Special Lady Day (2024)

02/11/2022

When you hear the banshee's cry, you know death is near.

The banshee is considered a fireside story to some and a near-reality for others in Ireland. Today, people still remember their nan telling them to beware of the banshee and her wails.

Often the banshee is associated with the old families of Ireland. She perches at the window of the dying or those about to die and sometimes attends their funerals. Her keening joins in with the mourners' songs.

Many connect the female harbingers of death to the Irish legends of Bean-Si, the women of the fairy mounds. The Bean-Si are the remnants of Tuatha Dé Danann, the pre-Celtic gods. They became the fairy folk made small in size and importance by inattention and lack of worship.

To hear stories of the banshee and more about her historical origins, check out our latest episode! Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Episode 22 on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../special-lady-day/id1476397648
Episode 22 on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5YytHrTX99CuI3aklOxGzs...
Episode 22 on Stitcher: https://listen.stitcher.com/yvap/?af_dp=stitcher://show/454333&af_web_dp=https://www.stitcher.com/show/454333&deep_link_value=stitcher://show/454333

31/10/2022

The ghost story of Yuki-Onna is truly chilling. The tale of the snow woman comes from Japanese folklore, tracing all the way back to the Muromachi period, with several different iterations depending on the region. Some call her “yukinba,” (snow hag) and depict her as a child hungry monster, her body consisting of nothing more than a giant old woman’s head with sharp teeth and grasping hands, hopping on one leg. Lafcadio Hearn’s translation presents a gentler entity: “a woman all in white…her breath like a bright white smoke.” She was very beautiful, but ominous all the same, telling the young man that looks upon her, “if you ever tell anybody – even your own mother – about what you have seen this night, I shall know it; and then I will kill you…Remember what I say!”
Discover the twisted end to the tale of Yuki-Onna in our latest episode.
Listen wherever you get your podcasts!
Episode 22 on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/special-lady-day/id1476397648
Episode 22 on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5YytHrTX99CuI3aklOxGzs?si=445b30aa6e084b11
Episode 22 on Stitcher: https://listen.stitcher.com/yvap/?af_dp=stitcher://show/454333&af_web_dp=https://www.stitcher.com/show/454333&deep_link_value=stitcher://show/454333

10/11/2021

Bonus episode alert! It’s the first ever team edition of Producer Chad’s game show podcast Pop Pop Quiz Quiz, featuring both Caitlin and Jessica!

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!

Bonus Episode on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bonus-episode-special-lady-day-on-pop-pop-quiz-quiz/id1476397648?i=1000541267837

Bonus Episode on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5SvNR7IIEmEz0YpvB93Tlr

Bonus Episode on Stitcher:
https://www.stitcher.com/show/special-lady-day/episode/bonus-episode-special-lady-day-on-pop-pop-quiz-quiz-88172611

29/10/2021

King Henry VIII decreed that his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, would be beheaded in February of 1542. On her way to the Tower of London, Catherine broke free from the guards, and she screamed for her husband’s mercy.

But the King never came to her rescue.

His silence was the final note in Catherine's death sentence.

In the end, Catherine and three people rumored to be connected to her love life would be executed at the hands of the jealous king.

Nearly 500 years later, Catherine Howard’s screams still echo through the gallery of Hampton Court Palace.

Learn more about the haunting of Catherine Howard on our latest episode.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!

Episode 20 on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/20-spooky-lady-day-the-legend-s-of-la-llorona/id1476397648?i=1000539977081

Episode 20 on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/68gnsfCrsrNOrKl0IKhocP?si=9a69fe99b71a49c1

Episode 20 on Pocket Casts:
https://pca.st/episode/a60a829c-6450-4ffe-91e5-72da65445793

Episode 20 on Stitcher:
https://www.stitcher.com/show/special-lady-day/episode/20-spooky-lady-day-the-legend-s-of-la-llorona-and-the-haunting-of-catherine-howard-87855005

28/10/2021

For centuries the Mexican and Southwestern US legend of La Llorona has been used for centuries to reflect the societal tensions, angst, and frustrations of its time. La Llorona is a critique of colonialism, patriarchy, and class structures.

Possible origins of the jilted woman wailing for her murdered children include the Aztec Goddesses Cihuacōātl and Chalchiuhtlicue, La Malinche—Hernàn Cortèz’s interpreter, guide, and “mistress”—Medea of Greek mythology, the Irish Banshee, and the German die weiße frau.

Today, La Llorona’s story is celebrated in Mexico during the day of the dead festivities. “By presenting La Llorona during the Day of the Dead celebrations, both of which have disputed origins but are thought to be ‘quintessentially Mexican’, it can be used to present to the world a new version of Mexico’s history and an official representation of Mexican identity” explains Amy Fuller of History Today.

Every year, during the day of the dead, a play about La Llorona is performed in the canals of Mexico City’s Xochimilco. According to News 18 Tamilnadu, in October 2020, the performers dedicated their scaled-back version of the play titled “La Llorona the Longing for a Goodbye” “to the memory of all the people who left without saying goodbye to their loved ones and for all the families who have suffered this loss," explained Nayeli Cortes, who has played the role of the weeping mother for 11 years.

The stage director Maria Luisa Castillo said of the lives lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic “We know that they are here with us and it is the homage that we can give them, and also to tell them, ‘Here we are. We remember you. You will never be forgotten.'"

Learn more about the many legends of La Llorona on our latest episode.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!

Episode 20 on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/20-spooky-lady-day-the-legend-s-of-la-llorona/id1476397648?i=1000539977081

Episode 20 on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/68gnsfCrsrNOrKl0IKhocP?si=9a69fe99b71a49c1

Episode 20 on Pocket Casts:
https://pca.st/episode/a60a829c-6450-4ffe-91e5-72da65445793

Episode 20 on Stitcher:
https://www.stitcher.com/show/special-lady-day/episode/20-spooky-lady-day-the-legend-s-of-la-llorona-and-the-haunting-of-catherine-howard-87855005

28/10/2021

Spooky Lady Day is upon us! Listen if you dare!
🎃
👻
🎃
👻
🎃
👻

12/10/2021

Happy birthday to Jessica, boss of our hearts! 💜✨💜✨💜

Thank you for your luminous energy, !✨♎️✨

Swipe for Jessica’s many animal friendships. 😻

07/10/2021

Princess Victoria Kawēkiu Kaʻiulani Lunalilo Kalaninuiahilapalapa Cleghorn has an unusual legacy. “Princess Ka’iulani is an important person in the history of Hawaii, but not necessarily because of the things she accomplished in her life,” explains DeSoto Brown of in a recent article, “You could almost say that she is known for what she wasn’t able to do.”

Others see the Hawaiian royal’s life differently. “We’ve seen her as a shy, quiet but beautiful little girl who lived a melancholy life,” says Jennifer Fahrni, Ka’iulani’s biographer, “Ka‘iulani was, in fact, a warrior - she fought for the truth.”

The facts of Princess Ka’iulani’s life align with Fahrni’s interpretation. From an early age she was a multi-talented artist, prolific in drawing and music, a daring athlete who surfed, swam, and rode horses, a polyglot, speaking English, Scott’s Gaelic, German, and French.

Most importantly, she was a diplomat that staved off the eventual annexation of Hawaii by the United States, which was sparked by Stanford B. Dole and a handful of European-descended businessmen.

The princess had the ear of President Grover Cleveland, who ordered the senate to remove the annexation treaty, pending an investigation. Later, after President McKinley enacted the annexation, Cleveland confessed, “I am ashamed of the whole affair.”

Of her own brief life, Ka’iulani says, "It has been a strange life, really, and a very romantic one.”

Learn more about Princess Victoria Kawēkiu Kaʻiulani Lunalilo Kalaninuiahilapalapa Cleghorn in our latest episode. Link in bio!

 

05/10/2021

Women have been surfers for as long as people have been surfing. In fact, the oldest known papa he’e nalu (surfboard) was found in Princess Kaneamuna’s burial cave in Ho’okena on the Big Island, Hawaii, according to and .

Surfing dates back to 17th century Hawaii and other Polynesian islands. Myths of surfing goddesses include the demi-god Mamala, depicted as a half-woman, half-shark, and the mythical Princess Kelea described one of the best surfers in Hawaii.  
Predictably, European missionaries disapproved of the sport, and sought to rid the islands of surfing, replacing with alternative more “appropriate” pastimes (more clothes/less gambling).

Native Hawaiian surfers resisted the missionaries’ efforts and re-popularized the sport in the late 19th century.

While many focus on the contribution of male surfers to this effort, Princess Ka’iulani, a surfer herself, not only helped popularize surfing internationally, but also fought back against the illegal coup that led to Hawaii’s annexation by the United States.

Listen to Episode 19 to learn more! Link in bio.

Text credits: and

02/10/2021

Hypatia was one of the world’s leading mathematicians and astronomers, during her lifetime. A philosopher from the Neoplatonic school, she could be found giving public lectures to large crowds in Alexandria and teaching students in her home.

Hypatia's work reverberates through history, and while she met a violent end at the hands of Christian zealots, her influence continues to this day. Learn more about Hypatia in the most recent episode of Special Lady Day.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!

Episode 19 on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../19-hypatia.../id1476397648...
Episode 19 on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Gl0SlgD4hCTlV3eopnuzL
Episode 19 on Pocket Casts:
https://pca.st/episode/1cba1d0a-00e0-421e-9b9a-ea8164980a0e
Episode 19 on Stitcher:
https://www.stitcher.com/.../19-hypatia-and-victoria...

30/09/2021

Repost from

❤️

In our latest episode’s , we’re also highlighting the organization Plan C. Click on the link to learn more about their important work!

Plan C: https://www.plancpills.org/

Episode 19 on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../19-hypatia.../id1476397648...

Episode 19 on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Gl0SlgD4hCTlV3eopnuzL

Episode 19 on Pocket Casts:
https://pca.st/episode/1cba1d0a-00e0-421e-9b9a-ea8164980a0e

Episode 19 on Stitcher:
https://www.stitcher.com/show/special-lady-day/episode/19-hypatia-and-victoria-kawekiu-kaiulani-lunalilo-kalaninuiahilapalapa-cleghorn-87195914

❤️

Original Post:

Today is https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/internationalsafeabortionday/. Universal access to legal abortion requires the decriminalization of abortion worldwide, the right to free and accurate access to information, and medical and financial support to affordable care and after-care for all.

We proudly work alongside fellow organizations, activists, and providers, who help reduce barriers and facilitate access to legal abortion.

👉 Show your support today by following and, if you can, donating to any of these organizations that provide access and information to abortion pills:

💙 https://www.instagram.com/reprocare_healthline/
http://bit.ly/reprocare-support

🧡 https://www.instagram.com/ma_hotline/
http://www.mahotline.org/give

💚 https://www.instagram.com/ifwhenhow/
http://www.ifwhenhow.org/give

💗 https://www.instagram.com/abortionpil/
http://bit.ly/take-back-the-ban

💜 follow us on https://www.instagram.com/tiktok/ https://www.instagram.com/plancpills/
http://www.plancpills.org/donate

Everyone deserves access to abortion, unapologetically. Let's !

30/09/2021

Repost from

❤️

In our latest episode’s , we highlight the Lilith Fund. Click on the link to learn more about the important work they’re doing, and to donate.

The Lilith Fund: https://www.lilithfund.org/

Episode 19 on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/19-hypatia-and-victoria-kaw%C4%93kiu-ka%CA%BBiulani-lunalilo/id1476397648?i=1000537137130

Episode 19 on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Gl0SlgD4hCTlV3eopnuzL

Episode 19 on Pocket Casts:
https://pca.st/episode/1cba1d0a-00e0-421e-9b9a-ea8164980a0e

Episode 19 on Stitcher:
https://www.stitcher.com/show/special-lady-day/episode/19-hypatia-and-victoria-kawekiu-kaiulani-lunalilo-kalaninuiahilapalapa-cleghorn-87195914

❤️

Original Post:

Abortion is essential healthcare⁠⁠⁠⁠

02/07/2021

Barbara Gittings was the kind of person who saw a problem and didn’t wait for someone else to fix it.

As a young adult in the early 1950s, she hungered to know more about her le***an identity but couldn’t find any books or information about people like her. So, she set out to create the community she desired.

Years later, she would earn the title “mother of gay and le***an liberation.”

In 1958, Gittings created the New York chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, the first le***an civil rights organization in the United States, and served as the editor of The Ladder, the first national le***an magazine.

Partnering with gay rights activist Frank Kameny, Gittings enlisted activists from New York, D.C., and Philadelphia for some of the first pre-Stonewall public demonstrations for gay and le***an equality called the “Annual Reminders.”

Later, Gittings turned her activism toward the medical mistreatment of the LGBTQ community. At the time, the American Psychological Association classified homosexuality as a “mental disorder.” Gittings, Kameny, and others waged a multi-year campaign against the APA’s classification, including demonstrations at the APA annual meeting. Because of their activism, the APA removed the classification in1973.

Gittings devoted her later years to the ’s “Gay Task Force,” finally creating the collection of le***an literature she had dreamed of finding.

To learn more about Barbara Gittings, check out Episode 18 wherever you get your podcasts. Link in bio!

Photo Credits:

1. Barbara Gittings. Credit - via
2. Barbara Gittings at a chalkboard. Credit -
3. Barbara Gittings, Frank Kameny and John E. Fryer in Disguise at Panel Discussing Psychiatry and Homosexuality. Credit -
4. Barbara Gittings with Partner Kay Tobin Lahusen. Credit -

specialladyday ***an ***anhistory ***anpride ***anbooks

30/06/2021

Nancy Spain was an entertainment personality and le***an icon, known for her BBC sports broadcasting, regular quiz show appearances, and campy detective novels. To top it off, her humor was legendary. 

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Spain was infamous for wearing what she described as “natty [dapper] gents’ sportswear.” Declan Lynch of the .ie explains the power of her fashion choices:

“To some, her ‘unfeminine’ look was just the mark of a free spirit, a member of the Bohemian classes, but more astute observers were clued into the deeper signals she was sending, which meant that Nancy Spain was not just a le***an, she was an inspiration to thousands of other le***ans and to gay men in Britain at that time.”

Her unapologetic visibility paved the way for other q***r women to follow in her footsteps.

Of her untimely death in 1964, the English playwright and celebrity Noel Coward said, “It is cruel that all that gaiety, intelligence, and vitality should be snuffed out when so many bores and horrors are left living.”  

Find out more about Nancy Spain in Special Lady Day’s “Episode 18.” You can find it wherever you get your podcasts.

Episode 18 on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7FQW0Jd6JH6WgFMmgxRpkn

Episode 18 on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/18-nancy-spain-and-barbara-gittings/id1476397648?i=1000527219953

Episode 18 on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/special-lady-day/episode/18-nancy-spain-and-barbara-gittings-85061198
 
***an ***anhistory ***rfashion

29/06/2021

US listeners! Want a cost-free way to make an impact? Check out 5 Calls—an app and website that connects you to your congressperson and provides a script and information about critical issues.

Use 5 Calls to

Our latest episode's Act One segment features 5 Calls.

5 Calls: https://5calls.org/

Episode 18 on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7FQW0Jd6JH6WgFMmgxRpkn

Episode 18 on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/18-nancy-spain-and-barbara-gittings/id1476397648?i=1000527219953

Episode 18 on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/special-lady-day/episode/18-nancy-spain-and-barbara-gittings-85061198

28/05/2021

Stop the presses! It’s a Special Lady Day Bonus Episode! Even better, we’re welcoming the long weekend with two SLD bonus episodes. ✨ Caitlin and Jessica each guest star on Producer Chad’s game show podcast Pop Pop Quiz Quiz. 🎉

Listen wherever you get your podcasts:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1s7ccBK8aLq8AvGC4gL6Nc?si=-iPiHgziRniE9DJmq7B-2A

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0BZXnzDSv4NPQKJDEhk6cb?si=SofzgrtMRDSlt3X7FcUv3Q

Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bonus-episode-jessica-lohafer-on-pop-pop-quiz-quiz/id1476397648?i=1000523378620

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bonus-episode-caitlin-morris-on-pop-pop-quiz-quiz/id1476397648?i=1000523378621

Stitcher:

https://www.stitcher.com/show/special-lady-day/episode/bonus-episode-jessica-lohafer-on-pop-pop-quiz-quiz-84303749

https://www.stitcher.com/show/special-lady-day/episode/bonus-episode-caitlin-morris-on-pop-pop-quiz-quiz-84303748

12/04/2021

Susan Ahn Cuddy came from a family of trailblazers. She grew up watching her parents organize and assist members of the Korean community both in California and abroad, all while fighting for Korean Independence. In 1937, Cuddy's father, Dosah Anh Chang Ho, was arrested, tortured, and killed in Seoul by Japanese police. This loss motivated Cuddy to apply to become a U.S. Navy officer during World War II. Her initial application was denied because she was Asian American, but she persisted and applied again. After excelling at basic training, she was selected as a candidate for officer school and finally accepted. She went on to become the first Asian American woman lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, the first Asian American woman flight instructor to train U.S. Naval pilots, and the first woman Gunnery Officer in all U.S. Armed Forces. After the war, she went on to become an intelligence officer breaking codes for the Navy and later joined the NSA, where she ran a think tank of 300 linguists and other experts gathering Russian intelligence. Later in her life, she devoted herself to activism supporting the Korean-American community.

Learn more about Susan Ahn Cuddy in our latest episode!

Listen wherever you get your podcasts:

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0lvEyiG4rghCJHPIpRIMvr?si=fzIzgGbCTS2-bfR6mQIHOw

Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/17-anna-may-wong-and-susan-ahn-cuddy/id1476397648?i=1000516387983

Stitcher:
https://www.stitcher.com/show/special-lady-day/episode/17-anna-may-wong-and-susan-ahn-cuddy-83026101

09/04/2021

At nine years old, Anna May Wong knew she wanted to be a movie star the first time she set foot on a movie set in Los Angeles. She got her first part when she was 13, and she described the studio as "an enchanted fairyland."

In 1921, after recovering from a debilitating battle with Syndenham's chorea, she decided to fully commit herself to acting; after her major film debut in 1922, she went on to make 23 films over the next six years. Her journey was far from easy, though, as she faced racism both on and off the set.

The challenges she faced in America led her to Europe, where she became extremely popular in Germany and England. With a career that saw everything from silent films, talking films, and the transition from black and white to technicolor, Anna May Wong flourished in each and every era. She remains an international icon, inspiring performers to this very day.

Learn more about international starlet Anna May Wong in our latest episode!

Listen wherever you get your podcasts:

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0lvEyiG4rghCJHPIpRIMvr?si=fzIzgGbCTS2-bfR6mQIHOw

Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/17-anna-may-wong-and-susan-ahn-cuddy/id1476397648?i=1000516387983

Stitcher:
https://www.stitcher.com/show/special-lady-day/episode/17-anna-may-wong-and-susan-ahn-cuddy-83026101

09/04/2021

Repost from Stop AAPI Hate

❤️

In our latest episode's , we highlight the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center. Check out the link in the comments below to learn more about the important work they're doing, and to donate.

❤️
Original Post:

About Stop AAPI Hate: In response to the alarming escalation in xenophobia and bigotry resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Asian Pacific Planning and Policy Council (), Chinese for Affirmative Action (), and the Asian American Studies Department of San Francisco State University launched the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center on March 19. The center tracks and responds to incidents of hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, shunning, and child bullying against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in California and where possible throughout the United States.

17/03/2021

Repost from
•
We need your help! We can’t yell alone because this is a national emergency!

10/03/2021

Producer Chad has done it again! The opening for Stagecoach Mary with a medley of quotes by Princess Weekes of and Erin Blakemore of , and music from Marco Beltrami.

08/03/2021

Rep. Debora Haaland, our “special lady of the present” from Episode 15, reminds us of the importance of Women’s History Month and the systems of oppression that have and are working against women. Celebrate International Women’s Day and go make some changes. 💖

Repost from
•
“Women are fierce – we break barriers, run companies, make scientific discoveries, raise families, and lift each other up. But the fact is, discriminatory policies blocked women from fully participating in our country for generations. It led to disparities in wages, representation, and opportunities that we are still tackling. Though we have more Native women serving in Congress, a woman of color in the Vice President’s office, and women making moves across the country, we still have to recognize that the disadvantages that we face are created by systems designed to keep us out and that, coupled with systemic racism, makes Women’s History Month all the more important”

06/03/2021

Tana French is known for her wildly popular Irish crime fiction. Her novels feature unreliable narrators, rich language, and plots that unravel her characters’ sense of reality and sense of self. Her mysteries intertwine the specificity of Irish politics, economy, and culture with the universal questions, desires, and fears of the human condition. In short, her books are pretty fu***ng good.

In our latest episode, Caitlin gives French and her books a . French’s mysteries are perfect for those that want to pick up a book and not be able to put it down. That said, while we’re still in a pandemic, her book’s dark tones may need to be supplemented with videos of unlikely animal friendships.

Give our latest episode a listen wherever you get your podcasts! https://linktr.ee/specialladyday

03/03/2021

The American-born performer Josephine Baker thrilled Parisian audiences in the 1920s with her infamous “Danse Sauvage,” making her the most notorious black female performer of her day.

In this sultry dance, Baker sported a slim strings of pearls, a skirt made sixteen bananas, and not much else. Elyssa Goodman of them. describes the dance as containing “what we’d now see as the troubling, othering, and colonialist aspects.”

Despite that, Baker’s fame and popularity in France helped her live a life of luxury and prosperity that would have been near-to-impossible in her home country, plagued with segregation and racism.

Baker used her fame to fight na**sm in France and racism in the US. During World War II, she acted as a spy, hiding ally fighters in her château, pinning secret documents to her underwear, and using invisible ink to pass messages.

Later in her life, Baker refused to perform in segregated American theaters and is credited for helping desegregate the city of Las Vegas.

Learn more about the incredible Josephine baker in our latest episode!

Listen wherever you get your podcasts:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2kSEImEQBFgVgAMN2NLjKa
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/16-mary-fields-and-josephine-baker/id1476397648?i=1000510872328
Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/special-lady-day/episode/16-mary-fields-and-josephine-baker-81980940

Special Lady Day

02/11/2022

31/10/2022

10/11/2021

29/10/2021

28/10/2021

28/10/2021

12/10/2021

07/10/2021

05/10/2021

02/10/2021

30/09/2021

30/09/2021

02/07/2021

30/06/2021

29/06/2021

28/05/2021

12/04/2021

09/04/2021

09/04/2021

17/03/2021

10/03/2021

08/03/2021

06/03/2021

03/03/2021

Address

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Videos

Shortcuts

Share