Lost Ladies of Lit

Amy Helmes & Kim Askew
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A book podcast hosted by writing partners Amy Helmes and Kim Askew. Guests include biographers, journalists, authors, and cultural historians discussing lost classics by women writers. You can support Lost Ladies of Lit by visiting https://www.patreon.com/c/LostLadiesofLit339. 

  1. 21H AGO

    Katharine Lee Bates — "Goody Claus on a Sleigh Ride"

    Send us a text Before penning the lyrics to “America the Beautiful,” Katharine Lee Bates shone a spotlight on the invisible (and not so invisible) labor tackled by an unsung Christmas heroine, Mrs. Claus. Bates’s 1888 poem “Goody Claus on a Sleigh Ride” imagines Santa’s spouse setting the record straight about who really does most of the work in preparation for Christmas. In this holiday episode, Amy confesses her own cynical feelings about the Yuletide season and reads this humorous poem with its surprisingly satirical and feminist bent. Listeners who tune in will also receive a special “Lost Ladies of Lit” holiday freebie! Mentioned in this episode: “Goody Claus on a Sleigh Ride” by Katharine Lee Bates Lost Ladies of Lit Episode No. 237 on Katharine Lee Bates Support the show For episodes and show notes, visit: LostLadiesofLit.com Subscribe to our substack newsletter. Follow us on instagram @lostladiesoflit. Email us: Contact — Lost Ladies of Lit Podcast

    13 min

  2. DEC 9

    Djuna Barnes — Nightwood with Margaret Vandenburg

    Send us a text Dark and disturbing, yet strangely redemptive, Djuna Barnes’s 1936 modernist masterpiece Nightwood left even its greatest champion, T.S. Eliot, a bit bewildered. Guest Margaret Vandenburg, an expert in modernism, post-modernism and gender studies, joins us to illuminate Barnes’s tumultuous life and help us decipher her "ultimate breakup novel,” a work that casts its spell by turning the world upside down in subversive defiance of fascism. Mentioned in this episode: Nightwood by Djuna Barnes Craze by Margaret Vandenburg An American in Paris by Margaret Vandenburg Djuna: The Extraordinary Life of Djuna Barnes by Jon Macy The Life and Work of Djuna Barnes by Phillip Herring New York by Djuna Barnes (collected journalism) The Book of Repulsive Women and Other Poems by Djuna Barnes Ladies Almanac by Djuna Barnes “The Antiphon” by Djuna Barnes Lost Ladies of Lit Episode No. 266 on Radclyffe Hall Zadel Barnes Barnes’s 1922 Support the show For episodes and show notes, visit: LostLadiesofLit.com Subscribe to our substack newsletter. Follow us on instagram @lostladiesoflit. Email us: Contact — Lost Ladies of Lit Podcast

    55 min

  3. NOV 25

    Malachi Whitaker — And So Did I with Valerie Waterhouse

    Send us a text Likened to a fresh Yorkshire breeze, Malachi Whitaker’s year-in-the-life memoir And So Did I, published in 1939, is a quirky spirit-quest juxtaposing wry humor and contemplative observations amidst the impending threat of global conflict. Valerie Waterhouse, a PhD researcher and executor of Whitaker’s literary estate, joins us to discuss the author’s life and work, as well as her own quest to keep Whitaker’s legacy alive, including securing a commemorative blue plaque for her birthplace and writing a forthcoming biography. Mentioned in this episode: And So Did I by Malachi Whitaker The Journey Home and Other Stories by Malachi Whitker The Oxford Book of English Short Stories edited by A.S. Byatt “Landlord of the Crystal Fountain” by Malachi Whitaker A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf Stevie Smith Elizabeth Bowen Kathleen Raine Gay Taylor “What I Believe” by E.M. Forster “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge Lost Ladies of Lit Episode No. 3 on E.M. Delafield Lost Ladies of Lit Episode No. 166 on Alba de Céspedes Support the show For episodes and show notes, visit: LostLadiesofLit.com Subscribe to our substack newsletter. Follow us on instagram @lostladiesoflit. Email us: Contact — Lost Ladies of Lit Podcast

    41 min

  4. NOV 11

    The Sitting Room: A Treasure Trove of "Lost Ladies"

    Send us a text In this special episode, Kim and Amy recount their recent visit to The Sitting Room, a unique library and literary salon in Sonoma, CA, dedicated to women's literature. Trip highlights included a stay at a Julia-Morgan-designed architectural gem in Berkeley, a private tour of Jack London State Park, and a fascinating tour of The Sitting Room’s extensive collection of books and artifacts. Listeners will also hear snippets from an engaging evening with library co-founder J.J. Wilson, making this episode a heartfelt homage to the preservation and celebration of books by women writers. Mentioned in this episode: Julia Morgan The Berkeley City Club Litquake Jack London State Park Lost Ladies of Lit Episode No. 27 on Charmian Kittredge London Charmian Kittredge London: Trailblazer, Author, Adventurer by Iris Jamahl Dunkle The Sitting Room J.J. Wilson Lost Ladies of Lit Episode No. 187 on Kay Boyle Lost Ladies of Lit Episode No. 162 on Meridel Le Seuer Lost Ladies of Lit Episode No. 264 on Jessica Mitford Lost Ladies of Lit Episode No. 140 on Zora Neale Hurston Lyndall Gordon A Luminous Halo: Selected Writings by Virginia Woolf The Life of Violet: Three Early Stories by Virginia Woolf Gorgeous Nothings: Emily Dickinson’s Envelope Poems Support the show For episodes and show notes, visit: LostLadiesofLit.com Subscribe to our substack newsletter. Follow us on instagram @lostladiesoflit. Email us: Contact — Lost Ladies of Lit Podcast

    45 min

  5. OCT 28

    Rosalind Ashe — Moths with Lisa B. Kröger

    Send us a text Republished this year by Valancourt books, Rosalind’s Ashe’s 1976 gothic thriller Moths is a spine-chilling tale of supernatural seduction featuring a femme fatale who lures men to their deaths like lepidoptera to a flame. Gothic lit expert Lisa B. Kröger joins us to discuss Ashe’s knack for channeling female rage in a novel that’s been compared to Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca. Mentioned in this episode: Moths by Rosalind Ashe Monster, She Wrote by Lisa B. Kröger and Melanie R. Anderson Toil and Trouble: A Women’s History of the Occult by Lisa B. Kröger and Melanie R. Anderson Original 1976 cover art of Moths Lost Ladies of Lit Episode No. 58 on Monster, She Wrote with Lisa B. Kröger and Melanie R. Anderson Lost Ladies of Lit Episode No. 240 on Angela Carter Lisa Tuttle Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier Hurricane Wake by Rosalind Ashe Literary Houses by Rosalind Ashe Dark Runner by Rosalind Ashe Sinister Affirmations Midnight Movie clip Support the show For episodes and show notes, visit: LostLadiesofLit.com Subscribe to our substack newsletter. Follow us on instagram @lostladiesoflit. Email us: Contact — Lost Ladies of Lit Podcast

    41 min

  6. OCT 14

    Radclyffe Hall — The Well of Loneliness with Iris Jamahl Dunkle

    Send us a text Often called “the lesbian Bible,” Radclyffe Hall’s 1928 novel The Well of Loneliness has been sparking debate for nearly a century. Banned in the UK after an infamous obscenity trial, the book remains a lightening rod for readers — some revere it, others can’t stand it. We’ll explore what makes this groundbreaking novel so remarkable (and so divisive) with returning guest Iris Jamahl Dunkle, who found inspiration in Hall’s protagonist for her forthcoming book on strong-bodied women who refuse to conform to society’s standards. Mentioned in this episode: Kim and Amy’s October 14 LitQuake appearance: “Scribbling Women” Strike Back: How Long-Silenced Voices Have Fueled a New Resistance The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall (new Oxford Press edition) Iris Jamahl Dunkle’s Substack article on Radclyffe Hall “Bad Gays” podcast episode on Radclyffe Hall Lost Ladies of Lit Episode No. 27 on Charmian Kittredge London Lost Ladies of Lit Episode No. 214 on Sanora Babb Lost Ladies of Lit Episode No. 152 on Janet Lewis Riding Like the Wind: The Life of Sanora Babb by Iris Jamahl Dunkle Charmian Kittredge London: Trailblazer, Author, Adventurer by Iris Jamahl Dunkle Womb House Books Cita Press Loving Sylvia Plath: A Reclamation by Emily Van Duyne Do Admit: The Mitford Sisters and Me by Mimi Pond Havelock Ellis Edith Ellis Djuna Barnes Natalie Clifford Barney Margaret Vandenburg Support the show For episodes and show notes, visit: LostLadiesofLit.com Subscribe to our substack newsletter. Follow us on instagram @lostladiesoflit. Email us: Contact — Lost Ladies of Lit Podcast

    42 min

  7. SEP 30

    Jessica Mitford — The American Way of Death with Mimi Pond

    Send us a text In this follow-up to our 2021 episode on Nancy Mitford, we’re turning the spotlight on her younger sister, Jessica (a.k.a. “Decca”) Mitford, an activist and journalist whom Time magazine called “the queen of the muckrakers.” Her influential 1963 nonfiction title The American Way of Death exposed corruption in the funeral industry and was lauded by David Bowie as one of his “Top 100” favorite books, whereas her 1960 childhood memoir, Hons and Rebels, left her own family seeing red! Joining us in conversation is Mimi Pond, whose recently-published graphic biography Do Admit: The Mitford Sisters and Me adds new color (literally) to the Mitford mythology with wry commentary and artwork perfectly suited to England’s most outrageous debutantes. Mentioned in this episode: Do Admit: The Mitford Sisters and Me by Mimi Pond Hons and Rebels by Jessica Mitford The American Way of Death by Jessica Mitford David Bowie’s Top 100 Favorite Books The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford Life in A Cold Climate by Laura Thompson Decca: The Letters of Jessica Mitford edited by Peter Y. Sussman Lifeitselfmanship: Or, How to Become a Precisely Because Man by Jessica Mitford Lost Ladies of Lit Episode No 39 on Nancy Mitford Lost Ladies of Lit Episode No. 65 on Lucia Berlin Lost Ladies of Lit Episode No. 187 on Kay Boyle Nancy Mitford: A Portrait by Her Sisters documentary  Asthall Manor Chatsworth House Support the show For episodes and show notes, visit: LostLadiesofLit.com Subscribe to our substack newsletter. Follow us on instagram @lostladiesoflit. Email us: Contact — Lost Ladies of Lit Podcast

    41 min

  8. SEP 16

    HIATUS ENCORE: Miriam Karpilove with Jessica Kirzane

    Send us a text With her witty and self-deprecating takes on dating and the single life, the narrator of Miriam Karpilove’s Diary of a Lonely Girl: Or the Battle Against Free Love is the 1918 Yiddish precursor to Girls’ Hannah Horvath, Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw, and Bridget Jones. Guest Jessica Kirzane’s English translation of the novel was published by Syracuse University Press in 2020. Support the show For episodes and show notes, visit: LostLadiesofLit.com Subscribe to our substack newsletter. Follow us on instagram @lostladiesoflit. Email us: Contact — Lost Ladies of Lit Podcast

    39 min
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About

A book podcast hosted by writing partners Amy Helmes and Kim Askew. Guests include biographers, journalists, authors, and cultural historians discussing lost classics by women writers. You can support Lost Ladies of Lit by visiting https://www.patreon.com/c/LostLadiesofLit339. 

Information

  • Creator
    Amy Helmes & Kim Askew
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    231
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Lost Ladies of Lit
  • Show Website
    Lost Ladies of Lit

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