Kicking off this season, poet and musician Josh Baylis joins Katy to explore why poetry is a joyful way to play with not only what we say, but how we say it. He reflects on creativity as an expression of the image of God, the wisdom embedded in words that are older than us, and the challenge of continuing to create through both traumatic seasons and quieter, fallow ones. We consider whether growing in our creative acts can draw us closer to Christ and help us see the familiar anew.

“Poetry is born of living an embodied, embedded life in the real world.”

About Joshua

Joshua T. Baylis is a published poet as well as a guitarist, husband and dad, and works in research support. In spare moments he can sometimes be found with a notebook in hand, hunting after the perfect word.

His poetry can be found at songsfromthesoil.wordpress.com or follow him on Instagram @baylisjosh

Recommendations from Josh:

* Guitarists: Preston Reed, Andy McKee, Jon Gomm and Erik Mongrain

* Music: Ryan O’Neil/Sleeping at Last

* Authors: George MacDonald, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and Andrew Peterson

* Poets: Emily Dickinson, Gerald Manley Hopkins, John Keats and Malcolm Guite

Colzo talks to Katy about why she loves creating in different art mediums, whether art is Christian because a Christian made it, past mental health struggles, and how teaching herself to draw kept her alive. She also gives exclusive details on future illustrative projects.

Due to the direction this conversation took, Katy didn’t ask Colzo for her recommendations.

Follow Colzo on Instagram: @officialcolzoart

Check out Colzo’s website and shop: colzo.art

Theme music by Ross Colbourne. Podcast logo by Colzo and Peter Thomas. Any audio clips included in this podcast are copyrighted by the artist.

Colzo talks to Katy about why she loves creating in different art mediums, whether art is Christian because a Christian made it, past mental health struggles, and how teaching herself to draw kept her alive. She also gives exclusive details on future illustrative projects.

Writer and editor Caleb Woodbridge shares his enthusiasm about Doctor Who, King Arthur, and how Harry Potter is "the best Christian not-quite allegory since Narnia." He chats to Katy about getting Christian leaders to see the arts as more than evangelistic tools and his transition from working in Christian publishing to a secular media organization.

Recommendations from Caleb: Neil Gaiman, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and T.H. White.

Caleb Woodbridge writes Bigger on the Inside, on faith, imagination, and the spiritual and philosophical dimensions of stories, at www.biggerontheinside.co.uk.

Follow Caleb on Twitter: @CalebWoodbridge

Follow Caleb on Instagram: @caleb.woodbridge

Follow Caleb on Bluesky: @calebwoodbridge.com

Follow Caleb on Substack: Caleb Woodbridge

Theme music by Ross Colbourne. Podcast logo by Colzo and Peter Thomas. Any audio clips included in this podcast are copyrighted by the artist.

Writer and editor Caleb Woodbridge shares his enthusiasm about Doctor Who, King Arthur, and how Harry Potter is "the best Christian not-quite allegory since Narnia." He chats to Katy about getting Christian leaders to see the arts as more than evangelistic tools and his transition from working in Christian publishing to a secular media organization.

Poet and spoken word artist Libby Sparrow shares how she finds time to practice her art. She also chats to Katy about her practice providing a way to express and explore a range of emotions and bring about healing. They even discuss praying through Legos! The episode contains two of Libby's performances -- "Go With Me" and "Bad People, Good God."

(Trigger Warning: 41:56 - 46:31 contain insinuations of assault.)

Recommendations from Libby: Dai Woolridge and Andy Kind

Follow Libby on Instagram: @poemsofthepasser

Follow Libby on Substack: https://libbysparrow.substack.com/

Theme music by Ross Colbourne. Podcast logo by Colzo and Peter Thomas. Any audio clips included in this podcast are copyrighted by the artist.

David Robert Lewis chats to Katy about the wild path his life has taken. He started out studying film and English literature and ended up writing songs and leading worship in an Anglican church. The now-ordained minister talks about learning to experience God in the songwriting process and the challenge of approaching the priesthood as an "imperfect man."

Recommendations from David: The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson, Red Rising by Pierce Brown, Christopher Nolan films e.g. The Dark Knight Trilogy, The Bear and Jon Foreman.

Follow David on Instagram: @david_robert_lewis

Listen to Once Vagrant Souls on YouTube

David Robert Lewis chats to Katy about the wild path his life has taken. He started out studying film and English literature and ended up writing songs and leading worship in an Anglican church. The now-ordained minister talks about learning to experience God in the songwriting process and the challenge of approaching the priesthood as an "imperfect man."

Follow David on Instagram: @david_robert_lewis

Listen to Once Vagrant Souls on YouTube

"It isn't the most talented people, it's the most audacious people, who get the gig," Sophie Killingley says. The "posh multidisciplinary" artist recounts the path that took her from barrister to producing colorful text-based artwork. She chats to Katy about a number of topics including being a pastor's wife and the importance of always creating for one's self.

Recommendations from Sophie: Simone Lia, and Nick Cave

Sophie is an artist and writer living in Surrey with her husband and two neurodivergent teens. She had an international release of her first book, Draw Near, a creative spiritual journal in 2022, published by The Good Book Company. She is a team member of Hutchmoot UK and was honoured to present at Hutchmoot Nashville in October 2024. 

Follow Sophie on Instagram: @perishandfade

Visit Sophie’s website: www.perishandfade.com 

Sam Keyes, a poet and columnist, tells his interesting backstory of working in bio-engineering and law while simultaneously exploring the transcendent and imaginative in his art. He and Katy chat about a wide range of topics, from having an "instinctive emotional response to words" to how propositional Bible study can train people to see truth in a particular, exclusionary fashion. He also discusses how Wendell Berry inspired him to explore different art forms.

Recommendations from Sam: Wendell Berry and Jon Guerra.

You can read Sam’s regular column at Cultivating Oaks Press.

Theme music by Ross Colbourne. Podcast logo by Colzo and Peter Thomas. Any audio clips included in this podcast are copyrighted by the artist.