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/