The Tolkien Experience Podcast

Since 2018, the Tolkien Experience Project has been collecting stories from Tolkien scholars and fans around the world. Now, we have partnered with The Prancing Pony Podcast and Dr. Sara Brown to create the Tolkien Experience Podcast — an attempt to bring the fan and scholarly communities together around our shared passion: the works of J.R.R. Tolkien! Each episode, Luke and Sara ask a notable scholar or member of the fan community to share their responses to the original Tolkien Experience Project questions.

54 -- Tom Hllman 07/01/2023

54 -- Tom Hllman 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! /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/27342405

53 - Donato Giancola 05/12/2023

53 - Donato Giancola 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! /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/26815416

52 - Laura Martin-Gomez 12/21/2022

52 - Laura Martin-Gomez 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! /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/25372776

50 - Brian Sibley 11/11/2022

50 - Brian Sibley 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 ! 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! /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/24979983

49 - Panel on Adaptation 08/20/2022

49 - Panel on Adaptation 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! /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/24096222

48 - Panel on the Music of The Rings of Power 07/29/2022

48 - Panel on the Music of The Rings of Power 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 ! /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/23899395

47 - Alicia Fox-Lenz 05/27/2022

47 - Alicia Fox-Lenz 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! /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/23236799

46 - Sonali Chunodkar 04/29/2022

46 - Sonali Chunodkar 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! /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/22953362

46 - Brian D. Egede-Pedersen 04/15/2022

46 - Brian D. Egede-Pedersen 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! /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/22797782

44 - Ted Nasmith 03/25/2022

44 - Ted Nasmith 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 ! We hope you enjoy our conversation with Ted as much as we enjoyed the chance to speak with him! /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/22544441

43 - Season 2 Bonus Episode 12/10/2021

43 - Season 2 Bonus Episode 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! /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/21432248

42 - Season 2 Finale 11/12/2021

42 - Season 2 Finale In this special episode of the Tolkien Experience Podcast, Luke, Sarah, and Sara wrap up the second season! /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/21143585

41 - Matt "The Nerd of the Rings" 10/15/2021

41 - Matt "The Nerd of the Rings" For this episode, I had the chance to catch up with the creator of the YouTube Channel The Nerd of the Rings! /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/20792132

40 - Aurélie Brémont 10/01/2021

40 - Aurélie Brémont 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. /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/20644175

39 - Elizabeth King 09/17/2021

39 - Elizabeth King For this episode, Sarah talked with a researcher who looks at Tolkien's works through a lens of trauma and disability studies: Elizabeth King! /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/20496983

38 - Anna Smol 09/03/2021

38 - Anna Smol 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. /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/20337698

37 - Mariana Rios Maldonado 08/20/2021

37 - Mariana Rios Maldonado For this episode, I had the opportunity to speak with my good friend and brilliant Tolkien scholar: Mariana Rios Maldonado! /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/20174696

36 - Joel Merriner 08/06/2021

36 - Joel Merriner 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 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 and has recently published in Foreign Policy. We are delighted to have him as our guest! /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/20056361

35 - Erik Mueller-Harder 07/09/2021

35 - Erik Mueller-Harder For this episode, I had the chance to talk to one of the nicest people in Tolkien scholarship: Erik Mueller-Harder! /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/19749578

34 - Kristine Larsen 06/25/2021

34 - 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, 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! /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/19398635

33 - Putri Prihatini 06/11/2021

33 - Putri Prihatini 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! /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/19394780

32 - Ralph Bakshi 05/28/2021

32 - Ralph Bakshi For this episode of the podcast, I was able to talk to the legendary animator Ralph Bakshi! /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/19217261

31 - Verlyn Flieger 05/14/2021

31 - Verlyn Flieger This episode, we are so excited to share out interview with renowned Tolkien scholar Dr. Verlyn Flieger! /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/19091348

30 - Jenny Dolfen 04/30/2021

30 - Jenny Dolfen Our guest for this episode is a very well-respected artist in Tolkien circles: Jenny Dolfen! /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/18880853

29 - Willie Jenkins 04/16/2021

29 - Willie Jenkins Our guest this week is a viral sensation on TikTok and has recently made the move to YouTube: Willie Jenkins! /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/18707681

28 - Chris Vaccaro 04/02/2021

28 - Chris Vaccaro Our guest this week is a consummate Tolkien scholar and academic: Chris Vaccaro! /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/18536378

27 - Molly Ostertag 03/19/2021

27 - Molly Ostertag Molly Ostertag is 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! /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/18346100

26 -- Bruce Hopkins 03/05/2021

26 -- Bruce Hopkins Our guest this week is the first one we have had who worked on the Peter Jackson adaptations of The Lord of the Rings! /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/17952878

25 - Diverse Tolkien 02/19/2021

25 - Diverse Tolkien For this week's episode of the Tolkien Experience Podcast, I am very excited to share our interview with the creator of Diverse Tolkien! /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/17882771

24 - Marcel Aubron-Bülles 02/05/2021

24 - Marcel Aubron-Bülles We have a fantastic guest to start off our second season of the Tolkien Experience Podcast: Marcel Aubron-Bülles! /episode/index/show/tolkienexperience/id/17804117

The Tolkien Experience Podcast

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