Investigative Poetics

Go behind the scenes of the Investigation in this candid, behind-the-scenes conversation between series creator Even Christine Gardiner and audio engineer Jason Brown.

S2, E7 This episode explores our worst nightmares and what is on the other side of facing our deepest fears.

S2, E6, explores generational curses, rituals, and the true cost of freedom. INVE$TIGATIVE POETICS is the true story of a daughter investigating her father's crimes. Join author EVEN Christine Gardiner as she examines the price of shame and the consequences of our lies because "poetry is what survives." Get the full story at www.investigativepoetics.com Subscribe to the podcast and follow the inve...

The investigation continues! S2, E5, explores the true cost of redemption and the tension between spiritual awakening and "lunacy." INVE$TIGATIVE POETICS is the true story of a daughter investigating her father's crimes. Join author EVEN Christine Gardiner as she examines the price of shame and the consequences of our lies because "poetry is what survives." Get the full story at www.investigativep...

In this candid, behind-the-scenes conversation, series creator Even Christine Gardiner takes the listener inside the investigation to discuss the creative process, explore the stakes, recap what’s happened, and hint at what’s to come.

S2, E4 returns to Brooklyn amid a whirlwind of dark secrets and profound revelations. In her search for the truth, the author explores the true cost of redemption with a mysterious storefront psychic. INVE$TIGATIVE POETICS is the true story of a daughter investigating her father's crimes. Join author EVEN Christine Gardiner as she examines the price of shame and the consequences of our lies becaus...

S2, E3, The Three of Swords, is full of big secrets and explosive revelations. INVE$TIGATIVE POETICS is the true story of a daughter investigating her father's crimes. Join author EVEN Christine Gardiner as she examines the price of shame and the consequences of our lies because "poetry is what survives." Get the full story at www.investigativepoetics.com Subscribe to the podcast and follow the in...

In Season 2, Episode 2, the investigation goes psychic and takes the listener behind the veil into the secret world of a Brooklyn fortune teller. INVE$TIGATIVE POETICS is the true story of a daughter investigating her father's crimes. Join author EVEN Christine Gardiner as she examines the price of shame and the consequences of our lies because "poetry is what survives." Get the full story at www....

What would you do if someone knocked on your door and handed you a black armored box filled with stolen cash? Season 2, Episode 1 is about the search for Justice.

Just when you think you know where the story is going, you take a wrong turn and discover—the story has only begun.

"About An Educator” contrasts my father’s reputation as an educational leader with the bold realities of his crimes. Written in dialogue with an Op-Ed published days after his suicide, this episode is a complex character study that weaves together legal findings and community responses in an unflinching search for the truth. Get the full story at www.investigativepoetics.com Subscribe to the podca...

Episode 4: “Old News” is a deep dive into newspaper clippings from the 1990s about my father as an educational leader. This episode juxtaposes the official narrative with my childhood memories, searching for early signs something was wrong and my father was not entirely as he seemed. Get the full story at www.investigativepoetics.com Subscribe to the podcast and follow the investigation on Instagr...

Episode 5: BIG TIME explores the beginnings of The Philadelphia Academy Charter School, how my father responded to "making it big," and my experiences working for my father "on the inside." This episode introduces key players in my father's charter school empire, considers overlapping spheres of influence, and explores how corruption often operates in plain sight. Get the full story at www.investi...

Episode 6: "Complicit" is the dark center of the investigation, detailing how and when I knew my father was stealing and implicating me in his crimes.  It also takes a hard look at another suicide and asks the question: "what happened to Jon?" Jon was a founding parent and staff member who worked as a bookkeeper at the Philadelphia Academy Charter School from its inception in 1999 until his s...

Episode 7 details my father’s inevitable fall from power, exploring the effects of media coverage and public scandal on my father's mental and physical health. It explores the emotional toll of living in suspense and the events leading up to his suicide. Get the full story at www.investigativepoetics.com Subscribe to the podcast and follow the investigation on Instagram @christinegardinerwriting

Episode 8: “Haunted” traces the aftermath of my father’s suicide and examines the relationship between personal and public tragedies. Even though my father was dead, the story wasn't over, and I was haunted by the legacy of his crimes. This episode follows the news coverage as his cohort (former police officers Kevin O'Shea and Rose DiLacqua) plead guilty and are sentenced to federal prison. This...

The Season 1 Finale reveals new secrets about a dark inheritance and ends with an epic cliffhanger. Get the full story at www.investigativepoetics.com Subscribe to the podcast and follow the investigation on Instagram @christinegardinerwriting

Go behind the scenes of Investigative Poetics with this Q&A between creator Even Christine Gardiner and Sound Engineer Michael Lesko. Get the full story at www.investigativepoetics.com Subscribe to the podcast and follow the investigation on Instagram @christinegardinerwriting

Episode 2: "Above The Fold" explores the immediate aftermath of my father's suicide and delves into the public record. The morning after his death, my father's suicide was reported on the front page of The Philadelphia Inquirer . At the time of his death, he was under investigation for misappropriation of funds from The Philadelphia Academy Charter School, and indictments seemed imminent. "Above T...

Even when you know tragedy is coming, you never expect it to happen today. Season 1, Episode 1, “The Blast,” narrates the day my father, Brien Gardiner, committed suicide. Investigative Poetics is a work of creative nonfiction. These stories depict actual events as truthfully as recollection permits and can be verified by research. These stories are true, but some events have been compressed, some...

Do you know what it means to live a double life? I do. Growing up, I was living with a secret: I knew my father was a fraud. Investigative Poetics is the true story of a daughter investigating her father’s crimes. Join me, Even Christine Gardiner, as I examine the price of shame and the consequences of our lies—because poetry is what survives.