Queer Lodgings: A Tolkien Podcast

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Queer Lodgings is a queer-led podcast covering all things Tolkien. Join Alicia, Grace, and Leah (and sometimes Tim), a group of fans and scholars, as we discuss Middle-earth from a lgbtq+-focused, intersectional, antiracist, and non-christian perspective.

Queer Lodgings Podcast


    • Jun 28, 2024 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 1h 21m AVG DURATION
    • 22 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Queer Lodgings: A Tolkien Podcast

    Episode 20 - Queer Readings: Eowyn & Faramir Part 1 - Eowyn

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 28, 2024 68:24


    The Queer Lodgings team makes our triumphant Pride Month return after a break with our long-threatened series on Eowyn & Faramir! Well... it wasn't actually planned to be a series... but we recorded for 4 hours total, so decided to break it up into three parts. The first part frames the discussion and jumps into Eowyn's complex gender identity and presentations, including both trans and non-binary readings of her character. Plus the intricacies of how Eowyn relates to the patriarchal society of the Riddermark and its expected gender roles. Stay tuned for Part 2 on Faramir, and Part 3 on the queer aspects of their relationship!

    Episode 19 - Shire Quick Post - NZ Trip, 'Something Mighty Queer' Seminar, and Recent Tolkien Scholarship

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2024 84:08


    For our first episode of 2024, we take a look through the Quick Post as Alicia is joined by 'Producer' Tim to recount the highlights of their December trip to New Zealand in December to a decidedly jealous Grace and Leah. Then we excitedly gush together about the upcoming online seminar we're hosting on Feb 17th-18th, 'Something Mighty Queer', featuring many of our pals and past podcast guests. We hope to see you there, Lodgers and Birches! To finish off, we summarize some recent developments in Tolkien scholarship, including a run of excellent and much-needed work by Tom Emanuel, some wonderful pieces by our friends in a recent issue of Mallorn, and also one obnoxious article that will not go unchallenged.Register for the Mythopoeic Society's Online Midwinter Seminar 'Something Mighty Queer' here: https://mythsoc.org/oms/oms-2024.htm

    Episode 18 - Horse Girls of Middle-earth with Cait

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 1, 2024 112:26


    Friend of the pod Cait Rottler joins Leah, Grace, and Alicia to talk all about horses and the 'Horse Girl' character trope. We start out with a look at the overlap between Horse Girls and Queer identity, continue with a quick review of the major tropes of Horse Girl stories (with a detour into the related genre of 'Dragonrider' stories), and then celebrate our favorite 'Horse Girls' from Middle-earth, including Movie!Aragorn/Viggo Mortensen, Arwen, Tom Bombadil, Beorn, Glorfindel, and more. Visit our website (www.queerlodgings.com) for full notes and resources for this and all of our episodes.

    Episode 17 - Talking "Angbang" with Cameron and Mercury

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2023 122:53


    For a special Halloween episode, we invited our favorite Sauron experts Cameron and Mercury to talk to us about some of Arda's biggest villains. Specifically, the ship pairing known as 'Angbang', which pairs the Dark Lord Sauron against the fallen Valar Morgoth, also known as Melkor. From the history of this ship and how its depictions changed over time, to the best-known Angbang fan fic and fan artists, to all the problematic, messy power dynamics involved... we dive deep into some dark, kinky transformative works to explore why 'Angbangers' are so enthralled with this pairing.Content warning: This episode includes discussion of sex, sexual relationships, kink, BDSM, intimate partner violence at various levels of consent, rape, sexual assault/abuse, abusive relationships, and abusive power dynamics.

    Episode 16 - Queer Tolkien Anthology Interview with Robin Reid, Chris Vaccaro, and Steve Yandell

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 28, 2023 87:13


    We have a special treat for you this month - Leah, Alicia, and Grace welcome not one... not two... but three guests! They are the editors of the forthcoming edited anthology '"There Are Many Paths to Tread": Queer Approaches to Tolkien's Middle-earth' from McFarland (due to release in 2025), and each is a well-known Tolkien scholar in their own right - Robin Reid, Chris Vaccaro, and Steve Yandell. Join us as we discuss the landscape of Queer and Intersectional Tolkien studies, why they're important, and what these important and fresh outlooks can contribute to Tolkien scholarship.

    Episode 15 - Year One Retrospective

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 24, 2023 62:20


    Queer Lodgings is one year old! Help Grace, Leah, and Alicia mark the occasion with a bit of reflection of the first year of the podcast as Tim asks a few questions about their experience thus far. We also share some teasers of what listeners can expect in our second year and beyond, and share some laughs over failed attempts of auto-transcription at Tolkienian names. Plus, learn how listeners can convince the co-hosts to do readings from Demetrious Polychron's terrible knock-off Lord of the Rings sequel!Thanks for joining us on this journey over the past year, and we hope you'll continue on this path with us for many more!

    Episode 14 - Aromantic/Asexual Readings

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2023 89:08


    Rory and Stuart from The Alliance of Arda join us to discuss Aromantic/Asexual (Aro/Ace) readings of Tolkien. Bagginses! Aldarion! Istari! Sauron!? Listen in as we fill in some of the gaps (and some deep, problematic holes) with Queer Readings that put the 'A' in LGBTQIA+!Content Warning: Transphobia, Acephobia

    Episode 13 - Shire Quick Post - Recent/Upcoming Seminars, Tolkien Trewsday, and LotR "Magic the Gathering" Set

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2023 69:41


    Catching up on some recent and upcoming events in the world of Tolkien, we begin by lauding some of our favorite presentations from the recent Tolkien Society Seminar and GIFcon. We compare a couple of very different upcoming Religion-themed Tolkien-focused events, and then highlight the participation of the Queer Lodgings team in several panels and presentations at the Mythopoeic Society's Online Midsummer Seminar on Aug 5th-6th. Queer Lodgings also took over the #TolkienTrewsday hashtag recently, and we discuss what a great experience it was for the Tolkien Twitter community! Finally, we fan swoon over the Lord of the Rings-themed 'Magic: The Gathering' set, and the wonderful representation found in the art on some some of the cards. Lots of teasers here for future content on our podcast from great Tolkien scholars doing ground-breaking work!Content warning: Spanking, BDSM, Forced Marriage

    Episode 12 - Tolkien Would Hate This Podcast Part 2: Sexuality & Queerness

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2023 96:36


    In the second part of our 'Tolkien Would Hate This Podcast' series, Leah, Grace, and Alicia examine the world in Tolkien's time as it relates to sexuality and queerness, and JRRT's own opinions, experiences, and relationships with them. Listen to Grace's theory that polyamory could have prevented the events of The Silmarillion, and the evidence that Tolkien stayed up late in the bath reading a book of gay poetry that included references to glory holes. #ReleaseTheTolkienSmutCW: sexual assault, rape, homophobia, suicide, HIV/AIDS

    Episode 11 - Tolkien Would Hate This Podcast Part 1: Fans, Interpretation, and Adaptation

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2023 66:42


    We're back! In this new series of episodes, Alica, Grace, and Leah tackle the criticism that "Tolkien would hate this podcast" for a whole host of reasons: We (and our listeners) are too Queer, too Progressive, not Catholic enough, too 'woke', or too willing to accept multiple and even contradictory readings. In this first episode of a series, we talk about Tolkien's attitudes about his fans, reader interpretation/response to his works, and adaptation.

    Episode 10.5 - Tolkien Reading Day 2023 Bonus Episode

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2023 11:34


    To celebrate our first 'Tolkien Reading Day' as a podcast, we each chose a favourite poem from Tolkien to read. Grace selected 'The Mewlips' (1962), Alicia chose 'Progress in Bimble Town' (1931), and Leah's pick was 'Errantry' (1933).

    Episode 10 - Masculinities of Middle-earth

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 18, 2023 106:55


    Leah, Grace, and Alicia are joined by 'Tolkien White Man' Tim to discuss representations of masculinity, patriarchy, and gender roles in Middle-earth, with a specific focus on Aldarion, Faramir, Aragorn, and Elrond.

    Episode 9 - 'Black Fingon' with Megan B. Abrahamson & Maria K. Alberto

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2023 90:17


    To celebrate Black History Month, we welcome Tolkien scholars Megan B. Abrahamson and Maria K. Alberto for a discussion on their in-progress research into Black fan art depictions of the elf Fingon. In between Fëanorian apologia, they share what inspired Tumblr artists to break with the 'default' depiction of Tolkien's elves as light-skinned.Note: We experienced some intermittent audio issues while recording this episode. Please excuse the audio quality in places.

    Episode 8 - Special Guest Taylor Driggers

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 28, 2023 97:50


    We're back for our first episode of 2023! Leah, Grace, and Alicia welcome on new friend-of-the-podcast Taylor Driggers, author of 'Queering Faith in Fantasy Literature: Fantastic Incarnations and the Deconstruction of Theology', to discuss the intersections between faith, fantasy, and queerness. Get ready for discussion of the history of queerness and the influence of christianity upon it, queer readings of Tolkien, and some recommendations for new queer fantasy.

    Episode 7 - Silvergifting

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2022 101:22


    As our special holiday gift to our listeners, Alicia, Grace, and Leah take a look at a lighter topic of Tolkien fandom - fan fiction. In particular, the festive pairing of 'Silvergifting'... that's Sauron/Celebrimbor, for the uninitiated. After some introduction to fan fiction and its history, we engage in a few dramatic readings of Silvergifting fics. Let's just say we really earn the 'Explicit' tag this episode, and uncover a disappointing lack of 'creative' uses of Rings of Power with this pairing.

    Episode 6 - Queer Readings: Galadriel Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 28, 2022 68:39


    In the second part of our 'Queer Reading' of Galadriel, Leah leads Grace and Alicia through a deep-dive discussion into some of the character's flaws and journey to redemption. Pride, colonialism, revenge, sub-creation, and more! Plus, how does Galadriel stack up against one of Arda's worst decision-makers, Feanor?

    Episode 5 - Rings of Power Season 1 Discussion, Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 14, 2022 80:46


    Part 2 (of 2) of our discussion about Season 1 of 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power'. Alicia, Grace, Leah, and Tim examine how the series depicts elves and their gender roles, "Incel Sauron", and Queer representation (including everyone's favourite "Throuple"). Spoilers Ahead!

    Episode 4 - Rings of Power Season 1 Discussion, Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 3, 2022 64:20


    Leah, Grace, and Alicia are joined by Tim to discuss the Tolkien event of the year - the first season of 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power'. We start by giving each of our wide-ranging reviews of the series, then get into the divisive fan response and resulting challenges with talking about the series in public spaces. And we analyze how the series depicts race, gender, disability, and their intersection, as well as representations of 'the other'. This episode is 'part 1' of our discussion - stay tuned for part 2!

    Episode 3 - ALEP Trip Report & Shire Quick Post

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 10, 2022 73:38


    Alicia & Tim share their experiences from their first time attending 'A Long-Expected Party' at the Pleasant Hill Shaker Village in Kentucky with Grace and Leah, and recount how they were pleasantly surprised to find it to be quite a Queer event! Then we check our mailbox for the first edition of the 'Shire Quick Post', to discuss some recent happenings in the world of Tolkien - some troubling, others inspiring.Intro/Outro music is 'Who Would Have Thought' by Crowander.

    Episode 2 - Queer Readings: Galadriel Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2022 60:34


    In our first 'Queer Readings' episode, Leah, Grace, and Alicia dive deep into one of the most complex characters that Tolkien could never quite make up his mind about: Galadriel, Lady of Lothlórien. We dig deep into the lore to uncover the queer identity and relationships of the mightiest and fairest Elf in the Third Age, and get nerdy about language and gender roles.

    Episode 1 - Intros

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2022 51:22


    Grace hosts our 'official' first episodes with Alicia, Leah, and Tim, as they properly introduce themselves to the audience. Everyone recounts their history with Tolkien's legendarium, and shares personal experiences and interactions with Tolkien fandom & scholarship. We wrap up with a summary of why 'Queer Lodgings' exists, some of our goals for the podcast, and tease some future episode topics - some intense, some decidedly more 'fluffy'!Intro music: 'Who Would Have Thought' by Crowander

    Episode 0.5 - Refutations of 'Rings of Power' Gripes

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2022 115:09


    In this 'proto-episode' (Harfoot episode, if you will) of Queer Lodgings, Alicia, Grace, Leah, and Tim vent their spleens about the common social media complaints that have run rampant regarding the upcoming 'Rings of Power' streaming series. They then proceed to systematically refute these complaints with textual evidence from Tolkien and other sources, and demonstrate that they are largely silly arguments, often rooted in racism, sexism, and other forms of bigotry.Intro music is 'Who Would Have Thought' by Crowander

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