Betsy Golden Kellem - 2026 Thayer Prize Winner (18 Oct 2026)

Sun, 18 Oct 2026 23:00:00 GMT

About the Event

Our October Circus History Live! program will feature 2026 Stuart Thayer Prize winner Betsy Golden Kellem who is the author of the groundbreaking book, Jumping Through Hoops: Performing Gender in the Nineteenth-Century Circus (Feminist Press, 2025). Kellem’s book reveals the hidden history of early female circus performers: boundary-breaking women like Lavinia Warren, known as The Queen of Beauty; Millie-Christine McKoy, the Two-Headed Nightingale; and Patty Astley, the mother of the modern circus.

Kellem is also co-editor of Circus and Sideshow in the Long Nineteenth Century: A Documentary History (Routledge, 2026). In addition, she is a two-time regional Emmy winner and a silver Telly award recipient for her Showman’s Shorts video series on P. T. Barnum, for which she is writer and host. She has served on the boards of the Circus Historical Society and the Barnum Museum. She speaks for academia and industry on circus and entertainment history, with past venues including the Mark Twain House and Museum, Historic New Orleans, FanX Salt Lake, the Popular Culture Association and most recently TEDx Sarasota.

Circus Historical Society vice president Chris Berry will host this session.

Registration is Required

Circus History Live! is free for Circus Historical Society members and non-members. However, because our Zoom Big Top has a limited number of seats, registration is required and nonmembers are encouraged to join CHS.

To register, click the green YES button at the top of the announcement or the REGISTER button on the top left of the event webpage.

How to Attend the Event

To participate, at the time of the event, click here to enter the CHS Zoom Big Top and follow the prompts. Be sure that your microphone is muted and your video is off to help preserve bandwidth.

To listen to the program on your phone, dial (646) 931-3860. Enter Meeting ID 860 0166 6740. The passcode is: 315025.

About the Circus Historical Society

We are a tax exempt nonprofit educational organization dedicated to preserving the rich history of circus. Nonmembers are invited to join and receive full member benefits, including four issues of Bandwagon: The Journal of the Circus Historical Society, access to the members-only Back Yard and bookstore, discounted registration for our annual Convention, and more! Dues are only $60 per year. Click here to learn more and join today!

Circus History Live! Recordings

Please visit the CHS YouTube Channel for recordings of previous Circus History Live! programs.

Technical Assistance

For assistance, please click Technical Support.