Podcast

This time we have two guest presenters from New Zealand, recorded live at an edition of the Dead Ladies Show presented as part of LitCrawl Wellington, which was produced by Andrew Laking and Claire Mabey of Pirate and Queen. First, renegade historian Jessie Bray Sharpin talks about pioneering mountaineer and journalist Constance Barnicoat. And then we have playwright, poet, broadcaster, book reviewer & theatre critic Maraea Rakuraku telling us about Dr Irihapeti Ramsden, a Māori nurse, writer, educator & anthropologist.

All put together by producer and presenter Susan Stone in January 2019.

Also available on Soundcloud, Spotify, iTunes, RadioPublic, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, and A Cast.

Show notes

Here are our two impressive presenters, Jessie Bray Sharpin (left) and Maraea Rakuraku.

And here’s a photo of Constance to start us off:

(Nelson Provincial Museum, Tyree Studio Collection: 22989)

And here’s her rather lamentable death notice:

She does have a mountain (or three) named after her, though, and here’s one of the New Zealand ones looking lovely:

Here’s a link to the second most badass photo ever taken in New Zealand (warning: no dead ladies featured).

And here’s Constance on the cover of a book, Lady Travellers. The Tourists of Early New Zealand by Bee Dawson:

*****

And now to Irihapeti Ramsden:

Read an obituary in the New Zealand Herald.

You can also read the Booker Prize-winning novel The Bone People, by Keri Hulme, which Dr. Ramsden published in the first place as part of the feminist collective Spiral.

Here’s more about that story. It’s pretty darn impressive.

Maraea provided us with a little background about Captain Cook, who she speaks about in her talk:

Indigenous Māori and indeed most of the Pacific, have a conflicted relationship with British Explorer, Captain James Cook (1728-1779) credited (still) with having ‘discovered’, in 1769, populated for centuries by Polynesians – Aotearoa/New Zealand. This voyage and the two that followed, in (1772-1775) and (1776-1779) were precursors to colonisation, that would overwhelm Indigenous less than 70 years later and lead to the signing of The Declaration of Independence in 1835 followed by Te Tiriti o Waitangi (The Treaty of Waitangi) in 1840. These agreements reinforced the sovereignty and rights of the Indigenous peoples, who at the time were the majority peoples. Introduced disease, combined with the systematic economic, social and spiritual dismantling of cultural systems had a devastating impact upon the Indigenous population, which is still felt to this day.

And here’s a translation of her opening words:

Through my mother, I am Ngāti Kahungunu ki te Wairoa

Through my father, Maungapōhatu is my mountain

Tauranga, is my river

Ngāti Rere is my hapu,

Tūhoe is my tribe,

I am Maraea Rakuraku

Greetings to you all.

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

Thanks for listening! We’ll be back with a new episode in February.

The last part of our 4-part special FRANKENFRAUEN miniseries, produced in December 2018 by Susan Stone.

In a special encore presentation, Dead Ladies Show co-founder Florian Duijsens tells the story of Elsa Lanchester, the actress made famous by her role in 1935’s Bride of Frankenstein. Recorded live at Bard College Berlin.

Also available on Soundcloud, Spotify, iTunes, RadioPublic, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, and A Cast.

Show notes:

Here are a few trailers to the movies in which Florian first encountered Elsa:

Elsa’s mother, Edith Lanchester. Read more about her scandalous cohabitation and activism here.

Above, Elsa’s early favorite Vesta Tilley, and below, a longer version of Elsa talking about her time with Isadora Duncan in Paris

Below, a recording of Elsa singing one of her Cave of Harmony hits later in life and introduced by her husband, Charles Laughton

Here’s the delightful full version of the silent short Bluebottles (1928), one of Elsa’s first movie roles, scripted by H. G. Wells.

Above, Charles Laughton; below, Elsa on a terrifying swing at their country home

The full version of Elsa Lanchester’s role as Mary Shelley in Bride of Frankenstein, and as the creature’s eponymous bride

And here’s rare footage of Elsa live onstage later in life.

And here’s Elsa duetting with Elvis in 1967.

If you want to read more about and by Elsa Lanchester, check out her marvelous autobiography, Elsa Lanchester, Herself.

And as a special treat, here’s a version of the perennially problematic (and delightful) “Baby It’s Cold Outside” a sung on the radio in 1950 by Elsa and her husband.

Thanks for listening! Our theme music is “Little Lily Swing” by Tri-Tachyon. Check out the first three parts of our FRANKENFRAUEN series for yet more fascinating women involved in some way with the classic story of Frankenstein.

Part 3 of our 4-part FRANKENFRAUEN miniseries, produced by Susan Stone in December 2018.

Professor Laura Scuriatti of Bard College Berlin presents the story of Ada Lovelace, accomplished mathematician. She fits into the Frankenstein puzzle by being the only legitimate child of Lord Byron, who was present at the story’s inception. But of course she achieved a whole lot without ever really meeting him. With a live intro from the Dead Ladies Show at the ACUD Studio.

Also available on Soundcloud, Spotify, iTunes, RadioPublic, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, and A Cast.

Show notes:

Here’s Ada in a little sparkly number, painted by Margaret Sarah Carpenter in 1836.

Here’s a model Babbage made of the Analytical Engine that he and Ada worked towards, on display in London’s Science Museum.

And a sketch of the full ballroom-sized thing, never made in real life:

Laura recommends three great books to find out more about Ada: James Essinger’s Ada’s Algorithm; a collection of Ada’s own writing in the dOCUMENTA series 100 Notes – 100 Thoughts; and the graphic novel The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage by Sidney Padua:

Thanks for listening! Our theme music is “Little Lily Swing” by Tri-Tachyon. Check out parts 1, 2 & 4 of our FRANKENFRAUEN miniseries for more fascinating women involved in some way with the classic story of Frankenstein.

Part 2 of our 4-part special FRANKENFRAUEN miniseries, produced in December 2018 by Susan Stone.

To top off 2018 and get in one more celebration of the centenary of Frankenstein, beloved DLS co-host Florian Duijsens tells the story of its creator, Mary Shelley.

Also available on Soundcloud, Spotify, iTunes, RadioPublic, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, and A Cast.

Show notes:

Mary Wollstonecraft’s grave marker at St. Pancras, London

Percy Bysshe (pronounced “bish”) Shelley, aged 27

Tumblr loves Mary Shelley, understandably.

Mary’s stepsister, Claire Claremont, aged 21

Lord Byron in a dreamy, posthumous portrait, below is a portrait of his personal physician, John Polidori.

Here are the trailers for the three films about the legendary summer on Lake Geneva when Mary started writing the horror story what would become Frankenstein.

Mary’s third child, William “Willmouse” Shelley, painted just before his death from malaria.

Above, a painting depicting Shelley’s funeral pyre; below, locks of Mary and Percy’s hair

Frankenstein first found popularity through a plethora of (unauthorized) stage adaptations.

Below, Mary Shelley’s grave at Bournemouth, plus an engraving of the moment to her and Shelley

If you want to know more about Mary Shelley, do read the biographies by Muriel Spark and Miranda Seymour.

Thanks for listening! Our theme music is “Little Lily Swing” by Tri-Tachyon. Check out the other three episodes in our FRANKENFRAUEN series for more fascinating women involved in some way with the classic story of Frankenstein.

Part 1 of our 4-part special FRANKENFRAUEN miniseries, produced in December 2018 by Susan Stone.

Your beloved DLS co-host, translator extraordinaire Katy Derbyshire, gives us the low-down on proto-feminist and mother of Mary Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. With lots of live atmo from the stage presentation.

Also available on Soundcloud, Spotify, iTunes, RadioPublic, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, and A Cast.

Show notes

Here’s Mary, painted by John Opie. The studious look at the top of this post is from 1790-1 and the more relaxed portrait below is from 1797 or thereabouts.

For contrast, here’s a fashionable lady with a lapdog from the 1780s, a portrait of Dona Maria Teresa Apodaca de Sisma by Agustín Esteve:

Clearly, you’ll want to read Mary’s classic proto-feminist text, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. We recommend this annotated edition, edited by the excellent Janet Todd.

And if you want to find out more about Mary herself, try Claire Tomalin’s now-classic The Life and Death of Mary Wollstonecraft.

Follow the progress of – or donate to – the campaign to get a statue of Mary put up on Newington Green, where she first led an independent life. Mary on the Green! And here’s what that statue will look like, designed by Maggi Hambling:

Thanks for listening! Our theme music is “Little Lily Swing” by Tri-Tachyon. Check out parts 2 to 4 of our FRANKENFRAUEN series for more fascinating women involved in some way with the classic story of Frankenstein.

Episode 2 of our new season, produced and presented in November 2018 by Susan Stone.

Translator extraordinaire (and DLS co-founder) Katy Derbyshire tells us all about Aphra Behn, the first woman author who lived off her writing. Additionally, our podcast producer Susan Stone visits a new Berlin exhibition of work by the mysterious photographer Vivian Maier and tries to pin down just who took these pictures and how she would feel about them becoming public.

Also available on Soundcloud, Spotify, iTunes, RadioPublic, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, and A Cast.

Show notes

Here’s a sketch of Aphra Behn by George Scharf:

Here’s a longer version of that Blackadder clip, note the period fashions:

The opening pages of Behn’s Oronoko, in French translation:

Aphra Behn, “The Poetess”, by Peter Lely:

More Behn:

If your interest in milk punch is piqued, try any of the delightful recipes out there and serve some Restoration-era cocktails at your next social gathering. And here’s the final extant portrait:

Katy recommends you read Behn’s The Rover, and the excellent biography by Janet Todd, Aphra Behn: A Secret Life. And at this link you can find a picture of Behn’s grave at Westminster Abbey.

On to Vivian Maier. Here she is in a typical selfie:

If you want to see more of her work, check out the show at the Willy Brandt Haus in Berlin (up until January 6, 2019), browse the website dedicated to her work, or check out the fantastic biography by Pamela Bannos. 

This episode features music by Dee Yan-Key (“Weep No More“), and our theme music is “Little Lily Swing” by Tri-Tachyon.

Thanks for listening! We’ll be back in December with our next episode.

Episode 1 of our new season, produced and presented in October 2018 by Susan Stone.

Professor Agata Lisiak teaches us all about the world’s most famous physicist, Marie Skłodowska Curie. And writer David Wagner talks briefly about a forgotten German doctor, reformer and writer, Anna Fischer-Dückelmann.

Also available on Soundcloud, Spotify, iTunes, RadioPublic, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, and A Cast. Try this link if you have an Android device!

Show notes:

Here’s Marie Curie herself:

And here she is on that big banknote:

The famous shed where she and Pierre worked:

A page from her notebooks, so radioactive they’re now stored in locked boxes:

A rare NYT obit:

Why not watch one of her two biopics? The Courage of Knowledge (2016) or the super-schmaltzy Madame Curie (1943). 

Agata recommends various books that you might like to read:

Obsessive Genius by Barbara Goldsmith; Marie Curie and her Daughters by Shelley Emling; Making Marie Curie by Eva Hemmungs Wirtén; and the gorgeous graphic novel Radioactive by Lauren Redniss.

On to Doctor Anna Fischer-Dückelmann. Here she is:

Here are some NSFW images from her million-selling book…

Get David’s book Berlin Triptych. You really should. Or if you read German, we highly recommend Leben. 

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

Thanks for listening! We’ll be back in November with our next episode.

Our second season of podcasts is coming right up! Find out more in 2 minutes and 39 seconds…

You can peruse all our previous podcasts on our Podcast page. We’re pretty proud of our prolific production.

The last in our first season, produced and presented in August 2018 by Susan Stone.

Co-host Katy Derbyshire gives us the low-down on the early-19th-century lesbian diarist and traveller Anne Lister, a dead lady who is having a bit of a moment right now.

Also available on Soundcloud, iTunes, RadioPublic, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, and A Cast. Try this link if you have an Android device!

Show notes:

Here’s the new plaque that Susan and Florian talk about:

And here’s Anne in those two rather different portrayals:

Pages from the famous diary:

And the inside of the house:

You can read all about Anne in the new biography by Angela Steidele. In German, it’s called Anne Lister. Eine erotische Biographie and in English (in Katy’s translation) Gentleman Jack – out on 1 November. And both of them have gorgeous covers:

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

Thanks for listening! We’ll be back in October after a short break, raring to go for our next series.

A lovely new podcast, produced in July 2018 by Susan Stone, and presented by Katy Derbyshire and Florian Duijsens.

Our podcast producer Susan Stone tells the story of Lotte Reiniger, a true pioneer of animation (and psaligraphy!). At the end, Dead Ladies Show co-founders/hosts Katy and Florian chat with Susan about exciting developments and podcasts.

Also available on Soundcloud, iTunes, RadioPublic, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, and A Cast. And if you have an Android device, this link should do it too!

Show notes:

Here’s Lotte, cutting up a storm.

Her first animated work was called Das Ornament des verliebten Herzens [The ornament of the heart in love] (1919).

This is the Tricktisch she developed, and that’s Carl there at the top, working the camera.

Lotte reveals the Marquise’s secret.

These are some highlights from The Adventures of Prince Ahmed (1926), replete with flying horse, evil magician, and beautiful helpless harem girls.

Lotte in her studio in the Abbey Arts Centre, London, still cutting up a storm.

Lotte remade her German fairytale series for British and US audiences, including the gorgeous Thumbelina below in 1955. She stopped animating in the 1960s after Carl’s death, but returned to her work in 1975, creating three more films before her death.

If you want to know more about Lotte, start with Lotte Reiniger: Pioneer of Film Animation by Whitney Grace, check out that Google doodle, and you can buy a DVD copy of The Adventures of Prince Ahmed here. As for her admirers, check out the trailer for Michel Ocelot’s Tales of the Night, and definitely watch Rebecca Sugar’s Steven Universe, a gorgeous TV show that paid tribute Lotte in their episode “The Answer”.

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

Thanks for listening! Check back in September for our next episode.

A lovely new podcast, produced and presented in June 2018 by Susan Stone.

Our co-host Florian Duijsens gives us the low-down on intrepid Victorian explorer and ichthyologist Mary Kingsley. Plus special guest Binnur Çavuşlu on Turkish writer and activist Halide Edip Adivar.

Also available on Soundcloud, iTunes, RadioPublic, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, and A Cast. Android users can click here.

Show notes:

Here’s where we recorded the show…

And here’s Mary Kingsley looking lovely and comfortable.

L0046616 Mary H Kingsley Credit: Wellcome Library, London. Wellcome Images images@wellcome.ac.uk http://wellcomeimages.org Portrait of Mary H Kingsley. 1901 West African studies Mary Henrietta Kingsley Published: 1901. Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons Attribution only licence CC BY 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

One of Mary’s fish

Gratuitous Victorian hippo content

To find out more, you might like to start with Mary Kingsley’s little book about hippos, A Hippo Banquet, and then move on to Dea Birkett’s biography, Mary Kingsley, Imperial Adventuress, or the book One Dry Season by Caroline Alexander. 

Now here are a couple of images of Halide Edip Adivar, including the surviving bust.

You can read more about Halide in German, written and illustrated by Binnur herself, at Renk magazine. Part one of Binnur’s series on Turkish heroines is also available in English – hooray!

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

Thanks for listening! Check back in July for our next episode.

Our latest podcast, produced and presented in May 2018 by Susan Stone.

Listen to the now-familiar tones of co-host Katy Derbyshire telling you all about a dead Berliner, Germany’s first lady balloonist and parachutist Kaethe Paulus. Plus our other host, Florian Duijsens, with some bodacious book tips.

Also available on Soundcloud, iTunes, RadioPublic, and other podcast purveyors. Android users can click here.

Show notes:

Here’s Kaethe Paulus doing her audacious thing.

Here’s one of the streets named after her, out near Berlin’s one-day future airport.

And here’s Kaethe’s baby-daddy, balloonist and lady’s man Hermann Lattemann. For sideburn fans.

And here’s Kaethe with one of her more outlandish flying contraptions.

Plus a couple of links to Florian’s book recommendations: Here’s the interview he mentions about the reissue of Elsa Lanchester, Herself, which also led him to reading the memoirs of Tallulah Bankhead, Ann Miller’s Miller’s High Life, and Shelley Winters. The excerpt is from the latter’s second memoir, Shelley II.

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

Thanks for listening! Check back in June for our next episode.

Our latest podcast, produced and presented in April 2018 by Susan Stone.

This time it’s Berlin/Dublin journalist Alix Berber on the original Hollywood vamp Theda Bara. Plus a new short feature highlighting a lovely live lady, singer Pauline Black.

Also available on Soundcloud, iTunes, RadioPublic, and other podcast purveyors. Android users can click here.

Show notes:

Here’s Alix at the show, with Theda Bara in the background.

A selection of Theda-themed merchandise and posters from back in the day.

Theda in that bra.

Watch the surviving Cleopatra material.

Read a less than complimentary NYT review.

And admire the costumes she passed on to a neighbour’s daughter.

Plus some Pauline Black stuff… Follow Pauline on Facebook… Read her autobiography, Black by Design… Watch The Selecter in 1979… And in 2017… 

And here’s a photo of Susan’s and Katy’s shoes to finish off.

We’ve used music by Lorin Sklamberger and Los Sundayers in this show. Our theme music is “Little Lily Swing” by Tri-Tachyon.

Thanks for listening! Check back in May for our next episode.

Our latest podcast, produced and presented in March 2018 by Susan Stone.

Here we have Berlin-based translator Frances Thoms Provine sharing the story of the American abolitionist sisters Sarah and Angelina Grimké.

Also available on Soundcloud, iTunes, RadioPublic, and other podcast purveyors. Android users can click here.

Show notes:

Here’s Frances at the show.

And here are the sisters themselves, Angelina on the left and Sarah on the right.

Frances was partly inspired to talk about the sisters by her mom, Nancy Lunsford, a visual artist and songwriter. Nancy very kindly shared her very own Grimké song with us, “Crazy Angelina” – listen to it right here!

You can read the Grimké sisters’ essays and letters, published as On Slavery and Abolitionism. Frances also recommends Gerda Lerner’s biography, The Grimké Sisters from South Carolina.

Plus, Susan debuts a new segment, Woman of the Hour, where we hear about a Dead Lady who’s been getting some fresh attention. This one features Marjory Stoneman Douglas.

Enjoy!

Our latest podcast, produced and presented in February 2018 by Susan Stone.

This time it’s your beloved co-host Katy Derbyshire again, telling you a lot of things you need to know about the Irish revolutionary Constance Markievicz and how she went from debutante to celebrated freedom fighter.

Also available on Soundcloud, iTunes, RadioPublic, and other podcast purveyors. Android users can click here.

Show notes:

Here’s Constance as Katy first came across her, in Dublin’s St Stephen’s Green.

And here she is all dressed up for the Easter Rising. Note the hat.

More militant millinery.

Watch silent footage of Con from British Pathé here and here.

For further reading, we recommend Anne Haverty’s excellent Constance Markievicz – Irish Revolutionary.

Many thanks to Deirdre McMahon for all her help.

Our theme music is “Little Lily Swing” by Tri-Tachyon. Thanks for listening – come back in March for a new podcast!

A brand new podcast for 2018, produced and presented by Susan Stone.

Listen to writer Jessica Miller talking about the surrealist artist Leonora Carrington and her really rather surprising life.

Also available on Soundcloud, iTunes, RadioPublic, and other podcast purveyors. Android users can click here.

Show notes:

Here’s Jessica with a self-portrait of Leonora with a hyena

And a drawing Leonora did of the clinic she was put into at Santander

Her great friend Remedios Varo in a mask

Works by Leonora and Remedios

And a link to Leonora’s classic novel, The Hearing Trumpet. ‘This book is so inspiring…I love its freedom, its humour and how it invents its own laws. What specifically do I take from her? Her wig.’ Björk

Our theme music is “Little Lily Swing” by Tri-Tachyon. Thanks for tuning in! Check back in February for Episode 6.

Our fourth and (so far) frothiest and festivest podcast, produced and presented by Susan Stone.

This time it’s your beloved co-host Florian Duijsens revealing some lesser-known sides to the late, great Dorothy Parker. Plus the rest of the gang getting fizzy on a popular Berlin beverage.

Also available on Soundcloud, iTunes, RadioPublic, and soon to come from other podcast purveyors. Android users can click here.

Show notes:

Here’s a young Dorothy, contemplating.

Here she is with the Algonquin table crew.

And a sad “awaiting the stork” photo.

Watch A Star Is Born.

Listen to an interview with legendary author and broadcaster Studs Terkel.

Listen to “Big Blonde” in full, read by Cynthia Nixon.

And Tallulah Bankhead reading the great “A Telephone Call”.

Plus more Dorothy recordings.

And here are some of the accoutrements used in preparing the show.

Speaking of The Portable Dorothy Parker, here’s The Portable Dorothy Parker. Enjoy.

Our theme music is “Little Lily Swing” by Tri-Tachyon. Thanks for tuning in! Check back in January for Episode 5.

The third of our monthly podcasts, produced and presented by Susan Stone.

An episode about the Afro-German poet and activist May Ayim, presented by Dead Ladies Show co-host Katy Derbyshire. Plus Berlin poet Mara Sanaga on how May Ayim influenced her work, and Afro-German life in 2017.

Also available on Soundcloud, iTunes, RadioPublic, Stitcher, and soon to come from other podcast purveyors. Android users can click here.

Show notes:

Here’s Katy talking about May, in front of May eating a sweet treat now known as a Schokokuss:

Here’s May Ayim with her grandfather in Ghana…

…the Afro-German peace activist Fasia Jansen with her accordion back in the supersonic seventies…

…and here’s a more recent photo of our studio guest Mara Sanaga:

You can read some of Mara’s poems on her website.

Watch Maria Binder’s German documentary about May Ayim, Hoffnung im Herz.

Read May Ayim in English:
Showing Our Colors: Afro-German Women Speak Out, University of Massachusetts Press, 1991, translated by Anne V. Adams
Blues in Black and White: A Collection of Essays, Poetry, and Conversations, Africa World Press, 2003, translated by Anne V. Adams

And if you read German, we highly recommend this collection of writing by Afro-German women about May Ayim’s legacy:
Sisters and Souls: Inspirationen von May Ayim, Orlanda Verlag, 2016, edited by Natasha A. Kelly.

Our theme music is “Little Lily Swing” by Tri-Tachyon. Thanks for tuning in! Check back in December for Episode 4.

Our second monthly podcast, produced by Susan Stone:

This episode is all about the multiple-medal-winning athlete Fanny Blankers-Koen, presented by Sarah Fisher. Plus co-host Florian Duijsens on Fanny’s fame in the Netherlands and a few extra live voices from our most recent live show.

Also available on Soundcloud, Stitcher, RadioPublic and iTunes, and soon to come from other podcast purveyors. Android users can click here.

Show notes:

Here’s Sarah showing us some pictures at the show:

And a couple of shots of our hardy heroine herself:

Watch Fanny Blankers-Koen run really fast and win four gold medals at the 1948 Olympics. Includes some great footage of damp London spectators, and Fanny telling a joke in Dutch.

Our theme music is “Little Lily Swing” by Tri-Tachyon. Thanks for tuning in! Check back in November for Episode 3.

The very first of our monthly podcasts, produced by Susan Stone:

This episode focuses on the ancient Greek mathematician Hypatia, presented by Karen Margolis. Plus you’ll meet co-hosts Florian Duijsens and Katy Derbyshire, and hear all about how the show came to be and which dead dames we’ve featured so far.

Also available on Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher, RadioPublic (and soon all other purveyors of podcasts). Android users can click here.

Show notes:

One lady we talked about but forgot to name was the rather difficult but still fascinating actress and heiress Dagmar Godowsky. 

Here are a couple of artist’s impressions of Hypatia herself:

And here’s Karen showing that father-and-daughter calculation of the distances between various heavenly bodies.

Our theme music is “Little Lily Swing” by Tri-Tachyon. Thanks for tuning in! Check back in October for Episode 2.