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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.
Let Genius Burn
Louisa and Laurie
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 collection that introduces us to one of the real-life inspirations for Laurie: Alf Whitman.
Although Alf lived in Concord less than a year, his impact on the Alcott sisters, and Anna Alcott's husband, John, was profound. They kept up correspondence with him for over thirty years, chronicling their lives and losses through their letters to him.
This collection is also a valiant feat of transcribing and editing! As Lis describes in the episode, 19th century letters are not always easy to decipher. You'll learn about her process to bring these letters out of the archives and into the light.
Lis Adams is Director of Education at Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts, and a graduate of both Brandeis University and the museum studies program at Tufts University. She is a member and former co-chair of the Concord Historical Collaborative, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the Museum Education Roundtable, the Greater Boston Museum Educators Roundtable, the Arlington Historical Society, and the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Lis has presented for the New England Museum Association and the New England Library Association, and has published articles on the Alcotts for the Concord Journal and the Journal of Museum Education. Lis is also an actress and voiceover artist in the greater Boston area, an actor in residence for Playwrights' Platform, and a consultant for the Distinguished Achievements and Special Honors program for the Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theaters.