Tolkien Pop! Podcast

In this Tolkien Pop! podcast episode, Nick sits down with Dr. Robert Tally to discuss his book The Mismeasure of Orcs , the importance of taking orcs into account in Tolkien’s work, and what the practical implications are for fostering a sense of orc sympathy. Rob also shares his Tolkien experience and his other academic work. Get your copy of The Mismeasure of Orcs here: https://mcfarlandbooks.co...

In this Tolkien Pop! podcast episode, Nick sits down with Dr. Tom Hillman to discuss his book Pity, Power, and Tolkien's Ring along with Tom's Tolkien experience and how pity and power are not only important for understanding Tolkien, but giving us insight into a better way we as people can act in the primary world. Get your copy of Pity, Power, and Tolkien's Ring here: https://www.kentstateuniver...

In this Tolkien Pop! Podcast episode Nick sits down with Rev. Dr. Tom Emanuel to discuss his recently completed PhD work on the religiosity of Tolkien fandom in a post-religious world. We also discuss his Tolkien experience, progressive theology and religious studies in Tolkien Studies, and how his work sheds light on the experience of Tolkien fans and existing and future scholarship. Find Tom and...

In this Tolkien Pop! Podcast Episode Nick sits down with Dr. Luke Shelton , Editor-in-Chief for Mallorn , the academic of The Tolkien Society and overall awesome Tolkien scholar and friend. We talk about his Tolkien experience, doctoral work and dissertation ‘Small Hands Do Them Because They Must’: examining the reception of The Lord of the Rings among young readers , his current work, and upcomin...

Nick sits down with Ralph Linhardt, Kirk Manton, and Jock Petersen, the filmmakers of the documentary series The Forge of Friendship , which focuses on the lives and friendships of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Ralph, Kirk, and Jock talk about their own Tolkien and Lewis experiences, how it has impact their lives and friendships, and how all that led to their work at Eastgate Creative and the mak...

Nick sits down with Mercury Natis (he/they, they/them) to talk about their Tolkien experiences, queer theory, and their work in Tolkien Studies - oh, and punk rock Orcs! \m/ Mercury s an interdisciplinary doctoral researcher in English Literature and History at the University of Glasgow, researching the queer historical contexts of Tolkien’s early life and how these influenced his works. They hold...

Happy New Year, Tolkien Poppers! I hope that you have been conquering your resolutions and easing back into a sense of normality. To curb the adjustment, I give to you an interview with Kaitlyn Facista of Tea with Tolkien ! We talk about her upcoming book Into the Heart of the Middle-earth: Exploring Faith and Fellowship in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings , which releases on February 20th...

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year, Tolkien Poppers! Today’s episode is an audio version of an essay I wrote for The Tolkien Society’s journal Mallorn entitled “ Middle-earth in South Park: ‘The Return of the Fellowship of the Ring to the Two Towers’ as Parody .” Stay tuned for some exciting Tolkien guests in the New Year. I hope that your Yuletide is filled with plenty of Hobbit-sized meals and eq...

In this crosspost episode, Dr. Craig Boyd gave a live lecture and Q&A for the Process This Substack and Homebrewed Christianity . You can watch the full video conversation on Homebrewed ’s YouTube channel: Craig gives listeners resources to debunk and combat the alt-right’s claim of Tolkien utilizing…get ready for it…Tolkien. After Craig’s lecture on Tolkien’s dislike for power-hungry characters a...

In this episode of the podcast, Nick sits down with Crystal, the founder and owner of Literary Flour , a business that brings together literature and baking. Crystal has done some pop-ups in my local area with Tolkien-inspired treats and I knew I had to invite her to the pod. With the holidays coming up, this conversation will likely induce the desire for sweets and purchasing more books for your...

In this episode, Nick sits down with Hannah Polk (his sister!) to discuss the horror influence of Peter Jackson, his use of horror in The Lord of the Rings films, and how horror is essential for telling Tolkien’s epic. Hannah is a horror super fan and hosts the podcast Beware the Moon , where she reviews horror movies and other media: She also writes shorts stories and other creative writing on he...

In this episode, Nick talks with Beppe Pezzini about his newest book, Tolkien and the Mystery of Literary Creation , his own Tolkien experience, and what it means to study Tolkien now and the future. Beppe Pezzini is Associate Professor in Latin at Corpus Christi College, Oxford which he joined in 2021, after five beautiful years of teaching in St Andrews (2016–2021), and research fellowships at M...

In this episode, Nick talks with Clare Moore, who is a Ph. D. student at the University of Glasgow , researching disability in Tolkien’s legendarium. She holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing and a B.A. in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. Her research focuses on disability, gender, and race in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, and her work has appeared in Mallorn , Journal of Tolkien Research , and M...

In this episode, Nick talks with Matthew J. Distefano from the Heretic Happy Hour podcast and Quoir to discuss his newly released book, Letters from the Shire . Released the day after Hobbit Day, being September 22nd and Frodo and Bilbo Baggins’ birthdays, this book is timely for cozying up for fall and bringing you some well-earned comforts in our crazy world. Buy Letters from the Shire here : ht...

Nick sits down with Joshua Noel, Christian Ashley, and Will Rose from the Systematic Geekology Podcast to talk about their Tolkien experiences and being a fan in a world with multi-fandom belonging, diverse fan communities, and how to be a good fan amidst it all. You can follow Systematic Geekology along with other podcasts in its network by checking out the Anazao Podcasts and their YouTube: http...

Nick sits down with Dr. Leah Robinson, a Professor of Religious Studies and Theology, author of the books Bad Theology and Bad Theology in a Time of COVID , and one of the hosts of Theology on the Rocks Podcast. We talk about our experiences with C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien alongside our religious experience and theological takes on all of it! We talk about Leah’s criteria for bad theology, how...

Nick sits down with Elise Trudel Cedeño, language specialist, educator, and the writer and producer of Teaching with Magic Substack and and podcast . We talk about Tolkien (duh!), Elise’s journey in education, how she integrates pop culture into her pedagogy, and the divide between “loosey-goosey” and hyper-rigorous approach to teaching and how pop culture can help bring some balance to the force...

In this interview, Nick talks with Ryan Does, host of Across the Bifrost: The Mighty Thor Podcast about the history of Thor in Marvel and his roots in the Prose and Poetic Eddas and their connection to Tolkien and fandom in general. Follow Ryan and his work here: Instagram: @iamryandoes and @marvelthorpodcast Across the Bifrost: The Mighty Thor Podcast : Skipping Church Podcast: My book Tolkien an...

In this interview, Nick speaks with Andrew Nicewander about experiencing religious abuse and trauma, Tolkien’s own religious trauma, deconstruction, and hope for a better (a)religious future. Andrew is a depressive castaway loved by his wife and children, who strives to live simply and softly. In real life, he is a seemingly mild-mannered software engineer who nerds out at Imaginative Lore and lov...

In this first official (kind of) Tolkien Pop! podcast interview, Nick shares an interview he did with Dr. Robin Anne Reid that was originally recorded for the Interchanging Melodies Online Summit held in 2023 that was hosted by Tripp Fuller from Homebrewed Christianity podcast and the Process This Substack. In the interview, Robin shares about their Tolkien experience as a scholar and fan and the...

Buy Theology Beer Camp tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/theology-beer-camp-the-meaning-of-life-and-lager-tickets-1250790109889?aff=oddtdtcreator Buy my book here: https://a.co/d/1CB92i7 Subscribe to Tolkien Pop! Substack here: https://tolkienpop.substack.com/ Get full access to Tolkien Pop! at tolkienpop.substack.com/subscribe

What’s Up Tolkien Poppers, Tripp Fuller and I’s livestream on The Rings of Power Season 2 Episode 5 comes to you now—at the turn of the tide as we enter the latter half the season. You’ll hear Tripp give his Faramir-level quality recap of the episode, discussions about our favorite themes, philosophical deep dives, and, of course, the silliest of jokes. Be on the lookout for our livestream for Epi...

Hey Tolkien Poppers! This week, Tripp Fuller and I brought our friend Tom Webster on to talk our favorite character from Middle-earth (excluding Waldreg, of course!), Tom freaking Bombadil! That’s right, Tom Bombadil makes his first on-screen debut in episode 4 of this season of The Rings of Power ! We discuss the plot lines of episode 4, fangirl over Tom Bombadil, and get process and relational w...

Nick and Tripp Fuller return to give their thoughts on the three episode premier of Season 2 of The Rings of Power ! We discuss our favorite aspects of each episodes, the themes, its connection to Tolkien’s legendarium, and our spinoff show ideas - specifically for Waldreg: Maker of Mordor! Join us live Monday, September 9th at 8pm Central Standard Time on Homebrewed Christianity ’s YouTube to get...

Tripp Fuller from Homebrewed Christianity and Process This and I are back to talk The Rings of Power. On the eve of Season 2 of The Rings of Power, we come to you, at the turn of the tide. This was our pregame livestream this past Monday where we talk about Season 1, Tolkien's legendarium, our theories for Season 2, and, of course, Waldreg! We will be livestreaming every Monday night at 8/9pm CST...