Dr Bronwyn Johnston is a specialist in English Renaissance literature with a particular interest in magic, science, and religion. Born in New Zealand, she studied history and English at the universities of Otago and St Andrews before completing a doctorate in English at the University of Oxford. After working as a lecturer at Oxford, she held research fellowships at the University of Toronto’s Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies, and at Birkbeck, University of London. She has published several academic articles and book chapters on magic on the Shakespearean stage. Following a period of extended parental leave, she is writing her first book, The Strange Tale of King James and the Witches. She lives in London with her husband and three children.