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This week, the middle act of the story of Túrin Turambar in Chapter XXI of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Why is this version of Glaurung so different? What is the mythic power of a sword re-forged? How many names can one man have?To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here; to see the slides, click here!Next week, we conclude our discussion of Túrin with Chapter XXI of the Quenta Silmarillion, live on YouTube on Thursday, June 5th at 9PM Central.Footnotes:The SilmarillionStars And Swords on YouTubeThe Silmarillion Unit Production ScheduleStars And Swords on Bookshop.orgThe Children of Húrin ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
This week, battle and bloodshed as we conclude the Nirnaeth Arnoediad and begin the story of Túrin Turambar in Chapters XX and XXI of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Why does foresight get so sharp at the moment of death? Is Morwen very good at naming children, or very bad? What are the literary and mythic inspirations behind Tolkien's most depressing story?To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here; to see the slides, click here!Next week, we conclude our discussion of Túrin with Chapter XXI of the Quenta Silmarillion, live on YouTube on Thursday, May 29th at 9PM Central.Footnotes:The SilmarillionStars And Swords on YouTubeThe Silmarillion Unit Production ScheduleStars And Swords on Bookshop.orgThe Children of HúrinThe Story of KullervoColor-Coded Item Quality in World of Warcraft ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
This week, we give up the promise of immortality as we reach the end of Chapter XIX and begin Chapter XX of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Why does the Lay of Leithian end where it does? Why are the sons of Fëanor so unkillable? Have we finally solved the mystery of the deadly hallowing?To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here; to see the slides, click here!Next week, we conclude our discussion of the battle of Unnumbered Tears and continue to the story of Turin in Chapters XX and XXI of the Quenta Silmarillion, live on YouTube on Thursday, May 22nd at 9PM Central.Footnotes:The SilmarillionStars And Swords on YouTubeThe Silmarillion Unit Production ScheduleStars And Swords on Bookshop.orgPopulations of Middle Earth in the First Age - Part 1: The Elves ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
This week, Beren and Lúthien reach the end of their story in Chapter XIX of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Why do our heroes keep trying to disguise themselves? Where does Lúthien's sleep-magic come from? Is Huan the Hound an under-celebrated character?To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here; to see the slides, click here!Next week, we conclude our discussion of Beren and Lúthien and chapter XIX of the Quenta Silmarillion, live on YouTube on Thursday, May 15th at 9PM Central.Footnotes:The SilmarillionStars And Swords on YouTubeThe Silmarillion Unit Production ScheduleStars And Swords on Bookshop.orgCastle PanicMiddle-Earth: Shadow Of Mordor Launch Trailer ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
This week, love and tragedy in Chapter XIX of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Why is the tale of Beren and Lúthien such an important story? Are oaths always a bad thing? Why has no-one written a network TV sitcom about Thingol and Melian?To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here; to see the slides, click here!Next week, we conclude our discussion of Beren and Lúthien and chapter XIX of the Quenta Silmarillion, live on YouTube on Thursday, May 8th at 9PM Central.Footnotes:The SilmarillionStars And Swords on YouTubeThe Silmarillion Unit Production ScheduleStars And Swords on Bookshop.org ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
This week, we see the fall of Fingolfin and a new war in Beleriand in Chapter XVIII of the Quenta Silmarillion in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. How do we understand Tolkien's perspective on race? How much direct intervention can we credit to Manwë? What is Maeglin's problem with Men?To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here; to see the slides, click here!Next week, we discuss the most important story in Tolkien's legendarium, Beren and Lúthien in chapter XIX of the Quenta Silmarillion, live on YouTube on Thursday, May 1st at 9PM Central.Footnotes:The SilmarillionStars And Swords on YouTubeThe Silmarillion Unit Production ScheduleStars And Swords on Bookshop.orgDr. Dimitra FimiJoseph Fink (@planetoffinks.bsky.social)J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment (Michael D.C. Drout)Off Book: The Improvised Musical Podcast ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
This week, we establish Maeglin in Gondolin and the Men in the West as we move through the end of Chapter XVII of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Does the Maeglin apple fall far from the Eöl tree? Why are the connections and distinctions between languages so important? What did the elves learn from the Valar when it comes to welcoming new arrivals?To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here; to see the slides, click here!Next week, we reach the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin in chapter XVIII of the Quenta Silmarillion, live on YouTube on Wednesday, April 24th at 9PM Central.Footnotes:The SilmarillionStars And Swords on YouTubeThe Silmarillion Unit Production ScheduleStars And Swords on Bookshop.org ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
This week, we get into the weeds as we attempt something ambitious, only to spend the whole episode in and around Nan Elmoth with the story of Maeglin in Chapter XVI of the Quenta Silmarillion. Why is the suppression of language so important? How does Tolkien's essentialism change the way we understand this book? How much dramatic irony are we supposed to detect in the wisdom of our heroes? ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
This week, we fast forward four hundred years, then rewind to see what really happened as we try to make it to the end of Chapter XV of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. What does Glaurung have in common with the Balrogs? Why does Ulmo whisper instructions to Turgon and Finrod? Does this book really pass the Bechdel-Wallace test?To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here; to see the slides, click here!Next week, we continue our journey with everything to the end of Chapters XVI and XVII of the Quenta Silmarillion, live on YouTube on Wednesday, April 10th at 8PM Central.Footnotes:The SilmarillionStars And Swords on YouTubeThe Silmarillion Unit Production ScheduleStars And Swords on Bookshop.orgLOTRProject.comThe Bechdel-Wallace Test ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
This week, we face battle and bloodshed in Beleriand in Chapters XIII and XIV of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Is Fëanor's fate inevitable? How do we understand the rescue of Maedhros in the context of the Doom of the Noldor? Why do we get so much geography?To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here; to see the slides, click here!Next week, we continue our journey with everything to the end of Chapter XV of the Quenta Silmarillion, live on YouTube on Wednesday, April 2nd at 8PM Central.Footnotes:The SilmarillionStars And Swords on YouTubeThe Silmarillion Unit Production ScheduleStars And Swords on Bookshop.orgLOTRProject.comTo join me for the live YouTube broadcast, to support the podcast, to join the conversation on Discord and to get access to monthly bonus episodes, please visit Patreon.com/NextWord and pledge your support! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
In this bonus Q&A, we address the issue of inheritance among the immortal elves, the lost story of Lady of Lothlórien, the political infrastructure of The Shire, and the official power ranking of the Valar!On Thursday, we continue our journey with Chapters XIII and XIV of the Quenta Silmarillion, live on YouTube on Thursday, March 27th at 8PM Central.Footnotes:The SilmarillionStars And Swords on YouTubeThe Silmarillion Unit Production ScheduleStars And Swords on Bookshop.org ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
This week, we continue our discussion of The Silmarillion with Chapters XI and XII, including the creation of the sun and the moon, the securing of Valinor, and the awakening of Men. How do we understand moral philosophy in a world of eucatastrophe? How do we judge the action (and inaction) of the Valar? To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here; to see the slides, click here! Next week, we continue our journey with Chapters XIII and XIV of the Quenta Silmarillion, live on YouTube on Thursday, March 27th at 8PM Central. Footnotes: The Silmarillion Stars And Swords on YouTube The Silmarillion Unit Production Schedule Stars And Swords on Bookshop.org Deontological Ethics Immanuel Kant John Stuart Mill To join me for the live YouTube broadcast, to support the podcast, to join the conversation on Discord and to get access to monthly bonus episodes, please visit Patreon.com/NextWord and pledge your support! Stars and Swords: Footnoting Genre Fiction is a Next Word production, written and produced by Alastair Stephens. Copyright © 2024 Stars and Swords. All Rights Reserved. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
WELP. It's official. This show is officially good. Three killer episodes IN! A! ROW! Finally, we get a watershed moment for Xena coming to terms with her guilt over her [kiwi accent] dark past [/kiwi accent]. Finally, we get... CALLISTO. Chris and Ally (Yes, you read that right - Chris is back!) are joined by special guest Alastair Stephens (@paperbullets) to discuss ladders and why we need them, opposition and why it is a powerful theme, and farm jail. Oh, and Joxer shows up, too! STAY TUNED at the end of the episode for a brand new ORIGINAL SONG recapping the episode, written and performed by Allison Stock. Follow us on twitter: @XenaWarriorBiz This podcast is the spinoff/sister podcast of SAILOR BUSINESS. Art by @barelysushi. The Dan Scrolls by @dancassino. Podcast edited by @allystawk. Support us on patreon at www.patreon.com/sailorbusiness
This week on Fathoms Deep, we have all the guests. The ladies are joined by Lauren Sarner, Andrew Dyce, and Alastair Stephens to discuss themes from all 4 seasons of Black Sails and it was a whole lot of fun….. as in the what does Black Sails have to say about the nature of Darkness kind of fun.Link to the dual images of Silver mentioned in the episode: https://twitter.com/blacksailscast/status/859483830520082433Support us on Patreon for Black Sails commentary tracks, bonus episodes, and our undying love.Buy Elizabeth's Book and see Daphne's JewelryGet your Ask Me About Black Sails shirts here!Introducing Fathoms Deep T-shirts!You can buy Fathoms Deep jewelry! www.daphneolive.com/fathomsdeepLeave us a message! 405-67FLINT (yes, we said Flint)Follow us on Twitter! @BlackSailsCast using the hashtag #FathomsDeepE-mail us at Podcast@CommonRoomRadio.com
This week on Fathoms Deep, we have all the guests. The ladies are joined by Lauren Sarner, Andrew Dyce, and Alastair Stephens to discuss themes from all 4 seasons of Black Sails and it was a whole lot of fun..... as in the what does Black Sails have to say about the nature of Darkness kind of fun.
In the return of Story And Star Wars, Alastair Stephens discusses the structure, plot and themes and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Special Episode, in which we reward Alastair Stephens for his successful pirate binge with his very own seat on our ship and he admits that Daphne was right all along about Black Sails.Support us on Patreon for Black Sails commentary tracks, bonus episodes, and our undying love.Buy Elizabeth's Book and see Daphne's JewelryGet your Ask Me About Black Sails shirts here!Introducing Fathoms Deep T-shirts!You can buy Fathoms Deep jewelry! www.daphneolive.com/fathomsdeepLeave us a message! 405-67FLINT (yes, we said Flint)Follow us on Twitter! @BlackSailsCast using the hashtag #FathomsDeepE-mail us at Podcast@CommonRoomRadio.com
Special Episode, in which we reward Alastair Stephens, captain of podcasts at storywonk.com, for his successful pirate binge with his very own seat on our ship and he admits that Daphne was right all along about Black Sails.
This week, Liz and Sarah are joined by special guests Vinton Bayne and Alastair Stephens.
This week on Fathoms Deep, we have a special guest – Andrew Dyce (aka Cabin Boy) and we discuss the Sandbox of Shared Themes as well as the relative hotness of Billy, Silver….. and Mapleton. @AndrewBDyce on twitter You can find him on ScreenRant.com and the Jacobite lecture by Alastair Stephens of Storywonk can be […]
This week on Fathoms Deep, we have a special guest – Andrew Dyce (aka Cabin Boy) and we discuss the Sandbox of Shared Themes as well as the relative hotness of Billy, Silver….. and Mapleton. @AndrewBDyce on twitter You can find him on ScreenRant.com and the Jacobite lecture by Alastair Stephens of Storywonk can be […]
Guess who’s back? Back again? Niska’s back! And also Alastair Stephens. This week, we’re covering episode 10 of Firefly: “War Stories.” Topics of conversation: weirdly long chats about navels, great gifs, nobody is a person to Jayne, the Whedon desert, OddWonk Community Theatre, Wash’s purse gun, and weirdly deadly preachers. Support us on Patreon!
This week, the crew visits the very episode from which we gained our podcast title: Shindig! And to make things even better, we’ve got Storywonk’s Alastair Stephens as a guest host! Talking points: misplaced balls, companion tinder, Atherton Wing is the worst, we all want Inara as a personal companion, and Netflix and insatiable curiosity. […]
In this episode, we are joined by The Scot and Sassenach, Alastair Stephens and Lani Diane Rich, to discuss 'Dragonfly in Amber,' Season 2, and lots of 'Outlander' goodness.
Friend of the show Alastair Stephens guest-hosts on this week’s very special episode where the esteemed StoryWonk shares some of his wisdom on the art and purpose of writing. Also, Sarah gets bragadocious about Liz’s completed novel (seriously guys, it’s really good). MANDATORY: If you haven’t acquainted yourself with the bevy of invaluable StoryWonk podcast content, […]
In this episode we talk with Alistair Stephens of Story Wonk. Listen in as we pick Alastair's brain on how to peel back the layers of character and story to reveal the raw essence of what lies beneath. Listen in as Alastair talks about how genre's equate to our different, and complex, emotions.
In this episode, we speak with Mary and Blake Larsen of Outlander Cast, and Lani Diane Rich and Alastair Stephens of The Scot and the Sassenach. Spoiler alert: After Blake leaves the room, the rest of us discuss Season 1B, and a little bit of the second book, 'Dragonfly in Amber.'
In today’s show, Lucy and Alastair continue Worldbuilding Week by talking about the rules which underpin your world. Today’s links: WordWonk: Catachresis StoryWonk Daily is brought to you by Lucy March and Alastair Stephens, and is a StoryWonk production. Send your questions and comments to podcast@storywonk.com or join the Wonks on the StoryWonk forum. Download the mp3 here, subscribe to […]
In today’s show, Lucy and Alastair continue Worldbuilding Week by talking about how to get started building your world, and the strategies you may want to adopt. Today’s links: WordWonk: Tmesis StoryWonk Daily is brought to you by Lucy March and Alastair Stephens, and is a StoryWonk production. Send your questions and comments to podcast@storywonk.com or join the Wonks […]
In today’s show, Lucy and Alastair begin Worldbuilding Week by discussing why we need to worldbuild. Today’s links: WordWonks: Pleonasm and Flawful StoryWonk Daily is brought to you by Lucy March and Alastair Stephens, and is a StoryWonkproduction. Send your questions and comments to podcast@storywonk.com or join the Wonks on the StoryWonk forum. Download the mp3 here, subscribe to […]
In today’s show, we delve back into the StoryWonk Daily archive for an encore performance of episode 75, What We’re Watching. The daily show will return next week! StoryWonk Daily is brought to you by Lucy March and Alastair Stephens, and is a StoryWonk production. Send your questions and comments to podcast@storywonk.com or join the Wonks on the StoryWonk […]
In today’s show, we delve back into the StoryWonk Daily archive for an encore performance of episode 61, Heroes and Heroines. The daily show will return next week! StoryWonk Daily is brought to you by Lucy March and Alastair Stephens, and is a StoryWonk production. Send your questions and comments to podcast@storywonk.com or join the Wonks on the StoryWonk […]
In today’s show, we delve back into the StoryWonk Daily archive for an encore performance of episode 50, Aspiring Writers. The daily show will return next week! StoryWonk Daily is brought to you by Lucy March and Alastair Stephens, and is a StoryWonk production. Send your questions and comments to podcast@storywonk.com or join the Wonks on the StoryWonk forum. […]
In today’s show, we delve back into the StoryWonk Daily archive for an encore performance of episode 30, What We Do With Beats. The daily show will return next week! StoryWonk Daily is brought to you by Lucy March and Alastair Stephens, and is a StoryWonk production. Send your questions and comments to podcast@storywonk.com or join the Wonks […]
In today’s show, we delve back into the StoryWonk Daily archive for an encore performance (yes, a re-run) of episode 22, People Who Don’t Get It. The daily show will return next week! StoryWonk Daily is brought to you by Lucy March and Alastair Stephens, and is a StoryWonk production. Send your questions and comments to podcast@storywonk.com or […]
In today’s episode: Lucy and Alastair conclude their week on feedback and critique by discussing how to give alpha and beta feedback, Today’s links:• Word Wonk: Venom StoryWonk Daily is brought to you by Lucy March and Alastair Stephens, and is a StoryWonk production. Send your questions and comments to podcast@storywonk.com or join the Wonks on the StoryWonk forum. Download […]
In today’s episode: Lucy and Alastair continue their week on feedback and critique by talking about surviving the response from readers and critics. Today’s links:• Word Wonk: Answer StoryWonk Daily is brought to you by Lucy March and Alastair Stephens, and is a StoryWonk production. Send your questions and comments to podcast@storywonk.com or join the Wonks on the StoryWonk forum. […]
In today’s episode: Lucy and Alastair continue their week on feedback and critique by talking about editors. Today’s links:• Word Wonk: Silly StoryWonk Daily is brought to you by Lucy March and Alastair Stephens, and is a StoryWonk production. Send your questions and comments to podcast@storywonk.com or join the Wonks on the StoryWonk forum. Download the mp3 here, subscribe to the […]
In today’s episode: Lucy and Alastair continue their week on feedback and critique by talking about beta readers. Today’s links:• Word Wonk: Flagrant• First Of May by Jonathan Coulton (NSFW) StoryWonk Daily is brought to you by Lucy March and Alastair Stephens, and is a StoryWonk production. Send your questions and comments to podcast@storywonk.com or join the Wonks on the StoryWonk forum. […]
In today’s episode: Lucy and Alastair begin a week on feedback and critique by talking about the alpha stage.Today’s links:• Word Wonk: InfantStoryWonk Daily is brought to you by Lucy March and Alastair Stephens, and is a StoryWonk production. Send your questions and comments to podcast@storywonk.com or join the Wonks on the StoryWonk forum. Download the mp3 here, subscribe to the show via RSS or find us on iTunes. Don’t […]
In today’s episode: Lucy and Alastair interview the awesome Chris Baty about reckless ambition and social writing. Today’s links:• NaNoWriMo• Script Frenzy• Office of Letters and Light• Word Wonk: Palindromes StoryWonk Daily is brought to you by Lucy March and Alastair Stephens, and is a StoryWonk production. Send your questions and comments to podcast@storywonk.com or join the Wonks on […]
In today’s episode: Lani and Alastair talk a little about the three phases of writing. [display_podcast] StoryWonk Daily is brought to you by Lani Diane Rich and Alastair Stephens, and is a StoryWonk production. Send your questions and comments to podcast@storywonk.com. Download the mp3, and subscribe to the show via RSS or find us on iTunes. […]