Oct 8, 2021

In this second installment of the Wade Center Podcast's six-part series on The Lord of the Rings," Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing, along with Producer Aaron M. Hill, dare to delve too deep into the darkening world that is Book II. Follow along as Crystal, Aaron, and David deem the doom of Sauron's ring and discuss...

Sep 24, 2021

The Wade Center Podcast's six-part, in-depth exploration of The Lord of the Rings has arrived precisely when it was meant to—just in time for Tolkien Week and Hobbit Day! In this first installment, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing, along with Producer Aaron M. Hill, discuss many of the major themes, characters, and...

Sep 10, 2021

During his labor to create The Lord of the Rings, an allegorical and autobiographical story came to J.R.R. Tolkien "like a dream." Some have described this short story, titled Leaf by Niggle (1945), as the "the hidden nucleus of Tolkien's work." As the Wade Center Podcast prepares to kick off a six-part, in-depth series...

Aug 27, 2021

Almost everything we read or "write" today is digital. Words and even books are typed, not written by hand like C.S. Lewis's Narnia Chronicles or The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. In this week's episode, Dr. Charlie W. Starr joins Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing to discuss C.S. Lewis's "villainous handwriting."...

Aug 13, 2021

G.K. Chesterton said that being born is like stepping "into a fairy-tale"—for "we step into a world we have not made" with its own laws and a cast of characters. In this week's episode, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing sit down with Dr. Crystal Hurd to explore her work on C.S. Lewis as a transformational leader as...