The Habit

In this episode, Allen Levi and Jonathan Rogers discuss this connections between writerly voice and the voice with which the writer speaks every day. Allen Levi is a singer-songwriter and the author of The Last Sweet Mile and Theo of Golden . This episode is sponsored by The Habit Writer Development Cohorts, a six-week online small-group writing intensive designed to help writers develop their uni...

This archive episode of The Habit Podcast , from the first season, features a three-way conversation between Tish Harrison Warren, Doug McKelvey, and Jonathan Rogers. Tish is an Anglican priest, a former columnist for the New York Times and Christianity Today , a senior fellow at The Trinity Forum and the author of Prayer in the Night and T he Liturgy of the Ordinary . Doug is best known as the au...

Flannery O'Connor's 100th birthday would have March 25, 2025. In this episode, Jonathan Rogers celebrates the life and work of this remarkable writer in an essay adapted from the introduction to his book, The Terrible Speed of Mercy: A Spiritual Biography of Flannery O'Connor. Support the show: https://therabbitroom.givingfuel.com/member See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ben Palpant loves, for reasons that become apparent in this episode. On assignment from the Rabbit Room, Ben sat down to interview a few poets. He enjoyed it so much, he interviewed a few more, then a few more. When he had interviewed seventeen poets, he collected those interviews into a book called An Axe for the Frozen Sea . It’s a fascinating look into the minds and hearts of poets who wo...

This week's episode is an essay, written and read by Jonathan Rogers. "Love, Happiness, and Creativity" begins (and ends) with an idea from Taylor Leonhardt's song "Diamonds"—the theme song for The Habit Podcast: "You are not an afterthought: Love himself dreamed you up." Support the show: https://therabbitroom.givingfuel.com/member See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kelly Kapic is a professor of theology at Covenant College near Chattanooga. His most recent book is  You're Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God's design, and Why That Is Good News . In this episode, Dr Kapik and Jonathan Rogers talk about productivity, shame, gratitude and the truth that finiteness is actually a blessing. Also, they talk about magnanimity and pusillanimity. This week&rsq...

Charlie Peacock is a legendary musician, producer, and songwriter. His impact on the music industry spans decades. A Grammy-winning producer and a visionary artist, he's worked with some of the most influential names in music. But even more importantly, Charlie is known for his generosity and hospitality, pouring into the lives and work of artists through the Art House and other creative endeavors...

Andrew Osenga is a singer-songwriter, a guitarist, a record producer, a podcaster , a writer, and a friend and mentor to countless artists. For twenty years and more, he has been right in the middle of things in Nashville’s creative community. In this episode, recorded live at The Habit 2025 Winter Writers’ Weekend, Andy speaks with Jonathan Rogers about being a jack of all trades, the...

Nikki Grimes is an award-winning poet, author, and artist celebrated for her works that highlight African American experiences and address themes of identity, resilience, and hope. She is the author of numerous books for children, teens, and adults, including poetry collections, picture books, and novels in verse. Her new collection of poetry is Glory, Too . Ms. Grimes's accolades include the Core...

Kori Morgan ’s writing has been featured in such publications as Shenandoah, SN Review, Blanket Sea, Agape Review, Switchback, Rubbertop Review, Cantos, and Clayjar Review . She is the founder and Chief Literary Strategist of Inkling Creative Strategies , an author services company that helps writers reach their full creative potential so they can impact and inspire readers. She is also a st...

Maria Bowler is a writer, coach, and retreat leader. She describes her work as “nourishing imaginative souls so they can make new worlds.” Her new book is Making Time: A New Vision for Crafting a Life Beyond Productivity . In this episode, Maria and Jonathan discuss making the shift from a producer mindset to a creator mindset, and from hustle to deep effort. They also talk about ...

Quina Aragon is an author, editor, and spoken word poet based in Florida. Her work has been featured by organizations such as Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, and Risen Motherhood. Her latest book is Love Has a Story: 100 Meditations on the Enduring Love of God . In this episode, Quina and Jonathan Rogers talk about why it took her four years to write a book she thought would take ten mon...

Sarah Clarkson is a writer whose work centers on beauty and grief, story and quiet. She has written of herself, “I’m trying to write well about my own sorrow, and my own encounters with the beauty that defied my darkness and drew me into a life of creativity, quiet, and wonder.” She studied theology at Oxford University. She is the author or co-author of six books, most recently...

You know Sam (SD) Smith as the author of the Green Ember series –#RabbitsWithSwords. Sam and his son Josiah (JC) Smith have joined forces as the co-authors of the Jack Zulu series – Jack Zulu and the Waylander’s Key and Jack Zulu and the Girl with the Golden Wings (so far). In this episode, Jonathan Rogers speaks with the the Smiths about what it’s like to co-write a book and, more to the point, w...

Besides being a novelist, Pete Peterson is a playwright and the head of Rabbit Room Theater. He is also the publisher at Rabbit Room Press. Matt Logan is the director, set designer, and costume designer who has brought all of Pete’s plays to vivid life. Matt and Pete are putting the finishing touches on a new stage adaptation of Dickens’s A Christmas Carol . Its inaugural run will be December 7-De...

Leslie Eiler Thompson is a podcast producer and writer. Her work has been featured on Apple Podcasts, The Guardian, Nashville Public Radio, Christianity Today, Rabbit Room, and beyond. Her newest audio project, Niche to Meet You , is an investigative storytelling podcast about little-known niche interests and hobbies where we make and find meaning. One of the niche interests she has investigated i...

Willie Pearl is an Americana/Southern rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. Their new album is called Willie Pearl . In this special bonus episode, singer-songwriter Henry Rogers of Willie Pearl speaks with Jonathan Rogers about songwriting, perfectionism, and letting go. Support the show: https://therabbitroom.givingfuel.com/member See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Caroline Cobb is a singer-songwriter known for her deep engagement with Scripture. Her first foray into book-writing is Advent for Exiles: 25 Devotions to Awaken Gospel Hope in Every Longing Heart . In this episode, Caroline and Jonathan Rogers discuss the idea of exile, a pervasive theme in the Bible, as well as the artist’s role of planting seeds for the new Eden. The Habit Podcast is sponsored...

Lanier Ivester sees hospitality as a primary way she expresses her creativity. All of her creative endeavors are shaped by the belief that the most quotidian things are charged with eternal meaning, if only we have eyes to see. Her new book, illustrated by Jennifer Trafton, is Glad and Golden Hours: A Companion for Advent and Christmastide . In this episode, Lanier and Jonathan Rogers talk about t...

This week's guest is Kathleen Norris. Her best known books include Acedia and Me, The Cloister Walk, Dakota: A Spiritual Geography, and Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith . A Benedictine oblate, she practices the Benedictines’ commitment to good order and deep hospitality her writing. Kathleen Norris’s new book she co-authored with Gareth Higgins. It’s called A Whole Life in Twelve Movies: a Cin...

You may know Randall Goodgame as a purveyor of children’s music . His new project is for people of all ages. In the Scripture Hymnal , Randall has written and arranged music for 106 word-for-word Bible passages, for congregational singing. In addition to the hymnal, Randall and friends have recorded all 106 hymns with full instrumentation and rich production, to be released as ten albums over the...

Russ Ramsey is a gifted storyteller and a trusted guide in the world of art. His new book is Van Gogh Has a Broken Heart: What Art Teaches Us About The Wonder and Struggle of Being Alive . In this episode, Russ and Jonathan Rogers talk about sunflowers, the sublime, and the connection between suffering and wonder. Support the show: https://therabbitroom.givingfuel.com/member See omnystudio.com/lis...

Stephanie Duncan Smith is a senior editor for HarperOne. She has spent her career developing award-winning and bestselling authors. She is the creator of Slant Letter , a Substack email newsletter for writers who want to deepen their craft and do it in style. She is also the author of Even After Everything: The Spiritual Practice of Knowing the Risks and Loving Anyway . In this episode, Stephanie...

Steven James has written and published about twenty books in the last couple of decades. Most of his novels and been thrillers. But with his new novel, Rift , he’s doing something completely new: young adult Appalachian folktale horror. Steven has lived in the southern Appalachians since the 1990s. The part of East Tennessee where  Rift is set was hit really hard by Hurricane Helene a couple of we...

Carolyn Leiloglou is the author of the middle grade fantasy series The Restorationists. Book Two of that series, Between Flowers and Bones , has been recently released. In this episode, Carolyn and I talk about writing about family, balancing motherhood with creative pursuits, and the ways that interacting with visual art enriches writing. Here's a video of Carolyn in San Antonio's McNay Art Museu...