The Tolkien Experience Podcast

54 -- Tom Hllman Jul 01, 2023

We have finally had the perfect opportunity to sit down with our good friend Tom Hillman!

Longtime friend of the hosts and supporter of Tolkien Experience Tom Hillman is finally on the podcast! Tom was the first person to submit hs Tolkien Experience Project entry, and we thought that the publication of his book later this year gave us the perfect excuse to have him on the show! Please watch for his book Pity, Power, and Tolkien's Ring: To Rule the Fate of Many later this year!

53 - Donato Giancola May 12, 2023

We start our newest season with an interview with a well-established artist: Donato Giancola!

Donato has been an avid fan of Tolkien's work for a long time and creates artwork based on Tolkien's world when he gets the chance. Known for his work on Magic the Gathering, modern science fiction and fantasy covers, and a plethora of other venues! You can find prints of Donato's work on his website, or purchase his most recent art book Middle-earth: Journeys in Myth and Legend. We are so glad he had the time to talk with us!

52 - Laura Martin-Gomez Dec 21, 2022

For this episode, we were excited to welcome the resident of Tolkiendil, the French Tolkien society: Laura Martin-Gomez! Laura received her PhD in 2020, and her research interests include fandom studies and Tolkien's texts. Her thesis examined fan groups in the US, UK, and France to parse out the similarities and differences in these groups from the 70s until just before internet fandom became more influential. We were very eager to have her on the podcast, and grateful we could work out a time during this busy season. We hope you enjoy listening to the episode as much as we enjoyed recording it!

50 - Brian Sibley Nov 11, 2022

For this episode, we were honored to welcome a very influential figure in the Tolkien fandom: Brian Sibley!

Brian is the recipient of the Tolkien Society's award for Outstanding Contribution in 2022. He is an honorary member of the society, and is perhaps best known to the Tolkien community because of the radio adaptation of The Lord of the Rings he created for the BBC. His newest project The Fall of Númenor is a book that pulls together Tolkien's writings about the island civilization and promises to be an insightful and essential text! We hope you enjoy the interview!

Unedited video of this interview is available exclusively to our patrons on Patreon! Subscribing at $5/month gets you access to video interviews, behind-the-scenes information, early releases, an exclusive patron-only series, and other bonus content!

49 - Panel on Adaptation Aug 20, 2022

This week, we put together another panel to discuss the new Rings of Power series being produced by Amazon a little more! Here we discuss adaptation, the changes that always have to be made, what we think is done well in some adaptations, and where we think some improvements could be made!

Special thanks to Oriana Schwindt, Sara Brown, and Luke Shelton for sharing their time and expertise with us for this exciting event!

48 - Panel on the Music of The Rings of Power Jul 29, 2022

This week, we put together a panel of special guests to discuss the music that has been released for the new Rings of Power series being produced by Amazon!

Special thanks to James Tauber, Will Sherwood, and Sarah Westvik for sharing their time and expertise with us for this exciting event!

The live event was recorded and can be viewed on YouTube!

47 - Alicia Fox-Lenz May 27, 2022

For this episode, our guest is a steward of the Mythopoeic Society and an independent researcher who loves experimenting with new perspectives on Tolkien: Alicia Fox-Lenz!

Alicia is the Social Media Officer of the Mythopoeic Society, as well as a member of their stewardship council.. She is currently editing a scholarly volume on Tolkien and gaming, which should be published by McFarland later this year. She also co-hosts a famous yearly Middle-earth movie marathon with her husband. We were so excited that she could join us!

46 - Sonali Chunodkar Apr 29, 2022

For this episode, we have a guest who is an independent researcher who delves into the interaction between Tolkien and readers: Sonali Chunodkar!

Sonali has an MPhil and a PhD, for which both her theses focused on Tolkien's work. She has recently presented papers at several Tolkien conferences, including a recent Tolkien Society Seminar. We are thrilled that she could join us to talk about her Tolkien experience!

46 - Brian D. Egede-Pedersen Apr 15, 2022

For this episode, we have a guest whose view on Tolkien totally rocks (sorry)-- Brian D. Egede-Pedersen!

Brian has an MA in history and a minor in English Literature from the University of Southern Denmark. Since his graduation, he has worked as a secondary school teacher and an assistant professor at the University of Southern Denmark. Hi research interests include the appropriation of history, the metal genre of music, and the works of J.R.R. Tolkien!

44 - Ted Nasmith Mar 25, 2022

We am so excited that we get to start off season three with a very notable artist: Ted Nasmith!

Ted is one of the biggest names in the Tolkien art world. He has had the opportunity to be in multiple official Tolkien calendar, as well as illustrate editions of Tolkien's work. Most recently, he has been involved with editions of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales! He also has a written piece in the official 2023 Tolkien Calendar. You can see examples of his work on his website!

We hope you enjoy our conversation with Ted as much as we enjoyed the chance to speak with him!

43 - Season 2 Bonus Episode Dec 10, 2021

This special episode of the Tolkien Experience Podcast is a recording of the session that Sarah, Luke, and Sara were invited to host at Oxonmoot for 2021!

They give some background and history to the podcast, and invite on some past guests of the show to give updates on what they have been working on since their interview!

We hope you enjoy it. Remember, the TEP will be back next year!

Please consider supporting the Podcast on Patreon!

42 - Season 2 Finale Nov 12, 2021

In this special episode of the Tolkien Experience Podcast, Luke, Sarah, and Sara wrap up the second season!

They thank the listeners, reflect on some of their favorite interviews and the changes to the podcast over the year, and share how their own Tolkien Experience has shifted this year!

We hope you enjoy it. Remember, there will be more TEP coming your way after the holiday season!

41 - Matt "The Nerd of the Rings" Oct 15, 2021

For this episode, I had the chance to catch up with the creator of the YouTube Channel The Nerd of the Rings!

Matt started his channel to talk about his passion for Tolkien and it has really taken off over the past two years! I was able to have a great conversation with him about what some of his favorite topics have been, and how he was first introduced to Tolkien's world!

40 - Aurélie Brémont Oct 01, 2021

For this episode, Sara sat down to talk with translator and scholar Aurélie Brémont! Aurélie completed her PhD in English Medieval Studies on Tolkien and the Celtic Heritage in 2009 in Sorbonne Université, Paris. Since then, she has been present in conferences in the UK and in France. In 2016 she had the opportunity to translate Tom Shippey's J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century into French and her work continues to be influential in several areas of Tolkien studies.

39 - Elizabeth King Sep 17, 2021

For this episode, Sarah talked with a researcher who looks at Tolkien's works through a lens of trauma studies: Elizabeth King!

Elizabeth is a PhD student and Graduate Research assistant at the College of Family and Consumer Sciences at the University of Georgia. Her information page on the university site says that she is currently working "on projects related to developing ecologically responsive multi-component systemic interventions for populations exposed to mass traumas." This approach informs her reading. We were so glad she could talk with us!

38 - Anna Smol Sep 03, 2021

For this episode, Sara was able to sit down with her good friend and veteran Tolkien academic: Anna Smol!

Anna is currently a professor in the Department of English at Mount Saint Vincent University. Her research interests include Tolkien studies, medievalism, and Old English, and she has published her work in many refereed journals.

37 - Mariana Rios Maldonado Aug 20, 2021

For this episode, I had the opportunity to speak with my good friend and brilliant Tolkien scholar: Mariana Rios Maldonado!

Mariana is a PhD student at the University of Glasgow where she is interested in ethics, feminist theory, and encountering the Other in Tolkien's works. She received a grant from Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (National Council for Science and Technology, CONACyT) and Fundación INBA (National Foundation for Fine Arts and Literature) in Mexico for her studies. She also serves as the Equality and Diversity Officer for the University of Glasgow’s Centre for Fantasy and the Fantastic. In addition to all of her engagement with the University of Glasgow, she also holds a position on the Editorial Review Board of Mallorn: The Journal of the Tolkien Society.

36 - Joel Merriner Aug 06, 2021

This week's episode is with a scholar whose interest is art history makes for some fascinating insights about illustrations of Tolkien's works: Joel Merriner.

Joel is an Associate Lecturer in Art History at the University of Plymouth. He is finishing his PhD which examines the illustrations of Tolkien's work in central and eastern Europe. He presented some of his research at the 2021 Tolkien Society Seminar on diversity (video available on YouTube) and he recently published on the same topic in Foreign Policy We are delighted to have him as our guest!

35 - Erik Mueller-Harder Jul 09, 2021

For this episode, I had the chance to talk to one of the nicest people in Tolkien scholarship: Erik Mueller-Harder!

Erik's scholarly focus is on cartography and map-making. This interest has led him to closely investigate the first maps that Tolkien ever created for The Lord of the Rings, and his conference presentations on the subject are mesmerizing! In addition to this personal focus, Erik has also created a website (tolkienists.org) that has helpful resources for any Tolkien fan or researcher! This is where you will find the Tolkien Society Award nominated Tolkien Art Index, as well as his LRCitations, and a forum that is a hub for researchers and scholars!

34 - Kristine Larsen Jun 25, 2021

For this episode, Sara sat down with our good friend and 'Tolkienian Astronomer': Dr. Kristine Larsen!

Kristine is a professor of astronomy at Central Connecticut State University. Her research and teaching focus in the sometimes uncomfortable points of intersection between science and society, including: women in science,; misconceptions, conspiracy theories, and pseudoscience; the popularization of science for general audiences; and the uses/misuses of science in popular culture (including zombie films, science fiction TV series, and the fiction of Tolkien, Lewis, Gaiman and more). She has been writing on Tolkien since the early 2000s, and her paper “Deconstructing Durin’s Day: Science, Scientific Fan Fiction, and the Fan-Scholar” won the 2020 Tolkien Society Award for best article! We hope you enjoy this interview as much as we did!

33 - Putri Prihatini Jun 11, 2021

For this episode, Sarah had the opportunity to talk with a blogger and fan who is new to the scene compared to our other guests, but she is already having an impact: Putri Prihatini!

Putri writes the blog 'The Loremaster: Blog Tolkien Indonesia' where she writes posts in Indonesian and in English.

Her article "Greed and Blood: Powerful Objects in The Silmarillion and Javanese Book of Monarchs" was nominated for the Tolkien Society Award for Best Article in 2021. Find more from Putri on her blog!

32 - Ralph Bakshi May 28, 2021

I cannot believe I get to write the following sentence: For this episode of the podcast, I was able to talk to the legendary animator who brought The Lord of the Rings to life in the 1970: Ralph Bakshi!

Ralph Bakshi is most well known to our listeners as the director of the 1978 The Lord of the Rings animated movie. Ralph's work in animation is revolutionary and includes influential films like Fritz the Cat, which has been rated among the top 100 animated films multiple times and has even been added to The Museum of Modern Art's collection for preservation.

In addition to his animation, Ralph has produced influential pieces in advertising, comic strips, and cartooning. Now his focus is on sculptural painting, in which he produces stunning work!

You can find more from Ralph Bakshi on his website!

31 - Verlyn Flieger May 14, 2021

This episode, we are so excited to share out interview with renowned Tolkien scholar Dr. Verlyn Flieger!

Her scholarly publications include: A Question of Time: J.R.R. Tolkien's Road to Faerie, winner of the 1998 Mythopoeic Award for Inklings Studies; Splintered Light: Logos and Language in Tolkien's World; Tolkien's Legendarium: Essays on the History of Middle-earth, co-edited with Carl Hostetter, winner of the 2002 Mythopoeic Award for Inklings Studies. She is also published a number of fiction works, and is a co-editor of the journal Tolkien Studies.

30 - Jenny Dolfen Apr 30, 2021

Our guest for this episode is a very well-respected artist in Tolkien circles: Jenny Dolfen!

Jenny has been a freelance illustrator since 2003, and has gained notoriety for her work inspired by Tolkien's texts. She has won the Tolkien Society Award for Best Art three times, in 2014, 2018, and 2020!

In this interview, Sarah talks to Jenny about her experiences with Tolkien, painting or drawing inspired by his work, and how she interacts with fandom. We hope you enjoy it!

29 - Willie Jenkins Apr 16, 2021

Our guest this week is a viral sensation on TikTok and has recently made the move to YouTube: Willie Jenkins!

Willie Jenkins is a super fan of Tolkien! He also has a magnetic personality and a desire to teach. These things have combined to make him a hit as he puts together short videos that summarize different characters or events from Tolkien's work on TikTok and YouTube, where he is known as Knewbettadobetta.

Video of this interview is available exclusively to our patrons on Patreon!

28 - Chris Vaccaro Apr 02, 2021

Our guest this week is a consummate Tolkien scholar and academic: Chris Vaccaro!

Chris is the editor of two collections of scholarship about J.R.R. Tolkien: The Body in Tolkien’s Legendarium (2013) and Tolkien and Alterity (2017). He is also the organizer of the annual Tolkien in Vermont conference and a co-organizer of the Tolkien at Kalamazoo group, which organizes conference panels and an annual symposium. His current project is co-editing another edited collection of essays: Queer Tolkien.

Video of this interview is available exclusively to our patrons on Patreon! Subscribing at $5/month gets you access to video interviews, behind-the-scenes information, early releases, and other bonus content!

27 - Molly Ostertag Mar 19, 2021

Our guest this week is a fantastic animator and author: Molly Ostertag!

Molly is known for her work on several animated series, including Star vs. The Forces of Evil, The Owl House, and ThunderCats Roar. She is also a New York Times Bestselling author who enjoys writing Lord of the Rings fanfiction and fan comics. Her most exciting recent work is her award winning The Witch Boy series. I am so delighted to share our interview with you, where we talk about being her experience as a fantasy writer and a Tolkien fan!

Show notes: luke-shelton.com/?p=2928

Support the Podcast: patreon.com/tolkienexperience

26 -- Bruce Hopkins Mar 05, 2021

Our guest this week is the first one we have had who worked on the Peter Jackson adaptations of The Lord of the Rings!

Bruce Hopkins played the character Gamling in the three films released at the beginning of the millennium. He shares with us his own journey as a Tolkien reader, as well as some stories from the set and his personal trek across New Zealand! His trip across New Zealand is available as a mini-series on YouTube!

25 - Diverse Tolkien Feb 19, 2021

For this week's episode of the Tolkien Experience Podcast, I am very excited to share our interview with the creator of Diverse Tolkien!

While she does not want me to use her name, the creator of Diverse Tolkien can be found on Twitter and Tumblr where she focuses on discussing anti-blackness in Tolkien's work and in the fan community. She wanted me to let you know about her exciting event: Diverse Tolkien Week! This event will be on Twitter and Tumblr during the last week of February. Please listen to the episode to find out more and join in the event later this month!

24 - Marcel Aubron-Bülles Feb 05, 2021

We have a fantastic guest to start off our second season of the Tolkien Experience Podcast: Marcel Aubron-Bülles!

Marcel, also known as The Tolkienist, is very involved in Tolkien fandom. Marcel is best know for his work as the founder of the German Tolkien Society. He is also an independent Tolkien scholar, and a very active member of the Tolkien Society and Tolkien Tribe. He has recently started a Patreon where you can keep up with his travels and Tolkien news.

23 - Season 1 Finale Nov 06, 2020

In this special episode of the Tolkien Experience Podcast, Luke and Sara wrap up the first season!

They reflect on some of their favorite interviews, share some of their own Tolkien Experiences, and give a special thank you to our faithful listeners!

We hope you enjoy it. Remember, there will be more TEP coming your way after the holidays!

22 - Megan Fontenot Oct 23, 2020

For this episode, I had the opportunity to talk with a wonderful writer who has produced excellent scholarship as well as engaging popular posts about Tolkien: Megan Fontenot!

Megan is a Ph.D. student at the University of Georgia.

I first met Megan in 2018 when she gave her award-winning paper "‘No Pagan ever loved his god’: Tolkien, Thompson, and the Beautification of the Gods.” at Mythcon. Since then, Megan has pursued her interest in Tolkien in several venues, including a series of articles for tor.com. You can find out more about Megan from her University of Georgia profile, or from her website!

21 - Anke Eissmann Oct 09, 2020

For this episode, Sara was able to talk with an artist whose work is well known to many Tolkien fans: Anke Eissmann! You may have seen Anke's artwork as the cover of some of your favorite Walking Tree Publisher works! She also is a prolific contributor to Tolkien conferences and fan communities in Germany and the UK. To see more about Anke and to see examples of her work, visit her website!

20 - Amy H Sturgis Sep 25, 2020

For this episode, I interview a scholar whose work spans the gap between science fiction and fantasy, between history and literary analysis: Dr. Amy H. Sturgis!

Amy holds a Ph.D. in Intellectual History and specializes in the fields of Science Fiction/Fantasy and Indigenous American Studies. She is a monthly contributor on the StarShipSofa Podcast and is the Editor in Chief of Hocus Pocus Comics. Her Tolkien-related scholarship includes a long list: see the show notes page for a more complete list!

19 - Elvella Sep 11, 2020

For this episode, I had the opportunity to talk with Elvella. She is a passionate fan who has some great insights! In this episode we talk about audio adaptations, fanfiction, and whiteness in fandom.

Elvella is a college senior with majors in religion and classical piano. As she starts her senior year, join us in wishing her the best! If you want more insights from Elvella, you can find her on Twitter or subscribe to her YouTube channel!

18 - Maria Alberto Aug 28, 2020

For this week's episode, we are so happy to have a scholar and fan who investigates the Tolkien fan community: Maria Alberto!

Maria is a fourth year PhD student at the University of Utah. Her research focuses on adaptation and fan studies. We want to encourage any our listeners who have read or written fanfiction to participate in The Tolkien Fanfiction Survey: tinyurl.com/tolkienfanficsurvey. Long-time listeners will recognize Maria's colleague in this project, Dawn Walls-Thumma, who was our guest in an earlier episode! We also want to mention that Maria has chapters in two forthcoming collections: Queer Tolkien and Cities and Strongholds of Middle-earth.

17 - Myla Malinalda Aug 14, 2020

For this week's episode, we are joined by a long-time supporter of the Tolkien fan community: Myla Malinalda!

Myla Malinalda has worked as a part-time reporter for Middle-earth news, and a long time Tolkien fan and collector. She is also a graphic designer and she loves incorporating inspiration from her favorite literature into her work!

16 - William Fliss Jul 31, 2020

William (Bill) Fliss is an archivist in the Special Collections and University Archives of the Raynor Memorial Libraries of Marquette University in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Bill is in charge of Tolkien's manuscripts for The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and a couple other short stories by Tolkien. He has started a collection called The J.R.R. Tolkien Fandom Oral History Collection, and he is still seeking fans to interview! Click the link to participate: https://www.marquette.edu/library/archives/Mss/JRRT/fandomoh.php

15 - Mary Clay Watt Jul 17, 2020

We are very excited to have the chance to speak with Mary Clay Watt for this week's episode!

Mary Clay is the creator and host of the Podcast That's What I'm Tolkien About, where she is reading her way through Tolkien's works. She has finally made it to Mount Doom as of our recording, so go listen as she finishes the quest!

14 - Jeremy Edmonds Jul 03, 2020

For this week's episode, we are very excited to have Jeremy Edmonds, the creator of Tolkienguide.com!

The hosts of the podcast met Jeremy at Tolkien2019, and became fast friends with many shared interests, especially a love of Tolkien's work. His phenomenal website has been going for more than a decade and a half! There you will find scholars and collectors talking about minutiae and interesting factoids about Tolkien.

13 - Clifford Broadway Jun 19, 2020

For this week's episode, we welcome someone who has been influential in Tolkien film fandom from a very early point: Clifford "Quickbeam" Broadway!

As one of several volunteers who helps contribute to the online fan community located at TheOneRing.net, Clifford hosts a live podcast each Tuesday. He also co-produced a documentary entitled Ringers, which chronicles the experiences and perspectives of fans of Peter Jackson's film adaptations, as well as the larger TORn community. This episode is full of heart, so we hope you like it!

12 - John Garth Jun 05, 2020

We are elated to have with us on this episode a superstar of Tolkien scholarship, John Garth!

John is a writer who is best known to fans of J.R.R. Tolkien for his autobiographical work about the author, entitled Tolkien and the Great War. He has also written numerous articles and other works about the author, and we are delighted that he agreed to be our guest just days before his new book is released!

Listen in to hear details about his latest work, The Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien: The Places that Inspired the Writer's Imagination! We also cover our usual Tolkien Experience questions, so we get to hear about how he became a huge Tolkien fan early on! We hope you enjoy listening!

11 - Margaret Killjoy May 22, 2020

For this episode, we are stepping away from academia and diving into the exciting worlds of writing and music with Margaret Killjoy!

Margaret is a writer of book-length fiction, short fiction, and non fiction. Perhaps our listeners will be most interested in her short story "The Free Orcs of Cascadia" published in The Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy. She is also well known for her contributions to music! Our listeners may be particularly interested in her band Feminazgul. You can learn more about Margaret from her website, and even support her on Patreon (where you can also access a lot of her work as a perk of signing up).

10 - Una McCormack May 08, 2020

It is our absolute privilege to welcome to the podcast a very notable writer and Tolkien scholar: Una McCormack!

A quick glance at Dr. McCormack's website and you quickly learn that she is a New York Times bestselling author and a prolific writer of tie-in novels and short and long fiction. She is an ex-academic and loves to give public talks and engage with fans of science fiction and fantasy. What is less obvious, though, is that Dr. McCormack is also very involved with FanFiction and Fan Studies! We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we loved talking with this wonderful guest!

09 - Dawn Walls-Thumma Apr 24, 2020

This week we journey into the realm of fan studies and fanfiction! Our guest this week created a website dedicated to stories fanfiction inspired by The Silmarillion, and has also completed excellent scholarship on fandom: Dawn Walls-Thumma!

Walls-Thumma's website The Silmarillion Writer's Guild is a place where writers of fanfiction that were inspired by Tolkien's work can share their stories, provide feedback for each other, and find a sense of community. We really enjoyed hearing her story about setting up the website, and think it is a great place to visit! You can also find some of her insightful and important scholarship published at The Journal of Tolkien Research. We really hope you enjoy this interview as much as we enjoyed recording it.

08 - Mina Lukic Apr 10, 2020

We are so happy to share with you our interview with an up-coming Tolkien researcher, Mina Lukic!

Mina is currently a PhD student at the University of Belgrade, Serbia. Her current research includes looking into how people engage with Tolkien's work using the lenses of participatory culture and cultural heritage. You can find out more about her research on her website. You can also be a part of her research by taking the survey for her study. We are so thankful to Mina for taking the time to speak with us and we hope some of our listeners will help with her research!

07 - Corey Olsen (Part 2) Mar 27, 2020

This month, we have a special two-part interview for you! We are elated to have as our guest the Tolkien Professor himself: Corey Olsen!

This is the second part of our interview, so please make sure to go back and listen to part one to make sure you don't miss anything!

Dr. Olsen is perhaps the most prolific and popular Tolkien podcaster in the world. His series like Exploring The Lord of the Rings, The Mythgard Academy, and The Silmarillion Film Project are recorded with live audiences each week, and he has thousands of listeners. The Tolkien Professor also has a nice book which walks readers through The Hobbit. We are so thankful that Corey could take the time to talk with us for a special, extended interview!

06 - Corey Olsen (Part 1) Mar 13, 2020

This month, we have a special two-part interview for you! We are elated to have as our guest the Tolkien Professor himself: Corey Olsen!

Dr. Olsen is perhaps the most prolific and popular Tolkien podcaster in the world. His series like Exploring The Lord of the Rings, The Mythgard Academy, and The Silmarillion Film Project are recorded with live audiences each week, and he has thousands of listeners. The Tolkien Professor also has a nice book which walks readers through The Hobbit. We are so thankful that Corey could take the time to talk with us for a special, extended interview. So if you enjoy this episode, make sure to subscribe and watch out for part two, coming just two weeks from today!

05 - Shaun Gunner Feb 28, 2020

Our next guest on the Tolkien Experience Podcast has been the chair of the Tolkien Society since 2013.

According to the society's website, Shaun "regularly speaks about adaptations of Tolkien's works whilst passionately believing the Society needs to reach out to new audiences." We are so happy he could make time to talk with us for this episode!

04 - James Tauber Feb 14, 2020

Our next guest on the Tolkien Experience Podcast wears many, dare we say geeky, hats. He is the founder and CEO of Eldarion, he helps develop tools for the digital humanities, he loves ancient languages, and he is the creator of DigitalTolkien.com: James Tauber!

All of James's projects are impressive, but perhaps the one that most of our listeners will be drawn to is his work at DigitalTolkien.com. There James has been working on analyzing textual variants in The Silmarillion. He has also been working to apply the tools used in other areas of digital humanities to Tolkien's texts. You can visit his website, or listen to the episode, for more information about these projects. We are delighted that he could join us!

03 - Andrew Higgins Jan 31, 2020

Our next guest on the Tolkien Experience Podcast is a Tolkien scholar and linguist who has very quickly become influential in the field of Tolkien Studies: Dr. Andrew Higgins!

Dr. Higgins completed his PhD on the evolution of J.R.R. Tolkien's mythology in 2015. His doctoral research was a holistic examination of Tolkien's earliest works in order to gain a new critical framework to examine Tolkien's 'early imaginative language invention'. He has also co-edited a critical edition of Tolkien's A Secret Vice with Dimitra Fimi. This volume won the 2017 Tolkien Society Award for Best Book! We are delighted that he was able to be our guest for the podcast, and we hope you enjoy the interview!

02 - Janet Brennan Croft Jan 17, 2020

Our second guest on the Tolkien Experience Podcast is an editor, scholar, and librarian who has been a prolific contributor to the field of Tolkien studies: Janet Brennan Croft!

Janet Brennan Croft is the editor of Mythlore, one of the most well-respected English-language peer-reviewed journals in the world that focuses on Tolkien and other mythopoeic literature. In addition to editing this influential journal, Croft has edited several collected volumes of scholarship, and is perhaps best known for her monograph: War and the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien, which won the 2005 Mythopoeic Scholarship Award for Inklings Studies. We are very excited that she agreed to be our guest for the podcast, and we hope you enjoy the interview!

01 - Dimitra Fimi Jan 01, 2020

Our first guest on the Tolkien Experience Podcast is a longtime mentor, colleague, and friend to our hosts: Dr. Dimitra Fimi.

Dr. Fimi is known around the world as a preeminent scholar in Tolkien studies and an influential scholar in wider fields. She is perhaps best known for her book Tolkien, Race and Cultural History, which won the 2010 Mythopoeic Scholarship Award for Inklings Studies. She also co-edited a critical edition of Tolkien's A Secret Vice with Andrew Higgins. This volume won the 2017 Tolkien Society Award for Best Book! We are delighted that she agreed to be our first guest for the podcast, and we hope you enjoy the interview!

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