It's Lit Time! with Dr. Tess

I'm back with a quick episode about a topic I'm passionate about--in fact, the topic I teach. If "creative writing research" sounds like an oxymoron to you, listen in to find out how research can provide inspiration and information to even the most fantastical creative work.

My quick take on a few characteristics that make a fictional character unforgettable.

Jordan joins me again for my last episode in this series. We make some general observations on The Return of the King , share thoughts on LOTR as a whole, and discuss what the trilogy has led to in pop culture and what we predict will be the future of the trilogy's popularity. In the episode, I showed my ignorance when I said I didn't know who Peter S. Beagle was. Turns out he was a perfec...

It's been a long time, but...well, I'm back. Join me as I wrap up my observations on The Two Towers in preparation for an upcoming mega-episode on The Return of the King and all things Tolkien.

Join me as I re-read The Two Towers ! In this short episode, I talk about Aragorn's leadership crisis, Merry and Pippin's surprising intelligence, orcs' names and personalities, and more.

Now that I've finished re-reading The Fellowship of the Ring , I pick up on some topics from my first Fellowship episode and identify some themes to watch for as we move on in the trilogy. I also talk about meeting the four hobbit actors at Steel City Con earlier this month!

My quick takes on Tom Bombadil, the strengths and weaknesses of Tolkien's prose, and dreaming about LOTR.

Welcome to the first episode of a new series, in which I re-read J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth saga and talk about how, if at all, my impressions have changed since I entered that world at age 13. Here, I discuss The Hobbit , focusing on Tolkien's descriptions of nature and the change of seasons, as well as Bilbo Baggins' peacemaking and self-reflection skills. And yes, I do a little bit of compar...

My husband, Jordan Martinus (from the board game episode!) joins me in a discussion of why we love The Lord of the Rings , why it's been such a cultural phenomenon, and why we especially love a few of the characters. (Believe me, it was hard to get this list down to a few!) Near the end of the episode, I mentioned a quote from Samwise Gamgee and promised I'd put it in the show notes. It turns out...

Okay, if you want to get into a grammatical discussion, I suppose it might have been better to have called this episode "Who Are the Jedi?" But I'm sticking with my choice, because in this episode, we try to discover the essence of what it means to be a member of Star Wars ' legendary Jedi order--and why it's a good thing for that essence to be questioned and reassessed periodically. Join me as I...

Join the wild rumpus and listen to my conversation with children's book expert (and my sister-in-law) Allison Stockslager. We read and discuss the entire text of Where the Wild Things Are and talk about why nobody is too old for picture books. Links to resources mentioned in the episode: HarperCollins 200th Anniversary Website Author Audio Tour (background on Maurice Sendak and Where the Wild Thin...

With the literal sounds of childhood providing the soundtrack to our discussion (listen to find out what I mean!), my sis and I discuss how Walt Disney World appeals to all five senses to create an immersive story experience for all ages.

My husband and I tell the story of how he turned me into a board gamer, and we discuss the best games for people who love stories.

I chat with my mom and brother, two George A. Romero superfans, about Romero's influence on the portrayal of zombies in pop culture. If you thought zombie movies were mindless gorefests, this episode will make you think again.

Let's talk novels: what they are, where they came from, what they're good for, and what it takes to be a good novel reader. (This episode was previously aired.)

Literature teachers, editors, and critics have given many definitions of what a story is, but the average person would probably struggle to define the term and might simply say that a story is "something you tell." Find out why that definition isn't so far off. (This episode was previously aired.)

I chat with my author and online friend Cathy about her work as a short fiction editor, her favorite fiction (long and short), and her upcoming science fiction release!  Here are the websites Cathy mentions in the episode: gohavoc.com (the flash fiction site she edits for) sparkflashfiction.com (another good place to read flash fiction) flashfictiononline.com (ditto) cathymccrumb.com (her web...

My dad and I talk about our mutual favorite author (who also happens to be the author of Our Mutual Friend ), Charles Dickens. In this wide-ranging episode, we discuss Dickens's most memorable characters, the deep dark secrets of his life, and why you should give him a chance even if you hated reading Great Expectations in high school.

Sam and I talk about what makes a character a superhero, what defines a superhero story, and where this wildly popular genre is headed over the next few years.

Christy and I talk about the top seven things that make her quit reading a book--and the one thing that gets her to keep reading.

Andy and I talk about The Godfather film trilogy: how it defines the concepts of family and country, how it changed the gangster genre forever, and why all you holdouts should finally watch it.