In this wide-ranging conversation with YA author Vesper Stamper, we talk about the power of story, the ways trauma can lead to …
Fantasy for Our Time: The Green Knight and the Secular Apocalypse
Generally, I like to focus on the ways that fantasy stories help form us and make us into better humans; but, is it possible for …
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Fantasy for Our Time: The Best Epic Sci-fi of the Last Decade – An Interview with Christopher Ruocchio
You’ve heard me rant about bad storytelling before. And I will admit I have been a bit worried about the tendencies of both video …
Fantasy for Our Time: Till We Have Faces – The Fulfillment of All Heroic Journeys
C. S. Lewis's final novel Till We Have Faces is a novelization and adaptation of the Roman myth "Cupid and Psyche." Rather than …
Fantasy for Our Time: Communal Catharsis and the Last Unicorn
In this episode of "Fantasy for our Time," fantasy author Nicholas Kotar tackles the difficult task of addressing the war in …
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Fantasy for Our Time: the Consolation of Fantasy
In this first episode of "Fantasy for our Time," fantasy author Nicholas Kotar explains his premise for the podcast. This isn't a …
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In a Certain Kingdom: The Return of Ilya Muromets
Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Soundcloud | Ancient Faith As the Tatar horde lords it over Kiev, Ilya slowly digs …
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In a Certain Kingdom: Ilya Muromets and Batu Khan
Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Soundcloud | Ancient Faith Ilya Muromets's fateful words to Vladimir prove true. A …
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In a Certain Kingdom: Ilya Muromets Quarrels with Prince Vladimir
Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Soundcloud | Ancient Faith After the untimely death of Sukhmann the young warrior, Ilya …
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The Consolation of Fantasy
Storytelling and enjoying fairy tales is not a childish or simple-minded pursuit. It’s a noble calling, in some ways, especially …
In a Certain Kingdom: Sukhmann the Young Warrior
Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Soundcloud | Ancient Faith When Sukhmann the young warrior comes to Vladimir's feast, he …
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Amon Sûl: Why Becoming a Storyteller May Be the Most Important Thing You Do in Life
Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Ancient Faith | Player FM | Podtail Deacon Nicholas Kotar speaks at DoxaMoot 2019 at St. …
How to Build a World in Both History and Fiction
This post originally appeared on November 14, 2019, on A Light So Lovely. I’ve been thinking, lately, about the question of …
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Forming the Moral Imagination with Fairy Tales
This post originally appeared on September 29, 2020, on A Light So Lovely. I recently received a wonderful question from one of …
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How to Achieve Artistic Perfection
People are drawn to beauty. There’s no denying it. The Greeks believed in perfection of form, a kind of harmony that had the power …
In a Certain Kingdom: The Story of Nikita the Tanner
Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Soundcloud | Ancient Faith In our second dragon-themed tale, Kiev the great city's …
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In a Certain Kingdom: Dobrynia Nikitich and the Dragon
Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Soundcloud | Ancient Faith In the court of Kiev, there are three famous warriors. We've …
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In a Certain Kingdom: The Childhood of Ilya Muromets
Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Soundcloud | Ancient Faith A peasant couple, though happily married, have a hidden grief. …
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