The Tolkien Experience Podcast
55 episodes - English - Latest episode: 10 months ago -Since 2018, the Tolkien Experience Project has been collecting stories from Tolkien scholars and fans around the world. Now, we have partnered with The Prancing Pony Podcast and Dr. Sara Brown to create the Tolkien Experience Podcast — an attempt to bring the fan and scholarly communities together around our shared passion: the works of J.R.R. Tolkien! Each episode, Luke and Sara ask a notable scholar or member of the fan community to share their responses to the original Tolkien Experience Project questions.
Homepage Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
54 -- Tom Hllman
July 01, 2023 16:34 - 1 hour - 110 MBWe have finally had the perfect opportunity to sit down with our good friend Tom Hillman! Longtime friend of the hosts and supporter of Tolkien Experience Tom Hillman is finally on the podcast! Tom was the first person to submit hs Tolkien Experience Project entry, and we thought that the publication of his book later this year gave us the perfect excuse to have him on the show! Please watch for his book Pity, Power, and Tolkien's Ring: To Rule the Fate of Many later this year!
53 - Donato Giancola
May 12, 2023 14:00 - 51 minutes - 83 MBWe start our newest season with an interview with a well-established artist: Donato Giancola! Donato has been an avid fan of Tolkien's work for a long time and creates artwork based on Tolkien's world when he gets the chance. Known for his work on Magic the Gathering, modern science fiction and fantasy covers, and a plethora of other venues! You can find prints of Donato's work on his website, or purchase his most recent art book Middle-earth: Journeys in Myth and Legend. We are so glad he...
52 - Laura Martin-Gomez
December 21, 2022 15:00 - 29 minutes - 47.9 MBFor this episode, we were excited to welcome the resident of Tolkiendil, the French Tolkien society: Laura Martin-Gomez! Laura received her PhD in 2020, and her research interests include fandom studies and Tolkien's texts. Her thesis examined fan groups in the US, UK, and France to parse out the similarities and differences in these groups from the 70s until just before internet fandom became more influential. We were very eager to have her on the podcast, and grateful we could work out a t...
50 - Brian Sibley
November 11, 2022 17:15 - 1 hour - 142 MBFor this episode, we were honored to welcome a very influential figure in the Tolkien fandom: Brian Sibley! Brian is the recipient of the Tolkien Society's award for Outstanding Contribution in 2022. He is an honorary member of the society, and is perhaps best known to the Tolkien community because of the radio adaptation of The Lord of the Rings he created for the BBC. His newest project The Fall of Númenor is a book that pulls together Tolkien's writings about the island civilization and...
49 - Panel on Adaptation
August 20, 2022 02:00 - 1 hour - 124 MBThis week, we put together another panel to discuss the new Rings of Power series being produced by Amazon a little more! Here we discuss adaptation, the changes that always have to be made, what we think is done well in some adaptations, and where we think some improvements could be made! Special thanks to Oriana Schwindt, Sara Brown, and Luke Shelton for sharing their time and expertise with us for this exciting event!
48 - Panel on the Music of The Rings of Power
July 29, 2022 15:03 - 1 hour - 164 MBThis week, we put together a panel of special guests to discuss the music that has been released for the new Rings of Power series being produced by Amazon! Special thanks to James Tauber, Will Sherwood, and Sarah Westvik for sharing their time and expertise with us for this exciting event! The live event was recorded and can be viewed on YouTube!
47 - Alicia Fox-Lenz
May 27, 2022 14:00 - 52 minutes - 85.2 MBFor this episode, our guest is a steward of the Mythopoeic Society and an independent researcher who loves experimenting with new perspectives on Tolkien: Alicia Fox-Lenz! Alicia is the Social Media Officer of the Mythopoeic Society, as well as a member of their stewardship council.. She is currently editing a scholarly volume on Tolkien and gaming, which should be published by McFarland later this year. She also co-hosts a famous yearly Middle-earth movie marathon with her husband. We were ...
46 - Sonali Chunodkar
April 29, 2022 15:25 - 58 minutes - 49.9 MBFor this episode, we have a guest who is an independent researcher who delves into the interaction between Tolkien and readers: Sonali Chunodkar! Sonali has an MPhil and a PhD, for which both her theses focused on Tolkien's work. She has recently presented papers at several Tolkien conferences, including a recent Tolkien Society Seminar. We are thrilled that she could join us to talk about her Tolkien experience!
46 - Brian D. Egede-Pedersen
April 15, 2022 14:00 - 41 minutes - 68.3 MBFor this episode, we have a guest whose view on Tolkien totally rocks (sorry)-- Brian D. Egede-Pedersen! Brian has an MA in history and a minor in English Literature from the University of Southern Denmark. Since his graduation, he has worked as a secondary school teacher and an assistant professor at the University of Southern Denmark. Hi research interests include the appropriation of history, the metal genre of music, and the works of J.R.R. Tolkien!
44 - Ted Nasmith
March 25, 2022 14:00 - 44 minutes - 31.6 MBWe am so excited that we get to start off season three with a very notable artist: Ted Nasmith! Ted is one of the biggest names in the Tolkien art world. He has had the opportunity to be in multiple official Tolkien calendar, as well as illustrate editions of Tolkien's work. Most recently, he has been involved with editions of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales! He also has a written piece in the official 2023 Tolkien Calendar. You can see examples of his work on his website! We hope ...
43 - Season 2 Bonus Episode
December 10, 2021 15:00 - 59 minutes - 87.2 MBThis special episode of the Tolkien Experience Podcast is a recording of the session that Sarah, Luke, and Sara were invited to host at Oxonmoot for 2021! They give some background and history to the podcast, and invite on some past guests of the show to give updates on what they have been working on since their interview! We hope you enjoy it. Remember, the TEP will be back next year! Please consider supporting the Podcast on Patreon!
42 - Season 2 Finale
November 12, 2021 15:00 - 33 minutes - 53.6 MBIn this special episode of the Tolkien Experience Podcast, Luke, Sarah, and Sara wrap up the second season! They thank the listeners, reflect on some of their favorite interviews and the changes to the podcast over the year, and share how their own Tolkien Experience has shifted this year! We hope you enjoy it. Remember, there will be more TEP coming your way after the holiday season!
43 - Season 2 Finale
November 12, 2021 15:00 - 33 minutes - 53.6 MBIn this special episode of the Tolkien Experience Podcast, Luke, Sarah, and Sara wrap up the second season! They thank the listeners, reflect on some of their favorite interviews and the changes to the podcast over the year, and share how their own Tolkien Experience has shifted this year! We hope you enjoy it. Remember, there will be more TEP coming your way after the holiday season!
Matt "The Nerd of the Rings"
October 15, 2021 14:00 - 34 minutes - 58.7 MBFor this episode, I had the chance to catch up with the creator of the YouTube Channel The Nerd of the Rings! Matt started his channel to talk about his passion for Tolkien and it has really taken off over the past two years! I was able to have a great conversation with him about what some of his favorite topics have been, and how he was first introduced to Tolkien's world!
41 - Matt "The Nerd of the Rings"
October 15, 2021 14:00 - 34 minutes - 58.7 MBFor this episode, I had the chance to catch up with the creator of the YouTube Channel The Nerd of the Rings! Matt started his channel to talk about his passion for Tolkien and it has really taken off over the past two years! I was able to have a great conversation with him about what some of his favorite topics have been, and how he was first introduced to Tolkien's world!
40 - Aurélie Brémont
October 01, 2021 14:00 - 41 minutes - 57.5 MBFor this episode, Sara sat down to talk with translator and scholar Aurélie Brémont! Aurélie completed her PhD in English Medieval Studies on Tolkien and the Celtic Heritage in 2009 in Sorbonne Université, Paris. Since then, she has been present in conferences in the UK and in France. In 2016 she had the opportunity to translate Tom Shippey's J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century into French and her work continues to be influential in several areas of Tolkien studies.
39 - Elizabeth King
September 17, 2021 14:00 - 48 minutes - 77.9 MBFor this episode, Sarah talked with a researcher who looks at Tolkien's works through a lens of trauma studies: Elizabeth King! Elizabeth is a PhD student and Graduate Research assistant at the College of Family and Consumer Sciences at the University of Georgia. Her information page on the university site says that she is currently working "on projects related to developing ecologically responsive multi-component systemic interventions for populations exposed to mass traumas." This approa...
38 - Anna Smol
September 03, 2021 14:00 - 36 minutes - 54.3 MBFor this episode, Sara was able to sit down with her good friend and veteran Tolkien academic: Anna Smol! Anna is currently a professor in the Department of English at Mount Saint Vincent University. Her research interests include Tolkien studies, medievalism, and Old English, and she has published her work in many refereed journals.
37 - Mariana Rios Maldonado
August 20, 2021 19:55 - 56 minutes - 87.7 MBFor this episode, I had the opportunity to speak with my good friend and brilliant Tolkien scholar: Mariana Rios Maldonado! Mariana is a PhD student at the University of Glasgow where she is interested in ethics, feminist theory, and encountering the Other in Tolkien's works. She received a grant from Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (National Council for Science and Technology, CONACyT) and Fundación INBA (National Foundation for Fine Arts and Literature) in Mexico for her studies...
36 - Joel Merriner
August 06, 2021 14:00 - 45 minutes - 84.2 MBThis week's episode is with a scholar whose interest is art history makes for some fascinating insights about illustrations of Tolkien's works: Joel Merriner. Joel is an Associate Lecturer in Art History at the University of Plymouth. He is finishing his PhD which examines the illustrations of Tolkien's work in central and eastern Europe. He presented some of his research at the 2021 Tolkien Society Seminar on diversity (video available on YouTube) and he recently published on the same top...
35 - Erik Mueller-Harder
July 09, 2021 14:00 - 57 minutes - 93.4 MBFor this episode, I had the chance to talk to one of the nicest people in Tolkien scholarship: Erik Mueller-Harder! Erik's scholarly focus is on cartography and map-making. This interest has led him to closely investigate the first maps that Tolkien ever created for The Lord of the Rings, and his conference presentations on the subject are mesmerizing! In addition to this personal focus, Erik has also created a website (tolkienists.org) that has helpful resources for any Tolkien fan or res...
34 - Kristine Larsen
June 25, 2021 14:00 - 35 minutes - 58 MBFor this episode, Sara sat down with our good friend and 'Tolkienian Astronomer': Dr. Kristine Larsen! Kristine is a professor of astronomy at Central Connecticut State University. Her research and teaching focus in the sometimes uncomfortable points of intersection between science and society, including: women in science,; misconceptions, conspiracy theories, and pseudoscience; the popularization of science for general audiences; and the uses/misuses of science in popular culture (includi...
33 - Putri Prihatini
June 11, 2021 14:00 - 1 hour - 96.8 MBFor this episode, Sarah had the opportunity to talk with a blogger and fan who is new to the scene compared to our other guests, but she is already having an impact: Putri Prihatini! Putri writes the blog 'The Loremaster: Blog Tolkien Indonesia' where she writes posts in Indonesian and in English. Her article "Greed and Blood: Powerful Objects in The Silmarillion and Javanese Book of Monarchs" was nominated for the Tolkien Society Award for Best Article in 2021. Find more from Putri on h...
32 - Ralph Bakshi
May 28, 2021 12:00 - 38 minutes - 29.3 MBI cannot believe I get to write the following sentence: For this episode of the podcast, I was able to talk to the legendary animator who brought The Lord of the Rings to life in the 1970: Ralph Bakshi! Ralph Bakshi is most well known to our listeners as the director of the 1978 The Lord of the Rings animated movie. Ralph's work in animation is revolutionary and includes influential films like Fritz the Cat, which has been rated among the top 100 animated films multiple times and has even ...
31 - Verlyn Flieger
May 14, 2021 14:00 - 47 minutes - 69.7 MBThis episode, we are so excited to share out interview with renowned Tolkien scholar Dr. Verlyn Flieger! Her scholarly publications include: A Question of Time: J.R.R. Tolkien's Road to Faerie, winner of the 1998 Mythopoeic Award for Inklings Studies; Splintered Light: Logos and Language in Tolkien's World; Tolkien's Legendarium: Essays on the History of Middle-earth, co-edited with Carl Hostetter, winner of the 2002 Mythopoeic Award for Inklings Studies. She is also published a number of ...
30 - Jenny Dolfen
April 30, 2021 13:00 - 35 minutes - 54.2 MBOur guest for this episode is a very well-respected artist in Tolkien circles: Jenny Dolfen! Jenny has been a freelance illustrator since 2003, and has gained notoriety for her work inspired by Tolkien's texts. She has won the Tolkien Society Award for Best Art three times, in 2014, 2018, and 2020! In this interview, Sarah talks to Jenny about her experiences with Tolkien, painting or drawing inspired by his work, and how she interacts with fandom. We hope you enjoy it!
29 - Willie Jenkins
April 16, 2021 14:00 - 30 minutes - 46.1 MBOur guest this week is a viral sensation on TikTok and has recently made the move to YouTube: Willie Jenkins! Willie Jenkins is a super fan of Tolkien! He also has a magnetic personality and a desire to teach. These things have combined to make him a hit as he puts together short videos that summarize different characters or events from Tolkien's work on TikTok and YouTube, where he is known as Knewbettadobetta. Video of this interview is available exclusively to our patrons on Patreon!
28 - Chris Vaccaro
April 02, 2021 13:00 - 29 minutes - 48 MBOur guest this week is a consummate Tolkien scholar and academic: Chris Vaccaro! Chris is the editor of two collections of scholarship about J.R.R. Tolkien: The Body in Tolkien’s Legendarium (2013) and Tolkien and Alterity (2017). He is also the organizer of the annual Tolkien in Vermont conference and a co-organizer of the Tolkien at Kalamazoo group, which organizes conference panels and an annual symposium. His current project is co-editing another edited collection of essays: Queer Tolk...
27 - Molly Ostertag
March 19, 2021 14:00 - 30 minutes - 46 MBOur guest this week is a fantastic animator and author: Molly Ostertag! Molly is known for her work on several animated series, including Star vs. The Forces of Evil, The Owl House, and ThunderCats Roar. She is also a New York Times Bestselling author who enjoys writing Lord of the Rings fanfiction and fan comics. Her most exciting recent work is her award winning The Witch Boy series. I am so delighted to share our interview with you, where we talk about being her experience as a fantasy ...
26 -- Bruce Hopkins
March 05, 2021 14:00 - 45 minutes - 67.5 MBOur guest this week is the first one we have had who worked on the Peter Jackson adaptations of The Lord of the Rings! Bruce Hopkins played the character Gamling in the three films released at the beginning of the millennium. He shares with us his own journey as a Tolkien reader, as well as some stories from the set and his personal trek across New Zealand! His trip across New Zealand is available as a mini-series on YouTube!
25 - Diverse Tolkien
February 19, 2021 15:00 - 44 minutes - 102 MBFor this week's episode of the Tolkien Experience Podcast, I am very excited to share our interview with the creator of Diverse Tolkien! While she does not want me to use her name, the creator of Diverse Tolkien can be found on Twitter and Tumblr where she focuses on discussing anti-blackness in Tolkien's work and in the fan community. She wanted me to let you know about her exciting event: Diverse Tolkien Week! This event will be on Twitter and Tumblr during the last week of February. Ple...
24 - Marcel Aubron-Bülles
February 05, 2021 15:00 - 20 minutes - 47.7 MBWe have a fantastic guest to start off our second season of the Tolkien Experience Podcast: Marcel Aubron-Bülles! Marcel, also known as The Tolkienist, is very involved in Tolkien fandom. Marcel is best know for his work as the founder of the German Tolkien Society. He is also an independent Tolkien scholar, and a very active member of the Tolkien Society and Tolkien Tribe. He has recently started a Patreon where you can keep up with his travels and Tolkien news.
23 - Season 1 Finale
November 06, 2020 15:00 - 28 minutes - 22.6 MBIn this special episode of the Tolkien Experience Podcast, Luke and Sara wrap up the first season! They reflect on some of their favorite interviews, share some of their own Tolkien Experiences, and give a special thank you to our faithful listeners! We hope you enjoy it. Remember, there will be more TEP coming your way after the holidays!
22 - Megan Fontenot
October 23, 2020 14:00 - 37 minutes - 24.8 MBFor this episode, I had the opportunity to talk with a wonderful writer who has produced excellent scholarship as well as engaging popular posts about Tolkien: Megan Fontenot! Megan is a Ph.D. student at the University of Georgia. I first met Megan in 2018 when she gave her award-winning paper "‘No Pagan ever loved his god’: Tolkien, Thompson, and the Beautification of the Gods.” at Mythcon. Since then, Megan has pursued her interest in Tolkien in several venues, including a series of ar...
21 - Anke Eissmann
October 09, 2020 14:00 - 31 minutes - 22.9 MBFor this episode, Sara was able to talk with an artist whose work is well known to many Tolkien fans: Anke Eissmann! You may have seen Anke's artwork as the cover of some of your favorite Walking Tree Publisher works! She also is a prolific contributor to Tolkien conferences and fan communities in Germany and the UK. To see more about Anke and to see examples of her work, visit her website!
20 - Amy H Sturgis
September 25, 2020 14:00 - 37 minutes - 27.9 MBFor this episode, I interview a scholar whose work spans the gap between science fiction and fantasy, between history and literary analysis: Dr. Amy H. Sturgis! Amy holds a Ph.D. in Intellectual History and specializes in the fields of Science Fiction/Fantasy and Indigenous American Studies. She is a monthly contributor on the StarShipSofa Podcast and is the Editor in Chief of Hocus Pocus Comics. Her Tolkien-related scholarship includes a long list: see the show notes page for a more com...
19 - Elvella
September 11, 2020 14:00 - 24 minutes - 18.1 MBFor this episode, I had the opportunity to talk with Elvella. She is a passionate fan who has some great insights! In this episode we talk about audio adaptations, fanfiction, and whiteness in fandom. Elvella is a college senior with majors in religion and classical piano. As she starts her senior year, join us in wishing her the best! If you want more insights from Elvella, you can find her on Twitter or subscribe to her YouTube channel!
18 - Maria Alberto
August 28, 2020 14:00 - 37 minutes - 24.6 MBFor this week's episode, we are so happy to have a scholar and fan who investigates the Tolkien fan community: Maria Alberto! Maria is a fourth year PhD student at the University of Utah. Her research focuses on adaptation and fan studies. We want to encourage any our listeners who have read or written fanfiction to participate in The Tolkien Fanfiction Survey: tinyurl.com/tolkienfanficsurvey. Long-time listeners will recognize Maria's colleague in this project, Dawn Walls-Thumma, who was ...
17 - Myla Malinalda
August 14, 2020 18:48 - 28 minutes - 19.2 MBFor this week's episode, we are joined by a long-time supporter of the Tolkien fan community: Myla Malinalda! Myla Malinalda has worked as a part-time reporter for Middle-earth news, and a long time Tolkien fan and collector. She is also a graphic designer and she loves incorporating inspiration from her favorite literature into her work!
16 - William Fliss
July 31, 2020 14:00 - 33 minutes - 24.8 MBWilliam (Bill) Fliss is an archivist in the Special Collections and University Archives of the Raynor Memorial Libraries of Marquette University in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Bill is in charge of Tolkien's manuscripts for The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and a couple other short stories by Tolkien. He has started a collection called The J.R.R. Tolkien Fandom Oral History Collection, and he is still seeking fans to interview! Click the link to participate: https://www.marquette.edu/library/archi...
15 - Mary Clay Watt
July 17, 2020 14:00 - 32 minutes - 23.6 MBWe are very excited to have the chance to speak with Mary Clay Watt for this week's episode! Mary Clay is the creator and host of the Podcast That's What I'm Tolkien About, where she is reading her way through Tolkien's works. She has finally made it to Mount Doom as of our recording, so go listen as she finishes the quest!
14 - Jeremy Edmonds
July 03, 2020 14:00 - 22 minutes - 16.3 MBFor this week's episode, we are very excited to have Jeremy Edmonds, the creator of Tolkienguide.com! The hosts of the podcast met Jeremy at Tolkien2019, and became fast friends with many shared interests, especially a love of Tolkien's work. His phenomenal website has been going for more than a decade and a half! There you will find scholars and collectors talking about minutiae and interesting factoids about Tolkien.
13 - Clifford Broadway
June 19, 2020 14:00 - 35 minutes - 20.5 MBFor this week's episode, we welcome someone who has been influential in Tolkien film fandom from a very early point: Clifford "Quickbeam" Broadway! As one of several volunteers who helps contribute to the online fan community located at TheOneRing.net, Clifford hosts a live podcast each Tuesday. He also co-produced a documentary entitled Ringers, which chronicles the experiences and perspectives of fans of Peter Jackson's film adaptations, as well as the larger TORn community. This episode...
12 - John Garth
June 05, 2020 14:00 - 57 minutes - 44.3 MBWe are elated to have with us on this episode a superstar of Tolkien scholarship, John Garth! John is a writer who is best known to fans of J.R.R. Tolkien for his autobiographical work about the author, entitled Tolkien and the Great War. He has also written numerous articles and other works about the author, and we are delighted that he agreed to be our guest just days before his new book is released! Listen in to hear details about his latest work, The Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien: The Pla...
11 - Margaret Killjoy
May 22, 2020 14:00 - 32 minutes - 13.9 MBFor this episode, we are stepping away from academia and diving into the exciting worlds of writing and music with Margaret Killjoy! Margaret is a writer of book-length fiction, short fiction, and non fiction. Perhaps our listeners will be most interested in her short story "The Free Orcs of Cascadia" published in The Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy. She is also well known for her contributions to music! Our listeners may be particularly interested in her band Feminazgul. You can l...
10 - Una McCormack
May 08, 2020 17:55 - 47 minutes - 34.3 MBIt is our absolute privilege to welcome to the podcast a very notable writer and Tolkien scholar: Una McCormack! A quick glance at Dr. McCormack's website and you quickly learn that she is a New York Times bestselling author and a prolific writer of tie-in novels and short and long fiction. She is an ex-academic and loves to give public talks and engage with fans of science fiction and fantasy. What is less obvious, though, is that Dr. McCormack is also very involved with FanFiction and Fa...
09 - Dawn Walls-Thumma
April 24, 2020 14:00 - 34 minutes - 30.3 MBThis week we journey into the realm of fan studies and fanfiction! Our guest this week created a website dedicated to stories fanfiction inspired by The Silmarillion, and has also completed excellent scholarship on fandom: Dawn Walls-Thumma! Walls-Thumma's website The Silmarillion Writer's Guild is a place where writers of fanfiction that were inspired by Tolkien's work can share their stories, provide feedback for each other, and find a sense of community. We really enjoyed hearing her st...
08 - Mina Lukic
April 10, 2020 14:00 - 44 minutes - 34.7 MBWe are so happy to share with you our interview with an up-coming Tolkien researcher, Mina Lukic! Mina is currently a PhD student at the University of Belgrade, Serbia. Her current research includes looking into how people engage with Tolkien's work using the lenses of participatory culture and cultural heritage. You can find out more about her research on her website. You can also be a part of her research by taking the survey for her study. We are so thankful to Mina for taking the time ...
07 - Corey Olsen (Part 2)
March 27, 2020 14:00 - 38 minutes - 37.2 MBThis month, we have a special two-part interview for you! We are elated to have as our guest the Tolkien Professor himself: Corey Olsen! This is the second part of our interview, so please make sure to go back and listen to part one to make sure you don't miss anything! Dr. Olsen is perhaps the most prolific and popular Tolkien podcaster in the world. His series like Exploring The Lord of the Rings, The Mythgard Academy, and The Silmarillion Film Project are recorded with live audiences ...
06 - Corey Olsen (Part 1)
March 13, 2020 14:00 - 48 minutes - 47.1 MBThis month, we have a special two-part interview for you! We are elated to have as our guest the Tolkien Professor himself: Corey Olsen! Dr. Olsen is perhaps the most prolific and popular Tolkien podcaster in the world. His series like Exploring The Lord of the Rings, The Mythgard Academy, and The Silmarillion Film Project are recorded with live audiences each week, and he has thousands of listeners. The Tolkien Professor also has a nice book which walks readers through The Hobbit. We are ...