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Lost Ladies of Lit

Amy Helmes & Kim Askew
Women Writers
Women's Literature
Literature
Feminism
Literary Analysis
Marie Bashkirtseff
Elaine May
Hollywood
Eliza Haywood
Poetry
Katharine Lee Bates
Literary Classics
Lost Classics
Lizzie Borden
Lost Literature
Christina Rossetti
Ursula Parrott
The Country Girls Trilogy
Nora May French
America the Beautiful

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 www.patreon.com/c/LostLadiesofLit339.

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes256Founded6 years ago
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BooksArtsHistory

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A 30-year-old virgin named Fortune Dundee moves into a swinging-singles L.A. apartment complex in Cynthia Buchanan’s 1972 debut novel Maiden. Newly reissued by Hagfish Books, this strange, post-modern work was once positioned in rel... more

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To celebrate historic record wins for women in the U.S. midterm elections this week, we're dusting off this episode from this week four years ago. Susanna M. Salter was a 27-year old political activist when she was placed on the 186... more

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In celebration of this week's Blue Tsunami, we're re-airing a previous bonus episode on Katharine Lee Bates. In the months leading up to the midterms, Iowa's newly-minted Democratic governor-elect Rob Sand kicked off each of his cam... more

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We’re honored to welcome 2026 Booker Prize finalist Rebecca Perry, author of the remarkable debut novel May We Feed The King, as a guest this week to discuss one of her favorite forgotten writers, Rosemary Tonks. A colorful figure i... more

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Recent Guests

Rebecca Perry
Poet and novelist, author of May We Feed the King
Episode: Rosemary Tonks — The Bloater with Rebecca Perry
Julia Cooke
Writer and author of Come Fly the World; contributor to NYT, Conde Nast Traveler, Smithsonian and more
Writer/Author
Episode: Emily Hahn — No Hurry to Get Home with Julia Cooke
Sarah Parkhouse
Religious historian focusing on early Christianity in Greco-Roman Egypt
University of Manchester
Episode: The Gospel of Mary with Sarah Parkhouse
Emily Midorikawa
Author and researcher; co-author of A Secret Sisterhood
Self
Episode: Celia Fremlin — The Hours Before Dawn with Emily Midorikawa
Cathryn Halverson
Senior lecturer with a special interest in women's writing and literature of the American West
Södertörns universitet (Stockholm)
Episode: ENCORE: Mary MacLane — I Await the Devil's Coming with Cathryn Halverson
Francesca Segal
Author and journalist, debut novel The Innocents; discusses island life and Welcome to Glorious Tuga
Author and journalist
Episode: ENCORE: Lucy Irvine — Castaway with Francesca Segal
Helen Hughes
Dr. Helen Hughes, University of Surrey; wrote the afterword to the Boiler House Press edition of Quarry
University of Surrey
Episode: ENCORE: Jane White —Quarry with Helen Hughes
Brigitte Hales
Screenwriter on Once Upon a Time; involved in Disenchanted
Once Upon a Time; Disenchanted (Disney)
Episode: ENCORE WITH UPDATE! Ruth Prawer Jhabvala — Heat and Dust with Brigitte Hales
Hannah Eko
Nigerian-American writer; author of Honey is the Knife
The Lit Club / writer
Episode: Nettie Jones — Fish Tales with Hannah Eko

Hosts

Amy Helmes
Writer and writing partner focused on forgotten women writers
Kim Askew
Writer and writing partner focused on forgotten women writers

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 135 ratings
  • Always Interesting

    This podcast is always enlightening, entertaining, and educational; my favorite 3”E”s!!! Hosts do excellent research, guests are authoritative leaders in their fields, and the combination creates exciting conversations that I love listening to. 5*s

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    sarahelize
    United Statesa year ago
  • Credible, Cool

    I’ve been listening to the show for a few years, and I really appreciate that the guests are scholars who are experts in writer recovery. I can listen to the discussion for my own interest and feel comfortable bringing the information into my college classroom. I also think that Amy and Kim are fantastic hosts. I really enjoy this podcast!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    An Educator & Lifelong Learner
    United States2 years ago
  • Smart, relevant, and teeming with insight

    I discovered the podcast a few months ago. Now it is a definite favorite. I check for a new episode every time I open my podcast manager. My TBR list has grown considerably as a result!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    NJMastro
    United States2 years ago
  • One of the best literary podcasts I know

    I’ve been a bookseller for years, and owned a bookshop in Paris. With each episode of Lost Ladies I learn something new and fascinating. Their guests are always top notch. Thanks to them, my book knowledge and my collection are expanding.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Paris Bookseller
    France3 years ago
  • So good, so smart, so fun

    My new fave pod! It’s smart, light, interesting and a perspective I haven’t heard or seen elsewhere. Def worth the time & a listen.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    CSSF2012
    United States3 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

The research and expert guests are praised for making literary history informative, credible, and useful to teachers and scholars.
The focus on overlooked women writers introduces listeners to authors and books they want to read, teach, or recommend.
The mix of thoughtful analysis and entertaining conversation stands out, though one reviewer found the hosts' playful tone too light.
Listeners value the hosts' lively, witty rapport and describe the discussions as welcoming, engaging, and easy to follow.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#171
India/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#187
Ireland/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#202
India/Arts/Books

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Rosemary Tonks — The Bloater with Rebecca Perry
Q: What draws you to that uncertain territory between the evidence that survives and the life that we can then only imagine?
Perry is drawn to the gaps between the few known facts about a person's life. She uses those uncertainties to explore storytelling, reliability, truth, and the way readers receive and imagine history.
Rosemary Tonks — The Bloater with Rebecca Perry
Q: How did this book, The Bloater, first come into your life and what made you want to talk about it with us?
Perry learned about Tonks through the poetry community and the 2014 collection Bedouin of the London Evening. Tonks's distinctive writing and her choice to disappear from literary life intrigued Perry, who later read and revisited her novels.
Emily Hahn — No Hurry to Get Home with Julia Cooke
Q: Julia, are there any particular Hahn works that stand out to you?
Cooke highlights Affair as a standout novel about youth and single life in Depression-era New York, while noting Hahn's reporting and biographical work often surpassed her fiction in lasting impact.
Emily Hahn — No Hurry to Get Home with Julia Cooke
Q: Julia, tell us first about her Shanghai years.
Julia describes Hahn's seamless integration into Shanghai's vibrant expatriate culture, her salon connections, and her later relationship with Shen Mei, which helped launch her prolific reporting in the New Yorker.
The Gospel of Mary with Sarah Parkhouse
Q: How does the Gospel of Mary differ from the canonical Gospels in its portrayal of sin, salvation, and the afterlife?
Unlike the canonical Gospels that emphasize external laws and cosmic judgment, The Gospel of Mary discusses sin as a consequence of attachment to the material world and presents a soul-centered path to salvation through inner discernment and spiritual ascent, with less emphasis on spectacular miracles or heaven-and-clouds imagery.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Lost Ladies of Lit

What is Lost Ladies of Lit about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Amy Helmes and Kim Askew bring overlooked women writers and their books back into view through lively, research-rich conversations. Each episode typically pairs close reading of a novel, memoir, or other literary work with its author's biography, historical setting, reception, and continuing relevance. The hosts often welcome a scholar, biographer, author, journalist, or publisher who adds specialist context, archival discoveries, or a writer's perspective. The range spans periods, countries, and genres, from psychological thrillers and crime fiction to memoir, satire, and early Christian texts. A distinctive focus on women whose work has been neglected or forgotten gives the discussions a sense of literary recovery, while the hosts' curios... more

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1. Backlisted
2. Slightly Foxed
3. Secret Life of Books
4. The Waterstones Podcast
5. NPR's Book of the Day

How many episodes of Lost Ladies of Lit are there?

Lost Ladies of Lit launched 6 years ago and published 256 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Lost Ladies of Lit?

Recent guests on Lost Ladies of Lit include:

1. Rebecca Perry
2. Julia Cooke
3. Sarah Parkhouse
4. Emily Midorikawa
5. Cathryn Halverson
6. Francesca Segal
7. Helen Hughes
8. Brigitte Hales

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