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 ...
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Jill Fuller Podcasts
Join JD Fuller as she breaks down the social narrative through a mental health lens. As a licensed clinical, social worker, educator, activist and truth seeker, JD engages with Hollywood royalty to host deep conversations with a wide variety of people exploring and defining what it will take to change the narrative.
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For over twenty years, the Louisa May Alcott Society has brought together Alcott scholars from around the world to discuss the work and relevance of Louisa May Alcott’s writing. The Society hosts panels and events at literature conferences and has been the center of Alcott study and scholarship, where ideas about her life and work are nurtured and …
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In today’s episode, we welcome Jen Turner, the Executive Director of the Robbins House Museum in Concord, Massachusetts. This historical house museum, situated today at the Minuteman National Park, is the hub of Concord’s African-American history. Through our conversation with Jen, we expand our understanding of Concord’s past and the experience of…
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Through Alcott’s upbringing amidst the Transcendentalists, ideas about the healing power of nature found their way into her life and her written work. Much of what humans have long known about the connection to nature is now being grounded in scientific research. In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Heidi Lawrence, a scholar who studies the inters…
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Lydia Olsson (1874-1958) was the daughter of Swedish immigrants, born in Kansas in the late nineteenth century. She moved to Illinois and attended Augustana College, where she kept diaries the documented her experience as a young woman coming of age in an exciting time, one where education and access was opening to women. During this time, Olsson t…
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In this conversation with authors Linda Epstein, Ally Malinenko, and Liz Parker, we discuss the authors' individual relationships to Little Women and how it influenced their writing of The Other March Sisters. We also discuss: How the authors made editorial choices and conducted research to include relevant information both about the March sisters …
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In this episode, where the title nods to a seminal Alcott text, Alcott in Her Own Time, edited by Daniel Shealy, Jamie and Jill reconnect about what has changed since they first began making Let Genius Burn in the winter of 2019-2020. We discuss what we are currently reading and thinking about in regards to Alcott. For Jamie, that's thinking about …
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Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without Little Women, so we are reading aloud from the iconic first chapter, "Playing Pilgrims" and offering our commentary, citing from various annotated editions of Little Women and the film versions to bring you a well-rounded discussion of your holiday favorite. Put on your cozy Christmas pajamas and make your cu…
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Travel with us to a Cuban coffee plantation, where Alcott's short story Pauline's Passion and Punishment begins. Written in 1862, this short story predates Alcott's later, more successful fiction, but it contains all the traces of her plot devices and characterization that we love. This is a new episode format where we discuss a single short story …
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Max Chapnick read a line in Louisa May Alcott's journal that pointed to one of her stories, but it turned out to be a dead end. Then, he had an idea. He went back to the archives and searched for the title of the story. He turned up an unexpected result: a story written by E.A. Gould, with characteristics that linked it easily to Louisa May Alcott.…
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When readers find out that Louisa May Alcott really lived in a family with four sisters, the next question is almost immediately: "Who was Laurie?" Lis Adams, Director of Education at Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House, spent years researching in the Alcotts' extensive papers at the Houghton Library at Harvard University, and she has edited a collec…
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Author Peyton Thomas joins Let Genius Burn to speak about queerness and transness in Little Women and other Alcott writings. Peyton Thomas made a significant impact on the Alcott community when he wrote a Twitter thread, and a New York Times op-ed, about understanding Louisa May Alcott as a trans man. His comments sparked a discussion that has open…
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Louisa May Alcott and her family were social activists who advocated for all types of reforms in their lifetimes: they were concerned with fair labor, women's suffrage, abolitionism, and diet reform. Yet another social concern for Louisa May Alcott was the access to health and wellness education for young women. In this episode, we explore the ways…
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Although Louisa May Alcott is most often associated with Concord, Massachusetts, where her family lived in several different homes over the course of her lifetime, Alcott made much of her life in Boston. She was a city person who loved the hustle and movement of the city compared to sleepy, dull Concord. In this episode, we are joined by Michele St…
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Say The Quiet Part Out Loud with Fatimah Gilliam, Esq.
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Fatimah Gilliam, Esquire. is the Founder and CEO of The Azara Group. As a skilled strategist, business leader, negotiator, and trusted advisor, she has spent her career advancing her clients’ goals. She leverages her expertise to provide real-world guidance. Her mission is to empower her clients to be strong business leaders, drive results, have su…
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Portia Burch is a Black queer activist and Omaha native with a specific focus on anti-racism work and abolition. Portia was activated by the murder of Michael Brown Jr. and the subsequent protests and riots in Ferguson, MO. As consciousness shifts towards reckoning with racism and white supremacy in the world, Portia is working to create spaces tha…
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Portia Burch is an activist and educator, with a focus on deconstructing current societal norms and systems in power to create a more equitable and just world. She believes in creating change from the inside out which involves identifying the root cause, where change needs to begin, and encouraging growth beyond. Portia works with both nonprofit an…
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Dismantling White Supremacy with Jill Nagle
36:57
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Jill Nagle is a published author, coach, facilitator, and founder of Evolutionary Workplace. She aims to help reduce harm to Black and Brown people, as well as support white people in liberating themselves from the effects of white supremacy’s toxic mythology. She uses somatic tools to help white anti-racist leaders dismantle white supremacy and li…
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Coffee with a Black Guy guest James Joyce III
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James Joyce III is Founder and Chief Visionary Ocer of Coee With A Black Guy, an innovative movement in which he provides consultation and coaching that is rooted in facilitating conversations about race and perspective for community groups and organizations. Joyce is an educator, a former award-winning journalist, and runner up in the 2021 Santa B…
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The White Supremacy Playbook with KL Collins
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KL Collins is a Cornell University graduate who has worked for several large studios, including Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., and DreamWorks. After years of writing as hobby, he took a draft of his screenplay, Talk Show, and used it to gain entrance into the Guy Hanks and Marvin Miller Screenwriting Fellowship Program at the University of South…
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Young, Black and Aware with Leteria Bailey
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Description Leteria Bailey is a motivated Jamaican-American professional with a passion for serving and advocating for youth and people of color (POC). Through her work serving 5 NGOs in Montgomery County, Maryland, Leteria has researched and developed digital platforms, coordinated public-facing organization events, and supported the distribution …
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Transgender Truths and Education with Angel Buck
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Buck Angel's message of empowerment through self-acceptance and the mission to encourage everyone to be comfortable in their own skin - whatever that means to them - has struck a passionate chord with people around the world. Buck was born female on June 5,1962. He never felt female and struggled through life until he had the life-changing opportun…
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When David Romano began to feel the early symptoms of depression in middle school, he thought everyone felt that way, and that it was part of growing up. The popular student and multi-sport athlete tried to maintain his outward image as the fun, goofy kid, and used sports and other activities to cover his inner struggle. A mental health checklist h…
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Decolonizing Therapy with the Rage Doctor Dr. Jennifer Mullan
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Description Dr. Jennifer Mullan, founder of Decolonizing Therapy, wrote the book, "Decolonizing Therapy: Oppression, Historical Trauma & Politicizing Your Practice,”. Dr. Mullan, lovingly called “The Rage Doctor”, is also an organizational consultant, teacher, course creator, community builder, and decolonized mental health movement starter. She ha…
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Stronger Relationships and Better Sex with Dr. Eric FitzMedrud Pt 2
22:43
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Description Dr. Eric FitzMedrud is a culturally aware clinician, trainer, speaker, podcast guest, author and a licensed psychologist. He specializes in evidence-based practices that include sex-positive wisdom and celebrating the joys of pleasure. Eric’s new book is The Better Man, A Guide to Consent, Stronger relationships and Better Sex. What You…
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Stronger Relationships and Better Sex with Dr. Eric FitzMedrud
38:26
38:26
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Dr. Eric FitzMedrud is a culturally aware clinician, trainer, speaker, podcast guest, author and a licensed psychologist. He specializes in evidence-based practices that include sex-positive wisdom and celebrating the joys of pleasure. Eric’s new book is The Better Man, A Guide to Consent, Stronger relationships and Better Sex. What You Will Hear: …
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Achieving the Impossible with Qasim Rashid
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Qasim Rashid is a human rights lawyer who built his career fighting for survivors of domestic violence, asylum seekers, and low income communities. He and his family immigrated from Pakistan to the United States with his family when he was five. As a child, Qasim grew up in Section 8 housing in DuPage county. Qasim’s parents, who were both teachers…
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The Sky Is Not The Limit with Fletcher Cleaves
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Description Fletcher Cleaves is a native of Memphis, TN who decided to turn his tragedy into a testimony. As an advocate and motivational presenter, he speaks out against the dangers of texting and driving as well as overcoming adversity. He aspires to share his journey in hopes it will save lives and inspire others to reach their goals, regardless…
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Urban educator and inner-city school advocate Jasmyn Williams is an Upper Elementary School Dean in East Cleveland, Ohio. Over the years she has developed the awareness, compassion, and knowledge to effectively lead and educate students with severe behavioral needs and learning disabilities in the inner city realm. In 2019, she received a Master of…
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Pro-Black Education with Ernest Crim III Pt2
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Ernest Crim III is an Anti-Racist Educator and hate crime survivor who uses (Black) historical narratives to empower and educate families and train educators through an equitable lens. Mr. Crim, a south side of Chicago native and University of Illinois graduate, is a former high school history educator of 12 years, who now advocates for social just…
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Ernest Crim III is an Anti-Racist Educator and hate crime survivor who uses Black historical narratives to empower and educate families and train educators through an equitable lens. Mr. Crim, a south side of Chicago native and University of Illinois graduate, is a former high school history educator of 12 years, who now advocates for social justic…
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Description Daniel Collins has had a challenged but also blessed journey. He had it all, then lost it, more than once and now he’s coming back. Daniel is transparent about his journey and the good news is he didn't give up! Daniel continues to be an activist for anti Black racism and prison reform. He's back to give us updates and to talk about his…
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JD and Martin Drux discuss the need for diversity and inclusion in corporate spaces. Martin is a multinational executive who manages cross-cultural teams for a Global US-headquartered consulting firm. When the world shut down Martin’s opened up and that’s when he found Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEI&B). It became his new passion and …
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