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Let Genius Burn

A podcast mini-series that examines the life and work of Louisa May Alcott from every angle. Created by Jamie Burgess and Jill Fuller.

12/10/2026

A Marble Woman; or, The Mysterious Model is an Alcott thriller that really has it all:

Genius artist! Disguises! A masquerade party! O***m!

More importantly, it touches on themes and ideas that are quintessentially Alcottian: an orphaned girl and her mysterious, stern ward that harken back to Alcott’s love of Jane Eyre; a friendly neighbor boy—named Alfred, no less!—who recalls Alcott’s pal Alf Whitman and serves as a precursor to Laurie in Little Women; a discussion of marriage à la Moods; q***rness and performing gender.

Plus, it’s spooky, just in time for October. 🎃

So lock your doors! Turn down your lights! And light a candle! Follow along with a close reading of A Marble Woman.

05/10/2026

In our latest episode on Louisa May Alcott and 19th century theatre history, you may have heard Dr. Amy E. Hughes mention theatre phenomenon Charlotte Cushman, a trailblazing q***r actress on the American stage in the mid-19th century. Louisa herself saw Cushman perform in Boston in the 1850s and was completely starstruck. Cushman was known for her electrifying performances, husky voice, and penchant to take on male roles, particularly in Shakespearean plays.

Want to know more about Cushman and the theatre world after listening to our Alcott On the Stage episode? I'm currently reading Lady Romeo, a biography on Cushman by Tana Wojczuk and highly recommend it. I can't put it down!
***rhistory

14/09/2026

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.

So we reached out to 19th century theatre scholar Dr. Amy E. Hughes, Professor of Theatre and Drama at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. She welcomed us into the theatre world of Alcott’s time: what life would have been like, if Alcott had followed the path she didn’t take, and became an actress.

Join us for this incredible cross-disciplinary conversation! Available now wherever you listen to podcasts.

10/08/2026

Good morning, Louisa people 💖

When Jamie went to see the Arlington Friends of the Drama production of Little Women back in May, she got really curious about this new adaptation, which opened with the line,

“Miss Alcott!”

This production was adapted by Lauren Gunderson, who is one of the most produced playwrights in America. There were all kinds of things happening on stage: characters speaking their thoughts aloud in novel use of narration, characters speaking over each other and through each other, and an unexpected focus on…

Love.

Is Little Women a love story? I mean, it’s not *not* a love story, right?

And then, can you believe that Lauren Gunderson actually came on Let Genius Burn and answered all of our questions?!?

So now, you can hear the answers too.

A big thank you to Lauren Gunderson for joining us on Let Genius Burn this month.

We hope our listeners feel the love 💕

04/08/2026

You know what July gave us? Louisa finished writing Little Women, Part 1. The family celebrated May's birthday in true Alcott style. There's even more at Jill's Substack at jillfuller.substack.com.

27/07/2026

Here’s another clip of the first episode of season 5! Have you had a chance to listen yet?

Too bad we will never know what was in that one unrecorded episode. But wherever it is, it is 😚👌

20/07/2026

Our first episode of season 5 is available now! Join us as we share recent readings and wonderings about Louisa, including Jill’s reading of Alcott’s unfinished novel Diana and Persis.

This season, we’re exploring Alcott and Art, and Diana and Persis is a perfect intro, as it features two women artists trying to balance gender expectations with the desire to create.

Have you read Diana and Persis? What did you think?

15/07/2026

The Let Genius Burn newsletter on Substack is like our own Pickwick Portfolio, a collection of our various thoughts and interests this month. And like the March sisters, we each add a little bit.

This month, read about our new episode along with special features, including Jill’s experience making apple slump. You might tuck your pipe between your teeth and say,

“This isn’t a story, it’s a recipe!”

Join the fun at letgeniusburn.substack.com 🍎

13/07/2026

Season 5 has officially begun! 🎉

In today’s episode, Jamie and Jill reflect on 5 years of making Let Genius Burn, including some highlights and some high jinx!

At the heart of it is always the Alcotts, whose lives never stop being interesting to us. Come along and hear about some thrilling new adaptations of Little Women and get a close reading of Diana and Persis.

As always, let us know what you think! We’re at [email protected]

01/07/2026

Ahh, June. For the Alcotts, there were birthday oak wreaths and new nephews, and that time Louisa crushed on actress Charlotte Cushman and almost became a professional actress. It's all in the June issue of the Alcott Almanac on Jill's Substack at jillfuller.substack.com.

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