We kick off Season Nine of the podcast by meeting a woman who could be called the godmother of true crime.

Producer/host Susan Stone tells the story of F. Tennyson Jesse, 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. Known as Fryn to her friends, 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, and she wrote about several of the most notorious crimes in the first half of the 20th century. Fryn also had a rather dramatic private life thanks to her doctor-turned-playwright husband Totty, who kept their marriage secret for several years.

DLS co-founder Katy Derbyshire joins Susan to introduce our new season.

To find out more about Fryn, visit our episode notes at https://deadladiesshow.com/podcast/

If you are in New York, you can see a live Dead Ladies Show on March 26th at the KGB Bar's Private Curtain — get more info on instagram via @deadladiesnyc or from their newsletter here: https://deadladiesshow.substack.com/

For our friends in Berlin, write this date on your calendar — June 7th! We will have our classic bilingual show on a Sunday night, so save the date. Follow us on social media @deadladiesshow, or sign up to our newsletter at this link: https://deadladiesshowberlin.beehiiv.com/

You can get even more Dead Lady content, and help support us, by becoming a Patreon member at patreon.com/deadladiesshowpodcast ! Our members get access to our premium audio and written content where we talk about Dead Lady books, music, and more, and sometimes we offer a sneak preview of Dead Ladies we're going to feature in the future — Fryn Jesse and her book A Pin to See the Peepshow were featured there back in 2020. Memberships starting at 2 euros or 2 dollars and it really gives us moral as well as a little financial support. You can also follow our content there for free! Thanks to all our existing supporters and free members!

The Dead Ladies Show was founded by Florian Duijsens and Katy Derbyshire. The podcast is created, produced and edited by Susan Stone.

Our theme tune is Little Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyon. We will be back again next month with another fabulous Dead Lady.

Episode 86 - Eileen Agar

It's our last episode of 2025, and the final episode of Season 8! Susan, Katy and Florian meet up to toast the end of another season, and of course to clink glasses in honor of our featured Dead Lady, Eileen Agar.

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 mustaches overshadow her own wildly imaginative vision. DLS co-founder Florian Duijsens brings us her story.

You'll probably want to have a look at Eileen and her paintings and hat sculptures. Find them over at deadladiesshow.com/podcast

Find us on social media @deadladiesshow and stay informed about all our events via our newsletter: https://deadladiesshowberlin.beehiiv.com/

Or drop us a line info@deadladiesshow.com

Want to give the gift of Dead Ladies? Why not choose a gift subscription to our Patreon? Or maybe you yourself need even more Dead Ladies in your life? Patreon members get exclusive episodes of our Dead Lady Book Club, where we chat about books, ideas, music and more — by and about Dead Ladies. And, of course, check out our year-end holiday edition, where we toast the ladies we lost in 2025. For just a couple of dollars, pounds or euros a month, you can support our work and join in the fun. Check it out at patreon.com/deadladiesshowpodcast

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

Thanks for listening! We will be back again in March 2026 with another fabulous Dead Lady.

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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.

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/

And see our episode notes here: https://deadladiesshow.com/podcast/

You can purchase Suzanne's book and support our show on US Bookshop here: https://bookshop.org/a/19410/9780593476000

and at Bookshop UK here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/5687/9780593476000

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. Find out about their ongoing shows via their newsletter: https://deadladiesshow.substack.com/

Our next live show in Berlin will be in ACUD on December 12th. It's going to be an all-English show, and the featured ladies are Victoria Woodhull, Alice Guy, and F. Tennyson Jesse. Get tickets now here: https://tinyurl.com/DLSTix1212

Find us on social media @deadladiesshow and stay informed about all our events via our newsletter: https://deadladiesshowberlin.beehiiv.com/

Need even more Dead Ladies in your life? Become a member of our Patreon and get exclusive episodes of our Dead Lady Book Club, where we chat about books, ideas, music and more — by and about Dead Ladies. And, of course, our year-end holiday edition, where we toast the ladies we lost in 2025. For just a couple of dollars, pounds, or euros a month, you can support our work and join in the fun. Check it out at patreon.com/deadladiesshowpodcast

Thanks for listening! We will be back again next month with another fabulous Dead Lady.