New Year update
Upcoming podcasts, translations and more
I am terrible at self promotion. I find other people’s work so much more interesting than my own because I already know what I think and I want to know more about what other people think! But I am regularly being told off for this, so apologies but this is an unusual post to update you all on what has recently been going on and what is happening this year … so far.
Public talk
I suppose the logical thing to start with is that I am giving a talk about the Far Edges of the Known World on the 27 January at StonyWords, a literature festival held at Stony Stratford in England.
For any who may be interested to come along and say hello, you can book tickets here.
Podcasts
At the end of 2025, which seems a lifetime ago now (how has so much happened in the world in the space of 2 weeks?!), I recorded two interviews which are now out.
The first was with the podcast Let’s Talk about Myths, Baby!, where Liv Albert and I go on a meandering conversation about a variety of themes and case studies from The Far Edges of the Known World. Unlike other interviews I have done about the book, the lack of structure to this one really allowed us to cover a lot of ideas and contexts to the book in a really fun way. To give it a listen, click here.
The second interview was with the The Ancients podcast. Tristan invited me back on the show alongside my good friend Dr Roel Konijnendijk. We talked Tristan through the story of Sparta’s fall from power in the 4th century BCE - definitley a great story from the history books. I always like doing interviews with Roel because we have known each other for so long it is always a fun and relaxed affair. We also inevitably disagree on some things! To give it a listen, click here.
I have also not long recorded an interview for a new podcast hosted by my Bad Ancient colleague Alexandra Sills called Ancient History 101. It is the perfect podcast for enthusiasts, students and history lovers, with each episode taking a deep dive into a piece of art or literature, an ancient building or city, the biography of a historical figure, or a specific historical event. Sorting facts from fiction, adding vital context to anecdotes, and learning all about new discoveries and current scholarship as Alexandra chats with classicists, ancient historians and archaeologists. My episode is an introduction to something called the Spartan Mirage - a vital concept to understand before you read anything about ancient Sparta. It will be out in the next few months, so stay tuned!
Book translations
Readers who prefer their books in something other than English, I have news.
The Dutch, German, Italian and Greek editions all came out last year.
The Spanish edition is coming out on the 21st January.
And we also have a Turkish, Russian and Vietnamese edition in the works as well - I will let you know when each of them are out. I am particularly pleased about the Vietnamese translation! Having a chapter on ancient Vietnam in the book meant that this became one of my earliest goals, so I am really pleased this is going to happen
Paperback
The paperback edition of my book is coming out in February. So if you have been waiting to get the book for yourself or someone you know, take a look!
Right, that is enough self promotion. Back to work.