Celebrating ladies who were in some way fabulous during their lifetimes
This time around we head back to New York to hear about Italian antifascist Carla Capponi. Professor Suzanne Cope, author of WOMEN OF WAR: The Italian Assassins, Spies and Couriers Who Fought the Nazis brings us Carla’s lively tale, which is full of bombs, intrigue, and bravery. DLS co-founder Florian Duijsens joins host/producer Susan Stone to introduce the talk.
Find out more about Suzanne Cope here: https://www.suzannecope.com/
Before year’s end, we’re convening one more Dead ladies Show next month! Our show on Friday December 12 is all in English, featuring three fascinating talks. Learn about an influential criminologist, a groundbreaking screenwriter/director, and a lady stockbroker and activist who certainly forged her own path in many a surprising way.
These are women who took their fascinations and ran with them. Our expert presenters this time are our fantastic podcast producer SUSAN STONE, your beloved co-host FLORIAN DUIJSENS, and the amazing Australian writer ALINA HOYNE. All held together, of course, by your other beloved co-host KATY DERBYSHIRE.
As ever, you can expect a charming audience and a warm and entertaining atmosphere. Standard tickets cost €10 and the reduced price is €4, get them here or at the door. Doors open 7:30 pm – come on time to get a good seat!
Much love,
Katy, Susan & Florian
*****
F. TENNYSON JESSE (1888–1958) was an English journalist, criminologist, and writer. The daughter of a vicar who dragged the family around the British empire, she trained as a painter before moving to London in 1911. Journalism beckoned, but she was not put off by losing the use of her right hand in a plane accident, learning to type left-handed. She reported from the ground during World War I and published fiction, before moving into criminology and true crime writing. Her 1924 book Murder and its Motives set out six basic motivations for killing, a very influential theory. She later co-wrote plays with her husband, including How to Be Happy though Married.
ALICE GUY (1873–1968) was a woman of filmmaking firsts. Secretary to a French camera manufacturer, she attended the very first film showing in 1895. Inspired by the moving image but not its dry subject matter, she became the first filmmaker to incorporate narrative, certainly the first woman director, and probably the only one until 1906. Having moved to the US, she was then the first woman to own a studio, in the pre-Hollywood moviemaking hub of Flushing, New York. Which was where she made one of the first films to feature an all-African American cast. Few of her films have survived, but her legacy is lasting.
VICTORIA WOODHULL (1838–1927) had a first career as a “medical clairvoyant” before starting a Wall Street financial firm with her sister in 1870. They used their fortune to start a newspaper, campaign for women’s and workers’ rights, and to publish the first English edition of The Communist Manifesto. Woodhull was a vocal supporter of the free-love movement, attempting to de-stigmatize divorce. She practiced what she preached, leaving her alcoholic first husband in 1865 and the second one in the mid-1870s. The Equal Rights Party nominated her as its presidential candidate in 1872, though she wasn’t taken seriously. Moving to England, she took part in the women’s suffrage movement there – but put a big blemish on her reputation by promoting eugenics.
BIOS
Susan Stone is a podcast producer and journalist writing about culture, social issues and business with a focus on Germany and Europe.
Alina Hoyne was born in Melbourne but has been living and working in Berlin for most of the last two decades. She writes about performance, art, film, books, music, fashion and culture – and is a lover of libraries, public swimming pools, cinemas and coffee convos. She also loves lists.
Florian Duijsens is an editor, teacher and literary translator, plus of course co-host and co-founder of the Dead Ladies Show.
We’re back with a delightful episode about Betty Mae Tiger Jumper, the first female chief of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Host Susan Stone dives deep into the history of the Seminole Indians and Betty Mae’s unusual life and times, via a talk recorded in front of a live audience in Berlin. As a mixed-race child, Betty was ‘born a crime’ according to Seminole medicine men, but she endured to lead her community as a nurse, journalist, leader, and a storyteller.
DLS co-founder Katy Derbyshire joins host/producer Susan Stone to introduce the talk.
Also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Pocket Casts.
Show notes:
This show sees us return to our bilingual concept, with two talks in English and one in German. And what humdingers they will be! All about three ladies who battled reptiles, dragons and discrimination to make the world a better place. Be it healthcare, gaming or literature, what unites them all is their willingness to defend a cause. Our expert presenters this time are our fantastic podcast producer SUSAN STONE, your beloved co-host KATY DERBYSHIRE, and the amazing German writer and game designer JAN KABASCI. All held together, of course, by your other beloved co-host FLORIAN DUIJSENS.
And because you seemed to like it last time, we’re putting on this show on a Sunday evening, the perfect way to wind down from the weekend – starting a smidgen earlier at 7 pm. As ever, you can expect a charming audience and a warm and entertaining atmosphere.
Standard tickets cost €10, the reduced price is €4, and you can buy them here. Doors open 6:30 pm – come on time to get a good seat!
*****
BETTY MAE TIGER JUMPER (1923–2011) was the first female chief of the Seminole Tribe in Florida. She escaped a death sentence after being born a crime as a mixed-race child. Unable to attend segregated schools for either White or Black children, she persuaded her mother to send her to out-of-state boarding school. She became the first Seminole to graduate high school, and among the first to read and write English. Betty trained as a nurse, then served as tribal healthcare director, convincing her fellow Seminoles to accept vaccinations. She later founded a newspaper, was elected tribal leader, and wrote three books, all while having an awesome name. Oh, and she also wrestled alligators on occasion.
JENNELL JAQUAYS (1956–2024) was a US game designer, writer, illustrator and trans activist. Having been an early adopter of Dungeons&Dragons after its emergence in 1974, she soon became a prolific member of the early tabletop roleplaying game industry, working with a wide range of publishers and innovating game design so much that “Jaquaysing” is an established term today. From the 1980s onward she also worked a variety of jobs in videos games, notably as a level designer for the Quake and Halo series. After publicly coming out as trans in 2011, Jaquays worked alongside her gaming career as a creative director for the Transgender Human Rights Institute in Seattle.
UNA MARSON (1905–1965) was a Jamaican writer, journalist ,and radio producer, described as the first Black British feminist to speak out against racism and sexism in Britain. Having started her own magazine in Jamaica, she published poems and wrote and staged her first play. Ambition took her to 1930s London, where racism proved a major obstacle, however. She became involved in civil rights work and championed other Jamaican writers, eventually becoming a producer for the BBC’s Caribbean Voices radio show. We know little about her life after WWII, when she returned to Jamaica and continued writing poetry and fighting discrimination – but a recent rediscovery in the UK has led to a TV documentary and a library named in her honour.
*****
Katy Derbyshire (she/her) is a literary translator and part-time publisher, co-host and co-founder of the Dead Ladies Show.
Susan Stone (she/her) is a podcast producer and journalist writing about culture, social issues and business with a focus on Germany and Europe.
Jan Kabasci (er/ihm) ist Autor, Lektor und Game Designer und lebt in Berlin. Nach Arbeiten in Prosa, Lyrik und Drama widmet sich sein Schreiben gegenwärtig seiner großen Leidenschaft, dem Pen&Paper-Rollenspiel. Sein aktuelles Projekt ist ein Tagebuchspiel über Ulrike Meinhof. Neben der Autorentätigkeit studiert er Angewandte Literaturwissenschaft an der FU Berlin, lektoriert unter anderem für den Pegasus Spieleverlag und schlägt sich mit wechselnden Jobs durchs Leben.
In this episode, DLS co-founder Florian Duijsens introduces us to Flora Tristan.
A French-Peruvian writer, socialist activist and feminist theorist, Flora was amongst the first to tie women’s equality to social equality. Her personal life was touched by hardship, scandal, and the nefarious acts of various men. Seeking her own emancipation, she was moved to fight for universal freedom. And though she may not be well-known, Flora’s inspiring ideas live on today, when people stand united against oppression.
Recorded live at Lettrétage by Betty Kapun.
Also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Pocket Casts.
Show notes:
Continue reading “Podcast #83: Flora Tristan”
In this episode, we hear a bit of our lovely 10th anniversary show in Berlin, and DLS co-founder Katy Derbyshire gives us the rundown on Caroline of Brunswick, who was officially queen of the United Kingdom and Hanover for three whole weeks before she died in 1821, long-estranged from her horrible husband, her cousin King George IV. They had separated shortly after the birth of their only child, and Caroline’s access to her daughter was restricted. She later moved to Italy, celebrated the right to bare arms, and lived with a handsome secretary, prompting huge amounts of gossip and countless caricatures. When George ascended to the throne, Caroline tried to cash in on her popularity and become queen, but she was literally locked out of the coronation.
Recorded live at Lettrétage by Betty Kapun.
Also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Pocket Casts.
Show notes:
Continue reading “Podcast #82: Caroline of Brunswick”
In this episode, we hop over to New York to encounter our Dead Lady of the hour, May Ziadeh, a Lebanese-Palestinian poet, writer, translator, and feminist, whose work explored themes of love, identity, and the liberation of women. Books were her beloved companions throughout her life, and proved more steadfast than people. May began writing at an early age, started an important literary salon, and had moments of fame, but is perhaps better known for the years of isolation and tragedy that marked her life. She deserves more. May wrote in her diary: “After my death, I hope that someone will do me justice and find the sincerity and honesty contained in my small writings.”
Our presenter is Rosana Elkhatib, a designer, researcher, and curator. She is a co-founding principal of feminist architecture collaborative f-architecture and has taught at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation.
DLS co-founder Katy Derbyshire joins host/producer Susan Stone to introduce the talk.
Thanks to the team at Dead Ladies NYC for sharing this presentation with us: Molly O’Laughlin Kemper, Sheila Enright, Christopher Neil and the KGB Bar’s Lori Schwarz.
Also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Pocket Casts.
Show notes:
Continue reading “Podcast #81: May Ziadeh”| It’s our tenth anniversary! How did that happen? So on Tuesday May 13th we’re jubilating to the max, bringing you three ladies we’ve always wanted to talk about but never quite dared. And seeing as it’s our birthday, we’re doing it all in English – it’s our party and we’ll cry if we want to. Your beloved co-hosts Florian Duijsens and Katy Derbyshire will be presenting two remarkable characters from history, and our special guest Saskia Vogel will worm the truth out of them about the event’s advent. |
| As for you, our charming audience, we thought we’d offer you a fun opportunity. All you have to do is DRESS UP AS A DEAD LADY OF YOUR CHOICE, and we’ll let you in for free! Join us to marvel over how time’s passed, while looking ahead to a future full of laudable dead ladies. In a good way! Standard tickets cost €10, the reduced price is €4, and you can buy them here. Doors open 7:30 pm – come on time to get a good seat! What’s more, the first 39 people through the door will get a free drink ticket to celebrate our 39 shows in 10 years 🙂 |
Caroline of Brunswick was officially queen of the United Kingdom and Hanover for three whole weeks before she died in 1821, long-estranged from her horrible husband, her cousin King George IV. They had separated shortly after the birth of their only child, and Caroline’s access to her daughter was restricted. She later moved to Italy and lived with a handsome secretary, prompting huge amounts of gossip and countless caricatures. When George ascended to the throne, Caroline tried to cash in on her popularity and become queen, but she was literally locked out of the coronation.
Eileen Agar was the sort of artist who looked at a hat and thought, What if it grew feathers, sprouted seashells, and started whispering secrets to strangers? Born in Buenos Aires and raised in Britain, Agar was a painter, collagist and sculptor with a delicious taste for the absurd. She danced on the edges of Surrealism—sometimes elbowing her way in, sometimes pirouetting just out of reach—and exhibited alongside the likes of Dalí and Ernst, though she never let their moustaches overshadow her own wildly imaginative vision.
Katy Derbyshire is a literary translator and part-time publisher, co-host and co-founder of the Dead Ladies Show.
Florian Duijsens edits, teaches, translates, travels, and is the co-host and co-founder of the Dead Ladies Show.
Saskia Vogel is a writer and translator and deputy editor of The Erotic Review. Her translation of Balsam Karam’s The Singularity won the University of Iowa Translators’ Choice Award in 2024.
In this episode of our podcast, DLS co-host Florian Duijsens tells us about journalist, writer, and witness to history Dorothy Thompson. As a foreign correspondent in Germany, she was among the first to caution against the growing tides of fascism, warning urgently against the Nazis and Hitler. Unfortunately, the world didn’t listen. Dorothy continued to speak out throughout her life, and during her career peak, was read and heard on the radio by millions.
Her personal life at times also made the news — she was married to Pulitzer Prize-winning author and alcoholic Sinclair ‘Hal’ Lewis but was also less openly involved with German-Hungarian novelist, playwright and sculptor Christa Winsloe, the author of the notorious girl’s boarding school lesbian story which became Mädchen in Uniform, an even more notorious film starring Dead Lady Romy Schneider.
Katy Derbyshire, our other DLS co-founder joins host/producer Susan Stone to introduce the story.
Also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Pocket Casts.
Join our newsletter to stay updated on our events, including our May 13th Anniversary Show in Berlin: https://deadladiesshowberlin.beehiiv.com/
Tickets can be found here: https://literatur-berlin.tickettoaster.de/produkte/3707-tickets-dead-ladies-show-39-the-10th-anniversary-edition-lettretage-berlin-am-13-05-2025
Join the newsletter for Dead Ladies NYC here. Their next show is May 8: https://deadladiesshow.substack.com/
Show notes:
Continue reading “Podcast #80: Dorothy Thompson”
We’re back with Season Eight of the Dead Ladies Show Podcast!
In this episode, DLS co-founder Katy Derbyshire brings us the story of Boudica, an ancient British queen who fought the Romans. Though she led her Iceni tribe in a rebellion, the Romans prevailed, but wrote a fair bit about her in the history books.
In her afterlife, Boudica became a mascot for the suffragettes but also co-opted as a symbol for all things British; also, Enya wrote a song about her.
DLS co-founder Florian Duijsens joins producer/host Susan Stone to set the stage.
For more on the Boudica-inspired perfume Susan mentioned, look here: https://www.boudiccawode.com/
Dead Ladies NYC has a show March 6 — find out more here on their newsletter: https://deadladiesshow.substack.com/
And in Berlin we are celebrating 10 years of DLS! Come see us May 13th, and find out more via our website: https://deadladiesshowberlin.beehiiv.com/
Please consider joining our Patreon! We have lots of fun interviews and book chat and more over at patreon.com/deadladiesshowpodcast
If you like, follow us on social media @deadladiesshow where we share pictures and info about all of the wonderful Dead Ladies we’ve covered so far. You can also drop us a line via info@deadladiesshow.com and we’re on BlueSky, too: https://bsky.app/profile/deadladiesshow.bsky.social
Also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Pocket Casts.
Show notes:
Read more: Podcast #79: Boudica
Some queenly comparisons
Where Boudica may or may not have lived
Two great sources: Miranda Aldhouse-Green’s Boudica Britannia, and Hingly & Unwin’s Boudica. Iron Age Warrior Queen
On screen: the movie Boudica, Queen of War and Channel 4’s Queens That Changed the World.
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 