We have a very special guest for you all today - Professor Ada Palmer, author of the recently-completed Terra Ignota series (one of Rachel’s favorites).  We invited her on to talk about Romeo & Juliet, but, as is customary with our guest episodes, the conversation went in some very surprising directions.  (However, we do recommend that you listen to our previous Romeo & Juliet episode first for context!)  Topics include: Machiavelli, the Black Death, a surprising amount of lice talk, pro-Columbus propaganda, Dante, witch trials, Viking geography, King Arthur fanfic, spurious knowledge, dowries, Lord of the Rings (of course), friendly nuns, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, Game of Thrones, and Thomas Paine.

Check out: the Terra Ignota series, Ada’s appearance on the You Are Not So Smart Podcast, Romeo and/or Juliet, A Corresponding Renaissance, and the DVD box set of the 1980s BBC productions of all the Shakespeare plays.