Coding Codices

About Coding Codices

A monthly podcast on medieval studies in the digital world, bringing you the latest discoveries about old texts and objects. Hosted by the early-career scholars of the Digital Medievalist Postgraduate Committee. Read more at https://codingcodices.com/.

Publisher

Digital Medievalist Postgraduate Committee

Category

science

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

20 Dec 2020

Latest episode

23 Mar 2026

Latest episodes

17 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   23 Mar 2026

   Introduction to the New Committee (Part 1)

   Recorded 29 December 2025. Edited by Cihan Şimşek. This episode contains an introduction to Season Two of the Coding Codices Podcast and a chat with Digital Medievalist Postgraduate Committee members Giulia D’Agostino, Sebastian Dows-Miller and Davide Pafumi, who discuss their career paths and relationship to the field of Digital Medieval Studies. Music: Intro/outro music by  Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com/), “RetroFuture Nasty” (CC BY 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)). Graphics: Featured Image: München, Staatsbibl., Cgm 51, f. 15v (https://api.digitale-sammlungen.de/iiif/image/v2/bsb00088332_00034/full/full/0/default.jpg), image and text ed. by Giulia D’Agostino.

2. 

   26 Nov 2025

   Series 2, Episode 1: Digital Publishing

   After a hiatus, Coding Codices is back with a new series! In this first episode, Julia Pelosi-Thorpe and Suzette van Haaren speak to Cosette Bruhns Alonso about digital editing and publishing, and visual art and media. Since the recording of this episode in May 2024, Cosette Bruhns Alonso has been appointed Assistant Editor of Brown University Digital Publications. In this role, she guides the creation of born-digital scholarship that presents research in ways not achievable in conventional print format, intended for publication with university presses. Cosette has published several articles and lectured widely on born-digital publishing, and has significant teaching, curatorial, and digital humanities experience. She received her Ph.D. in Italian Studies from the University of Chicago, and served as BUDP's inaugural Diversity in Digital Publishing Postdoctoral Research Associate. She previously held the position of Contemporary Publishing Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Press and Penn Libraries, and as Assistant Editor of Book and Style Publications at the Modern Language Association. She is the Managing Editor of Dante Studies, the annual journal of the Dante Society of America. Music credits: Intro/outro music by TeknoAXE, "Chiptune Nobility" (CC BY 4.0). Image credits: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, fonds français, 24432, fol. 86r, image and text ed. by Sebastian Dows-Miller.

3. 

   2 Mar 2023

   Episode 14: Book Structures and Fan Cultures

   In this episode, Aylin and Caitlin speak with Dot Porter on book structures, manuscript studies, and transformative works in fandom. Dot Porter is Curator of Digital Research Services at the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies. Music credits: Intro/outro music by TeknoAXE, "Chiptune Nobility" (CC BY 4.0), interludes by Aaron Kenny, "Yonder Hill and Dale" (CC0) Transcript and more information at https://codingcodices.wordpress.com/2023/03/02/episode-14-book-structures-and-fan-cultures/ (https://codingcodices.wordpress.com/2023/03/02/episode-14-book-structures-and-fan-cultures/). Recorded 21 November 2022. Edited by Aylin Malcolm.

4. 

   13 Jan 2023

   Episode 13: Accessibility

   In this episode, Aylin, Hannah, James, and Seb discuss a recent article by Emily C. Francomano and Heather Bamford and the questions it raises about the accessibility of digital resources for medieval studies. Music credits: Intro/outro music by TeknoAXE, "Chiptune Nobility" (CC by 4.0), interludes by Random Mind, "The Bard's Tale" (CC0) Transcript and more information at https://codingcodices.wordpress.com/2023/01/13/episode-13-accessibility/ (https://codingcodices.wordpress.com/2023/01/13/episode-13-accessibility/). Recorded 12 December 2022. Edited by Aylin Malcolm.

5. 

   6 May 2022

   Episode 12: Public Digital Humanities

   Dr. Margaret Smith from the IRIS Center (Southern Illinois University Edwardsville) speaks about her projects focused on bridging gaps between DH studies and the St. Louis community. Her digital medieval work, Submission Strategies, maps, the spatial and social networks captured in the Irish submissions to Richard II, using these and contemporary materials to create a rich and nuanced depiction of the alliances, hostilities, and spheres of influence that shaped the interconnected social networks of England and Ireland. Music credits: Intro/outro music by TeknoAXE, "Chiptune Nobility (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iHuFNiEnT8)" (CC by 4.0), interludes by Random Mind, "Market Day (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd20YEhu81Y)" (CC0) Transcript and more information at https://codingcodices.wordpress.com/2022/05/06/episode-12-public-digital-humanities/ (https://codingcodices.wordpress.com/2022/05/06/episode-12-public-digital-humanities/). Recorded 12 April 2022. Edited by James Harr.

6. 

   4 Mar 2022

   Episode 11: Multispectral Imaging

   In this episode Katie Albers-Morris, Helen Davies, and Alex Zawacki talk about recovering palimpsests and erased texts with multispectral imaging. All three are, or have been, PhD candidates at the Lazarus project (https://lazarusprojectimaging.com/) at the University of Rochester, an initiative that was designed with the educational purpose of training students in the field of multispectral imaging and image processing techniques for cultural heritage objects. During the episode we discuss MSI in general, their experiences as (grad) students and program coordinators at the Lazarus project, MSI in the classroom, and the challenges of dissertation projects in the digital humanities. Transcript and more information at https://codingcodices.wordpress.com/2022/03/04/episode-11-multispectral-imaging/ (https://codingcodices.wordpress.com/2022/03/04/episode-11-multispectral-imaging/). Music credits: theme music: TeknoAXE, “Chiptune (https://youtu.be/0iHuFNiEnT8) Nobility (https://youtu.be/0iHuFNiEnT8)” (CC BY 4.0); interludes: Random Mind, King’s Feast (https://youtu.be/tqylCjXe-qg)” (CC0). Recorded 2 August 2021. Produced and edited by Hannah Busch (@cesare_blanc (//twitter.com/cesare_blanc)).

7. 

   4 Feb 2022

   Episode 10: Medieval Books and Modern Labor

   Caitlin Postal and Bridget Whearty discuss labor ethics in digital medieval studies, manuscript digitization processes, and Bridget's forthcoming book, Digital Codicology. Bridget Whearty is an Assistant Professor at Binghamton University (https://www.binghamton.edu/). She is the creator of the Caswell Test, named after and inspired by the work of Michelle Caswell (#CaswellTest) (https://orb.binghamton.edu/english_fac/3/) and co-editor for the special issue of Archive Journal dedicated to Digital Medieval Manuscript Cultures (https://www.archivejournal.net/essays/digital-medieval-manuscript-cultures/). Her first book, Digital Codicology: Medieval Books and Modern Labor, is forthcoming from Stanford University Press's Text Technologies series. Find Bridget on Twitter @BridgetWhearty (https://twitter.com/bridgetwhearty). Transcript and more information at https://codingcodices.wordpress.com/2022/02/04/episode-10-medieval-books-and-modern-labor/ (https://codingcodices.wordpress.com/2022/02/04/episode-10-medieval-books-and-modern-labor/). Music credits: theme music: TeknoAXE, “Chiptune Nobility (https://youtu.be/0iHuFNiEnT8)” (CC BY 4.0); interludes: Curran Son, "The Red Fox Tavern (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBpKUIyOHdo)." Recorded 21 October 2021. Produced and edited by Caitlin Postal (@goingpostale (https://twitter.com/goingpostale)).

8. 

   2 Dec 2021

   Episode 9: Biocodicology: From Dust to Data

   James and Aylin talk to Sarah Fiddyment and Timothy Stinson about their work in the emerging field of biocodicology, the study of the biomolecular information found in manuscripts. Sarah Fiddyment received her PhD from the University of Zaragoza in 2011, working in the field of proteomics in cardiovascular research. She moved to the University of York in 2012, where she developed a non-invasive sampling technique that has enabled her to establish the emerging field of biocodicology. In 2019, Sarah joined the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at Cambridge as part of the ERC funded Beasts to Craft project. Timothy Stinson is Associate Professor of English at North Carolina State University. He is co-director of the Medieval Electronic Scholarly Alliance, director of the Society for Early English and Norse Electronic Texts, co-director of the Piers Plowman Electronic Archive, associate director of the Advanced Research Consortium, and editor of the Siege of Jerusalem Electronic Archive. He has also collaborated with colleagues in the biological sciences to analyze the DNA found in medieval manuscripts. Music credits: Intro / outro: TeknoAXE, “Chiptune Nobility” (CC BY 4.0), interludes: Random Mind, “Rejoicing” (CC0). Transcript and more information at https://codingcodices.wordpress.com/2021/12/02/episode-9-biocodicology-from-dust-to-data/ (https://codingcodices.wordpress.com/2021/12/02/episode-9-biocodicology-from-dust-to-data/). Recorded 17 September 2021. Edited by James Harr.

9. 

   5 Nov 2021

   Episode 8: Material Manuscripts in a Digital World

   Dr. Johanna Green speaks with Aylin Malcolm and Caitlin Postal about manuscript materiality, digitization projects, and increased access to physical objects. Dr. Green is a lecturer in Information Studies at the University of Glasgow and co-director of the University of Glasgow Digital Cultural Heritage lab (https://www.gla.ac.uk/researchinstitutes/artslab/labsandthemes/ourlabs/digitalculturalheritage/). In addition to her work on manuscript studies via social media and in light of the COVID-19 remote learning circumstances, she has been thinking about how to interact with the medieval book during lockdown. In this episode, she shares her experiences with sensory cues and digital manuscript studies. Music credits: Intro: TeknoAXE, “Chiptune Nobility (https://youtu.be/0iHuFNiEnT8)” (CC BY 4.0), interludes: Shane Ivers (http://www.silvermansound.com/), “The Medieval Banquet” (CC BY 4.0) and Alexander Nakarada (http://www.serpentsoundstudios.com/), “Marked” (CC BY 4.0). Transcript and more information at https://codingcodices.wordpress.com/2021/11/05/episode-8-material-manuscripts-in-a-digital-world/ (https://codingcodices.wordpress.com/2021/11/05/episode-8-material-manuscripts-in-a-digital-world/). Recorded 12 November 2020. Produced and edited by Aylin Malcolm.

10. 

    1 Oct 2021

    Episode 7: Facsimile Narratives

    Mateusz Fafinski discusses his work on the theory of digital humanities, in particular his notion of facsimile narratives and the nature of historical sources in the digital sphere, as well as his work on the adaptations of the post-Roman worlds in early medieval Britain and remediations of the past in computer games. He is an assistant lecturer at Freie Universität Berlin and published his book Roman Infrastructure in Early Medieval Britain: The Adaptations of the Past in Text and Stone (https://doi.org/10.5117/9789463727532) in March 2021. Music credits: Intro: TeknoAXE, “Chiptune Nobility (https://youtu.be/0iHuFNiEnT8)” (CC BY 4.0), interludes: TeknoAXE, “Lowly Tavern Bard – Fall is Upon Us (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2_HmcNZDvU)” (CC BY 4.0), outro: Random Mind, “King’s Feast (https://youtu.be/tqylCjXe-qg)” (CC0). Transcript and more information at https://codingcodices.wordpress.com/2021/10/01/episode-7-facsimile-narratives/ (https://codingcodices.wordpress.com/2021/10/01/episode-7-facsimile-narratives/). Recorded 24 July 2021. Edited by Tessa Gengnagel.

11. 

    4 Jun 2021

    Episode 6: Digital Archive & Materiality

    In this episode, Caitlin Postal and James Harr talk to Eric Ensley and Matthew Kirschenbaum about the archive, both digital and material. Eric Ensley is a curator of rare books and maps at the University of Iowa. He received his PhD in English from Yale University in 2021 and holds an MLS from the University of North Carolina. Among his current projects is a digital edition of a Piers Plowman manuscript held in the Beinecke library, which he is co-authoring with Ian Cornelius of Loyola-Chicago. Matthew Kirschenbaum is a professor of English and Digital Studies at the University of Maryland. He is the author of Mechanisms: New Media and the Forensic Imagination and Track Changes: A Literary History of Word Processing. His next book, Bitstreams: The Future of Digital Literary Heritage, will be published in the fall by the University of Pennsylvania Press. Music credits: Intro / outro: TeknoAXE, "Chiptune Nobility" (CC BY 4.0), interlude: Random Mind, "The Old Tower Inn" (link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TMBF4zq4LQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TMBF4zq4LQ)). Transcript and more information at https://codingcodices.wordpress.com/2021/06/04/episode-6-digital-archive-materiality/ (https://codingcodices.wordpress.com/2021/06/04/episode-6-digital-archive-materiality/). Recorded 26 March 2021. Edited by James Harr and Aylin Malcolm.

12. 

    7 May 2021

    Episode 5: Global Medieval Studies

    Dorothy Kim speaks about her work at the intersection of medieval studies and digital humanities, highlighting issues of race, globality,  and national identity and relating her research to work in other fields like bioarchaeology. She is co-director of the Archive of Early Middle English, a PI for the Global Middle Ages Project, and the medieval editor of the Orlando project. Recent and forthcoming publications discussed in this episode include Disrupting the Digital Humanities (https://punctumbooks.com/titles/disrupting-the-digital-humanities/) (2018), Alternative Historiographies of the Digital Humanities (https://punctumbooks.com/titles/alternative-histories-of-the-digital-humanities/) (forthcoming spring 2021) and Global Medieval Digital Humanities (tba). Music credits: Intro / outro: TeknoAXE, “Chiptune Nobility (https://youtu.be/0iHuFNiEnT8)” (CC BY 4.0), interlude: “Suonatore di Liuto” by Kevin MacLeod (link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4440-suonatore-di-liuto (https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4440-suonatore-di-liuto), license: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license (https://filmmusic.io/standard-license)). Transcript and more information at https://codingcodices.wordpress.com/2021/05/05/episode-5-global-medieval-studies/ (https://codingcodices.wordpress.com/2021/05/05/episode-5-global-medieval-studies/). Recorded 27 November 2020. Edited by Aylin Malcolm and Tessa Gengnagel.

13. 

    2 Apr 2021

    Episode 4: Marco Polo and the Art of Editing

    Elisa Cugliana speaks about her digital scholarly edition of Marco Polo's travelogue that she is working on for her joint PhD degree at the universities of Venice and Cologne. Topics of discussion include the tradition of Italian philology and textual criticism, the transmission history of Marco Polo's travel report which originated at the end of the 13th century, and how scholarly editorial principles intersect with the technological possibilities of the digital. Music credits: Intro/outro music by TeknoAXE, “Chiptune Nobility (https://youtu.be/0iHuFNiEnT8)” (CC BY 4.0), interludes by Random Mind, “Exploration (https://youtu.be/XZO331MAAi0),” (CC0), TeknoAXE, “Lowly Tavern Bard – Fall is Upon Us Again (https://youtu.be/V2_HmcNZDvU),” (CC BY 4.0), Random Mind, “King's Feast (https://youtu.be/tqylCjXe-qg),” (CC0), sawsquarenoise, “RottenMage SpaceJacked OST JINGLE 01 (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/sawsquarenoise/RottenMage_SpaceJacked/15_1678),” (CC BY 4.0), Random Mind, “The Old Tower Inn (https://youtu.be/zFO3Jyr-mZ4)” (CC0). Transcript and more information at https://codingcodices.wordpress.com/2021/04/02/episode-4-marco-polo-and-the-art-of-editing/ (https://codingcodices.wordpress.com/2021/04/02/episode-4-marco-polo-and-the-art-of-editing/). Recorded 8 April 2020. Edited by Tessa Gengnagel.

14. 

    5 Mar 2021

    Episode 3: Digitizing the Bannatyne MS

    Dr Lucy R. Hinnie (http://www.lucyrhinnie.co.uk/) discusses her forthcoming digital edition of the Bannatyne Manuscript [Advocates MS. 1.1.6], the largest extant collection of late medieval Scottish verse, with Caitlin Postal. For more resources and a transcript, visit https://codingcodices.wordpress.com/2021/03/05/episode-3-digitizing-the-bannatyne-ms/ (https://codingcodices.wordpress.com/2021/03/05/episode-3-digitizing-the-bannatyne-ms/). Music by TeknoAXE (Chiptune Nobility) and Random Mind (The Bard's Tale). Edited by Caitlin Postal.

15. 

    4 Feb 2021

    Episode 2: Scribes of the Voynich Manuscript

    Dr. Lisa Fagin Davis speaks with Aylin about identifying the five scribes of the undeciphered Voynich Manuscript. For more resources and a transcript, visit https://codingcodices.wordpress.com/2021/02/05/episode-2-scribes-of-the-voynich-manuscript/ (https://codingcodices.wordpress.com/2021/02/05/episode-2-scribes-of-the-voynich-manuscript/). Music by TeknoAXE (Chiptune Nobility; Lowly Tavern Bard – Fall is Upon Us) and Random Mind (Minstrel Dance). Edited by Aylin Malcolm.

16. 

    7 Jan 2021

    Episode 1: Sexy Codicology and the DMMapp

    Giulio Menna and Marjolein de Vos, the founders of the Sexy Codicology (https://sexycodicology.net/) project as well as the DMMapp (https://digitizedmedievalmanuscripts.org/) (Digitized Medieval Manuscripts app), speak about the history of the projects, the digitization of medieval manuscripts and their promotion on social media. Music credits: Intro music by TeknoAXE, “Chiptune Nobility” (CC BY 4.0), outro music by Random Mind, “The Bard's Tale” (CC0). Transcript and more information at https://codingcodices.wordpress.com/2021/01/07/episode-1-sexy-codicology-and-the-dmmapp/ (https://codingcodices.wordpress.com/2021/01/07/episode-1-sexy-codicology-and-the-dmmapp/). Recorded 4 June 2020. Edited by Tessa Gengnagel.

17. 

    20 Dec 2020

    Special Episode: Introduction

    In this special episode, the members of the Digital Medievalist Postgraduate Subcommittee introduce themselves and discuss the field of digital medieval studies. Participants: Hannah Busch, Nathan Daniels, Tessa Gengnagel, James Harr III, Aylin Malcolm, Caitlin Postal, Daniela Schulz. Music credits: Intro music by TeknoAXE, “Chiptune Nobility” (CC BY 4.0), additional music by Random Mind, “King's Feast” (CC0), outro music by Random Mind, “The Bard's Tale” (CC0). Recorded 30 November 2020. Edited by Tessa Gengnagel.

Contact Coding Codices

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.