Season Six: Jane Austen’s Persuasion

July 2026 – Present

For Season 6, Hot and Bothered is returning to its roots with a classic romance: Jane Austen's Persuasion. Many readers consider Persuasion Austen's most romantic novel. As a podcast obsessed with romance (and Austen), it was only a matter of time before we answered its siren call.

Joining Vanessa Zoltan this season is her longtime mentor, Harvard Divinity School Professor Dr. Stephanie Paulsell. Together, they'll read Persuasion one chapter at a time, asking what Austen's timeless novel can teach us about grief, beauty, aging, and—of course—love.

You can subscribe to Hot & Bothered wherever you get your podcasts, like Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Spotify.

Listen

Trailer

We're returning to our roots with Season 6 of Hot and Bothered – reading classic romance literature. This season, Vanessa Zoltan will be joined by her mentor Dr. Stephanie Paulsell to read Jane Austen's Persuasion one chapter at a time. If you want to be part of the conversation, you can join us for our weekly class which will follow each episode of the podcast.

An Introduction

Expert Voices Include

Roxanne Eberle, University of Georgia

Rae Greiner, Indiana University, Bloomington

Claudia Johnson, Princeton University

Deidre Lynch, Harvard University