Cultural Debris

Jared Zimmerer is director of the Word on Fire Institute. Jared is a fellow disciple of Russell Kirk, and currently is pursuing doctoral research on things Kirkian. It should not surprise you that Dr. Kirk is exactly what we talk about, particularly the idea of personalism related to Dr. Kirk’s writings, and the influence of St. John Henry Newman on his thought. In the course of that, we also delve into Dr. Kirk’s conversion to Catholicism and discuss his view of the need for beauty.

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Jared Zimmerer Word on Fire | Twitter | Instagram

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Front Porch Republic Archives

My guest is Erik Bootsma a classical architect who specializes in ecclesiastical architecture. Erik was trained at the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture, which focuses on traditional forms of architecture. He and I discuss the role and modern degradation of architecture, Russell Kirk on modern architecture, the church wreckovations of the 1960s, and the attempts to return to traditional understandings of sacred space. Plus, we take a look at Prince Charles’s book A Vision of Britain and the Prince’s model city of Poundbury. It’s a packed discussion, and I think you’ll enjoy it.

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Erik Bootsma Website | Twitter

"An Architect Reconsiders 'The Architecture of Servitude and Boredom'"

"To Resurrect Notre Dame Is a Work of Faith"

Poundbury

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Front Porch Republic Archives

My guest is Canadian menswear writer and broadcaster Pedro Mendes who operates the website The Hogtown Rake. I have followed Pedro for years on Instagram and also very much enjoyed his podcast series ‘Unbuttoned With Bruce Boyer.’ Pedro has an appreciation for classic men’s clothing that I share, and in this episode we discuss his new book Ten Garments Every Man Should Own: A Practical Guide to Building a Permanent Wardrobe. Is there a place for classic clothing in a locked down Zoom world? Please join us and find out.

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Pedro Mendes Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

The Hogtown Rake

Unbuttoned With Bruce Boyer

Ten Garments Every Man Should Own

Cultural Debris on Twitter

Front Porch Republic Archives

My guest this episode is Grace Olmstead. Grace has done excellent work for several years on issues of localism, just the sort of thing we like to talk about on Cultural Debris. Like your humble host, she is a devotee of Wendell Berry’s works, and her new book Uprooted is a chronicle of approaching her own native place and her own life with the principles of localism, sustainability, and the obligations of membership.

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Grace Olmstead Twitter | Instagram 

Uprooted: Recovering the Legacy of the Places We've Left Behind

'Wendell Berry's Right Kind of Farming,' by Grace Olmstead (NYT)

Hill Women, by Cassie Chambers

Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer

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Front Porch Republic Archives

Holly Ordway is Cardinal Francis George Fellow of Faith and Culture of the Word on Fire Institute. Her new book, the first from the new Word on Fire Academic imprint, is Tolkien’s Modern Reading: Middle-earth Beyond the Middle Ages. It’s an important work, that genuinely breaks new ground in Tolkien studies. Holly was kind enough to chat about the book and about J.R.R. Tolkien, certainly a favorite of mine, and I suspect, yours, too.

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Holly Ordway website | Twitter

Tolkien's Modern Reading at Word On Fire (with videos)

Cultural Debris on Twitter

Front Porch Republic Archives

My guest this episode is Elisabeth Deane, a talented artist living and working in London with her husband Jethro Buck, also an artist.

On a trip to India, Elisabeth was exposed to traditional Indian miniature painting, which led her to her life’s work. She pursued studies at the Prince’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts in London. She talks about life as an artist and also her time and training at the Prince’s School, which was established by the Prince of Wales to reinvigorate traditional arts and crafts techniques through both conceptual and practical instruction. Elisabeth has taken her training in traditional techniques and applied them in imaginative and contemporary ways.

Elisabeth Deane website | Instagram | Grosvenor Gallery 

Prince's Foundation School of Traditional Arts

Sanju Soni Instagram | Facebook

Ajay and Vinita Sharma website | Royal Society

Samantha Buckley website | Instagram | Prince's School

Farkhondeh Ahmadzadeh website | Instagram

Vaishali Prazmari website | Instagram | Prince's School

Olivia Fraser website | Grosvenor Gallery | Instagram

Jethro Buck website | Instagram | Crane Kalman Gallery

John Singer Sargent (Princeton University Press)

Front Porch Republic Archives

J. Mark Bertrand is the author of the Roland March mystery trilogy and the purveyor of the aforementioned Bible Design Blog. But Mark has seemingly been lying low the past few years, and in this podcast you’ll find out why.

We explore what Mark has been up to, whether we’ll see any more books from his pen, and the inspiration he found at a coroner’s convention. The discussion drifts into what is Christian fiction and what is "good" Christian fiction. Plus, we talk Bibles including the impact of Bible Design Blog and the revolution of Bible publishing over the past 15 years. We touch on the Bibliotheca reader’s Bible and the new Word on Fire Gospels, and discuss if the latter might help pave the way for a renaissance in Catholic Bible publishing like we’ve seen in evangelical Bible publishing.

And if you’re interested in sticking around, Mark and I talk some about fun things, well, fun to us, like briefcases and book shopping. We both share our most serendipitous bookstore finds, and revel in the joy of disordered bookshops.

Bible Design Blog

Roland March Mystery Book Series

Hearing the Music Podcast with J. Mark Bertrand

J. Mark Bertrand on Instagram

'A Visit to R.L. Allan', by Alan Cornett

Books mentioned:

The Eight Doors of the Kingdom, and Searching For and Maintaining Peace, by Fr Jacques Philippe

Japanese Paper-Making, by Kiyofusa Narita

The Lost Book of the Grail, by Charlie Lovett

First Garden, by C.Z. Guest

Bibliotheca Reader's Bible

R.L. Allan ESV

Word on Fire Gospels

Art critic William Newton joins me in this episode to discuss how to approach art. How to learn about it, appreciate it, and also acquire it. William is an attorney, a graduate of Notre Dame Law School, but also a graduate of Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London. He has written and blogged about art for over two decades, and has recently turned his writing attention to the online magazine The Federalist where you can find his art themed views and reviews.

William Newton: Website | At the Federalist | Twitter

Baumgartner Art Restoration YouTube

The Met Exhibition Catalog Digital Archive

Paris Review: 'T.S. Eliot's "The Cultivation of Christmas Trees"'

Cultural Debris on Twitter

Poet Dan Rattelle joins the podcast to discuss his new collection Commonwealth from Little Gidding Press. We discuss the idea of place and how Scotland and New England have influenced his poetry. Plus, Dan and I explore a meeting between Wendell Berry and Thomas Merton, and the article he wrote about it for The Front Porch Republic.

Dan Rattelle on Twitter

Little Gidding Press on Twitter

'Work and Prayer: The Brief Friendship of Thomas Merton and Wendell Berry', by Dan Rattelle

Alan Cornett on Conversation of Our Generation Podcast

Cultural Debris on Twitter

Since we all need as much Christmas as we can get in 2020, Dr. Blake Scott Ball of Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama joins the podcast for this episode. Dr. Ball is chair of the department of History and Political Science at Huntingdon. And he has a forthcoming book from Oxford University Press titled ‘Charlie Brown’s America: The Popular Politics of Peanuts.’

He and I chat about the Peanuts holiday specials, particularly the iconic ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’. I hope it helps put you in the holiday spirit.

Blake Scott Ball on Twitter

Charlie Brown's America (OUP)