The Inklings Variety Hour

Season 3 is coming!  Enjoy this hastily-assembled trailer by Chris. Join us Tuesday for the first of a two-parter on The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. And yes, we will be covering The Never Ending Story for an episode this season--even though it's not by any Inklings--because it is a wonderful and often-overlooked book.  We'll also be covering a few very recent novels that have something to do with...

Enjoy an off-season holiday bonus episode!  Merry Christmas!  Season 3 is coming in February, but in the meantime, please feel free to email us at inklingsvarietyhour@gmail.com For this bonus episode, Chris is joined by Logan, Kora, and Eric to talk about Christmas and the Inklings. We'll talk a bit about Christmas memories and rituals that involve the Inklings. We'll delve into holiday poetry, fi...

The previous version of this audio file left out the final seven minutes of the episode.  Those responsible have been sacked.  Hopefully this re-upload will fix all. Happy Labor Day!  This episode goes out to all you miners toiling away for the Princess' King-Papa, who is so benevolent that no unions are needed.  Also, to all you goblins--may your heads be as tough as your feet are tender.  Excels...

Please do rate and share this podcast if you like it--it's the best way to help other people find it.  We'd love to hear from you--email us at Inklingsvarietyhour@gmail.com .   We also have a new Youtube channel , so please do subscribe--we'll be publishing clips and extras there pretty soon.  Thanks to Logan for his work on it! Chris, Anika, and Meagan, the original Inklings Variety Hour crew, re...

Breaking News: We have a Youtube channel now.  It has full podcasts and clips, but probably not many videos of us actually recording.  It's worth checking out. If you enjoy this podcast and want other Inklings fans to find it, please do leave us a review on iTunes or favorite us on Overcast or other podcast services. We'll wrap up our discussion of The Princess and the Goblin in a couple of weeks,...

Anika Smith and Logan Huggins join Chris to discuss the second part of The Princess and the Goblin.  There are profound spiritual moments, as well as pop culture Easter eggs galore.  Enjoy.   More detailed description to come! Also--because Chris is going to a conference in England and Logan is moving house, we will have a brief hiatus for the next two weeks or so.  Do not fear--we will be back wi...

Chris has Kora Burton on the show to talk about goblins, and the word "goblin" as it was used leading up to the writing of George MacDonald's The Princess and the Goblin.  What exactly was a goblin, and how was it differentiated (if at all) from other mischievous little creatures (such as elves, pukka, etc.)?  Were George MacDonald and Christina Rossetti responsible for the bad rap goblins have go...

This is the first episode of our summer coverage of  The Princess and the Goblin , by George MacDonald .  While MacDonald was not a member of the Inklings, this novel-length fairy tale was tremendously influential on both Lewis and Tolkien. Our special guests/hosts this week are (besides Chris) Sophie Burkhardt and Fr. Bill Stanford! Among other things, we'll discuss: George MacDonald's life and i...

I know we promised The Princess and the Goblin last podcast.  It's coming.  It is. For now, in its place, I talk a little bit about the podcast itself and read (and solicit) some great listener mail.   Then, I dip into the Old Winyards of the podcast (2018?) and find the original pilot episode, on friendship, starring Anika and Glencora (my wife).  Apologies for the audio quality--but no apologies...

This week, I interview William O'Flaherty, author of  The Misquotable C.S. Lewis and creator of much other C.S. Lewis content, which you can find here: Amazon.com: William O'Flaherty: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle The Essential C.S. Lewis: William O’Flaherty – Essential C.S. Lewis (essentialcslewis.com)   Here is William's podcast, All About Jack , as well as his Youtube channel, Know...

This final episode on Charles Williams' "spiritual thriller," Descent Into Hell, takes the form of an interview with modernist scholar Sørina Higgins.  We talk about specific aspects of the final two chapters of Descent Into Hell, but in the context of a larger conversation about Charles Williams himself.  Among other questions, we'll discuss: How was Williams perceived by not only the other Inkli...

This is a new, short segment I want to try called "Tolkien in Ten."  The idea is to give a short, simplified, ten-minute summary of an important figure in Tolkien's extensive mythology--meant to be accessible to those who have not read The Silmarillion, etc.  Feel free to leave any feedback at InklingsVarietyHour@gmail.com .   This week, we're looking at Eärendil, who is one of the most important...

Sorina Higgins and Sophie Burkhardt join Chris to discuss Chapters 8-10 of Charles Williams' Descent Into Hell.   Episode Description to Come!

Chris, Logan, and Sophie discuss Charles Williams' novel  Descent Into Hell , chapters 6-7. Among other things, we discuss The Unusual Structure of Descent and Why it Defies Summary     Prayer for the Dead     Distinctions between Charles Williams secondary world and those of Tolkien/Lewis'     Influence of Williams' ideas on Lewis (and maybe Tolkien)     That famous " Weight of Glory " quote    ...

Sophie , Anika, and Sorina join Chris to discuss Chapters 5-6 of Descent Into Hell --possibly Charles Williams' most profound novel.  You can find the new audiobook by Apocryphile press here . Please leave us a good review on iTunes if you like this podcast! We discuss: Chapter 5: Return to Eden Wentworth's continued damnation and the interconnectedness of characters Rejecting joy and ignoring fac...

Sophie , Meagan, David , and Sorina join us for Descent Into Hell --possibly Charles Williams' most profound novel.  You can find the new audiobook by Apocryphile press here .   We discuss: Quest of Hell The apparent plotlessness of Descent Wentworth's rejection of community How the novel is like a play Modernist drama C.S. Lewis' disastrous dinner with T.S. Eliot and Williams Vision of Death Stru...

It's time again for that novel-est of novelists, Charles Williams! Feel free to read Descent Into Hell here (there's a new audiobook by the way.) Meagan, Chris, Sophie Burkhardt, and David L. Carter discuss Charles Williams' Descent Into Hell , Chapters 1-2! They discuss... Chapter 1: The Magus Zoroaster (In which Pauline Anstruther, who has a bit part in that new Peter Stanhope play Battle Hill i...

Kora Burton rejoins Chris to discuss Tolkien's last fairy (or is it faerie?) story, " Smith of Wootton Major " (1967).  Smith of Wootton Major is a short story, a parable about the nature of what Tolkien called “fayery” or “Faerie,” an evocative fairy tale in its own right, as well as a melancholy meditation on the loss of artistic capacity.  Though told simply enough for children to understand it...

Kora Burton joins Chris to discuss Tolkien's last fairy (or is it faerie?) story, " Smith of Wootton Major ."   Smith of Wootton Major (1967) is Tolkien’s last work of fiction and was begun as part of an Introduction to an edition of George MacDonald’s The Golden Key–an edition that was never published.  Tolkien began by writing a kind of parable about a stupid baker making a cake for children tha...

As he discusses the third part of Prince Caspian, the second book in the Chronicles of Narnia, Chris is joined once more by three special guests: Logan Huggins, our producer (who did yet another amazing job with this episode) Mez Blume , author of  Churchill's S.O.C.K.s  and several other excellent books Sophie Burkhardt, from the podcast Beneath the Willow Tree Among other things discussed: Caspi...

(I am releasing this episode again, just in case your podcatcher is being stubborn and refuses to yield the raw episode I inadvertently uploaded this morning--Chris) As he discusses the second part of Prince Caspian the second book in the Chronicles of Narnia, Chris is joined by three special guests: Logan Huggins, our producer (who did yet another amazing job with this episode) Mez Blume , author...

As he discusses the second part of Prince Caspian the second book in the Chronicles of Narnia, Chris is joined by three special guests: Logan Huggins, our producer (who did yet another amazing job with this episode) Mez Blume , author of  Churchill's S.O.C.K.s  and several other excellent books Sophie Burkhardt, from the podcast Beneath the Willow Tree (Apologies to our listeners--and Logan--for u...

Season Two begins with a long-awaited return to Narnia! Logan Huggins (who also edited and produced this episode) joins Chris to talk about the first few chapters of Prince Caspian.  Among other things, we discuss: Searching for "Old Narnia" in a meandering sequel The awkwardness of being a former grown-up How did Trumpkin, Nikabrik, and Trufflehunter become roommates? Why the book is still better...

Welcome to the finale of Till We Have Faces on The Inklings Variety Hour! Author and speaker Andrew Lazo from Pints with Jack joins Chris and Anika for our final discussion of Till We Have Faces.  It was, as always, a delight and an epiphany, Andrew! Among other things, we discuss: The Four Loves Williams-esque redemption of Orual and Psyche Lewis' poem Reason Names in Till We Have Faces What in t...

We're back! This is a long-overdue, if abbreviated, first part of a two-part conclusion to Till We Have Faces.   We're a little less Ent-ish about our discussion than we normally are, and we manage to get through four whole chapters in one episode.  Hasty much? Even so, we find things to linger on as Orual herself speeds through some of the highlights of her rule in Glome, beginning with her duel...