Welcome to Season 6 of Mythmakers!
Mythmakers is the podcast for fantasy fans and creatives brought to you by the Oxford Centre for Fantasy. We will be exploring fantasy old and new, look at
... moreBy Oxford Centre for Fantasy
Welcome to Season 6 of Mythmakers!
Mythmakers is the podcast for fantasy fans and creatives brought to you by the Oxford Centre for Fantasy. We will be exploring fantasy old and new, look at
... more5
1313 ratings
The podcast currently has 134 episodes available.
Is it time that we revisit the category of 'New Adult' books again? Kate Dylan's fantasy heist story fits in this category, post YA but written for the reading tastes of the 20-something year old audience who've just graduated out that group.
On today’s episode of Mythmakers, Kate will be engaging in a fascinating discussion with Julia Golding about why the themes of being on the edge, close to shattering, work so well with that age group (and many others). They’ll also discuss queer relationships in novels and how the market has changed since Kate started writing. Think that you know where would be best to stage a heist? Their suggestions may surprise you!
For more information on the Oxford Centre for Fantasy, our writing courses, and to check out our awesome social media content visit:
Website: https://centre4fantasy.com/website
Instagram: https://centre4fantasy.com/Instagram
Facebook: https://centre4fantasy.com/Facebook
TikTok: https://centre4fantasy.com/tiktok
0:00 Welcome to Mythmakers
1:37 The Influence of Young Adult Literature
4:02 Transitioning to Fantasy Writing
8:50 Themes of Betrayal and Growth
12:04 The Heist Novel Unveiled
19:24 Chaos in the Writing Process
25:51 Collaborative Storytelling
27:11 Exploring Queer Representation
32:37 The Value of Art in Fantasy
36:18 Balancing Writing with Daily Life
41:13 Tips for Aspiring Fantasy Writers
46:02 Magic in Fantasy Storytelling
49:09 Heisting in Fictional Worlds
We are going on an adventure! Love The Lord of the Rings? Why not read along with us as we consider the books from the writer's point of view! Taking it chapter by chapter, novelist Julia Golding will reveal new details that you might not have noticed and techniques that will only go to increase your pleasure in future re-readings of our favourite novel. Julia also brings her expert knowledge of life in Oxford and English culture to explain some points that might have passed you by.
For more information on the Oxford Centre for Fantasy, our writing courses, and to check out our awesome social media content visit:
Website: https://centre4fantasy.com/website
Instagram: https://centre4fantasy.com/Instagram
Facebook: https://centre4fantasy.com/Facebook
TikTok: https://centre4fantasy.com/tiktok
0:00 Introduction to Chapter 6
2:01 Preparing for Adventure
9:24 The Old Forest Beckons
18:41 Entering the Enchanted Realm
23:40 Meet Tom Bombadil
27:35 The Escape from Darkness
On today’s episode of Mythmakers, we’re meeting an exciting new writer coming out of the Bay Area. Hayley Dennings, author of This Ravenous Fate, has chosen the Harlem Renaissance for her vampire thriller and love story. Join us as she speaks with Julia Golding about her debut, the authors that inspired her and how she got published—this being her 5th book, an encouraging message for aspiring authors! They go on to discuss race and sapphic characters in fantasy, as well as Black History and much, much more. Hayley also has some great tips for other writers and explains the reading she does in the background to inspire her wonderful prose. Say tuned to find out where you should set up a speakeasy in a fantasy world…
For more information on the Oxford Centre for Fantasy, our writing courses, and to check out our awesome social media content visit:
Website: https://centre4fantasy.com/website
Instagram: https://centre4fantasy.com/Instagram
Facebook: https://centre4fantasy.com/Facebook
TikTok: https://centre4fantasy.com/tiktok
0:00 Welcome to Mythmakers
6:08 The Journey to Publication
11:24 Dedication and Representation
16:26 Exploring Vampirism in the Jazz Era
19:57 Historical Context and Characters
25:33 Writing Style and Process
28:47 Upcoming Works and Future Plans
32:03 Imagining Fantasy Speakeasies
We are going on an adventure! Love The Lord of the Rings? Why not read along with us as we consider the books from the writer's point of view! Taking it chapter by chapter, novelist Julia Golding will reveal new details that you might not have noticed and techniques that will only go to increase your pleasure in future re-readings of our favourite novel. Julia also brings her expert knowledge of life in Oxford and English culture to explain some points that might have passed you by.
For more information on the Oxford Centre for Fantasy, our writing courses, and to check out our awesome social media content visit:
Website: https://centre4fantasy.com/website
Instagram: https://centre4fantasy.com/Instagram
Facebook: https://centre4fantasy.com/Facebook
TikTok: https://centre4fantasy.com/tiktok
0:00 Introduction to An Author's Journey
2:55 Shifting Tones in Tolkien's Writing
5:06 The Pivotal Decision to Leave
10:18 The Nature of the Narrator
12:23 The Conspiracy Revealed
14:34 Frodo's Dream and Its Significance
16:39 Preparing to Enter the Old Forest
Welcome back to Mythmakers for our sixth season!
Megan Whalen Turner began her career in 1996 and is still going strong as her series The Queen's Thief becomes available in the UK and the Commonwealth for the first time. US readers have been enjoying the series for years and she won the Newbury Award and Mythopoeia Award in recognition of her achievements. Take a listen as she tells our host Julia Golding about her career, the books that inspired her, and her link to Oxford fantasy through Dianne Wynne Jones. Megan also shares with us her fascinating insights into her unique process for plotting!
You can catch up with Megan if you are near Bath, England, for the literary festival. Visit the link for more information: https://bathfestivals.org.uk/childrens-literature/
For more information on the Oxford Centre for Fantasy, our writing courses, and to check out our awesome social media content visit:
Website: https://centre4fantasy.com/website
Instagram: https://centre4fantasy.com/Instagram
Facebook: https://centre4fantasy.com/Facebook
TikTok: https://centre4fantasy.com/tiktok
0:00 Introduction to Mythmakers Podcast
8:54 The Influence of Diana Wynne-Jones
13:01 Audiobooks and Storytelling
17:55 American Fantasy Influences
23:46 Cultural Storytelling in Fantasy
29:30 The Storytelling Process
35:44 The Mediterranean Influence
44:22 Advice for Aspiring Writers
44:36 Living in a Fantasy World
Season 5 of Mythmakers has been one of many adventures, and as the season comes to a close, we’re going to look back at 5 highlights from our most enjoyed episodes.
Join us as we dive back into the rising popularity of the Romantasy genre, before revisiting the presence of Fantasy at the Oscars. Appropriately, we’ll then steer the conversation towards our favourite Tolkien topics of this season, hearing some of Julia Golding’s travel recommendations when touring the film sites of Middle-earth in New Zealand, then hearing an extract from our sidecast where we’re taking a look at the LotR books through an author’s lens, before closing off by looking back into what we can expect in Peter Jackson and Andy Serkis' upcoming Hunt for Gollum film.
We thank you for accompanying us on this recent season and invite you to stay tuned for our upcoming journeys and discussions in Season 6.
For more information on the Oxford Centre for Fantasy, our writing courses, and to check out our awesome social media content visit:
Website: https://centre4fantasy.com/website
Instagram: https://centre4fantasy.com/Instagram
Facebook: https://centre4fantasy.com/Facebook
TikTok: https://centre4fantasy.com/tiktok
As a fitting finale to our 5th season of Mythmakers, we’re ending with Tolkien - namely his newly edited and augmented letters. Take a listen to Julia Golding and Jacob Rennaker's 10 out of 10 review of the edition, they’ll break it down to what we learn about Middle-earth, how Middle-earth influenced his view of our real world events, his relationships (particularly with his family) the wars and all aspect to the letters - there's so much to discuss and to enjoy! Stay tuned for two particularly shocking details buried in the letters about hobbits and horses…
If you’re interested in the audio version mentioned, visit the link for a closer look: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Letters-of-J-R-R-Tolkien-Audiobook/B0CTNYDDKT
For more information on the Oxford Centre for Fantasy, our writing courses, and to check out our awesome social media content visit:
Website: https://centre4fantasy.com/website
Instagram: https://centre4fantasy.com/Instagram
Facebook: https://centre4fantasy.com/Facebook
TikTok: https://centre4fantasy.com/tiktok
0:00 Introduction to Mythmakers
2:11 Personalized Narration in Audiobook
3:34 Breaking Down Tolkien's Life in Letters
3:54 Tolkien's Views on Creativity
4:45 Insightful Letters: Tolkien vs. Other Literary Collections
5:34 Tolkien's Self-Deprecation and Passion in Letters
6:39 Emotional Range in Tolkien's Letters
8:24 Phases of Tolkien's Correspondents
13:45 Tolkien's Writing Process: Characters and Imagination
15:18 Tolkien's Unrevealed Stories and World Building
16:36 Tolkien's Lens on the World: War and Nature
16:36 Tolkien's Lens on the World: War and Nature (Continued)
23:52 Recommendation to Read Tolkien's Letters
26:56 Tolkien's Fatherly Concern in Letters
28:53 Tolkien's Letter on Faith and Angels
30:42 Tolkien's Reflections on Character Motives
32:04 Gollum's Near-Repentance in Tolkien's Eyes
56:37 Retirement and Lasting Legacy
1:01:06 Shadowfax's Journey to Valinor
1:02:31 Unique Delivery Methods in the Wizarding World
Imagine starting your journey as a fantasy writer in a media storm where you are greeted as the next J K Rowling. That's precisely what faced Samantha Shannon when her first novel The Bone Season was published while she was in her early 20s. Ten years on and an established writer, Samantha has re-edited the book and is celebrating this anniversary by finishing the fifth in the series.
Join us on today’s episode of Mythmakers as she discusses her beginnings as an author, her relationship to Oxford, and how she goes about her writing. You’ll want to hear her fantasy tips and find out her pick for the best place to have ESP!
For more information on Samantha visit her website at www.samanthashannon.co.uk and view her works on her publisher’s site at www.bloomsbury.com/uk/author/samantha-shannon
For more information on the Oxford Centre for Fantasy, our writing courses, and to check out our awesome social media content visit:
Website: https://centre4fantasy.com/website
Instagram: https://centre4fantasy.com/Instagram
Facebook: https://centre4fantasy.com/Facebook
TikTok: https://centre4fantasy.com/tiktok
0:00 Introduction to Mythmakers
4:20 Revisiting The Bone Season
5:54 Revising the Entire Series
6:31 Cathartic Editing Process
9:00 Coping with Media Expectations
10:36 Navigating Publishing Pressures
14:25 Unveiling the Atmosphere
18:10 Planting Seeds in Oxford
20:19 Finding Light in Darkness
23:54 Finding Family and Courage
25:53 Craft of World Building
35:20 Balancing Multiple Storylines
43:38 Writing Tip: Music Inspiration
45:38 Challenges of Magic Users
47:38 Exploring Different Worlds
Today on Mythmakers, the Oxford Centre for Fantasy meets the winner of the Golden Pencil Prize for the best Dutch children's book of the year, Yorick Goldewijk, as his novel debuts in English. Movies Showing Nowhere, a fascinating middle-grade novel about memories, loss and time travel, is set in a special cinema which takes the hero, Cate, on an unexpected journey. This book will also take Yorick and Julia Golding down some interesting paths as they discuss the story and how we play out real world ideas in fantasy. Join us as they speak about misfits, grief, memory, therapy and so much more, ending off by deciding where in all the fantasy worlds they would go to look back at memories - from Galadriel's Mirror to Dumbledore's Pensieve - be sure to let us know if you agree with their picks!
For more information on Yorick visit his Facebook page at @yorick.goldewijk or follow him on Instagram at @yorickgoldewijk
For more information on the Oxford Centre for Fantasy, our writing courses, and to check out our awesome social media content visit:
Website: https://centre4fantasy.com/website
Instagram: https://centre4fantasy.com/Instagram
Facebook: https://centre4fantasy.com/Facebook
TikTok: https://centre4fantasy.com/tiktok
0:00 Introduction to Mythmakers
1:07 Yorick's Childhood Fantasy Influences
3:09 Yorick's Journey to Becoming an Author
6:09 Introduction to "Movies Showing Nowhere"
8:21 Theme of Grief and Embracing Life
13:11 Embracing Weirdness and Being a Misfit
16:20 Yorick's Creative Process with Music
20:57 Starting a Book with a Mood
28:24 Using Fantasy Worlds as Laboratories
29:57 Yorick's Future Book Themes
33:59 Imagining Memories with Extraordinary Minds
36:46 Journeys into Extraordinary Minds and Narnia
39:02 Exploring Bran Stark's Memories in "Game of Thrones"
40:15 Recommendation of "Movies Showing Nowhere"
We are going on an adventure! Love The Lord of the Rings? Why not read along with us as we consider the books from the writer's point of view! Taking it chapter by chapter, novelist Julia Golding will reveal new details that you might not have noticed and techniques that will only go to increase your pleasure in future re-readings of our favourite novel. Julia also brings her expert knowledge of life in Oxford and English culture to explain some points that might have passed you by.
For more information on the Oxford Centre for Fantasy, our writing courses, and to check out our awesome social media content visit:
Website: https://centre4fantasy.com/website
Instagram: https://centre4fantasy.com/Instagram
Facebook: https://centre4fantasy.com/Facebook
TikTok: https://centre4fantasy.com/tiktok
0:00 Introduction
2:06 Finding Refreshment in Nature
3:57 Tolkien's Discovery Writing
5:51 The Evolution of Sam
7:35 The Humour of Hobbits
8:03 Traversing the Shire
10:53 Elegiac Moment Under the Elm Tree
11:51 Pippin Leading the Way
12:16 Encounter with Farmer Maggot
14:52 Farmer Maggot's Encounter with the Black Rider
17:09 Frodo's Wild Past
20:13 Manners in the Maggot Household
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