produced, edited, and presented by Susan Stone.

Don't forget, we now have a Patreon! Please consider supporting our transcripts project and our ongoing work: www.patreon.com/deadladiesshowpodcast

If you prefer to make a one-time donation, here's the link: paypal.me/dlspodcast

Episode 35 - Ida B. Wells Sep 17, 2020

Show notes

It's Episode 35! On a sultry September evening, DLS Podcast producer and host Susan Stone took the stage to present the life and times of the unstoppable Ida B. Wells! This pioneering African-American investigative journalist, suffragist and activist was a pint-sized powerhouse.

Born into slavery in Mississippi in 1862, Ida's world opened up with the Emancipation Proclamation, and she became a teacher, newspaper editor, and international lecturer, fighting injustice and racism all the way. Her hold-nothing-back editorials and books exposed and documented the horrific practice of lynching in the American South. On her steely path to justice, she accepted no compromises, making friends and enemies along the way.

DLS co-founders Katy Derbyshire and Florian Duisjens take up the introductions as we get back into the podcast swing of things after a summer break.

For more information and some lovely pictures, check out our show notes page here: https://deadladiesshow.com/2020/09/17/podcast-35-ida-b-wells/

Our theme music is "Little Lily Swing" by Tri-Tachyon.

Thanks for listening! We'll be back with a new episode next month.

****

The Dead Ladies Show was founded by Florian Duijsens and Katy Derbyshire.

The podcast is created, produced, edited, and presented by Susan Stone.

Don't forget, we now have a Patreon! Please consider supporting our transcripts project and our ongoing work: www.patreon.com/deadladiesshowpodcast

If you prefer to make a one-time donation, here's the link: paypal.me/dlspodcast

Episode 34 - Willa Muir Jun 17, 2020

Show notes

In Episode 34, we're once more in Muenster as guests of the Burg Hülshoff Centre for Literature, which happens to be named after a Dead Lady poet, Annette von Droste-Hülshoff! This time around, we'll get introduced to Willa Muir, a prolific translator who brought Kafka into English for the first time. Born on a small Scottish isle, she was eyewitness to some of Europe's most important moments. She worked in tandem with her husband Edwin, who somehow managed to get all the credit.

Dead Ladies Show co-founder Katy Derbyshire translates Willa's life and work, and our other co-founder Florian Duijsens joins host & producer Susan Stone to reveal more about forgotten German writers, some translated by Willa Muir.

We also meet the Leseburger*innen, the reading citizens. This community group of engaged literature and art fans create their own activities and interpretations around the many events and festivals put on by the Burg Hülshoff Center for Literature.

Images of Willa and links to the Leseburger*innen and info about the Burg Hülshoff Center for Literature and its Droste Festival are on our website here: https://deadladiesshow.com/2020/06/17/podcast-34-willa-muir/

Follow us on social media @deadladiesshow and please share, rate, and review the show as it helps others to find our feminist women's history podcast!

*thumbnail image: painting of Willa Muir by Nigel McIsaac, 1944 via National Galleries Scotland

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The Dead Ladies Show was founded by Florian Duijsens and Katy Derbyshire.

The podcast is created, produced, edited, and presented by Susan Stone.

We now have a Patreon! Please consider supporting our transcripts project and our ongoing work: www.patreon.com/deadladiesshowpodcast

If you prefer to make a one-time donation, here's the link: paypal.me/dlspodcast