Why the Hammered Dulcimer Is the Greatest Instrument You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of
Release Date: 11/25/2025
Why the Hammered Dulcimer Is the Greatest Instrument You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of
Believe to See
When most of us hear “ dulcimer,” we think of Irish peasants in the Middle Ages. Or maybe that “damsel with a dulcimer” in the poem “Kubla Khan.” The actual hammered dulcimer, however, is something else entirely. It’s a unique blend of percussion and stringed instruments with ancient roots across the world. And it’s capable of creating gorgeous music. Musician and composer Joshua Messick joins the table to discuss all things hammered dulcimer. He’s composed ten albums of hammered dulcimer music, and played for the soundtracks of major movies and video games. He explains the...
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Neve Foster's Big Reveal
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Author Neve Foster joins the table to discuss her new novel, Of Ink and Spirit. Along the way, she makes a shocking revelation. Neve Foster is, in fact, the pen name for Anselm’s own Evangeline Denmark! Evangeline—err, Neve—discusses her novel’s long journey to print and its grounding in Japanese folklore. She also talks about co-founding a new publishing co-op: Unity Inkworks.
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You Can't Judge a Book . . .
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You know the saying, but is it accurate? Perhaps if we said shouldn't instead of can't, it would ring true. The fact is, we do judge books by their covers, all the time. Join our cohosts in a discussion of what makes a book cover good, bad, memorable, or even misleading.
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Beneath, Between, Beyond--Carolyn Leiloglou
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Middle grade fantasy author Carolyn Leiloglou returns to the pub table to chat about the conclusion of her award-winning Restorationists trilogy, Beyond the Far Horizon (available 09/09/2025). Carolyn grew up surrounded by the paintings of her art collector grandparents and took that love into her stories. But her characters are not only surrounded by art--they climb into the paintings themselves and travel between them. Join us for a conversation about the God-given impulse to create, what stops young people (and old) from pursuing that impulse, famous paintings, infamous art heists, and...
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What Our Favorite Colors Say About Us
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Did you know that your everyday experience with color has a deep effect on your brain? And why have you always hated yellow, anyway? Popular psychology argues that our favorite colors say a lot about us, often claiming that our favorite colors are linked to our personality profiles. Is there any truth to that? Can our favorite colors tell us something about ourselves? Join our roundtable as we discuss this question and more, turning to painter Mark Rothko's masterful approach, using the relationship between color and the human brain to engage his audience.
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The Happiest Saddest People
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JL Gerhardt is an author and partner at Hazefire Studios, where she and her husband, Justin Gerhardt, collaborate on the podcast Holy Ghost Stories. Gerhardt joins the table to talk about one of Hazefire’s recent podcast projects: "The Happiest Saddest People." JL Gerhardt writes and narrates these episodes, which are a memoir of her own life, with reflections of faith, memory, and loss. It’s also really excellent. Just the first episode alone is emotionally gutting and profound. And this memoir—which is also a theological reflection—takes place in the context of a beautifully...
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All Aboard the Grandparents Express
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Chapter books are important. Their target audience is kids between about ages 6 and 10, and they play a major role in developing young readers. Author Leilani Mueller knows all about writing for this age group. She’s the author of a brand-new chapter book called All Aboard the Grandparents Express. The book explores grief, loss, and imagination from the perspective of its 8-year-old narrator. Leilani describes the process of writing a good and beautiful book for the youngest readers.
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It's Never Too Late for Beach Reads
Believe to See
Summer may be over, but Beach Reads are always relevant. We all have a favorite Beach Read: a story that is fun and immersive, but not necessarily deep or literary. But how do we feel about Beach Reads as a concept? After all, Believe to See’s goal is to help connect the Great Story, the great stories, and our own stories. How do Beach Reads fit into these great stories? Do they fit at all? Is it possible to be the sort of person who cares deeply about the great stories, and who also enjoys a fun beach read?
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Carving Light From Darkness
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Kreg Yingst is a printmaker, painter, and writer whose work can be found in both private and corporate collections--or in one of his several books. His medium of choice is printmaking, using an antique Showcard proof press to print his hand-carved wood blocks or linoleum sheets onto paper or wood. Join Mandy and guest co-host Isaac Hans as they talk with Kreg about his art, his books, and how the very act of making art can be a prayer. (Find him on Instagram where he posts his original art as psalmprayers.)
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Superheroes and the Science of the Imagination
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Meredith Davis is the author of the Amazing Adventures of Noah Minor series. These middle grade superhero stories draw inspiration from classic comic books and the science of imagination. Davis joins the pub table to discuss how her stories use superheroes to explore themes of friendship, integrity, and self-control.
info_outlineWhen most of us hear “ dulcimer,” we think of Irish peasants in the Middle Ages. Or maybe that “damsel with a dulcimer” in the poem “Kubla Khan.” The actual hammered dulcimer, however, is something else entirely. It’s a unique blend of percussion and stringed instruments with ancient roots across the world. And it’s capable of creating gorgeous music.
Musician and composer Joshua Messick joins the table to discuss all things hammered dulcimer. He’s composed ten albums of hammered dulcimer music, and played for the soundtracks of major movies and video games. He explains the hammered dulcimer’s unique ability to tell a story through its music.