The Inklings Variety Hour
Episodes
The Silver Chair, Part 3: Glum and Glamour
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you enjoy this podcast, please rate us on iTunes and leave a positive review. If you'd like to reach out to us or suggest ideas for an episode, ema...
Poetry Thursday: "The Sparrow's Skull," by Ruth Pitter
21 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome again to the new "Poetry Thursday" feature of The Inklings Variety Hour. This week, we're reading a poem by Ruth Pitter, someone who was not a...
The Silver Chair, Part 2: Owlectric Boogaloo-whoo
19 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you're enjoying The Inklings Variety Hour, please leave us a five-star review on . We'd also love to hear from you--email us at inklingsvarietyho...
Poetry Thursday: "Imram," by J.R.R. Tolkien
14 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We're trying a new thing this season--each Thursday, I plan to release a brief recording of a poem by one of the Inklings. This is more or less dire...
The Silver Chair, Part 1: Signs and Blunders
12 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Please leave a five-star review of this podcast if you enjoy it. We'd also love to hear from you--feel free to send us an email at inklingsvarietyho...
An Inklings Christmas Carol (Part 3 of 3)
04 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The last (weirdest) part of Chris' "An Inklings Christmas Carol." Oh, didn't realize it was still Christmas, did you? Well, it is, but it's getting ...
An Inklings Christmas Carol (Part 2 of 3)
25 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Enjoy, and have a Merry Christmas! Part 3 will post in a week or so (which is, by the way, still Christmastide). Thanks to Joe Hoffman, Ed Powell, and...
An Inklings Christmas Carol (Part 1 of 3)
23 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
At last! Here is the first part of a (Zoom) table reading of my "play" (loosely defined), "An Inklings Christmas Carol." Two more (longer) parts...
Twelve Tide (Pipkin Book)
12 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
O.G. Host Anika Smith rejoins the podcast to interview Chris and his beautiful and omnicompetent wife, Glencora, about their new Christmas resource bo...
C.S. Lewis Has a Reading Day? (Crossover with All About Jack!)
29 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Happy November 29, or as it's newly-known in Jack-conscious circles, C.S. Lewis Reading Day! Join William O'Flaherty and Chris as we play Schroeder to...
Coming soon...
27 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Just a quick announcement about some bonus content coming your way in the next few weeks: If you want to hear the first part of my conversation with W...
New Charles Williams Poems!
06 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this special edition of The Inklings Variety Hour, Sørina Higgins joins me to discuss an exciting discovery she made while perusing Charles Willia...
Barfield, Tolkien, and ”Splintered Light,” with Verlyn Flieger
16 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Verlyn Flieger rejoins me to talk about her first important work--and really the first very important work on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion--Spli...
Dawn Treader: Retreaded, with Children
10 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sorry for the late post! Sorry also that this is mostly (but not entirely) old material. Despite that, it took a long, long time to edit! I wasn't...
Shall These Bones Breathe? by Sørina Higgins
02 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Chris speaks with Dr. Sørina Higgins about her developing short story collection, Shall These Bones Breathe? We also talk a bit about writing and the...
Promo: ”Ghost Food” by Chris Pipkin
29 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Just a quick ad for a story I've published in Flash Fiction Magazine. You can find it here. Enjoy! If you like it and want to support a collection ...
The Shire
26 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sophie Burkhardt joins me to talk about the nature of Tolkien's Shire and its role in his work. (No long episode description this time--I am on vacati...
Tolkien Among the Ruins: ”The New Transcendentalism”
19 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jonathan Geltner joins the show once again to discuss his essay, "The New Transcendentalism." We ask, and attempt to answer the question: "What would ...
Tolkien’s The Fall of Arthur
12 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you liked this episode, give us a rating and review on iTunes so that other people can find us. We'd love to hear from you, so reach out to me at...
Roger Lancelyn Green’s King Arthur
05 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sorry for the late post--it just didn't sit right to publish an episode on the most iconic British monarch during my country's Independence Day celebr...
Exploding Lewis Myths with Harry Lee Poe (Becoming C.S. Lewis)
27 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you're enjoying the show, please do rate us on iTunes! Also, we'd love to hear from you at [email protected]. Hal Poe joins the show ...
Ruth Pitter, with Don W. King
20 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Chris interviews Don W. King about Ruth Pitter, a superb and often-overlooked poet who was friends with Lewis and many of the other Inklings. Don al...
Aliens and C.S. Lewis (”Religion and Rocketry”), with Jordan Duncan
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As a kind of epilogue to Out of the Silent Planet, Chris talks with Jordan Duncan from Lesser-Known Lewis about C.S. Lewis' 1958 essay, "Religion and ...
Michael Drout: The Liberal Arts and Beowulf
08 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Renowned Beowulf and Tolkien scholar Michael Drout joins me to talk about the two projects he is publishing through Signum University Press--How to L...
Rerun: Mythopoeia (Reading)
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We should be back on Thursday to bring you an interview with Michael Drout. But until then, enjoy Tolkien's "Mythopoeia," read by Anika Smith in Seaso...
Verlyn Flieger: A Waiter Made of Glass
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tolkien scholar Verlyn Flieger joins Chris to talk about her new book, A Waiter Made of Glass, a collection of short stories and poems recently publis...
David C. Downing: Out of the Silent Planet, Part 4
30 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you're enjoying The Inklings Variety Hour, please consider giving us a review on Apple Podcasts. We'd also love to hear from you, so feel free to s...
The Flower of the Cedar, with Kay Ben-Avraham
25 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kay Ben-Avraham joins me to talk about her new (and still emerging) book, The Flower of the Cedar, which is about a dryad's journey to find her hearts...
Out of the Silent Planet, Part 3
23 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We have a Substack page at inklingsvarietyhour.substack.com. Head there if you have comments to make about this or any episode! It may be desolate a...
Out of the Silent Planet, Part 2
16 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you're enjoying this podcast, please rate it on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts! Also, we'd love to hear from you! Email us at inklingsv...
Out of the Silent Planet, Part 1
09 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you enjoy this podcast, please rate it on iTunes, or wherever in the world you get your podcasts! Please feel free to drop me a line at inklingsv...
Rerun: Till We Have Faces, Part 1
02 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Feeling nostalgic while running through the grading gauntlet, Chris dips back into what was probably the most widely-listened-to episode of the Inklin...
USSR LOTR (Khraniteli, 1991)
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Internet, like Sauron, just keeps on giving. Kora Burton and Jonathan Geltner join Chris to talk about one of its strangest and most recent Tolk...
Rerun: Is Narnia a Fairy Story? (2020)
18 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Editing and releasing a podcast once a week is difficult. Editing a releasing a podcast once a week while grading end-of-term papers is...more difficu...
Adapting Tolkien
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jonathan Geltner and Eric Geddes join Chris to talk about their favorite adaptations of Tolkien's Legendarium in this fairly self-indulgent and digres...
The Inkwell Chronicles
04 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
J.D. Peabody has written a middle-grade novel that features the Inklings! We're accordingly interviewing him on The Inklings Variety Hour! Our convers...
Charles Williams Q&A
28 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Once again--there were problems with the original file. This should be corrected now. Please delete and redownload, and thank you for your patience! T...
Absolute Music, with Jonathan Geltner
22 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The second of a two-part conversation with author Jonathan Geltner--about his highly-acclaimed debut novel, Absolute Music--a literary novel about fa...
The Neverending Story
21 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If this automatically downloaded and says it is 1 hour 30 minutes long, it is the wrong version of the episode. Delete the episode and redownload. So...
Dawn Treader, Part 2
14 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Episode description to come! It's late! (Sorry about some of the audio quality! I'm learning!--Chris)
Dawn Treader, part 1
07 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As Season Three of the Inklings Variety Hour begins, worlds collide! David Bates, of Pints with Jack fame, is hoisted aboard our primitive, deckchai...
Season 3 Trailer
04 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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....
An Inklings Christmas (”Inklings Variety Hour Christmas Spectacular Extravaganza”)
19 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 i...
The Princess and the Goblin Part 3 (Season 2 Finale)
05 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The previous version of this audio file left out the final seven minutes of the episode. Those responsible have been sacked. Hopefully this re-upl...
Running Up That Hill (Stranger Th[Inkl]ings Bonus Pop Culture Pod)
09 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 Inklin...
The Medieval Mind of C.S. Lewis: A Conversation with Jason M. Baxter
02 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ch...
The Princess and the Goblin, by George MacDonald, Part 2
12 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 a...
And what is a Goblin?
05 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 Prin...
The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald, Part 1
28 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 Inkli...
The Inklings On Friendship
21 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 its...
The Misquotable C.S. Lewis: An Interview with William O’Flaherty
14 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Charles Williams and the end of _Descent Into Hell_: An Interview with Dr. Sørina Higgins
07 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This final episode on Charles Williams' "spiritual thriller," Descent Into Hell, takes the form of an interview with modernist scholar Sørina Higgi...
Tolkien in Ten: Eärendil
31 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 figu...
Descent Into Hell by Charles Williams (Ch. 8-10)
24 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sorina Higgins and Sophie Burkhardt join Chris to discuss Chapters 8-10 of Charles Williams' Descent Into Hell. Episode Description to Come!
Descent Into Hell by Charles Williams (Ch. 6-7)
17 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Chris, Logan, and Sophie discuss Charles Williams' novel Descent Into Hell, chapters 6-7. Among other things, we discuss The Unusual Structure of De...
Descent Into Hell by Charles Williams (Ch. 5-6)
10 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Descent Into Hell by Charles Williams (Chapters 3-4)
03 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sophie, Meagan, David, and Sorina join us for Descent Into Hell--possibly Charles Williams' most profound novel. You can find the new audiobook by A...
Descent Into Hell by Charles Williams (Chapters 1-2)
26 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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.) Meag...
Smith of Wootton Major (Part 2 of 2)
19 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 sho...
Smith of Wootton Major (Part 1 of 2)
12 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 Tolki...
Prince Caspian (Part 3: Lords and Lycanthropes? Romps and Rivers? Badgers and Bridges?)
05 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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: Log...
Prince Caspian (Part 2: Bears and Bacchanals!)
29 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
(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...
Prince Caspian (Part 2: Bears and Bacchanals!)
29 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 Huggin...
Prince Caspian (Part 1: Creeks and Constellations!)
22 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Till We Have Faces Finale (Book 2)
08 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 f...
Till We Have Faces - Chapters 18-21
01 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Four Lewis Poems
29 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Not quite in time for his death-day (or even the anniversary of his death-day), here is a reading of four poems by C.S. Lewis. We at the Inklings Vari...
Till We Have Faces - Chapters 16-17
28 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If you're enjoying The Inklings Variety Hour, please give us a rating on iTunes. We'd also love to hear from you about what you'd like to see on the...
"Taliessin on the Death of Virgil" on the death-day of Charles Williams
15 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This special bonus episode commemorating Charles Williams' passing features the triumphant return of Meagan Logsdon (whose birthday coincides with her...
Till We Have Faces - Chapters 14-15
11 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If you're enjoying these podcasts, feel free to drop us a line and let us know at [email protected]. We'd appreciate a review on iTunes ...
Till We Have Faces - Chapters 12-13
27 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If you like this podcast, please give us a review in iTunes! Also, we'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]. This...
Till We Have Faces - Chapters 10-11 with Andrew Lazo
13 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we're talking with Andrew Lazo, author, speaker, and noted Till We Have Faces and C.S. Lewis scholar. You can find additional informat...
Till We Have Faces - Chapters 9-10
27 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Inklings Variety Hour is back! Apologies for the extra-long wait this time! This week, we are still hiking up the enchanting mountain that is Ti...
Till We Have Faces - Chapters 7-8
09 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In which Anika and Chris reveal the fairly shallow reason we had for doing Till We Have Faces this year and accidentally endorse human sacrifice. Mo...
Till We Have Faces - Chapters 5-6
23 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With special guest star and Inklings scholar, Sørina Higgins! Our conversation about Till We Have Faces, C.S. Lewis' final novel, continues, wit...
Dorothy and Jack: An Interview with Gina Dalfonzo
09 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
[Something went wrong with the previous file and only half the interview was working--hopefully this new file corrects things--apologies!] This week, ...
Till We Have Faces - Chapters 3-4
02 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the spirit of Groundhog's Day, Chris and Anika dig into Chapters 3-4 of Lewis' Till We Have Faces, which retells the Cupid and Psyche myth. We ...
Till We Have Faces- Chapters 1-2
19 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to The Inklings Variety Hour! It's a new year, and Ungit has only just hatched out of her egg-house (or something), but already, your i...
Tolkien's Father Christmas Letters
23 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's an Inklings Variety Hour Jovial Christmas Extravaganza! Featuring: A Discussion of J.R.R. Tolkien's Letters from Father Christmas! Chris Pipkin...
Is Narnia a Fairy Story?
15 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 the Wardrobe. We...
"On Fairy Stories" - Pt. 2: Recovery, Escape, Consolation
08 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Join Anika, Meagan, and Chris for the second half of our discussion of J.R.R. Tolkien's essay "On Fairy Stories." Among other things, we talk about ...
Happy C.S. Lewis Day!
29 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Happy "Commemoration of C.S. Lewis Day." Rolls off the tongue, doesn't it? Here's a quick reading from Walter Hooper's Introduction to "The Weight...
"On Fairy Stories" - Pt. 1: A Rash Adventure with J.R.R. Tolkien
20 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"By the tobacco-tinted teeth of Tolkien! It's the walrus of the OED, and he wants revenge on those who once defined him!" We're waxing philosophic...
Appendix 2: Mythopoeia
06 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we have J.R.R. Tolkien's "Mythopoeia," read by Anika Smith! You can find the text of the poem online if you want to read along, or you can ...
War (in Heaven): What is it Good For? - Pt. 5/5
29 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back! In this final episode covering Charles Williams' spiritual thriller, War in Heaven, we discuss the conclusion of the book! What doe...
War (in Heaven): What is it Good For? - Pt. 4
22 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is part four of our five-part discussion of War in Heaven, Charles' Williams' modern take on the Holy Graal Quest. In the chapters we discuss ...
War (in Heaven): What is it Good For? - Pt. 3
15 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we're covering Part III of Charles Williams' supernatural thriller, War in Heaven, in which the good guys (The Archdeacon, Kenneth Morning...
War (in Heaven): What is it Good For? - Pt. 2
08 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We begin this second part of our series on War in Heaven with the Archdeacon's words to the Holy Graal (yes, that's how it's spelled). We end as a ...
War (in Heaven): What is it Good For? - Pt 1
01 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is the first of a series of conversations on Charles Williams' 1930 novel, War in Heaven, in which the Holy Graal (yes, that's how it's spelled ...
Appendix 1: "Balder the Beautiful Is Dead"...Sort Of.
25 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We're taking this week off, but here's a quick reading of Longfellow's "Tegner's Drapa," a poem that acquainted the nine-year-old C.S. Lewis with an e...
Into the Wardrobe - Pt. 3
18 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The third and final installment of our conversation on The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe enters some interesting territory as Chris, Anika, and M...
Into the Wardrobe - Pt. 2
11 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Return to Narnia for the second part of our (three-part) discussion on The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Find out the intrepid trio's thoughts o...
Into the Wardrobe - Pt. 1
04 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Chris, Anika, and Meagan introduce themselves and the podcast before promptly stepping through that magical wardrobe in the first (yes, first) of C. S...