Old Books with Grace
Episodes
Thinking through Samuel Taylor Coleridge with Mischa Willett
22 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Today, the poet and professor Mischa Willett joins Grace to discuss the Romantic era of literature and one of its greatest writers in particular: Samu...
Lenten Poetry 2026: Abram Van Engen on George Herbert
01 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Today is the last installment of this year's Lent series. Grace welcomes Dr. Abram Van Engen to discuss all things George Herbert, much to her delight...
Lenten Poetry 2026: Amy Baik Lee on John Milton
19 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In the latest installment of the Lent series, Grace welcomes Amy Baik Lee to discuss the poignant Sonnet 19 by the great John Milton. When I consider ...
Lenten Poetry 2026: David Taylor on Gerard Manley Hopkins
05 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Today, Grace welcomes professor and author David Taylor in this installment of the Lenten poetry series. They talk about the great nineteenth-century ...
Lenten Poetry 2026: David Taylor on Gerard Manley Hopkins
04 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Today, Grace welcomes professor and author David Taylor in this installment of the Lenten poetry series. They talk about the great nineteenth-century ...
Lenten Poetry 2026: Three Middle English Lyrics
18 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Grace is delighted to kick off this year’s Lent series. Every other week during Lent Grace will have a guest who has chosen a Lenten-themed poem to ...
William Blake with Paul Pastor
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today, Grace chats with the poet Paul Pastor on another poet, the revolutionary thinker and artist William Blake. Paul J. Pastor is Executive Edito...
Vices in the Modern World with Elizabeth Oldfield
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today Grace welcomes Elizabeth Oldfield to recast these ancient ideas of vices and virtues into contemporary language. Why should we care about these ...
Learning from the Desert Fathers and Mothers with Lisa Colón DeLay
29 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today, Grace welcomes author Lisa Colón DeLay to discuss the fascinating ancient Christians that we now call the Desert Fathers and Mothers. People l...
Chatting Chaucer with Jessica Ward
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Grace welcomes her dear friend from graduate school, fellow medievalist Dr. Jessica D. Ward, to discuss one of their favorites: Geoffrey Ch...
The Seven Capital Vices with Rebecca DeYoung
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace invites on one of her heroes (!), Professor Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung, professor of medieval philosophy and author of Glittering Vices. They tal...
Virtues & Vices with Scott & Grace Hamman
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to season six of Old Books with Grace! Today, the tables are turned. Grace welcomes her very own husband, the wonderfully handsome, talented, ...
Beauty, Art, and Thomas Aquinas with Daniel McInerny
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode, Grace welcomes Dr. Daniel McInerney to think about some big questions: what is the relationship between beauty and art? Art and im...
Little Gidding with Lisa Ampleman: Four Quartets, Lent 2025
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Old Books with Grace! Today marks the final episode in the Old Books with Grace Lent Series, on T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets. Today we rea...
The Dry Salvages with Andy Patton: Four Quartets, Lent 2025
02 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Old Books with Grace! Today marks the third episode in the Old Books with Grace Lent Series, on T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets. Today we rea...
East Coker with O. Alan Noble: Four Quartets, Lent 2025
19 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lent is a time of repentance, reflection, and reconciliation. These are actions that happen in time, facilitated by memory and love. So even though we...
Burnt Norton with Paul Pastor: Four Quartets, Lent 2025
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Old Books with Grace! Today is Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent 2025. And today begins the Old Books with Grace Lent Series, on T.S. Eliot’...
Meeting Zwingli the Reformer with Stephen Eccher
19 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Zwingli is one of those names that floats around the ether--but in comparison to his more famous reforming counterparts, like Luther or Calvin, he doe...
Talking Trollope with Susannah Black Roberts
05 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Grace welcomes editor, writer, and reader Susannah Black Roberts to discuss one of their mutual favorites: the Victorian novelist Anth...
Advent III: His Mercy Hath No Superlative
18 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to this week's episode in the Advent 2024 series, each featuring a sermon from the past. Last week we longed for the Second Coming of Jesus wi...
Advent II: What Time of Night
11 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to this week’s episode in the Advent 2024 series, each featuring a sermon from the past. Last week we longed for the historical arrival of t...
Advent I: Christ the Bee
04 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the first Advent episode of 2024 in Old Books with Grace! In this series, Grace introduces a thinker and a sermon of the past. Each week wi...
Reading the Bible with Medieval and Early Modern People with Erin Zoutendam
13 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today Grace welcomes Dr. Erin Risch Zoutendam to talk about how medieval and early modern people were reading and encountering scripture. Highlights i...
Martin Luther in Fiction with Amy Mantravadi
30 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Grace welcomes historical fiction writer Amy Mantravadi to discuss the Reformers, just in time for Reformation Day! As a medievalist,...
Learning with the Mystics with Shannon K. Evans
16 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s episode, Grace welcomes her friend, Shannon K. Evans, to chat about that fascinating group of people that the church today often calls th...
Discovering John Duns Scotus with Thomas Ward
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today, Grace chats with Dr. Thomas M. Ward about the challenging Scottish philosopher and theologian, Blessed John Duns Scotus. He is also the very un...
Thinking through the Apostle Paul with Lynn Cohick
19 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today, Grace chats with Dr. Lynn Cohick on that enigmatic, fascinating, challenging apostle: St. Paul. Lynn H. Cohick (Ph.D., University of Pennsylv...
Women Writers of the Catholic Imagination with Haley Stewart
04 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Old Books with Grace is baaaaack for a fifth season! Grace welcomes Haley Stewart for the first episode of this season, on women novelists of the Cath...
Beholding Art & Shaping the Imagination with Lanta Davis
15 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this last episode of season four, Grace welcomes Dr. Lanta Davis to talk about spiritual formation in the beholding of the art of the past. Lanta D...
The World of Dietrich Bonhoeffer with Laura Fabrycky
01 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today Grace welcomes Laura Fabrycky to discuss the fascinating, stirring, challenging life and context of theologian and martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a...
The Power of Metaphors with Joy Clarkson
17 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As a forever English major, Grace loves figurative language. So she was delighted to welcome Dr. Joy Clarkson for this episode on the power of metapho...
Herbert: Four Early Modern Poets on Repentance, Lent 2024
29 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This year on Old Books with Grace, I am offering a Lent series on penitential poetry from Early Modern poets. That is, on poems of the past that refle...
Donne: Four Early Modern Poets on Repentance, Lent 2024
13 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This year on Old Books with Grace, I am offering a Lent series on penitential poetry from Early Modern poets. That is, on poems of the past that refle...
Sidney: Four Early Modern Poets on Repentance, Lent 2024
28 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This year on Old Books with Grace, I am offering a Lent series on penitential poetry from Early Modern poets. That is, on poems of the past that refle...
Traherne: Four Early Modern Poets on Repentance, Lent 2024
14 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to this year's Old Books with Grace Lent Series. This year's series is on penitential poetry. That is, on poems of the past that reflect on on...
Rediscovering Flannery O'Connor with Jessica Hooten Wilson
07 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Jessica Hooten Wilson joins Grace on this episode to discuss her new book, Why Do the Heathen Rage? A Behind-the-Scenes Look at a Work in Progres...
Cultural Christians in the Early Church with Nadya Williams
24 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace welcomes Nadya Williams, professor and author of Cultural Christians in the Early Church. What do the early Christians--and not just the martyrs...
Jesus, or Love: Advent 2023
20 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This year’s Advent series is about the poetry of the Holy Family, the center of Advent and Christmas. Today, we arrive to worship at the manger, bro...
Joseph, or Faith: Advent 2023
13 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the second episode in the 2023 Advent series of Old Books with Grace. Each Wednesday, this series will look at a member of the Holy Family-...
Mary, or Hope: Advent 2023
06 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the first episode in the Advent series for 2023. Each Wednesday, this series will look at a member of the Holy Family--Mary, Joseph, and Je...
Discovering Christian Poets in Translation with Burl Horniachek
22 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today, Burl Horniachek chats with Grace about pre-nineteenth-century Christian poetry from other parts of the world that he collected in a lovely volu...
The Joy of Louisa May Alcott with LuElla D’Amico
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Calling all Louisa May Alcott fans! In this episode, Grace chats with Americanist scholar LuElla D’Amico about children’s literature and the work ...
Beholding Jesus with Medieval Friends with Grace & Scott Hamman
25 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episode about Grace's new book, Jesus through Medieval Eyes: Beholding Christ with the Artists, Mystics, and Theologians of the Middle...
The Formative Power of the Imagination with Karen Swallow Prior
11 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Grace welcomes Karen Swallow Prior to discuss her brand-new book, The Evangelical Imagination: How Stories, Images, and Metaphors Created a Culture in...
Appreciating George MacDonald with Marianne Wright
27 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Grace chats with Marianne Wright on the novels and sermons of the great Victorian writer and Presbyterian minister, George MacDonald. Why did this som...
Women without Children in Church History with Elizabeth Felicetti
13 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this first episode of season four, Grace chats with Reverend Elizabeth Felicetti, author of Unexpected Abundance: The Fruitful Lives of Women Witho...
Augustine and Hope with Michael Lamb
31 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the last episode of season three, Grace talks with Dr. Michael Lamb on the great African bishop and theologian, St. Augustine of Hippo, and the vir...
Loving Christ our Mother with Julian of Norwich
17 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's a magical confluence of Mother's Day week, Grace's actual birthday, and the 650th anniversary of Julian's experience with God, so Grace had to ma...
Reading Art with Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt
03 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Normally, obviously, Grace talks about old books. But every now and then, OBWG presents an episode on old art. Because encountering old art is just as...
Learning like Shakespeare with Scott Newstok
19 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Grace chats with Dr. Scott Newstok on William Shakespeare (whose birthday is this week!) and the principles of a renaissance educatio...
Claude Atcho on The Picture of Dorian Gray: A Book that Changed Me, Lent 2023
05 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This year’s Old Books with Grace Lent series, called “A Book that Changed Me,” offers four different conversations with guests on a book of th...
Kaitlyn Schiess on A Wrinkle in Time: A Book that Changed Me, Lent 2023
22 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the third episode of the Lent series on Old Books with Grace, exploring literature, self-knowledge, and transformation. In today’s A Book...
Jason Baxter on Inferno: A Book that Changed Me, Lent 2023
08 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the second offering in this year's Old Books with Grace Lent series. “A Book that Changed Me” offers four different conversations with ...
Joy Clarkson on Silas Marner: A Book that Changed Me, Lent 2023
22 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the first offering in this year's Old Books with Grace Lent series. “A Book that Changed Me” offers four different conversations with g...
Enjoying Elizabeth Goudge with Julie Witmer
08 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Have you heard of the midcentury fiction writer, Elizabeth Goudge, author of classics like The Little White Horse or The Scent of Water? Julie Witmer,...
Modernism & T.S. Eliot with Tony Domestico
25 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Grace welcomes Dr. Anthony Domestico, author of Poetry and Theology in the Modernist Period and chair of the literature department at Purchase SUNY, ...
Dayspring: Advent 2022
21 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today, Grace concludes the Advent series with some very, very old poetry. Poetry, in fact, that you’re already familiar with. You likely sing a form...
Heaven Cannot Hold Him: Advent 2022
14 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to this year's Advent series on Old Books with Grace. This episode meditates on Christina Rossetti's A Christmas Carol, and William Lang...
Harke! Despair Away: Advent 2022
07 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this second installment of the Advent series on poetry, Grace meditates on George Herbert's marvelous poem, "The Bag." Listen to Herbert command ...
Were we led all this way for birth or death?: Advent 2022
30 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the first episode of the Advent 2022 series exploring Advent & Christmas poetry from the past, Dr. Grace Hamman meditates on T.S. Eliot's The Jour...
Praying with Puritans with Robert Elmer
09 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Grace welcomes Robert Elmer, the editor of Piercing Heaven: Prayers of the Puritans and Fount of Heaven: Prayers of the Early Church, the first two bo...
On Beauty and Literature with Sarah Clarkson
26 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Beauty is just as significant to our spiritual and moral lives as truth and goodness. Sarah Clarkson has often found this beauty in literature. Grace ...
The Delights of Dickens with Gina Dalfonzo
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Grace welcomes Gina Dalfonzo, editor of The Gospel in Dickens (Plough Publishing House) and founder and editor of Dickensblog, to chat all things Char...
The Beauty of Old English with Eleanor Parker
28 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Eleanor Parker joins Grace to discuss the beauty of Old English and her delightful new book on the Anglo-Saxon calendar year, Winters in the Worl...
The Love of Learning with Zena Hitz
14 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On the season premiere of Old Books With Grace, Grace welcomes Dr. Zena Hitz, author of Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life,...
God’s Love, Thomas Aquinas, and Tradition with Fritz Bauerschmidt
15 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this last episode of the season, Grace welcomes Dr. Fritz Bauerschmidt to chat about reading difficult authors of the past, like Thomas Aquinas, th...
C.S. Lewis & Medieval Humanism with Chris Armstrong
01 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Grace welcomes Dr. Chris Armstrong to the podcast to talk about his book, Medieval Wisdom for Modern Christians, and think through medieval Christia...
Talking Tolkien with Kaitlyn Facista
18 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Grace welcomes Kaitlyn Facista, creator of the online community Tea with Tolkien. Naturally, they drink tea and talk Tolkien! Topics of d...
Breaking Medieval Stereotypes with Beth Allison Barr
04 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Beth Allison Barr, author of Making Biblical Womanhood, is here and we are talking about history and how it shapes us, resisting the urge to impose ...
Contemplative Reading and Thomas Merton with Sophfronia Scott
16 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Grace welcomes Sophfronia Scott, author of The Seeker and the Monk, and director of the MFA creative writing program at Alma College. Sophfronia and...
Twentieth-Century Literature and Holiness with Jessica Hooten Wilson
02 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Grace welcomes Jessica Hooten Wilson to Old Books With Grace, to chat about her new book, The Scandal of Holiness: Renewing Your Imaginatio...
Prayer and Liturgy with Kayla Craig
19 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Grace welcomes Kayla Craig, author of To Light Their Way, a collection of prayers and liturgies for parents, and the creator of the wonderfully helpfu...
On Virtues and Fiction with Karen Swallow Prior
05 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Grace welcomes Dr. Karen Swallow Prior, professor and author of On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books. We talk about some of my ...
O Come All Ye Faithful: An Advent Meditation
22 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A bit on the history and meanings behind the Christmas song, "O Come All Ye Faithful." How might we follow the invitation in the chorus, "O come let u...
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing: An Advent Meditation
15 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Grace meditates on the robustly theological hymn by Charles Wesley, music by Felix Mendelssohn, "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing." What do we make of the...
The Coventry Carol: An Advent Meditation
08 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we encounter the Coventry Carol, which is the opposite of a holly, jolly Christmas song. It comes from medieval mystery plays, and is...
O Come O Come Emmanuel: An Advent Meditation
01 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Learn about the ancient history of the song, "O Come O Come Emmanuel" and meditate on its beauty and meaning just in time for Advent with Dr. Grace Ha...
Art & the Annunciation with Victoria Emily Jones
17 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Victoria Emily Jones of Art & Theology discusses some wonderful art depicting the Annunciation, from poetry to visual art, from medieval to modern day...
Thinking of Jesus as Our Mother With Shannon K. Evans
10 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Shannon Evans, author of Rewilding Motherhood, joins Grace to talk about the powerful and poignant image of Jesus as our Mother. How does this ancien...
From the Endless Knot to the Green Girdle: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, pt. IV
03 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
At last, Gawain comes to the mysterious, terrifying Green Chapel. What happens next? Find out, meditate on the results, and rejoice over the wonderful...
The Hunter and the Hunted: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, pt. III
27 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There are more traps at Bertilak's castle than you think, Gawain... and loads of stylish hunting poetry! Welcome to part III of the series on the incr...
Games, Gifts, and Icicles on Armor: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, pt.II
20 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Fitt II of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: Wander through the icy woods with Gawain as he searches for the Green Chapel, to meet his fate with the Gr...
A Beheading at a Feast: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, pt. 1
13 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Ever since the siege ceased at Troy, betrayal and treachery has ruled the forebears of Sir Gawain... so we are plunged into the fantastical fourteenth...
A Lovely Short Intro to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
06 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Want to think about a spooky, wonderful medieval poem together for October? This episode kicks off a series on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a poem...
Talking Austen and L‘Engle With Haley Stewart
29 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Grace Hamman welcomes podcaster, speaker, and fellow mom writer Haley Stewart of Carrots for Michaelmas and Fountains of Carrots. Haley and Grace chat...
Austen's Persuasion: Ch. 10-12 Vol. II with Scott Hamman
04 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Grace Hamman and her special guest this week, her husband Scott, discuss love, communication, resurrection, learning how to learn, and gush over A...
Austen's Persuasion: Ch. 7-9 Vol. II with Goodwyn Bell
28 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the penultimate week of the Summer Old Book Club! Grace invites her friend Goodwyn Bell to chat about the continuing drama with Mr. Elliot,...
Austen's Persuasion: Ch. 4-6 Vol II with Carol Irwin
21 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Week 6 of the Summer Old Book Club and perhaps the first ever podcast episode featuring a grandmother and her granddaughter discussing Per...
Austen's Persuasion: Ch. 1-3 Vol. II with Dr. Jessica Hines
14 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Grace welcomes Dr. Jessica Hines to the fifth week of the Summer Old Book Club discussing Jane Austen's Persuasion. Grace and Jessica talk about the m...
Austen's Persuasion: Ch. 10-12, Vol I with Chelsea Swanson
07 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Grace Hamman and her special guest and best friend since kindergarten, Chelsea Swanson, lose track of time as they endlessly dissect three chapter...
Austen's Persuasion: Ch. 7-9 Vol. I with Marisa Tualla
23 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to week three of reading Jane Austen's Persuasion with the Summer Old Book Club! Today, Grace chats with her old friend Marisa Tualla, a math ...
Austen's Persuasion: Ch. 4-6 Vol. 1 with John Irwin
17 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's week two of the Summer Old Book Club! Read alongside Grace and her brother, John Irwin, as they discuss chapters 4-6 of volume I of Jane Austen's...
Austen's Persuasion: Chapters 1-3 Vol. 1 with Dr. Jessica Ward
09 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the Summer Old Book Club with Jane Austen's Persuasion! Grace and Dr. Jessica Ward, an English professor at Mercy College in NYC and one o...
A Brief Introduction to Jane Austen
02 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We all know who Jane Austen is. But a little more context and background can help us to better understand her writing and her world, before we enter i...
Meditations on Henry Vaughan's "The Night"
05 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"There is in God, some say, / A deep but dazzling darkness..." What does Vaughan's famous line mean? Let's think about this beautiful poem and its Wel...
Dabbling in Old Words: Whole
21 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Feeling broken, distended, fragmented? Me too. This episode meditates upon spiritual and bodily wholeness, via the ancient origins of the word "whole"...
T.S. Eliot's "The Cultivation of Christmas Trees"
23 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Merry Christmas from Old Books With Grace! In this episode, I think about the great poet and thinker T.S. Eliot's midcentury poem, "The Cultivation of...
Welcome to Old Books With Grace!
14 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I'm Dr. Grace Hamman and I want to explore the intersections of literature and theology with you. Old books speak to us and allow us to break out of o...