M. Gessen Produces New Podcast Series, The Idiot, with Serial Team

M. Gessen, distinguished visiting writer at Bard College, is known for many things: their incisive writing, their work on Kronika and other projects championing free speech, and now, for The Idiot, a five-part audio series produced with Serial Productions. Focusing on their “least favorite” cousin Allen, The Idiot turns Gessen’s focus to the familial, tracing Allen’s marriage, life, and how he came to unwittingly speak to the FBI. Lit Hub praises the series, which “appeals on the strength of its vulnerability,” with The Times calling the story “worthy of a Jonathan Franzen novel.”

Post Date: 04-22-2026