Taylor Swift is the most popular musician since the Beatles. And Matt doesn’t understand. Don’t get him wrong—he doesn’t dislike Taylor Swift. He’s just not the target audience. What he needs is a thoughtful fan to show him the ways of the Swifties.

Matt has found that fan in his cousin, Alyssa. She explains the appeal of Taylor Swift as a musician, and the power of Taylor Swift as a storyteller. Can she win Matt over to the Swifties?

We all have young storytellers in our lives. Maybe it’s a first-grade nephew drawing comic books in crayon. Maybe it’s a teenage granddaughter writing her first short story. How can we best encourage them?

Millie Florence is here to help. The 21-year-old author is about to publish her third novel. She gives insight on fostering a love of stories with the kids in our lives.

Learn more about Millie’s work at: https://millieflorence.com

In this conversation, Cultivating founder Lancia Smith joins Christina and Evangeline to discuss the power of naming and its impact on our identity and relationships. They explore how naming can be an act of love and reclamation, allowing us to see and be seen. They also discuss the importance of naming our fears and how it can take away their power. They emphasize the need for humility, listening, and recognizing the belovedness of others. They conclude by highlighting the role of myth-making and storytelling in reflecting eternal truth.

Matt and Mandy interview fellow Anselm Guild member Jacoby Elliott, who is a musician, writer, and visual artist. Jacoby talks about his desire to make beautiful things and how a longing for beauty helped point him back to God.

Mandy interviews poet, playwright, and critic Jane Scharl to discuss poetry.

Learn more about Jane at https://jcscharl.com/

Matt, who has never been able to get into Frank Hebert's classic science fiction Novel Dune or the films adaptations, brings Brian Brown and Peter Houk to the digital pub table to convince him of the merit of Dune.

Matt interviews Jody Collins about poetry, and why people should like poetry and it shouldn't be so hard to do so.

Find Jody at https://jodyleecollins.com/ and writing on Substack at https://jodycollins.substack.com/

Matt interviews short-story author KC Ireton, discussing KC's work and journey as an author.

Mandy, Matt, and Christina discuss impressions made on them as children by different forms of art, why they made an impression on them, and how it impacts them to today.