Cryptids in Narnia! Happy Halloween! A parody of the excellent Camp Monsters podcast. Apologies for posting this twice--people with Apple Podcasts didn't seem to be getting it, so I'm trying again with a new file! inklingsvarietyhour@gmail.com  

Rebroadcast: Cryptids in Narnia! Parody of the excellent Camp Monsters podcast. Happy Halloween! inklingsvarietyhour@gmail.com  

Dr. Katherine Wyma joins me to discuss C.S. Lewis' longest and most ambitious undertaking: The Oxford History of English Literature in the Sixteenth Century, Excluding Drama. Or, as he called it, the OHEL. It lay, he said, "like a nightmare on my chest." It's a brilliant work of scholarship, and we highly recommend it. But just in case you can't make it through 700 pages of paradigm-shattering, witty and insightful prose about the greatest (and worst) poets of the sixteenth century, we've got you covered. We'll be discussing the highlights from the Introduction here, and from subsequent chapters in subsequent podcasts. So, put on your best pair of pantaloons and join us for this romp through what used to be called the Renaissance (but isn't usually anymore, thanks in part to Lewis). Today, we'll cover just the introduction to his work, entitled: New Learning and New Ignorance.  Questions? Concerns? Criticisms? Compliments? Complaints? Condolements? Candy? Email us at inklingsvarietyhour@gmail.com.  

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 film. Feel free to watch it here before you listen! It is...something. By the way, I am aware of the fact that the sound is not ideal in this, and I apologize for some of the problems in quality. I am taking steps (as soon as possible) to remedy this. As always, feel more than free to email me at inklingsvarietyhour@gmail.com. Thank you for listening, and I'd love to hear from you. By the way, I have no idea why my software cut off the music at the end, but it seems to have. Hopefully no one was too bothered by that.

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 would like to take Sørina's course on the same, go here: https://wyrdhoard.com/2025/07/18/come-through-the-wardrobe-with-me/ We get into a lot of really interesting subjects related to Narnia here, and The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe in particular. I don't have time to detail them in the show notes this time. See you in two weeks! There will be far less of a break between seasons this year, as I still have plenty of material to share (and quite a few upcoming conversations). It's just a matter of finding time to edit as the school year begins. Stay tuned! 

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 prescient or prophetic?  I really enjoyed this roundtable discussion between: Nathan Gilmour James LaPeyre Joseph Weigel and Jonathan Geltner I hope you will, too.  We talk a lot about the following subjects: What Lewis means by "nature" Whether Lewis is, being coy, retreating into simplicity, playing a "forced card trick" or some other manner of knavish chicanery Whether Lewis eternalizes historically contingent ideas, such as the Romantic view of the sublime Wittgenstein McIntyre Barfield The importance of story Whether the difference between moderns and ancients is as great as Lewis assumes Whether we should have that appendix out or not Feel free to shoot me an email if you'd like to add your two cents! I know, this isn't exactly beach listening, but I sure enjoyed it. We'll be back again in two weeks with lighter fare.

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 their year was the chance to go on walking tours throughout England. It's unlikely, in fact, that they would have been able to describe the adventures of, say, Elwin Ransom, or the three friends in Night Operation if they didn't take these rambles (and write about them!) from time to time.  With me to talk about the Inklings' walking tours are Inklings scholars Sørina Higgins, Don W. King, and (for the first time), Owen A. Barfield, grandson of Owen Barfield.  We cover a lot of ground during this conversation. Topics include: What exactly a walking tour is/was The walking tours Jack and Warnie took versus those Jack took with the "Cretaceous Perambulators" (Barfield and others) Why these excursions tended to be documented a bit better than Inklings' meetings at Magdalen Humor and bawdy among the Inklings Connection between walking, talking, and working ideas out "The Inkling Impulse" What different Inklings looked for in a successful walking tour Influence of the walking tours in the Inklings' fiction My thanks to all three of my illustrious guests for joining me. You can find more about them and their work here: Sørina Higgins Don W. King Owen A. Barfield See you in two weeks' time! As always, please do rate the podcast, and if you have ideas or responses, please do email me at inklingsvarietyhour@gmail.com.  

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 alchemy you were doing just now, dude! NICE!" But rather, the connection between science and magic as practiced by the National Institute for Co-ordinated Experiments (N.I.C.E.) in C.S. Lewis' final novel in his space trilogy, That Hideous Strength. It's weird stuff. And Merlin's involved, naturally. That guy. This is part discussion, part interview, because Joseph has recently published an article in Sehnsucht about connections between the N.I.C.E.'s experiments and alchemy. Read it here: https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/cslewisjournal/vol18/iss1/11/ Also, be on the lookout for Joseph's forthcoming book, Planet Thulcandra. It hasn't come out as of the publication of this podcast, but it's on its way! Be sure to check out Men With Chests while you're at it!   There is a lot more to come this season! It seems likely that (because this is only coming out once every two weeks), it will extend well into the Fall. In the vault, I have: A roundtable on The Abolition of Man A conversation about the Walking Tours that members of the Inklings took A discussion of George MacDonald's Lilith A series on the OHEL ...and quite a bit more. Shoot me an email to say hi if you're listening--I appreciate hearing from people who enjoy this podcast! And please do leave a rating and review if you can. It's nice to know when this is actually getting heard by someone!

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 quite excited about this episode. And check out Ned and Matt's stuff! I will post links! I will! In the meantime, I've given you the spelling of their first and last names, above. Notable works include, but are not restricted to: Every Moment Holy, The Lost Tales of Sir Galahad, The Wonder of It All. You're welcome. More episode description to come, but it's been another late night editing, and I have small children who wake up early, you monster! Think of them. Liked the episode? Give us a five-star review. Want to weigh in on the red-hot-button allegory controversy? Shoot me an email: inklingsvarietyhour@gmail.com  

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 devote at least one episode to Pauline Baynes--who, while not an Inkling, illustrated both the Narnia chronicles and many of Tolkien's short stories--in addition to being one of the best illustrators of the 20th Century. Luckily, Katie Wray Schon has just written and published a children's picture book about Baynes' life, and she joins me to talk about both her work and Baynes'. We talk about Baynes' life--her childhood in India, her discovery of storybooks at dreary British boarding school, her work for the British Navy in WWII, and her career as an illustrator. Sadly, many of the non-Narnian books Baynes illustrated or created are now out of print or hard to obtain. They include, but aren't limited to: I Believe: The Nicene Creed Noah and the Ark Questionable Creatures: A Bestiary Good King Wenceslas A Dictionary of Chivalry, by Grant Uden Miracle Plays: Seven Medieval Plays for Modern Players, by Anne Malcolmson All Things Bright and Beautiful The Arabian Nights, by Amabel Williams-Ellis The Snail and the Caterpillar, by Helen Piers Let There Be Light It would be a worthy project for someone (perhaps a new small press, or even an old, big one) to begin publishing these books again.  In the meantime, of course, pick up Katie Wray Schon's book! Thanks for listening, as always! We'll see you again in two weeks! To drop me a note or an episode suggestion, write inklingsvarietyhour@gmail.com To encourage all those (okay, mainly me) who make this podcast possible, leave us (or me) a five-star review on itunes!   We've (okay, I've) got a lot more fantastic episodes coming this season, including: Leaf by Niggle with Ned Bustard and Matt Wheeler The Abolition of Man: A Roundtable Discussion Lilith, by George MacDonald The Oxford History of English Literature (O-HEL Yes!) with Katherine Wyma That Hideous Strength with Joseph Weigel Tolkien's Poetry, with Jonathan Geltner Choose-Your-Own-Adventure 80's Narnia Book (That's right), with Matt Wheeler And quite a bit more, but I am tired of listing things...

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 description to come! Many more podcasts on the way this summer! Leave me a review! It's really the only way I know anyone is listening. 

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.

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 Matt Wheeler once again joins me to discuss his favorite Narnia book, The Horse and His Boy.  Among other things, we talk about: Hermits and the nature of freedom Allegory and biblical allusion in Narnia Fear as motivation Self-pity as incomplete story Matt's song, "Worn Thin" Enjoy, and join us next week for the conclusion of The Horse and His Boy. Feel free to get in touch with me, as always, at inklingsvarietyhour@gmail.com.  Thanks for listening!    

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 on The Horse and His Boy comes your way in one week!

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, but you can't have everything... (From the Old Winyards. Yes, these are reruns.) But a new episode on The Horse and His Boy comes your way in one week!

Continuing the Tolkien Reading Day Marathon: Enjoy this conversation about the Shire! (From the Old Winyards. Yes, these are reruns.) But a new episode on The Horse and His Boy comes your way in one week!

Continuing the Tolkien Reading Day Marathon: Enjoy my talk with Jonathan Geltner about Tolkien's unfinished poem, "The Fall of Arthur." (From the Old Winyards. Yes, these are reruns.) But a new episode on The Horse and His Boy comes your way in one week!

Continuing the Tolkien Reading Day Marathon: Enjoy my interview with Verlyn Flieger about Splintered Light. (From the Old Winyards. Yes, these are reruns.) But a new episode on The Horse and His Boy comes your way in one week!

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 comes your way in one week!

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 Boy comes your way in one week!