Decameron 2020: Survival through Stories

Here in the United States we are at the center of a global pandemic and the greatest political turmoil in generations. What sparks political engagement? In Boccaccio's Decameron, Pampinea berates her peers for accepting second-class status, and demands that they reorganize their society to ensure their survival. In this bonus episode, J.M.Meyer interviews Karen Alvarado, Erin Bogert, and Cassandra Vaz about what sparked their political engagement, and how they can imagine a more just post-pandemic voting system.

Episode hosted by J. M. Meyer.
Sound editing from Erin Bogert and J. M. Meyer.

Music and SFX:
Steven Maertens, Spanish Guitar Loop from https://freesound.org/people/stevenmaertens/sounds/449846/

In this interview, J.M. Meyer and Ania Upstill talk to Marianna Iannaccone, a John Florio expert based in Boccaccio's native Italy.  As you may remember, Italy was the center of the pandemic in Europe in February and March, and implemented some of the strictest control measures outside of China--but they did get the virus under control, a feat which the United States has so far failed to accomplish. John Florio was an Early Modern Englishman of Italian descent who revolutionized the English language with the introduction of more than a 1,000 new words, many of which first appeared in print in his translations of Boccaccio (the author of Decameron) and Montaigne (the great essayist). In our reading of Boccaccio's Decameron, we use John Florio's translation. In our interview with Marianna Iannaccone, we discuss the Early Modern world in which John Florio wrote, taught, and operated. Some believe that Florio was the inspiration for Osric, the foppish courtier at the end of Hamlet, but Marianna makes a persuasive case that Florio was an essential part of the the English theater scene. Besides contributing over 1,000 words to the English language, he also seems to have popularized Italian sonnets, and introduced scores of Italian court, dueling, and literary practices into English. Florio collaborated with the great comic playwright, Ben Johnson, and perhaps with William Shakespeare as well. Join us as we learn more about the resolute John Florio.

Edited by JM Meyer. 

Music and SFX:
Steven Maertens, Spanish Guitar Loop from https://freesound.org/people/stevenmaertens/sounds/449846/

Welcome back to Decameron 2020: Survival through Stories. In the second part of our segment on Black Lives Matter, we will continue our conversation with the artists James Edward Becton, Ashley Bufkin, and Justin Withers.  Johnny Meyer will begin the conversation with a very brief chronology of the Black Lives Matter movement, especially as it has been experienced in the year 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Then our team will discuss what they want to see happen in order for us to witness a more just post-pandemic society. The guests mention several resources in the course of the conversation. These include James Baldwin's The Fire Next Time, The Autobiography of Malcom X, United NY, The Black Consortium, 8cantwait.org, Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, Opal Tometi, Black Lives Matter.

Boccaccio's The Decameron was translation by John Florio. Podcast intro: Karen Alvarado. Editing and Sound Design by Brady Marchand, additional ediing from JM Meyer. Copy editing by Bob Jones, Ania Upstill, Karen Alvarado, and J.M. Meyer. Project manager: Celine Dirkes. Graphic design: Hannah Lang.

Music and SFX:
Steven Maertens, Spanish Guitar Loop from https://freesound.org/people/stevenmaertens/sounds/449846/

In the next two bonus episodes, we are taking a step back from Boccaccio’s stories in order to bring more focus to the stories going on around us. Boccaccio’s ten young story-tellers are, in part, using narrative to elevate their minds above the plague that ravaged their home. They seek to point out the injustices and hypocrisies of their own time. 2020 is, of course, very different from 1348. We are not in medieval Italy. We live in a complicated, pluralistic, deeply damaged and deeply inspirational continent-wide democracy. So for this episode we are exploring the civil rights protests that have been going on around the country. We’ll be speaking with artists James Edward Becton, Ashley Bufkin, and Justin Withers. 

We asks each of our guests four key questions: 

1. How did the pandemic change what you were doing? What activities were stopped? 

2.  Black Lives Matter, ‘ramped up’ in April, May, June. What was your experience of that? 

3. What was the hypocrisy or wrong thing about the pre-pandemic world? 

4. What has to happen to make the post-pandemic world better?

The guests mention several resources in the course of the conversation. These include James Baldwin's The Fire Next Time, The Autobiography of Malcom X, United NY, The Black Consortium, 8cantwait.org, Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, Opal Tometi, Black Lives Matter.

Boccaccio's The Decameron was translation by John Florio. Podcast intro: Karen Alvarado. Editing and Sound Design by Brady Marchand, additional ediing from JM Meyer. Copy editing by Bob Jones, Ania Upstill, Karen Alvarado, and J.M. Meyer. Project manager: Celine Dirkes. Graphic design: Hannah Lang.

Music and SFX:
Steven Maertens, Spanish Guitar Loop from https://freesound.org/people/stevenmaertens/sounds/449846/

We've reached the third and final discussion episode for the last three stories in Day 1 of Bocaccio's Decameron. In this episode you will hear from actors Ashley Bufkin, Erin Bogert, myself Karen Alvarado as well as Bob Jones serving as host for our discussion. Enjoy!

Translation by John Florio. Podcast intro: Karen Alvarado. Editing and Sound Design by Brady Marchand. Copy editing by Bob Jones, Ania Upstill, Karen Alvarado, and J.M. Meyer. Project manager: Celine Dirkes. Graphic design: Hannah Lang.

Music and SFX:

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_01

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_02

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_03

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_04

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_05

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_06

http://aux.incompetech.com/royalty-free/Brandenburg%20No4-1%20BWV1049.mp3

In the 10th and final story of the first day, Pampinea tells the story of a young beautiful Widow who intends to shame an older yet dignified doctor.

This story was narrated by Karen Alvarado.

Translation by John Florio. Podcast intro: Karen Alvarado. Editing and Sound Design by Brady Marchand. Copy editing by Bob Jones, Ania Upstill, Karen Alvarado, and J.M. Meyer. Project manager: Celine Dirkes. Graphic design: Hannah Lang.

Music and SFX:

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_01

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_02

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_03

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_04

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_05

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_06

http://aux.incompetech.com/royalty-free/Brandenburg%20No4-1%20BWV1049.mp3

In the 9th story of the first day Eliza tells the tale of how a courageous Gentlewomen changed the King of France from a meek coward to a just ruler.

This story was narrated by Erin Bogert.

Translation by John Florio. Podcast intro: Karen Alvarado. Editing and Sound Design by Brady Marchand. Copy editing by Bob Jones, Ania Upstill, Karen Alvarado, and J.M. Meyer. Project manager: Celine Dirkes. Graphic design: Hannah Lang.

Music and SFX:

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_01

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_02

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_03

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_04

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_05

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_06

http://aux.incompetech.com/royalty-free/Brandenburg%20No4-1%20BWV1049.mp3

In the 8th story of the first day Loretta tells the story of a well-regarded court entertainer who, with a few clever words, checked the avarice of stingy rich man. 

This story was narrated by Ashley Bufkin.

Translation by John Florio. Podcast intro: Karen Alvarado. Editing and Sound Design by Brady Marchand. Copy editing by Bob Jones, Ania Upstill, Karen Alvarado, and J.M. Meyer. Project manager: Celine Dirkes. Graphic design: Hannah Lang.

Music and SFX:

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_01

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_02

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_03

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_04

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_05

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_06

http://aux.incompetech.com/royalty-free/Brandenburg%20No4-1%20BWV1049.mp3

We've reached the second discussion episode. Here we will pause our recitation of Bocaccio's Decameron in order to hear from our storytellers. Bob Jones serves as today's host, and we will also hear from actors Regan Sims, Johnny Meyer, Diana Guizado and Reagan Tankersly, the readers of the previous four episodes. 

The seventh story of the first day: Philostratus tells the story of a poor troubadour who uses a parable to reveal the ways in which the casual hubris of the rich can hurt the less fortunate. 

This story was narrated by Reagan Tankersley.

Translation by John Florio. Podcast intro: Karen Alvarado. Editing and Sound Design by Brady Marchand. Copy editing by Bob Jones, Ania Upstill, Karen Alvarado, and J.M. Meyer. Project manager: Celine Dirkes. Graphic design: Hannah Lang.

Music and SFX:

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_01

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_02

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_03

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_04

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_05

http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/jsbach_bwv996_06

http://aux.incompetech.com/royalty-free/Brandenburg%20No4-1%20BWV1049.mp3