Gigi Berardi, a Western Washington University environmental science professor and award-winning writer who has taught in Italy for 15 years, talks about her historical fiction novel Bianca’s Cure. Gigi explains choosing the Medici because their patronage shaped Florence and because her book centers on the “greatest mystery of the Renaissance”: the near-simultaneous deaths of Grand Duke Francesco de’ Medici and his wife Bianca Cappello, debated as arsenic poisoning, malaria, or murder by his brother Ferdinando. She describes building an accurate historical “skeleton” from primary sources and extensive fact-checking with Florence researchers while inventing plausible internal monologue using tonal exercises. The conversation covers Bianca’s Venetian aristocratic background, Renaissance medicine and Artemisia/antimalarial history, women’s roles in alchemy, Florence as a character, and Gigi’s view of success as visibility and reader engagement.

Originally recorded February 23, 2026.

Check out Gigi’s website: https://gigiberardi.com/

Check out Bicana’s Cure: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Biancas-Cure/Gigi-Berardi/9798896360704

Follow Gigi on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61580352734240

Custom music by Brent Arehart of Arehart Sounds and edited by Dan Maday.

Want a transcript of the episode? Email us at theozymandiasprojectpodcast@gmail.com and we can provide one.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Kate Cook, a Lecturer in Greek Culture at King’s College London, joins Lexie to discuss falling in love with tragedy after reading Aeschylus’ Agamemnon and Kassandra’s scene, connecting hostility toward prominent or “masculinized” women in modern games to ancient tragic narratives about women, and critiquing the “historical accuracy” discourse in gaming which includes mods that remove women. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Transit for this week’s exciting odyssey! Don't forget to follow us on Bluesky, Facebook & Instagram or visit our website www.theozymandiasproject.com!

Originally recorded June 12, 2025.

Learn more about Dr. Cook: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/kate-cook

Follow her on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/katexe.bsky.social

Custom music by Brent Arehart of Arehart Sounds and edited by Dan Maday.

Want a transcript of the episode? Email us at theozymandiasprojectpodcast@gmail.com and we can provide one.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Sarah Bond, an associate professor of Classics at the University of Iowa, joins Lexie to discuss the importance of classical languages and public scholarship, her book 'Strike' and the evolution of labor unions from ancient Rome to modern times, the potential future of classics & the impact of AI on the job market, and the significance of empathy in humanities. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Transit for this week’s exciting odyssey! Don't forget to follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram or visit our website www.theozymandiasproject.com!

Originally recorded June 11, 2025.

Learn more about Dr. Bond: https://history.uiowa.edu/people/sarah-bond

Check out her blog: History From Below

Check out her Substack “Pasts Imperfect”: https://pasts-imperfect.ghost.io/

Follow her on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sarahebond.bsky.social

Grab a copy of her book Strike: https://yalebooks.co.uk/book/9780300273144/strike/

Custom music by Brent Arehart of Arehart Sounds and edited by Dan Maday.

Want a transcript of the episode? Email us at theozymandiasprojectpodcast@gmail.com and we can provide one.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.