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.
The Ballad of Dena & Andrea
The Ballad of Dena & Andrea - Trailer
Trailer for "The Ballad of Dena & Andrea" A podcast featuring murder ballads and conversation in reaction to the story of two women who killed their children in the early 2000s.
Hosted and created by Becky Poole
Songs written and sung by Becky Poole
Musical Saw by Becky Poole
Song and Theme Instrumentation, Production, and Mix by Abby Posner
Mastered by Dave Locke
Podcast Audio Editing & Mixing by Evan Mosher
Graphic Design by Stefan Lawrence
Photo by Logan Futej
Thank you for listening. For more about postpartum psychosis, go to Postpartum Support International. For the full album click here . Join the conversation on Instagram.
Hi, I’m Becky Poole host of “The Ballad of Dena & Andrea” a podcast showcasing songs and conversations in reaction to the story of Andrea Yates and Dena Schlosser, (two women who murdered their children in the early 2000s). They were roommates, briefly in a North Texas mental institution and their lives had been heading in the same tragic and preventable direction for years.
I wrote an album based on their story in the style of Appalachian murder ballads to create empathetic myths about these mothers. And with this podcast, I’ve been able to sit down with friends to talk openly about issues that come up from these songs - like religion, mental health, misogyny, our failing justice system, motherhood, grief, and more. Each episode I’ll tell a bit of the story, bring in a friend to chat, and share a song. I hope you can join me for The Ballad of Dena & Andrea.
