III. Trials of the Valar Episode 102: Dr. Verlyn Flieger, Part 2

Episode 102: Dr. Verlyn Flieger, Part 2

In this second part of the interview with Dr. Flieger, we discuss many of her essays. We use “The Body in Question: the Unhealed Wounds of Frodo Baggins” as a vehicle for discussing Raiken. We talk about Numenor in “Drowned Lands” and whether it is possible for sailors to find Meneltarma after the breaking of …

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III. Trials of the Valar Episode 101: Dr. Verlyn Flieger, Part 1

Episode 101: Dr. Verlyn Flieger, Part 1

Kick off the last chapter of the trilogy with Dr. Flieger. Listen as we discuss Tolkien’s larger body of work, such as: The Lost Road, The Notion Club Papers, The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, On Fairy-Stories, and Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics. Learn about the concept of “eucatastrophe” and how that relates to the …

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II. Rise of the Mormegil Episode 99: Forty Years of David Day

Episode 99: Forty Years of David Day

Join me as I chat with Canadian author, David Day. We talk about his four decades of writing books for Tolkien fans, his love of poetry, his days as a lumberjack, his interactions with members of Monty Python, his friendships with Alan Lee and John Howe, and his misunderstanding with the Tolkien Society.

II. Rise of the Mormegil Episode 95: Finishing with Feredir

Episode 95: Finishing with Feredir

Marco comes back to chat with us about the changes Feredir has gone through. He laments the loss of Anguirel, and discusses this continuation of the Túrin Turambar story. He hints at an explosive ending to part two, Rise of the Mormegil.

II. Rise of the Mormegil Episode 91: Wayfinding with Mark Fonstad

Episode 91: Wayfinding with Mark Fonstad

In this episode, we talk to a professor of Geography at the University of Oregon, Mark Fonstad. He happens to be the son of Karen Wynn Fonstad, the cartographer responsible for the Atlas of Middle Earth. We discuss Karen’s path into map making and how the idea for the Atlas came about. Mark gives background …

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II. Rise of the Mormegil Episode 86: Raiken & Tentacle Monsters

Episode 86: Raiken & Tentacle Monsters

In this interview with Josh, we learn about Raiken’s character development through part two of the trilogy. We discuss the difficulty as players and game masters in creating memorable and creative moments. And for the first time in 86 episodes, the interviewer becomes the interviewee.

II. Rise of the Mormegil Episode 85: Burin Part Deux: It’s All About the Dex

Episode 85: Burin Part Deux: It’s All About the Dex

Join Spriggz and the game master as they discuss Rise of the Mormegil. Get inside the mind of the original barbarian from the Bastards. Learn about what motivated Burin throughout the campaign, and why this may be the last solo Spriggz interview.

II. Rise of the Mormegil Episode 80: Interview with Michael Drout, Part 2

Episode 80: Interview with Michael Drout, Part 2

In this, the second part of Dr. Drout’s interview, we discuss how Tolkien reversed the epistemic regime by telling the story from the point of view of the least knowledgeable character. We discuss the inevitable chapter 2, Treatise of Tedium, that most of the time plague fantasy and science fiction writers (but not Tolkien). And …

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II. Rise of the Mormegil Episode 79: Interview with Michael Drout, Part 1

Episode 79: Interview with Michael Drout, Part 1

In this episode we talk to Professor Michael Drout from Wheaton College. We learn why so many scholars think it is important to talk about how to read Tolkien. We discuss how Tolkien created an “impression of depth” through his vast size and intricate detail in his writings. And we learn about Dr. Drout’s first …

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