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
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 interpreter, the importance of independent health clinics and education, dramatic catholic rituals, PERIODS!, grieving what you thought life would be and what it turns out being.
Show Links
MEND Clinic
Homicide Leading Cause of Death for Pregnant Women Article
HPV Vaccine
https://www.gardasil9.com/patient-a/
British Mother & Baby Units Article
SA in LA Juvenile Detention Centers
Indigenous Language Interpretation
Cielo.org
Ballad of Dena & Andrea Links
Postpartum Support International
https://www.postpartum.net/
PSI Yates Children Memorial Fund Legal Justice Program
https://www.postpartum.net/about-psi/legal-justice/
A bit about the Yates Children Memorial Fund
https://www.postpartum.net/twenty-years-later/
I Need An Abortion
https://www.ineedana.com/
Shout Your Abortion
https://shoutyourabortion.com/
National Suicide Hotline: You can call 998 or find help online at
https://988lifeline.org/
Domestic Abuse Hotline
https://www.thehotline.org/
Trevor Project
https://www.thetrevorproject.org/
Support the Podcast Links
Full Album on Link
Venmo Link
Patreon Link
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.
