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Season 2
Episode 1
Louisa Into Life
In this episode, Jan Turnquist, Executive Director of Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House, shares stories of how Louisa May Alcott’s influence has shaped her life through her work at the museum and her experiences portraying Louisa for the public.
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Episode 2
Louisa In Threads
In this episode, we are talking with Leslie Schomp, who served as an artist-in-residence at Fruitlands in 2021. Leslie drew inspiration from Louisa’s diaries to create textile pieces that embodied and expressed Louisa May Alcott’s time there. Her samplers capture the dichotomy of this place: the distance between the restrictive ideals of the community and the vibrant, free spirit of young Louisa.
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Episode 3
Louisa and Maud
The creators of Maud: Books, Babes, and Barbiturates, a podcast about the life of Lucy Maud Montgomery, join us on Let Genius Burn to talk about the ways our two favorite women authors are similar and different through gender and sexuality, fame, and how their legacies have changed over time.
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Episode 4
Louisa In Style
Meet Lauren Stern: a researcher interested in social and material history and a staff member at Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House since 2006.
In this episode, Lauren shares behind-the-scenes stories from Orchard House, tells us about her research on the life of May Alcott Nieriker, and discusses the fashion trends during the decades of Louisa May Alcott's adulthood, from Victorian sleeve trends to corsets.
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Episode 5
Louisa Through the Ages
Most Alcott scholars cannot imagine what it would be like to do research without the Selected Letters and Selected Journals of Louisa May Alcott, these two seminal works that make Alcott's work so accessible.
In this incredible conversation, we hear from Dr. Daniel Shealy, who was part of the team who made these publications possible. He gives us a glimpse into the early days of Alcott scholarship working with Joel Myerson, Madeleine Stern, and Leona Rostenberg, and discuss Louisa’s changing legacy over the years.
Episode 6
Little Women In Letters
If you’ve ever wanted Little Women to come to life, here is your chance. In this episode, we talk with Barbara Heller, who recently published a new edition of Little Women that features removable replicas of the letters found in the books, so the reader feels the thrill of unfolding a letter as if they are from real, dear friends.
In our conversation, Barbara discusses the research, process, and design behind these familiar letters, now turned into beloved works of art.
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Episode 7
Louisa As Inspiration
In our conversation with John Matteson, author of the biography Eden's Outcasts: the Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father, we cover Louisa's time in Washington as a nurse during the Civil War, John’s writing process, and compare and contrast Louisa May Alcott with Margaret Fuller.
John also offers us a vision of the Alcotts that is connected to our present-day world and where our future is headed.
Episode 8
Louisa Revisited
For Episode 8, Jill and Jamie recap the highlights of season two and reflect on what the conversations with Alcott scholars have taught them. Then they dive into what they’ve been reading and researching, including Louisa’s queerness and how to teach young readers about the Alcotts.
Bonus Episode 1
Concord Sketches
Travel along with Jill and Jamie during their week in Concord, Massachusetts, including a trip to Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House, a tour of Fruitlands Museum, and a gathering with other Louisa May Alcott scholars and enthusiasts.
Bonus Episode 2
The Fruitlands Effect
On July 13, 2022, Let Genius Burn was invited to speak at Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, Massachusetts, the site where the Alcott family attempted to live out their utopian experiment for 9 months in 1843.
This episode is the recording of our talk, titled The Fruitlands Effect: How the Utopian Experiment Influenced Louisa May Alcott’s Life and Work. Enjoy!
Bonus Episode 3
A Concord Conversation
Sit down with Jill and Jamie as they reflect and dissect the week they spent together in Concord. They talk about visits to Orchard House, Walden Pond, the Special Collections at the Concord Free Public Library, and experiences at the Thoreau Society Gathering. It's an all-about-Alcott final bonus episode of Season 2!
Season 1
The Trailer
Let Genius Burn premieres July 12, 2021!
Intro Episode
Louisa May Alcott: An Introduction
A short biography of Louisa's life lays the groundwork for this series. Meet the hosts of Let Genius Burn and hear about why we believe Louisa May Alcott was a singular genius in her generation. This is Let Genius Burn.
Episode 1
Louisa As Daughter
Before Louisa May Alcott grew up to be a famous children's author, she belonged to her parents: Bronson Alcott and Abigail May Alcott. Together, they created a family where their four daughters were encouraged to be active, creative individuals. This is the story of Louisa May Alcott as a daughter.
Episode 2
Louisa As Sister
Once upon a time, four sisters became immortal, transformed with pen and ink from Anna, Louisa, Elizabeth, and May into Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. This is the story of the sisterhood behind Little Women. This is Louisa as Sister.
Episode 3
Louisa At Work
Before she became an author and celebrity, Louisa May Alcott was a teacher, seamstress, governess, companion, servant, and nurse. Though they were difficult, her experiences gave her material to write for the rest of her life. This week, learn about Louisa May Alcott's relationship with work, which was both her salvation and the bane of her existence.
Episode 4
Louisa As Scribbler
From crafting jolly tales to journaling her worries and struggles, Louisa spent her life meeting herself on the page. In this episode, we pull back the curtain to take a peek at Louisa at her writing desk. We will trace the development of her writing style, the desires that pushed her to write, and the arc of her professional career.
Episode 5
Louisa As Activist
Louisa devoted her life to the causes she believed in, primarily abolition and women's suffrage. Her political beliefs were handed down from her parents, who were constantly striving for a better world. Learn about food reform, dress reform, and more in Louisa as Activist.
Episode 6
Louisa As Celebrity
When Little Women became a sensation, Louisa May Alcott became the ultimate literary celebrity. In this episode, we unpack how Louisa's celebrity status defined the last twenty years of her life, whether it's possible to separate the artist from their art, and how Louisa's celebrity has continued into the 21st century.
Episode 7
Louisa As Woman
In Louisa May Alcott's time, strict definitions and expectations of white womanhood permeated Louisa’s society and culture. Louisa May Alcott defied gender expectations, sometimes through her acting as a way to embody a male character and through her dress, language, and active lifestyle. From a topsey-turvey girl to a self-made woman, she wore her own version of womanhood like a badge of honor.
Episode 8
Louisa As Legacy
At the time of Louisa May Alcott's death, she was known to most as the "children's friend," an author of children's books and particularly books for girls. As time passed and scholars made the connection between Louisa May Alcott and the lurid thrillers she wrote under pen names, Louisa's legacy took on new dimensions. Today, we can appreciate Louisa May Alcott as the feminist and forward-thinking woman she was. This episode discusses Louisa's legacy and how it has changed over time.
Bonus Episode:
Passages
In the first bonus episode of Let Genius Burn, Jill and Jamie dive into the details of three passages from Louisa's work beyond Little Women. Listeners will learn about the different ways Louisa's life experiences shape her writings. Plus, after twenty months of working together on Let Genius Burn, Jill and Jamie finally meet in person!