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"