The Ballad of Dena & Andrea
“The Ballad of Dena & Andrea” is a podcast featuring original murder ballads and conversations in reaction to the story of Andrea Yates and Dena Schlosser, two women who murdered their children in the early 2000s.
Host Becky Poole was originally drawn to this story when she learned that Dena and Andrea ended up as roommates, briefly, in a North Texas mental institution. She soon discovered that their lives had been heading in the same tragic and preventable direction for years. Poole wrote an album in the style of Appalachian murder ballads and Americana to create empathetic myths about these mothers.
With this podcast, she invites artists, colleagues, and friends to have conversations in reaction to the story - covering topics like religion, mental health, women's health, misogyny, our failing justice and healthcare systems, motherhood, creating work about tragedy, and more. Each episode includes a bit of Dena and Andrea's story, an interview chat, and an original song. Not a classic true crime doc but myth-making by ballad with honest conversations. Please join us to discover what might come up for you.
Episodes
11 episodes
Garden in Kerrville - 08 - With Educator/Facilitator/Artists Carly DW Bones & Zach Bones
In this final episode of the Ballad of Dena & Andrea I read a bit from the old bible and wonder about our current institutions for mental health and our sick carceral system. I speak with two folks who've worked in various posit...
Get A Job - Episode 07 - With Comedian & Ceramicist Eliza Skinner
Comedian, Showrunner, Ceramicist and very good friend Eliza Skinner and I talk about how rom coms effed us all, Bad Women, cultural fables, what do our "butts and guts want" and how she should’ve been a Unitarian Minister.The song for t...
Murder in the Bible - Episode 06 - With actor and medical interpreter Marta Portillo
Female rage. I'm feeling it and that's what this week's song is about. And to balance complaint with community - the guest is my good friend Marta Portillo. An actor, teaching artist, and certified very good person. We discuss her work as an in...
Let You Go - Episode 05 - With Performing Artist Caroline Kingsley Moffat
A lullaby from Andrea's perspective & interview with ever-charming performance artist-actor-comedian-goddess Caroline Kingsley Moffat! We discuss her new mother journey, community, buttcracks, and more! The Violet Hour / Winnifr...
Extra Bit - Christian Surfers
Tara Shoe tells me about New Jersey's Christian Surfers and we get into a bit of the Matthew Coleman story. The man (and Christian Surfer) who killed his kids b/c they had serpent's blood.
Extra Bit - Let's Talk About HPV
Tara Shoe and Becky talk about HPV. Fun! Tara Shoehttps://x.com/tarashoeScaretown USAhttps://www.instagram.com/sc...
Gentle Letters - Episode 04 - With Abby Posner: Multi-instrumentalist, Musician, Producer
In the episode, I'll briefly intro the song "Gentle Letters". Based on Dena's story. Dena wrote her surviving daughters a letter once a week after her arrest. The letters piled up, and were unsent - Dena's children weren't ready for them. Some ...
Lions & Kings - Episode 03 - With writer Tara Shoe
In this episode we get into a bit of the religious messaging that Dena was receiving as well as a glimpse into her home life. Song incorporates a bible verse that Dena fixated on before the killing. Guest: Writer, Tara Shoe. We talk about her e...
Modern Mother Worldly - Episode 02 - With Biz Lawrence of One Bad Mother
In this episode we get into a bit of the religious messaging that Andrea Yates was receiving like the pamphlet she received with a rhyme titled “Modern Mother Worldly.” I chat with my good friend and host of the parenting podcast “One Bad Mothe...
The Ballad of Dena & Andrea - Episode 01 - With Muriel's Murders (Muriel Montgomery & Nick Casalini)
This first episode introduces the story of Dena & Andrea in an epic murder ballad. You’ll hear a bit about what a murder ballad is and why I dig them. I’ll chat with two friends, who also tell stories of murder, about the pros and cons of t...