Last week, the US Congress gave a standing ovation to King Charles III as he addressed them in the House Chamber as part of his and Queen Camilla’s official state visit to the White House. Some reading this scenario might be confused about why hundreds of politicians who, mere weeks ago, were publicly supporting nation-wide “No Kings!” rallies, were suddenly agog for a foreign king. Didn’t their political ancestors roundly reject his ancestor at their declaration of independence 250 years ago? On this week’s Mosaic Ark, the ladies discuss the uncanny resemblance that President Trump has to a King, and why the “No Kings!” enthusiasts have suddenly embraced their inner monarchist. —Streamed May 8, 2026

An Estonian proverb says, “He who steers must watch the horizon.” There is probably no shortage of maritime proverbs around the world, but this one seemed most appropriate for the Mosaic Ark’s discussion for tonight, which was “Watch the waterways!” President Trump, captain of our particular ship, is steering us through some strange waters that seem to the untrained eye to appear from out of nowhere. “Why are we capturing ships in Venezuela?!” “Why are we threatening to take over Greenland?!” “Why Iran? Why NOW?!” Professor Rachel Fulton Brown looks to the horizon and backwards at the long wake of history, and states what should be obvious: Stop paying attention to the land borders on a map called “countries,” and watch the waterways!—Streamed April 17, 2026

On this week’s Mosaic Ark, Professor Rachel Fulton Brown and Kimberly Crilly were very proud to announce the release of the second book in the Draco Alchemicus series, Act 2: The Court. Listen as they read excerpts of this second installment in the Dragon Common Room’s epic poem and talk about their inspirations when creating it. They also discussed their writing process, including: what it’s like to write as a team, some good tips for getting started writing and for keeping at it, and why they always set time limits to their writing sessions. As Dorothy Parker said, “if you want to write, first apply ass to seat.” And as Professor Rachel Fulton Brown would add, “But make sure you get up from writing after an hour and do something else!” We would love to hear what you thought about the stanzas we read, and any other thoughts you have about writing, so please let us know in the comments! —Streamed April 10, 2026

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