Let Genius Burn

About Let Genius Burn

Louisa May Alcott may be best known for the beloved book Little Women, but her story doesn’t begin or end with her famous novel. On Let Genius Burn, we separate the layers of Louisa’s life to learn more about who she really was--and all the ways her legacy continues to resonate today. We’ll explore the traumatic year of her childhood spent in an experimental utopian community, her service as a Civil War nurse, her final years of wealth and celebrity as a children’s author--and more intimate details and little-known stories of Louisa’s life. Instead of a retelling of Louisa May Alcott’s biography, each episode in the 8-part series examines Louisa's life through a different lens--Louisa as a celebrity, writer, activist, daughter, and more-- highlighting her complexity as a person, woman, and historical figure. Ahead of her time, Louisa railed against the limitations of her gender and fought for women’s suffrage. She craved literary greatness, but was weighed down by the financial needs of her family. Through writing scandalous Gothic thrillers, she found a way to voice her own inner turmoil. In the end, she achieved extraordinary financial success, but creative fulfillment remained elusive.We’ll examine all of this and more on Let Genius Burn. Find more on Instagram and Facebook @letgeniusburn or at letgeniusburn.com.

Publisher

Jamie Burgess & Jill Fuller

Category

arts · history · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

28 Jun 2021

Latest episode

14 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

40 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   14 Sept 2026

   Alcott on the Stage

   Louisa May Alcott loved the theatre: she wrote and staged plays both at home and with amateur theatre groups; she attended plays and recorded her thoughts about them in her journals; she aspired to be an actress herself. And while there is much we can know about her personal world, it is more difficult to place her in the context of the 19th century theatre world from her primary source works alone. Dr. Amy E. Hughes is a 19th century theatre scholar who joins Let Genius Burn to describe the ...

2. 

   10 Aug 2026

   Little Women In Love

   Lauren M. Gunderson’s adaptation of Little Women is still in draft form, though it is already being staged by theaters across the country. This new play version offers an innovative use of a small cast and a single setting, yet it still captures the great breadth of the story. With a focus on relationships and an original use of narration strategy, Gunderson sheds new insight on the inner lives of the characters. In this interview, we sit down with Gunderson to discuss how to develop a succes...

3. 

   12 Jul 2026

   Alcott in the World

   In this special anniversary episode of Let Genius Burn, Jamie and Jill reflect on the past five years of creating this project and what it has meant to them. They also discuss current events in Alcott, including recent Little Women adaptations and the meaning of Little Women today. Jill gives a detailed reading of Alcott's unfinished book, Diana and Persis, discussing its queer themes and characters, as well as the tension between art and domestic life.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

37 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

9 ratings

Contact Let Genius Burn

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.