The Inklings Variety Hour

The Magician's Nephew, Part 1: Of Rings and Ringing

17 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Happy Sixth Season of The Inklings Variety Hour! Would you like a present to mark the occasion? One of these fine rings, perhaps? No, not the green on...

Between Interpretation and Imagination: C.S. Lewis and the Bible

18 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Leslie Baynes joins Chris to talk about her new book, Between Interpretation and Imagination: C.S. Lewis and the Bible.  Among other things, we ...

Rebroadcast: The Gangurru of Lantern Waste

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Cryptids in Narnia! Happy Halloween! A parody of the excellent Camp Monsters podcast. Apologies for posting this twice--people with Apple Podcasts did...

Rebroadcast: The Gangurru of Lantern Waste

25 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Rebroadcast: Cryptids in Narnia! Parody of the excellent Camp Monsters podcast. Happy Halloween! Feel free to email us at [email protected]...

C.S. Lewis Ruins the Renaissance (OHEL Intro)

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Katherine Wyma joins me to discuss C.S. Lewis' longest and most ambitious undertaking: The Oxford History of English Literature in the Sixteenth C...

First Animated Hobbit

29 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Connor Salter joins me to talk about the first "animated" Hobbit, made by Rembrandt Films in 1966 to allow the studio to hold onto the rights for the ...

Narnia for Grown-Ups: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe

12 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Sørina Higgins joins me to talk about The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and why adults should read it. If you enjoyed this conversation and ...

The Abolition of Man: A Roundtable

15 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Chris invites several guests to talk about the following question in a two-hour roundtable special: To what extent is Lewis' The Abolition of Man pr...

Walking Tours

01 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Inklings are often characterized as mostly sedentary men who wrote about people going off on adventures. Yet for a few of them, the highlight of t...

NICE Alchemy! (That Hideous Strength)

17 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Joseph Weigel from the Men With Chests podcast joins me to talk about NICE Alchemy!  By which I don't mean, "Whoa, that was some really sweet alchem...

Leaf by Niggle

03 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ned Bustard and Matt Wheeler join me to discuss J.R.R. Tolkien's great allegory (or is it?) for the creative process, "Leaf by Niggle"! Enjoy! I am qu...

Pauline Baynes and Painting Wonder

19 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Katie Wray Schon joins us to talk about Pauline Baynes, the subject of her new book, Painting Wonder!  It's been a long-held goal of this podcast to...

Time and Language in Farmer Giles of Ham

05 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sorry for the extra wait for this one!  Eric Geddes, Jonathan Geltner, and Charlie Carter join me to talk Tolkien's Father Giles of Ham. Episode desc...

The Horse and His Boy, Part 4: The Rest of the Story

15 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Wheeler rejoins me for our final episode on The Horse and His Boy. More episode description to come! Featuring "Wonder of It All" by Matt Wheeler...

The Horse and His Boy, Part 3: Freedom

01 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you would like episodes of The Inklings Variety Hour to come out more often, please do consider leaving us a positive review. Singer-songwriter Ma...

Final Tolkien Reading Day: I Sit Beside the Fire and Think

26 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Finishing the Tolkien Reading Day Marathon: Enjoy "I Sit Beside the Fire and Think." (From the Old Winyards. Yes, these are reruns.) But a new episode...

Tolkien Reading Day: Tolkien Among the Ruins

26 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing the Tolkien Reading Day Marathon: Enjoy this talk with Jonathan Geltner about how Tolkien saves the future. After we're all dead, of course...

Tolkien Reading Day: The Shire

26 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing the Tolkien Reading Day Marathon: Enjoy this conversation about the Shire! (From the Old Winyards. Yes, these are reruns.) But a new episod...

Tolkien Reading Day: Fall of Arthur

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing the Tolkien Reading Day Marathon: Enjoy my talk with Jonathan Geltner about Tolkien's unfinished poem, "The Fall of Arthur." (From the Old ...

Tolkien Reading Day: Splintered Light

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing the Tolkien Reading Day Marathon: Enjoy my interview with Verlyn Flieger about Splintered Light. (From the Old Winyards. Yes, these are re...

Tolkien Reading Day: Imram

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing the Tolkien Reading Day Marathon: Enjoy "Imram." (From the Old Winyards. Yes, these are reruns.) But a new episode on The Horse and His Boy...

Tolkien Reading Day: The Hoard

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing the Tolkien Reading Day Marathon: Enjoy "The Hoard." (From the Old Winyards. Yes, these are reruns.) But a new episode on The Horse and His...

Tolkien Reading Day: Smith of Wootton Major, Part 2

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing the Tolkien Reading Day Marathon: Enjoy Smith of Wootton Major, Part 2!   (From the Old Winyards. Yes, these are reruns.) But a new episod...

Tolkien Reading Day: Smith of Wootton Major, Part 1

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing the Tolkien Reading Day Marathon of old episodes. Enjoy this first of two on Smith of Wootton Major! (From the Old Winyards. Yes, these are...

Tolkien Reading Day: Adaptations

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dipping into the Old Winyards this Tolkien reading day! Enjoy this conversation from a few years ago about Tolkien adaptations! Stay tuned...there are...

From the Old Winyards: Till We Have Faces Wrap-up! (Saturday Rerun)

22 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The finale of the Till We Have Faces series! Original episode description: Welcome to the finale of Till We Have Faces on The Inklings Variety Hour! ...

The Horse and His Boy, Part 2: Aravis

18 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Musician Matt Wheeler joins me to talk about Chapters 7-8 of The Horse and His Boy, specifically Shasta among the tombs (ghouls ahoy), and Aravis' ad...

From the Old Winyards: Till We Have Faces, Part 10 (Saturday Rerun)

15 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

More of our series on Till We Have Faces!

From the Old Winyards: Till We Have Faces, Part 9

08 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing to cover Till We Have Faces! 

The Horse and His Boy, Part 1: Calor-mania!

04 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's Season Five of The Inklings Variety Hour, episode one, and you know what that means! Time to return to the enchanting land of-- --record scratch...

From the Old Winyards: Till We Have Faces Part 8 (Saturday Rerun)

01 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sorry for the late upload, once again! I've been preparing for the new season! The first episode of Season 5, covering The Horse and His Boy, will be ...

From the Old Winyards: Till We Have Faces, Part 7 (Saturday Rerun)

22 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Apologies (again) for the late Saturday upload. Here's Part 7 of our Till We Have Faces series. Enjoy! Stay tuned for the first brand new episode of ...

From the Old Winyards: Till We Have Faces, Part 6 (Saturday Rerun)

15 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Apologies for the late upload! A new season of The Inklings Variety Hour is coming on Tuesdays in March, starting with The Horse and His Boy.  In the...

From the Old Winyards: Till We Have Faces, Part 5 (Saturday Rerun)

08 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A new season of The Inklings Variety Hour is coming your way in March! In the meantime, here's another rerun. Old description: This week, we are stil...

From the Old Winyards: Till We Have Faces, Part 4 (Saturday Rerun)

01 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From the vaults! More of C.S. Lewis' underrated final novel! Original description: In which Anika and Chris reveal the fairly shallow reason we had fo...

From the Old Winyards: Till We Have Faces, Part 3 (Saturday Rerun)

25 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Enjoy! Original Episode Description:  

From the Old Winyards: Till We Have Faces, Part 2 (Saturday Rerun)

18 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Till We Have Faces, Part 2! Here are the original shownotes: In the spirit of Groundhog's Day, Chris and Anika dig into Chapters 3-4 of Lewis' Till We...

From the Old Winyards: Till We Have Faces, Part 1 (Saturday Rerun)

11 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sorry about the late upload! Enjoy!   From the original episode description: Welcome back to The Inklings Variety Hour!  It's a new year, and Ungit ...

From the Old Winyards: Smith of Wootton Major, Part 2 (Saturday Rerun)

04 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Happy New Year! Kora Burton rejoins Chris to discuss Tolkien's last fairy (or is it faerie?) story, "Smith of Wootton Major" (1967).  Smith of Wootto...

From the Old Winyards: Smith of Wootton Major, Part 1 (Saturday Rerun)

28 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From the Old Winyards: It's Time for the Feast of Good Children (to which not many are invited). ___________________________________ Kora Burton joins...

An Inklings Christmas Carol (Repeat)

21 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For the first time, all three parts of last year's Christmas play are edited together. Enjoy, and Merry Christmas. Previous description: At last!  He...

From the Old Winyards: Tolkien's Father Christmas Letters (Saturday Rerun)

14 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Enjoy this gently used Christmas gift from Ghost of Inklings Variety Hours Past! It's an Inklings Variety Hour Jovial Christmas Extravaganza!  Featur...

The Wind in the Willows

10 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Chris is joined by Angela Teal and Marena Bleech of In the Burrow Books to discuss Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows! More episode descriptio...

Twelve Tide (Saturday Rerun)

07 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Original Description: O.G. Host Anika Smith rejoins the podcast to interview Chris and his beautiful and omnicompetent wife, Glencora, about their new...

Romanticism and the Inklings

05 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Author Jonathan Geltner and newcomer James Lapeyre join Chris to discuss the question that has doubtless kept all of us awake in the pre-dawn hours: W...

Friendship (from the Old, Old Winyards)

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Apologies for the audio quality on this one! It's the very first podcast Anika and I recorded, along with my wife, Glencora! It dates from 2018, when ...

C.S. Lewis Reading Day Livestream Announcement

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Join me (and a few other Lewis podcast hosts) on the Pints with Jack C.S. Lewis Reading Day Livestream. You can find it here: C. S. Lewis Reading Day ...

From the Old Winyards: War in Heaven, Part 5 (Saturday Rerun)

16 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sorry for the late Saturday upload! Another classic in the War in Heaven series. Welcome back!  In this final episode covering Charles Williams' spi...

From the Old Winyards: War In Heaven, Part 4 (Saturday Rerun)

09 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From the past! Original description: This is part four of our five-part discussion of War in Heaven, Charles' Williams' modern take on the Holy Graal...

Camp Narnia: The Gangurru (Camp Monsters Parody)

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you already listened to this, my apologies!  I think my releasing it the afternoon before Halloween (rather than the week before) meant that it wa...

From the Old Winyards: War in Heaven, Part 3 (Saturday Rerun)

02 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Another classic from the vaults.  Original description:  This week, we're covering Part III of Charles Williams' supernatural thriller, War in Heav...

Camp Narnia: The Gangurru (Halloween Bonus-Camp Monsters Parody)

30 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Cryptids in Narnia! Parody of the excellent Camp Monsters podcast. Happy Halloween! [email protected]  

From the Old Winyards: War In Heaven, Part 2 (Saturday Rerun)

26 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Another dip back into the old vaults for the second episode covering War in Heaven. Original shownotes:  We begin this second part of our series on ...

Operation Bungaree (Inkwell Chronicles Book 3)

22 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

J.D. Peabody joins Chris once again, this time to talk about the third and (for now) final installment of his Inkwell Chronicles series: Operation B...

From the Old Winyards: War In Heaven, Part 1 (Saturday Reruns)

19 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Here's another Saturday rerun. Original shownotes here: This is the first of a series of conversations on Charles Williams' 1930 novel, War in Heaven,...

From the Old Winyards: Is Narnia a Fairy-Story? (Saturday Rerun)

12 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An old favorite: This week, we follow up on our discussion of Tolkien's "On Fairy Stories" by applying some of his ideas to The Lion, the Witch, and t...

Arthurian Torso

08 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jonathan Geltner and Søri Higgins join Chris to discuss Arthurian Torso--a collection of Charles Williams' Arthuriana (his poems and a non-fiction bo...

From the Old Winyards: On Fairy Stories, Part 2: Recovery, Escape, Consolation (Saturday Rerun)

05 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Another episode from the vaults. Here's the original episode description:  Join Anika, Meagan, and Chris for the second half of our discussion of J.R...

From the Old Winyards: Tolkien's "On Fairy Stories," Pt 1 (Saturday Rerun)

28 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Recovered from the deeps of time...  

An Unexpected Podcast: On Hobbit Birthdays

22 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's been too long since we've done podcasts on Tolkien. I thought I'd record a fairly off-the-cuff episode on Hobbit birthdays in light of Bilbo's an...

From the Old Winyards: Into the Wardrobe Pt 3 (Saturday Rerun)

21 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Blast from the Icy past! Original shownotes: The third and final installment of our conversation on The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe enters some...

Prose and Poetry in Perelandra, with Don W. King

17 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Don W. King joins Chris to talk about Ruth Pitter's Perelandra Spenserian Stanzas! More episode description to come!

From the Old Winyards: Into the Wardrobe Pt 2 (Saturday Rerun)

14 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Another nostalgic Saturday rerun episode! Original shownotes:  Return to Narnia for the second part of our (three-part) discussion on The Lion, the W...

Pop-up Episode: Study Short Stories with Søri Higgins (Live! Almost!)

09 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Søri Higgins joins me to discuss her new class on short stories, opening tomorrow.  Along the way, we discuss other things as well, which I don't ha...

From the Old Winyards: Into the Wardrobe Pt 1 (Saturday Rerun)

07 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Thought I'd rerun some of these old episodes on Saturdays. Enjoy!   Original shownotes: Chris, Anika, and Meagan introduce themselves and the podcast...

Deeper Heaven and Perelandra with Christiana Hale

03 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Well, the glass coffin spaceship is sitting there in front of him, giving him that look, but Chris isn't ready to leave Perelandra just yet. In this e...

Perelandra, Part 5: The End

20 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Thanks to all who have left reviews and feedback! Due to a very busy schedule (with school starting, etc.), I can no longer afford to edit/publish thi...

Perelandra, Part 4: The Fight

06 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Thanks to all who have left reviews and feedback! Due to a very busy schedule, I can no longer afford to edit/publish this podcast more than twice a m...

Perelandra, Part 3: Ransom? Ransom? Ransom?

23 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you like this podcast, please give it a five-star review on iTunes and share it with your friends.  If you have questions, comments, or advice, em...

Perelandra, Part 2: The Force Uses Weston

16 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Charlie Carter from the Thinklings Podcast, and Joseph Weigel, from Men With Chests, join me to talk about Chapters 4-8 of Perelandra.  We do a lot ...

Perelandra, Part 1: The Trouble with Oyarses

09 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I hope you enjoy this, the first of a few (I think about five) episodes on Perelandra, commonly considered the best of Lewis' Ransom Trilogy books. ...

Owen Barfield's "Night Operation" (Conclusion)

02 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Charlie Carter from the Thinklings podcast talks with Chris about the rest of Owen Barfield's dystopian novella, Night Operation.  More description ...

Poetry Thursday: Charles Williams does G.M. Hopkins

27 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An unpublished imitation of Gerard Manley Hopkins' style about the "On Earth as it is" part of the "Our Father." Charles Williams makes an astute theo...

Owen Barfield's "Night Operation"

25 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

"Dance like no one is understanding your bizarre esoteric philosophy." Find this and other fitness tips on this episode, when we finally get into Owen...

Poetry Thursday(?): Sir Orfeo excerpt, Tolkien Translation

21 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is long and late, but I wanted to do part of Tolkien's translation of Sir Orfeo, followed by a few ideas, followed by an awkward reading of the ...

The Inklings as Writing Group with Diana Glyer

18 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If there's one scholar whose work captures the spirit of what this podcast tries to do, it's Diana Glyer, author of The Company They Keep, Bandersnatc...

Poetry Thursday: "The Adam Unparadised," by C.S. Lewis

13 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Another of Lewis' "Adam" poems.  This time, with monsters. Apologies for my unchancy pronunciation of "wind." Just pretend he's playing the "winding ...

The Inklings as Creative Writers with Sørina Higgins

11 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Friend of the show and Inklings scholar Sørina Higgins joins Chris for a brief but substantive discussion about the Inklings as creative writers. Thi...

Poetry Thursday: "The Adam at Night," by C.S. Lewis

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One of my new favorite poems by Lewis. For some reason, he's really good at writing about planets as well as myth...hmm... You can find it in Poems. N...

Middle Grade Authors, Christianity, and Publishing, with J.D. Peabody

04 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Part two of our "all the right books"/summer reading series. As always, please do give us a five-star review on iTunes if you like this podcast. J.D. ...

Pop-up Episode: Hey! Tom Bombadil!

01 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Chris has G. Connor Salter back on the show to discuss Tom Bombadil in Rings of Power, as well as Tom Bombadil more generally. See you Tuesday!

Poetry Thursday: "The Man in the Moon Stayed Up Too Late," by J.R.R. Tolkien

30 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

J.R.R. Tolkien was a pretty good nonsense poet. You can find this poem in the chapter "At the Sign of the Prancing Pony" in The Fellowship of the Rin...

Summer Reading Lists with In the Burrow Books

28 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

(Apple won't post all the shownotes to this because of limited space; feel free to click on the show website below for more recommendations. Meanwhile...

Nightmare Alley and Bill Gresham

23 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Poetry Thursday will be back next week!  Today, we have our normal show, which was displaced by the Pop-Up Pop Rings of Power Teaser Reaction Tuesday...

Pop-up Episode: Rings of Power Season 2 Trailer Reaction

21 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The teaser for season two of the "Rings of Power" has Chris in an unusually curmudgeonly mood, doubting whether there is indeed a reason for this seas...

Poetry Thursday: "The Future of Forestry," by C.S. Lewis

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sorry for the late upload! This is a fairly rambly meditation on C.S. Lewis' "The Future of Forestry."  Also, intellectual and political history pain...

"The House by the Stable" by Charles Williams (with Jason Will)

14 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you're enjoying this podcast, please leave us a six-star review! Failing that, you can always leave a five-star one. Also, I'd love to hear from yo...

Poetry Thursday: "I Sit Beside the Fire and Think," by J.R.R. Tolkien

09 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Comin' at you from "The Ring Goes South," in The Fellowship of the Ring.  Enjoy, and sorry about the poor audio quality!

"The Golden Key," by George MacDonald

07 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Chris is joined by Eric Geddes, longtime friend of the show, to talk about George MacDonald's bizarre-yet-beautiful fairy story, "The Golde...

Poetry Thursday: "To Charles Williams," by C.S. Lewis

02 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lewis' poem in memory of Charles Williams. Quotations come from The Making of C.S. Lewis, by Harry Lee Poe, and Collected Letters, vol. 2, edited by...

Adapting Tolkien (Rerun)

30 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We have a lot more new episodes waiting for you, including a trip to the borders of Faerie with George MacDonald, a Night Operation with Owen Barfield...

Poetry Thursday: "Surprised by Joy," by William Wordsworth

25 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This poetry Thursday, we're taking on "Surprised by Joy," the sonnet by William Wordsworth that gave Lewis' 1955 memoir its title.  But beyond a titl...

C.S. Lewis, Trauma, and the World Wars

23 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As always, if you enjoy this program, please leave us a five-star review on iTunes.     Dr. Katherine Wyma joins Chris to talk about how Lewis' wri...

Poetry Thursday: "On Meeting Shakespeare," by Charles Williams

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Enjoy this short, early poem by Charles Williams! Many thanks to Sørina Higgins for reading (as well as her counsel and help with this podcast genera...

Race to Krakatoa (Inkwell Chronicles), with J.D. Peabody

17 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you're enjoying The Inklings Variety Hour, then... please... leave us a review with five stars on iTunes or Apple Music, or whatever. Yes, we're ta...

Poetry Thursday: "The Hoard," by J.R.R. Tolkien

10 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we've got another by Tolkien.  You can find it in Tales from the Perilous Realm, which collects The Adventures of Tom Bombadil in which ...

The Silver Chair, Part 5: Malice in Underland

09 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The finale of our series on The Silver Chair!  We have a lot of great stuff to say, but I have a ten-month-old with an ear infection and it is the l...

Poetry Thursday: "On the Circuit," by W.H. Auden

04 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Was Auden an Inkling? No. No, he wasn't. But have we played him reading a stanza of this poem (in which he mentions Williams and Tolkien) every week w...

The Silver Chair, Part 4: How to Cook For Forty Giants

02 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you're enjoying The Inklings Variety Hour and want to support the show without paying us a dime, please consider leaving us a review on iTunes.  ...

Poetry Thursday: "The Birth of Language," by C.S. Lewis

28 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you're enjoying the podcast, please consider leaving us a review on itunes.  If you're not, you probably have better things to do with your time t...