Does the Bard have lessons for how to tackle our most pressing problems, today?

John Bell thinks so.

Whether it's confronting populism in politics, or the role of strong heroines, Bell argues Shakespeare has messages we need to hear.

The first of his inspiring and life-affirming Boyer Lectures, "Shakespeare: Soul of the Age", will be broadcast today at 12:30pm on ABC TV, and on RN from 9:30am tomorrow.

Each Sunday for the next four weeks we will bring you another of his lectures, or you can catch up any time on the ABC listen app.

We also spoke with Bell about his next act, and the arts scene in the wake of COVID.

This week, we farewell our last cohort of bright minds from the Top 5 Media Residencies. We'll be bringing you more content from these leading researchers soon, but to begin with, hear about the human brains behind machine brains — and why they matter — with Monash University's Dr Jathan Sadowski.

Then, tune in to Stuff The British Stole to hear the story of how a sacred Irish chalice, supposedly taken from the site of a legendary murder, sparked debate about hardship, resilience, and the persistence of memory.
 

Until next time,

Annika Blau, RN digital editor
 

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