Paris Lesbos Podcast

Isadora Duncan, often called the “mother of modern dance”, was known for taking inspiration from ancient Greece, scandalizing the US and Europe, and ending in a tragic accident eerily similar to that of her children. Sources (Used/Consulted/Read Along the Way) Isadora: A Sensational Life by Peter Kurth My Life by Isadora Duncan Wild Heart: AContinue reading "Mother of Modern Dance – Ep.55"

Famous rivalries are not a new phenomenon. At the end of the 19th century, Eleonora Duse and Sarah Bernhardt graced the world stage, and according to critics, theatrically dueled over it. While similar, their acting styles and their stories differed, though some rumors have dogged both their biographies. Come find out why. Sources (Used/Consulted/Read AlongContinue reading "The Italian Bernhardt – Ep.54"

What do you think happens when a woman ambulance driver returns from the Great War only to find herself stuck on a diary farm? Be honest, you didn't expect her to start a British fascist organization, but that's what Rotha Lintorn-Orman ended up doing. Sources (Used/Consulted/Read Along the Way) Feminine Fascism: Women in Britain's FascistContinue reading "Took the Uniform Too Far – Ep.53"

Mary Sophia Allen is known as a suffragette turned pioneer policewoman in the UK, but she swerved onto a detour unlike many of her compatriots from the fight for women's right to vote. Concerned with communism, nudity, and a narrowed focus on a subset of victims of human trafficking, she became a fascist in spiteContinue reading "The Tip of the Fashy Lesbian Iceberg -Ep. 52"

Radclyffe Hall is best remembered for The Well of Loneliness and the obscenity trials it spawned. This was in addition to supporting same-sex marriage despite hypocrisy. Yet, it could be argued that this all nearly didn't come to pass until an older woman got a philandering heiress to quit hunting and put pen to paper.Continue reading "The Sapphic Apologist – Ep. 51"

Introvert scandal, exotic menageries as jewelry, costumes that put Lady Gaga to shame, and a resemblance to Elsa von Freytag Loringhoven's antics, Luisa Casati had them all. Born an heiress and destined for a boring life as the wife of an Italian noble who loved hunting more than her, Luisa created a life that wouldContinue reading "Imagine if She had Instagram – Ep.50"

So, you're wondering how HD got that moniker? And no, we're not talking about high definition television. HD, also known as Hilda Doolittle, was an Imagist poet and novelist. She's known more in connection to other writers like Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams and for an unfortunate kink incident involving early psychologist Havelock Ellis.Continue reading "The Goddess of Imagism – Ep.49"

Bryher, whose real name was Annie Winifred Ellerman, was known in her lifetime for her historical novels after World War II. Today, many know her in relation to the poet H.D. (Hilda Doolittle) for saving her from Spanish Flu through to their collaboration in POOL and marrying H.D.'s male lovers for the polycule. Sources (Used/Consulted/ReadContinue reading "The One-Woman Funding Committee- Ep. 48"

Jane Heap is most remembered for being the one-time partner of Margaret Anderson, founder of the magazine the Little Review. However, she didn't spring forth in Chicago fully formed like Athena from Zeus' head. She did, in fact, have a life before and after Margaret, who she sort of shared custody of Margaret's nephews with.Continue reading "Power Behind the Magazine – Ep.47"

Georgette Leblanc is mainly known as the estranged “wife” of the Belgian poet Maurice Maeterlinck, but our audience will remember her as Margaret Anderson's lover and the woman whose singing made Janet Flanner want to throw herself into the Seine. Sources (Used/Consulted/Read Along the Way) Souvenirs: My Life with Maeterlinck by Georgette Leblanc Four LivesContinue reading "The Sidelined Singer – Ep.46"

While a writer herself, Margaret Anderson stubbornly refused the label, even from her friends, just as she stubbornly refused to ever admit she might be wrong. However, she did write numerous editorials for the Little Review, so that should ring a bell more than her ability to convince people to give her what she wantedContinue reading "The Broke Patron – Ep.45"

A side character in the podcast's universe, Noel Murphy is better known for being one of Janet Flanner's girlfriends rather than her work during WWII. Its probably due to a life of just chilling while dealing with her girlfriend's other girlfriend dragging her into conversations with mystics who try to guess her bowel movements justContinue reading "A Merry Widow – Ep.44"

She escaped her restrictive childhood home and gate kept inheritance by eloping to the Philippines and escaped the Philippines' marriage by fleeing out a window in the dead of night. Rather than through her own writing, you probably have heard of today's lady in passing, mostly in relation to Janet or perhaps in relation toContinue reading "Rebel Turned Perpetual Secretary – Ep.43"

Genêt – the pen name of the famous New Yorker's Letter from Paris. It's Janet Flanner's best work, but a fifty year work history is not what she wanted to be remembered for. She probably didn't want to be remembered for her complicated love life either. Sources (Used/Consulted/Read Along the Way) Genêt: A Biography ofContinue reading "Letters from Paris – Ep.42"

Olga de Meyer: a woman of maddening ambiguity. We hear of her as artist's muse, fencer, writer, possible illegitimate child of King Edward VII, and drug addict chasing her youth to the grave. We hear stories of her from others' lips, but do we have anything of her from her own? Sources (Used/Consulted/Read Along theContinue reading "Italianate Ambiguity – Ep.41"

You may have heard of her in connection to Sylvia Beach last episode. Yes, this time it's Adrienne Monnier, the French bookstore owner across the street from Shakespeare and Company. We dive into the French side of the scene and the other side of the Beach-Monnier-Freund love triangle. Sources (Used/Consulted/Read Along the Way) The VeryContinue reading "Shakespeare Accomplice – Ep.40"

You've probably heard the name Sylvia Beach in sentences about Hemingway, Joyce, and other famous men. You've probably even heard of her in publishing Ulysses. You may not have heard of her blow up with Joyce over her publishing rights during a piracy scandal or of her relationship to fellow lending bookshop owner Adrienne Monnier.Continue reading "Godmother of Literary Paris – Ep.39"

Tallulah Bankhead, with her sultry voice, magnetic charisma, and a penchant for living life on her own terms, defied conventions and left an indelible mark on entertainment history. From her electrifying performances on the Broadway stage to her unforgettable roles on the silver screen, Bankhead captivated audiences with her talent and numerous convention-defying antics. SourcesContinue reading "Wild Child of Old Hollywood – Ep.38"

Louise Brooks, wild child of Old Hollywood, is most remembered for her escapades and her performance in the film Pandora's Box. However, she was always more of a dancer than an actress and never set out to join the nascent film industry despite numerous offers. Like many of her decisions, the left road into HollywoodContinue reading "The Lulu to Dietrich's Lola – Ep.37"

Known for her Garden of Alla and her production of an all-gay Salome, Alla Nazimova was once the greatest of the early Hollywood actresses. She was heralded as the first modern actress in America and as the new Eleonora Duse – that Italian actress who was the rival of Sarah Bernhardt. And yet, I'd wagerContinue reading "Sapphic Center of Hollywood – Ep.36"

Renowned around the world primarily for her legs and good looks, Marlene Dietrich was the other main diva of Old Hollywood and “rival” of last episode's Greta Garbo. She performed shocking characters on screen, got kicked out an orchestra for her legs, dressed in tuxedos, signed letters as “Daddy Marlene”, and once had her trousersContinue reading "Blue Angel – Ep.35"

A darling of the screen, a famous recluse, the Swedish Sphinx: Greta Garbo. The enigmatic Swedish actress bewitched audiences with her mesmerizing beauty and unparalleled talent during Hollywood's Golden Age. With a career spanning from the silent era to the advent of sound in film, Garbo left an indelible mark on the silver screen. RenownedContinue reading "Swedish Sphinx – Ep.34"

Mercedes de Acosta has been called many things: the inspiration behind Truman Capote's game International Daisy Chain, “that furious lesbian”, and our gateway to Hollywood for the podcast. She was notorious for walking the streets of New York in pants, pointed shoes with buckles, a tricorn hat, and a cape. Her slicked back hair, redContinue reading "Gateway to Hollywood – Ep.33"