Jo's Boys: A Little Women Podcast

This week, we're joined by Alex Marzano-Lesnevich. Alex is the author of the book slash cultural phenomenon The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir, which won several awards, including the Lambda Literary Award, and was named one of the best books of the year by Entertainment Weekly, the Times of London, the Guardian, and about a million other places. Alex earned their BA from Columbia, their MFA at Emerson College, and their JD at Harvard Law School. They’re now an assistant professor at Bowdoin College, and their next book, Both and Neither, is forthcoming from Doubleday.  Together, we dive into this rollercoaster of a chapter: Laurie plays Cupid, makes a mess, and tries to enlist Jo in a plot to run away from home. Jo would, if she were a boy, but as she's a miserable girl... Well, maybe with this haircut... On second thought, yeah; we're running away to India together, and we're doing it as boys. Gender! Can't live with it, can't live without it. Our cover art is by Mattie Lubchansky. It interpolates the cover art for Bethany C. Morrow's book "So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix," with permission from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group. It also interpolates the cover art for Hena Khan’s book “More to the Story,” with permission from Simon & Schuster. Our theme music is Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major. This episode was edited by Antoinette Smith and transcribed by Lou Balikos.  A transcript of this episode is available here.

This week, we're joined by Ethan Evans, a PhD candidate at Cardiff University, to chat about George Eliot, a contemporary of Lou Alcott, and everything the two authors had in common. Ethan has written extensively on queer masculinity in Eliot's life and work, and his research applies recent developments in queer and trans studies to the lives of Eliot and her partner George Henry Lewes.  Our cover art is by Mattie Lubchansky. It interpolates the cover art for Bethany C. Morrow's book "So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix," with permission from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group. It also interpolates the cover art for Hena Khan’s book “More to the Story,” with permission from Simon & Schuster. Our theme music is Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major. This episode was edited by Antoinette Smith and transcribed by Lou Balikos.  A transcript of this episode is available here.

This week, we’re joined by Jennifer Putzi. Dr. Putzi is a professor at the College of William & Mary, where she teaches English and Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies. Among her course offerings, she’s taught both Transgender Fictions and a 400-level course called 150 Years of Little Women. She is the author of several books, including Fair Copy: Relational Poetics and Antebellum American Women's Poetry and Identifying Marks: Race, Gender, and the Marked Body in Nineteenth-Century America. Together, we discuss Chapter 20: Confidential, in which Meg and John Brooke’s relationship really takes off, much to Jo’s consternation. Also, we make an incredible discovery regarding the gender identity of Aunt March’s pet parrot. Turns out Polly… is a he?  Our cover art is by Mattie Lubchansky. It interpolates the cover art for Bethany C. Morrow's book "So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix," with permission from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group. It also interpolates the cover art for Hena Khan’s book “More to the Story,” with permission from Simon & Schuster. Our theme music is Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major. This episode was edited by Antoinette Smith and transcribed by Lou Balikos.  A transcript of this episode is available here.

This week, we’re joined by Gregory Eiselein, current president of the Louisa May Alcott Society and Donnelly Professor of English and University Distinguished Teaching Scholar at Kansas State University. We're also joined by Anne Phillips, former president of the Louisa May Alcott Society and Associate Head of the Graduate Faculty of English at Kansas State University. Together, Dr. Eiselein and Dr. Phillips have co-edited four books on Alcott and Little Women. They bring entire lifetimes of expertise and experience to this episode, a deep dive into Chapter 19: Amy’s Will, which sees Beth becoming sicker and Amy becoming… a Catholic bio queen?  Our cover art is by Mattie Lubchansky. It interpolates the cover art for Bethany C. Morrow's book "So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix," with permission from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group. It also interpolates the cover art for Hena Khan’s book “More to the Story,” with permission from Simon & Schuster. Our theme music is Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major. This episode was edited by Antoinette Smith and transcribed by Lou Balikos.  A transcript of this episode is available at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Fi-jYI0rV-1dbiqeoOruYn4iKfUkVw4SiAQzpSH_u4Y/edit?usp=sharing. 

In this discussion, Molly Horan, author of 'Epically Earnest' and a Professor at NYU specializing in LGBT YA fiction, delves into the complex dynamics of 'Little Women'. They explore Beth's illness, Jo's struggles with alcohol, and Laurie's heartbreak. Horan reflects on the evolution of young adult literature and the unique challenges of adapting classic narratives for modern audiences. The conversation also highlights themes of gender roles and emotional vulnerability, illuminating the rich tapestry of familial relationships within the March family.

Tiffany Wayne, a historian renowned for her work on women's history and gender studies, chats about the deep themes in 'Little Women.' She discusses Beth's illness and its impact on family dynamics, highlighting the tensions and humor amidst crisis. The conversation delves into the significance of sisterhood and identity, especially through Jo March's character. Wayne also reflects on how the narrative tackles gender roles, showcasing female empowerment against the backdrop of war and caregiving. Prepare for insightful takes and a sprinkle of humor!

This week, we're joined by special guest Eagan Dean, an award-winning Americanist in Rutgers' Department of English. Eagan is currently working toward his PhD in Literatures in English with a certificate in women's, gender, and sexuality studies. Their dissertation, "American Literary Gender (and Its Discontents): The Literary Production and Uses of Hermeneutic Gender in the Long Nineteenth Century in America," makes him the perfect person to break down this chapter of Little Women. With Marmee away in Washington, tending to father, Jo assumes the mantle of man of the house -- and the other March sisters have their own concerns. Our cover art is by Mattie Lubchansky. It interpolates the cover art for Bethany C. Morrow's book "So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix," with permission from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group. It also interpolates the cover art for Hena Khan's book "More to the Story," with permission from Simon & Schuster. Our theme music is Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major. This episode was edited by Antoinette Smith and transcribed by Lou Balikos. A transcript of this episode is available here.

This week, we're chatting with cartoonist Kathleen Gros about her graphic novel Jo: An Adaptation of Little Women (Sort Of), which reimagines Jo March as a middle schooler discovering her queer identity and navigating a crush on Freddie, a girl who works with her on the school's paper. Kathleen is also the author of the forthcoming Anne, a contemporary retelling of Anne of Green Gables, which is due out this summer and, yes, promises budding romance between Anne and one Diana Barry. When Kathleen's not writing queer-as-hell adaptations of your favorite classics, she teaches comics at Langara College. You can visit her online at kagcomix.com and on Twitter at kagcomix. Our cover art is by Mattie Lubchansky. It interpolates the cover art for Bethany C. Morrow's book "So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix," with permission from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group. It also interpolates the cover art for Hena Khan's book "More to the Story," with permission from Simon & Schuster. Our theme music is Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major. This episode was edited by Antoinette Smith and transcribed by Lou Balikos. A transcript of this episode is available here.

This week, we're joined by special guest Vicki Johnson. Vicki is a former White House staffer and the author of the forthcoming picture book Molly's Tuxedo, due out in June 2023 from Little Bee Books. She's a 2022 Lambda Literary Fellow, a graduate of Smith College, and an MFA candidate at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. You can visit her online at vickijohnsonwrites.com, on Twitter at @vickijohnson, and on Instagram at @vickijohnsonwrites. Together, Vicki and I dive into Chapter 15: A Telegram, in which a telegram arrives, all hell breaks loose, and Jo gets the most famous literary haircut of all time. We do spend most of the episode talking about that haircut. Civil War? Never heard of her! Our cover art is by Mattie Lubchansky. It interpolates the cover art for Bethany C. Morrow's book "So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix," with permission from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group. It also interpolates the cover art for Hena Khan's book "More to the Story," with permission from Simon & Schuster. Our theme music is Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major. This episode was edited by Antoinette Smith and transcribed by Lou Balikos. A transcription of this episode is available here.

This week, we're joined by special guest Erin Thomas, the author of more than half a dozen books for young people, including Forcing the Ace, Wolves at the Gate, and Overboard. She teaches creative writing to people of all ages, from Toronto schoolchildren to residents of the Oshawa Senior Citizens' Centre. She's a member of CANSCAIP, the Writers' Community of Durham Region, and the Canadian Children's Book Centre. Together, Erin and I dive into Chapter 14: Secrets, in which Jo publishes her very first story and enters into a footrace with Laurie, one with staggering Greek-mythic implications. You can visit Erin online at erinthomas.ca. Our cover art is by Mattie Lubchansky. It interpolates the cover art for Bethany C. Morrow's book "So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix," with permission from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group. It also interpolates the cover art for Hena Khan's book "More to the Story," with permission from Simon & Schuster. Our theme music is Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major. This episode was edited by Antoinette Smith.  A transcription of this episode is available here.