"Serial" podcast host and creator Sarah Koenig to deliver Loyola's Cleophas Lecture
Loyola University Maryland will welcome Sarah Koenig, the host and co-creator of the award-winning “Serial” podcast, for the 35th Sister Cleophas Costello Lecture. Koenig will deliver the lecture on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. in McGuire Hall on the Evergreen campus. The event is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required.
During the presentation, “An Evening with Sarah Koenig,” Koenig will offer remarks and then Sara Magee, Ph.D., associate professor of communication and media, will moderate a conversation with Koenig.
Koenig’s groundbreaking podcast, “Serial,” helped bring podcasting into the mainstream. Since its 2014 launch, "Serial" has attracted hundreds of millions of downloads, earned a Peabody Award, and become one of the most influential podcasts of all time. In 2015, Time magazine named Koenig one of the world’s 100 most influential people.
Before podcasting, Koenig worked as a newspaper reporter for publications including The New York Times, the Concord Monitor, and The Baltimore Sun, covering crime and politics. She joined This American Life as a producer in 2004, where she reported and produced several acclaimed episodes and received additional recognition for her work.
In 2015, Koenig and Julie Snyder launched Serial Productions, which created hit podcasts such as "S-Town," "Nice White Parents," and "The Retrievals." The company was acquired by The New York Times in 2020. In 2025, "Serial" and three other Serial Productions podcasts were named to Time magazine’s list of the 100 Best Podcasts of All Time.
About the Sister Cleophas Costello Lecture Series
The Mount Saint Agnes College Alumnae Association, Loyola's School of Education, and the Loyola Alumni Association host the annual Sister Cleophas Costello Lecture. Founded in the late 1970s and named in honor of the late Sister Mary Cleophas Costello, RSM, former president of Mount Saint Agnes College from 1953-1968, the lecture series features prominent women who embody the ideals of scholarship, leadership, and artistic ability.