Speaking with Joy

By Joy Marie Clarkson

Arts

What's Speaking with Joy about?

Conversations with Joy Clarkson about religion, culture, and art.

joyclarkson.substack.com

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Speaking with Joy episodes:

04.16.2024
Alison Milbank: Double Longing
Carvings from the Southwell Minster chapter house, described in this episode. Dear Friends, I am delighted to share this final episode in my series on You are a Tree: and other Metaphors to Nourish Life, Thought, and Prayer, a rich...
04.09.2024
Christopher Tin: Music and Metaphors
A conversation with Christopher Tin about how music and metaphor help us express and share our deep, ineffable experiences, how different ways of speaking about love informed his compositional approach to Turandot, and some bonus chat on Aruthuriana, courtly love,...
03.26.2024
Lydia Schumacher: The Light of Divine Illumination
Dear Friends, I am so excited to share this week’s episode in my series on You are a Tree: and other metaphors to nourish life, thought, and prayer. In this week’s episode, I speak with one of the scholars whose...
03.20.2024
Jennifer Banks: On Being Born
A conversation with Jennifer Banks about natality. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at joyclarkson.substack.com/subscribe
03.12.2024
Brian Zahnd : The Kaleidoscope of the Cross
A conversation with Brian Zahnd about The Wood Between the Worlds: a poetic theology of the cross. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at joyclarkson.substack.com/subscribe
03.05.2024
David Zahl: The Charlie Brown Droop and the Burden of Not Wanting to be a Burden
On this week’s episode Joy talks with author David Zahl about the inevitable heaviness of life, whether or not trauma dumping is a thing, the refreshing power of humour to remind us we’re not alone, and the efficacy of Thomas...
02.27.2024
Malcolm Guite: "There's something about the tree..."
Dear Friends, Today I share the first interview in my series on the metaphors You are a Tree and other metaphors to nourish life, thought, and prayer. I speak with Malcolm Guite. Malcolm Guite is a poet, priest,...
02.21.2024
You are a Tree
Dear Friends, I’m very pleased indeed to share that Speaking with Joy is back! In this introductory episode I share what I’ve been up to for the past year, read an excerpt of You are a Tree, and share a...
09.21.2023
The Artist’s Way, an Introduction
Joy and Elena talk about morning pages, artist dates, and why they're doing the Artist's Way. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at joyclarkson.substack.com/subscribe
05.09.2023
The Marriage Question with Clare Carlisle
On the 20th of July, 1854 Marian Evans set sail with George Lewes, a man who was not her husband and who was, indeed, a married man with three children. She understood this trip to be her honeymoon, and after...
03.25.2023
Finding God in Hollywood with Nathan Clarkson
Dear Friends, Good morning and happy Saturday! Today I have a little treat for you: a conversation I recorded with my brother Nathan Clarkson about his recently released book Finding God in Hollywood: Discovering the Divine in Films, Movie Stars,...
01.12.2023
Low Anthropology with David Zahl (podcast)
Last summer, I found my poem for the year. I read it to whoever would listen. Eventually I recited it to whoever would listen, because I’d read it so many times that it had become a part of the wallpaper...
12.13.2022
Preparing For Christmas...
Dear Friends, Merry Advent! I can’t believe how quickly the days are passing us by— Christmas approaching with alarming speed. I’ve been traveling this month, and there has been something beautiful about seeing cheer spread from city to city. Now...
11.01.2022
The Lost Birds, with Christopher Tin
A Conversation with Christopher Tin about extinction elegies, species loss, hope, and his new album with choral group Voces8.
09.05.2022
Klara and the Sun, Parts 5 & 6
Joy concludes the summer book club on Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, discussing part five with Sarah Clarkson, and reflecting on the final section herself.
08.22.2022
Klara and the Sun, Part Four
Joy discusses Part Four of Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro with Michael Burdett and King-Ho Leung. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at joyclarkson.substack.com/subscribe
08.08.2022
Klara and the Sun, Part Three
Joy discusses Part Three of Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro with James Smoker. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at joyclarkson.substack.com/subscribe
07.25.2022
Klara and the Sun, Part Two
Joy discusses Part Two of Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro with Doctors Sarah and Jeremiah Coogan. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at joyclarkson.substack.com/subscribe
07.11.2022
Klara and the Sun, Part One
Joy announces the book for her summer reading club (Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro), and discusses the first chapter. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at joyclarkson.substack.com/subscribe
04.19.2022
Beauty and Her Sisters, with Ben Quash
Joy speaks with Professor Ben Quash about the Swiss theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar, theological aesthetics, and the Visual Commentary on Scripture. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at joyclarkson.substack.com/subscribe
04.12.2022
Imagining Our Neighbours, Mary McCampbell
Joy speaks with Mary McCampbell (who examined her PhD!) about how literature can help us cultivate empathy toward our neighbours, near and far. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at joyclarkson.substack.com/subscribe
03.08.2022
Expect the End of the World with Paul Kingsnorth
Joy speaks with Paul Kingsnorth, a man who has been many things in his life: a poet, an eco-activist, and eco-pessimist, a warlock, and most recently, an Eastern Orthodox christian. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at joyclarkson.substack.com/subscribe
03.04.2022
Accept Love with John Swinton
After a brief break to recover from Covid, Joy shares an interview with John Swinton where they speak about God's gentle, slow love, and how we should share that love with each other. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at...
02.24.2022
Shakeshafte and Other Plays with Rowan Williams
Joy speaks with Rowan Williams about his new (and first) collection of plays, the power of words, and the art of David Jones. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at joyclarkson.substack.com/subscribe
02.18.2022
Be Like Mr Collins with Haley Stewart
Joy speaks with Haley Stewart about how Jane Austen's much maligned clergyman Mr Collins knows the secrets to an aggressively happy life. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at joyclarkson.substack.com/subscribe
02.16.2022
Tell Yourself a Good Story with Casey Fritz
Joy speaks with Children's book author and illustrator Casey Fritz about the parables of Jesus, the power of storytelling, the place of horror, and the way ET demonstrate the gospel. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at joyclarkson.substack.com/subscribe
02.15.2022
Enjoy Things Unironically with Boze Herrington
Joy speaks with Boze about guilty pleasures, BTS, the importance of wonder, and the power of enjoying things unironically. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at joyclarkson.substack.com/subscribe
02.13.2022
Remember You Have a Body with Jenna Reed
Joy speaks with Jenna Reed about why we forget we have bodies and what we lose when we do, the similarities between Manichaeism and the Netflix reality TV show Love is Blind, and gentle steps we can take toward a...
02.10.2022
Dante’s Christian Ethics with George Corbett
Joy speaks with George Corbett about Dante Alighieri’s medieval literary masterpiece, the Comedia, and what it has to teach us about the search for direction in the dark wood of life and what it means to be human. Get full...
02.08.2022
Flounder Well
What do you do when you don't know what to do? When life is perplexing and no paths seem to lead anywhere? Joy discusses bewildering seasons through some of her favourite floundering art: a poem by Malcolm Guite, a song...
02.03.2022
Befriend Sadness with Sally Clarkson
Joy talks with her mother Sally Clarkson about how sadness doesn't make us bad Christians, how to find light in dark seasons, and how to accompany others through sorrow. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at joyclarkson.substack.com/subscribe
01.31.2022
Befriend Sadness
Joy explores the theme of good grief through the journals of CS Lewis and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the swan song of Mozart, and the Irish animated film Song of the Sea. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at joyclarkson.substack.com/subscribe
01.27.2022
Christopher Tin, Everything Under the Sun in Tune
Joy talks with two time Grammy Award winning artist Christopher Tin about synecdoche, video games, the moon landing, Pink Floyd, and why music delights us. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at joyclarkson.substack.com/subscribe
01.25.2022
Aggressively Happy
Joy reads the introduction to her new book, ponders the cultivation of joy in a weary and cynical world, and announces plans for the next ten weeks of episodes. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at joyclarkson.substack.com/subscribe
12.11.2021
Youngest Siblings Rule the World (and other important truths), with Nathan Clarkson
Joy talks with her brother Nathan about the children's book they wrote together (The Clubhouse), how imagination and creativity reflect the image of God, and why youngest siblings are the best (just kidding... or are they?). Get full access to...
12.09.2021
How to Read Really Long Books! (with Sarah Clarkson)
In this episode, Joy talks with her sister Sarah about how (and why) to read really long books, and why reading good books is good for the soul. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at joyclarkson.substack.com/subscribe
12.07.2021
Annunciations of one sort or another...
Joy talks with Joel (her composer brother) about advent carols, and then reflects on two works of art about the the annunciation: a poem by Denise Levertov and a painting by Henry Ossawa Tanner. Get full access to Joy Clarkson...
11.30.2021
Tea with (Dr) Joy
Joy sits down with a cup of tea to talk about finishing her PhD, writing a book, starting a new job, and what's next for the podcast. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at joyclarkson.substack.com/subscribe
08.03.2021
Part Six: Matthew Rose Sorensen
Joy reflects on the final chapter of Piranesi. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at joyclarkson.substack.com/subscribe
07.26.2021
Part Six: The Wave (with Leah Libresco Sargeant and Caitrin Keiper)
When the man called Piranesi realizes that 16 is in danger he makes up his mind to save her from the devastating flood. Joy talks with Leah Libresco Sargeant and Caitrin Keiper about Part Six of Piranesi by Susanna Clarke....
07.19.2021
Part Five: Valentine Ketterley (with Haley Stewart)
This week we open a window into Matthew Rose Sorensen's past, and what we see is more horrible than we could have imagined. Joy talks with Haley Stewart about enchantment, memory, and anti-horror novels in part five of Piranesi by...
07.12.2021
Part Four: 16 (with Matthew Rothaus Moser)
Piranesi learns something that changes everything: his real name. Joy and Dr Matthew Rothaus Moser talk about names, disenchantment, and loneliness in Part Four of Susanna Clarke's novel Piranesi. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at joyclarkson.substack.com/subscribe
07.05.2021
Part Three: The Prophet (with the Crouches!)
Joy hosts a family discussion with Andy, Amy, and Timothy Crouch about Part Three of Piranesi. Their conversation touches on the wicked Prophet, self-care, naïveté, knowledge, innocence, and swan bones. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at joyclarkson.substack.com/subscribe
06.28.2021
Part Two: The Other (with Malcolm Guite)
Joy talks with Malcolm Guite about his friendship with Susanna Clarke, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and whether we live in an enchanted universe (like Piranesi's). Get full access to Joy Clarkson at joyclarkson.substack.com/subscribe
06.21.2021
Part One: Piranesi (Summer Book Club)
After a seven month hiatus, the podcast is back! Joy speaks with her brother Joel about part one of Susanna Clarke's intriguing novel Piranesi, and then gives a literary and thematic introduction to the book. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at...
12.23.2020
A Christmas Carol
A special Christmas episode in which Joy's reflects on her yearly reading of Charles Dickens excellent novella A Christmas Carol. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at joyclarkson.substack.com/subscribe
11.30.2020
Shadow and Light
Joy talks with Tsh Oxenreider about how to make the season of advent cozy and meaningful. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at joyclarkson.substack.com/subscribe
11.23.2020
Tolkien's Bookshelves
Have you ever wondered what books were on Tolkien's bookshelves? In this episode, Joy talks with Holly Ordway about her new book Tolkien's Modern Reading. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at joyclarkson.substack.com/subscribe
11.17.2020
Sacred Strings
Joy talks with anthropologist Sabine Hyland about her adventures in the Andes, her decipherment of the lost meaning of khipus, and how life is more than money. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at joyclarkson.substack.com/subscribe
11.09.2020
Remembered and Remembering
Joy talks with Professor John Swinton about theology, disability, and dementia. God never forgets anybody, and it is the church's job to remind us we are remembered. Get full access to Joy Clarkson at joyclarkson.substack.com/subscribe

What's Speaking with Joy about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Speaking with Joy episodes:

Alison Milbank: Double Longing

Christopher Tin: Music and Metaphors

Lydia Schumacher: The Light of Divine Illumination

Jennifer Banks: On Being Born

Brian Zahnd : The Kaleidoscope of the Cross

David Zahl: The Charlie Brown Droop and the Burden of Not Wanting to be a Burden

Malcolm Guite: "There's something about the tree..."

You are a Tree

The Artist’s Way, an Introduction

The Marriage Question with Clare Carlisle

Finding God in Hollywood with Nathan Clarkson

Low Anthropology with David Zahl (podcast)

Preparing For Christmas...

The Lost Birds, with Christopher Tin

Klara and the Sun, Parts 5 & 6

Klara and the Sun, Part Four

Klara and the Sun, Part Three

Klara and the Sun, Part Two

Klara and the Sun, Part One

Beauty and Her Sisters, with Ben Quash

Imagining Our Neighbours, Mary McCampbell

Expect the End of the World with Paul Kingsnorth

Accept Love with John Swinton

Shakeshafte and Other Plays with Rowan Williams

Be Like Mr Collins with Haley Stewart

Tell Yourself a Good Story with Casey Fritz

Enjoy Things Unironically with Boze Herrington

Remember You Have a Body with Jenna Reed

Dante’s Christian Ethics with George Corbett

Flounder Well

Befriend Sadness with Sally Clarkson

Befriend Sadness

Christopher Tin, Everything Under the Sun in Tune

Aggressively Happy

Youngest Siblings Rule the World (and other important truths), with Nathan Clarkson

How to Read Really Long Books! (with Sarah Clarkson)

Annunciations of one sort or another...

Tea with (Dr) Joy

Part Six: Matthew Rose Sorensen

Part Six: The Wave (with Leah Libresco Sargeant and Caitrin Keiper)

Part Five: Valentine Ketterley (with Haley Stewart)

Part Four: 16 (with Matthew Rothaus Moser)

Part Three: The Prophet (with the Crouches!)

Part Two: The Other (with Malcolm Guite)

Part One: Piranesi (Summer Book Club)

A Christmas Carol

Shadow and Light

Tolkien's Bookshelves

Sacred Strings

Remembered and Remembering