292 Uncle Vanya (Chekhov)

The Romantic poet Byron (1788-1824) was more than just the scandal-ridden celebrity who was famously dubbed "mad, bad, and dangerous to know"--he was also a restless seeker of an identity to match his personal and artistic sensibilities. In this episode, Jacke talks to Byron scho ...  Show more

The American writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin (1924-1987) spent the second half of his life as a fixture in American intellectual life. But what formed him? In this episode, Jacke talks to Nicholas Boggs, author of Baldwin: A Love Story, the first major biography of ...  Show more

We return to the wonderful world of Herodotus to see what happens next in Croesus' mad dash to take on the Persian Empire? Will he succeed? Will we even really hear about it? What sort of tangents can Herodotus get onto today! Line up quick folks, tickets go fast, come on in to s ...  Show more

When we talk about the intersection of history and folklore, few individuals in history sat themselves so firmly on that target like well-known one man. The lesser known elements of his life, though, are the most fascinating.

Narrated and produced by Aaron Mahnke, w ...

Cultural historian Elsa Richardson discusses her book, Rumbles: A Curious History of the Gut. It looks at our relationship over the centuries with a very intimate part of the body but one for which many know little more about than having a general gut feeling. Richardson is Lectu ...  Show more

As my gift to you all, enjoy this newly-edited (just for audio issues, not for content!) discussion of the 2001 movie A Knight's Tale with myself, Allison Epstein, and Lana Wood Johnson! Spoiler: we all LOVED it. Want to hear more episodes of Vulgarpiece Theatre? Join the Patreon ...  Show more