Welcome to the Mythmakers Season 3 premiere! Please share and tell a friend...we're so glad you're along for the journey! 22nd January ushers in the Year of the Rabbit. In this podcast, Julia and Jacob discuss rabbits in fantasy. Why are there more hares than rabbits? Who is the White Rabbit? Should you eat a rabbit in Narnia (if it doesn't talk)? We go from Beatrix Potter to Bugs Bunny - see if we missed any of your favourites. And find out which story we think is Rabbit Armageddon! Stick around for our top fantasy tips on what to watch or listen to. Visit https://oxfordcentreforfantasy.org for more fun, our shop, and our online courses!

As we approach the end of the year, we reach the end of Season 2 of our Mythmakers podcast. Today’s episode highlights this year’s most popular podcasts, hosted by Julia Golding and featuring our esteemed guests: A.J. Lancaster, T.A. White, Victoria Goddard, Lisa Edmonds and Kathrin Tordasi, as well as giving special mentions to many others who we were delighted to have on the show. Julia, and our various guest speakers, touched on a variety of topics from writing tips and processes to world-building and fantasy characters from all walks of life. Join us as we take a look back on an excellent year of podcasts.

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Kathrin Tordasi is a prize-winning German writer whose first book for children, Bramble Fox, has just been translated into English by Cathrin Wirtz. Julia meets Kathrin to discuss everything from Welsh fairies, Shakespearian plays, Dark Lords, and the nature of evil! They go on to dig up some gems in the mines of German fantasy that we might have missed in English speaking world. And to help you with the German names, here is a list: Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Faust, E.T.A. Hoffmann, Der Sandmann, Ludwig Tieck, Der Runenberg

Kathrin's recommandaionts from the podcast:

Ottfried Preußler, Krabat & the Sorcerer's Mill

Christian Handel, Rowan & Ash

Andreas Suchanek, Die Flüsterwald Chroniken

Katja Brandis, Woodwalkers Series

Her social media handles are:

Homepage: https://kathrintordasi.de

Instagram: @kathrin.tordasi

History has not remembered some fabulous women writers - even the woman who gave us the term 'fairy tale' to start with! Meet Madame D'Aulnoy and hear about her wonderful fairy tales and why author Claire O'Brien is retelling them now. Claire and Julia Golding broaden the conversation to discuss the power of fairy tales, how they have been selected and retold. Rediscovery of old ones without the familiar tropes is a wonderful place for a fantasy writer to go for inspiration. Do you have a favourite retelling - or a least favourite - on film or TV? See if you agree with Julia and Claire. Oh yes, and what exactly has Bridgerton got to do with it all...?

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Julia Golding and Tolkien experts Jacob Rennaker and Paula Kalamaras hosted the second exclusive Readathon livestream event on completion of our latest Readathon, featuring The Silmarillion. Our participants tested their Tolkien knowledge in our quiz, we looked back at the past few weeks of our Readathon, and we announced our December Readathon topic! Watch now to find out what we'll be reading next.

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Sometimes fantasy stories define how we live our lives. Take Christmas. Dickens has been hugely responsible for our expectations of the season, not to mention the Christmas movie industry. Julia Golding takes a deep dive into the must-read fantasy ghost story, A Christmas Carol, and how Dickens designed and performed the story. She unpicks what makes it work. Have a listen and see if you agree. And finally, where do you think is the best place to be a miser in fantasy?

Who would you cast to play you in the movie of your life? Mostly that's a fun game, but for Carolyn Weber it became a reality. Many people who come to Oxford to study leave changed by the experience. Carolyn Weber tells Julia Golding about her time in the city and how it inspired her to write her book Surprised by Oxford, a nod to CS Lewis' book Surprised by Joy. Carolyn goes on to tell us about the film that has been made of the story in a fortuitous gap in COVID rules and last month received its premiere. Both having studied with small children, Julia and Carolyn end by deciding which fantasy world is best for parents.

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Listen to this past weekend's livestream hosted by Julia Golding and Tolkien experts Jacob Rennaker and Paula Kalamaras as they discuss the reaction to The Rings of Power series. We discussed various talking points and questions, including: What was the overall reaction to The Rings of Power? Was it worth watching/making? Did the creatives do a good job adapting the material they were given? And what do you think we'll see next season? Watch to see our reaction and review.

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Today we're re-releasing one of our most popular podcasts!

Why is Oxford, England, such a fantasy hotspot? From Lewis Carroll to Philip Pullman, Diana Wynne-Jones to Deborah Harkness, it has inspired writers and is even the location for many fantasy stories. It is famously home of the Inklings whose leading figures, Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, established two of the biggest fantasy worlds yet invented. So what's the secret? Is it the university with its exchange of ideas, the beautiful built environment and countryside, or a combination of factors that make it a place where fantasy seems possible? Step through the wardrobe to find out. Stay listening to find out the pick for the best library in a fantasy series. Let us know yours if you want to suggest another top fantasy destination for bookworms.

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Who are our mythmakers in fantasy and sci-fi? In a new thread to this podcast, Julia Golding highlights her 'must-read' picks from the fantasy greats. Find out the reasons why you should try Frankenstein (1818) - the novel rather than any of the spin-off films you might've seen. Hear about the structure, the ideas, the state of science in the 1810s, the politics of rights - and so much more that have a really modern relevance. Let us know your picks for fantasy must-reads. Julia ends with choosing the best place to be a scientist in all fantasy worlds - see if you agree!

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