Tolkien Pop! Podcast

In this episode, Nick sits down with Dr. Thomas Hermans-Webster to talk about the chapter he co-wrote with his dad entitled “Role-play, Spiritual Formation, and Theological Education,” in the volume Theology, Religion, and Dungeons & Dragons. We also talk about Tom’s Tolkien experience, Tolkien’s influence on Dungeons & Dragons, and how D&D can be used as a tool for spiritual formation.

Tom is an editor, theologian, and educator. Tom earned his PhD in Constructive Theology and Theological Ethics from Boston University School of Theology.His research develops Norman Pittenger's process theology of the eucharist through sacramental ecological theology. Broadly, Tom's research aims to encourage Christians to eat all of our meals with an ecological consciousness and for ecological justice. Along with his own scholarly work, Tom is a professional editor of academic Christian theology and theological ethics. His experience with established and emerging scholars alike covers fields of study that include Decolonial Theology, Ecclesiology, Ecological Theology, Liberation Theology, Migration and Religion, Missiology, Panikkar Studies, Clergy-Perpetrated Sexual Abuse and Trauma, and Process Theology.

You can follow Tom and his work at these places:

Instagram: @nottomwebster

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-hermans-webster-ph-d-4b7497199/

Orbis Books: https://orbisbooks.com/

Buy Theology, Religion, and Dungeons & Dragons here: https://a.co/d/0iKV62CX

This podcast is brought to you by Theology Beer Camp. Check it out and get your tickets at theologybeer.camp

Follow Nick on:

Instagram: @njspolk

Threads: @njspolk

Facebook: Tolkien Pop!

Bluesky: @tolkienpop.substack.com

Pick up your copy of Nick’s book Tolkien and Pop Culture here: https://a.co/d/39E9dZs

Get your Tolkien Pop! merch here: https://byte-geist-shop.fourthwall.com/products/tolkien-pop

Support me on my journey in writing my first fantasy novel:

Get full access to Tolkien Pop! at tolkienpop.substack.com/subscribe

In this Tolkien Pop! podcast episode, Nick talks with Dr. Tripp Fuller, host of Homebrewed Christianity and Process This about apocalypse in the ages of Tolkien’s legendarium. We also hear Tripp describe his personal Tolkien experience, our excitement for Season 3 of The Rings of Power, and Theology Beer Camp.

Follow Tripp at all these places:

Homebrewed Christianity Podcast:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/homebrewedchristianity

Instagram: @theologynerd

Threads: @theologynerd

Bluesky: @trippfuller.bsky.social

YouTube: @TrippFuller

TheologyClass.com: https://theologyclass.com/

This podcast is brought to you by Theology Beer Camp. Check it out and get your tickets at theologybeer.camp

Follow Nick on:

Instagram: @njspolk

Threads: @njspolk

Facebook: Tolkien Pop!

Bluesky: @tolkienpop.substack.com

Pick up your copy of Nick’s book Tolkien and Pop Culture here: https://a.co/d/39E9dZs

Get your Tolkien Pop! merch here: https://byte-geist-shop.fourthwall.com/products/tolkien-pop

Support me on my journey in writing my first fantasy novel:

Get full access to Tolkien Pop! at tolkienpop.substack.com/subscribe

In this Tolkien Pop! podcast episode, Nick sits down with Dr. Sørina Higgins to discuss the power of the words of Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Owen Barfield, Charles Williams, and other members of The Inklings. We also talk about Sørina’s professional work as a scholar, creative, and cultural critic.

Dr. Sørina Higgins is an editor, author, English teacher, and writing consultant. She holds a PhD in English from Baylor University, and her scholarly interests include British and Irish modernism, magic, the Inklings, and Arthuriana. She edited an academic essay collection entitled The Inklings and King Arthur (Apocryphile Press, 2017), winner of the 2018 Mythopoeic Society Inklings Scholarship Award, and created one of The Great Courses from The Teaching Company on the Inklings. As a creative writer, Sørina has previously published two books of poetry, Caduceus (David Roberts Books, 2012, and The Significance of Swans (Finishing Line Press, 2008). She also hosts a podcast and Substack called Words Do Things, where she explores public rhetoric and the power of speech.

Checkout Sørina’s work at her website and these places:

Website: https://wyrdhoard.com/

Check out The Inklings and King Arthur: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1944769897?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback

Twitter: @SorinaHiggins

Facebook: Sørina Higgins

Instagram: @drsorinahiggins

Bluesky: @sorinahiggins.bsky.social

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrSorinaHiggins

Substack: Words Do Things

This podcast is brought to you by Theology Beer Camp. Check it out and get your tickets at theologybeer.camp

Follow Nick on:

Instagram: @njspolk

Threads: @njspolk

Facebook: Tolkien Pop!

Bluesky: @tolkienpop.substack.com

Pick up your copy of Nick’s book Tolkien and Pop Culture here: https://a.co/d/39E9dZs

Get your Tolkien Pop! merch here: https://byte-geist-shop.fourthwall.com/products/tolkien-pop

Support me on my journey in writing my first fantasy novel:

Get full access to Tolkien Pop! at tolkienpop.substack.com/subscribe

In this Tolkien Pop! podcast episode, Nick sits down with Dr. Robert Tally to discuss his book The Mismeasure of Orcs, the importance of taking orcs into account in Tolkien’s work, and what the practical implications are for fostering a sense of orc sympathy. Rob also shares his Tolkien experience and his other academic work.

Get your copy of The Mismeasure of Orcs here: https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/the-mismeasure-of-orcs/?srsltid=AfmBOoqpA4EramjfPqSPpeoHaDfyhl9W6N_8w1hUeaXwUuILiLFqh1nD

Checkout some more of Rob’s Tolkien work here:

“Let Us Now Praise Famous Orcs: Simple Humanity in Tolkien’s Inhuman Creatures”

Check out Rob’s faculty profile: https://faculty.txst.edu/profile/1922030

Follow Rob at all these places:

Twitter: @RobertTally

Facebook: Robert Tally

Bluesky: @roberttally.bsky.social

This podcast is brought to you by Theology Beer Camp. Check it out and get your tickets at theologybeer.camp

Follow Nick on:

Instagram: @njspolk

Threads: @njspolk

Facebook: Tolkien Pop!

Bluesky: @tolkienpop.substack.com

Pick up your copy of Nick’s book Tolkien and Pop Culture here: https://a.co/d/39E9dZs

Get your Tolkien Pop! merch here: https://byte-geist-shop.fourthwall.com/products/tolkien-pop

Get full access to Tolkien Pop! at tolkienpop.substack.com/subscribe

In this Tolkien Pop! podcast episode, Nick sits down with Dr. Tom Hillman to discuss his book Pity, Power, and Tolkien's Ring along with Tom's Tolkien experience and how pity and power are not only important for understanding Tolkien, but giving us insight into a better way we as people can act in the primary world.

Get your copy of Pity, Power, and Tolkien's Ring here: https://www.kentstateuniversitypress.com/2023/pity-power-and-tolkiens-ring/

Check out Tom's blog "Alas, not me": https://alasnotme.blogspot.com/

Follow Tom at all these places:

Substack: @tomhillman3

Facebook: Tom Hillman

Instagram: @alas_not_me

Bluesky: @alas-not-me.bsky.social

This podcast is brought to you by Theology Beer Camp. Check it out and get your tickets at theologybeer.camp

Follow Nick on:

Instagram: @njspolk

Threads: @njspolk

Facebook: Tolkien Pop!

Bluesky: @tolkienpop.substack.com

Pick up your copy of Nick’s book Tolkien and Pop Culture here: https://a.co/d/39E9dZs

Get your Tolkien Pop! merch here: https://byte-geist-shop.fourthwall.com/products/tolkien-pop

Get full access to Tolkien Pop! at tolkienpop.substack.com/subscribe

In this Tolkien Pop! Podcast episode Nick sits down with Rev. Dr. Tom Emanuel to discuss his recently completed PhD work on the religiosity of Tolkien fandom in a post-religious world. We also discuss his Tolkien experience, progressive theology and religious studies in Tolkien Studies, and how his work sheds light on the experience of Tolkien fans and existing and future scholarship.

Find Tom and his work at these places:

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/realtomemanuel.bsky.social

Blog: Queer and Back Again

Articles:

“An Aspirational Cultus? Tolkien Fandom at the Borders of Belief”

“It Is ‘About’ Nothing But Itself”: Tolkienian Theology Beyond the Domination of the Author”

This podcast is brought to you by Theology Beer Camp. Check it out and get your tickets at theologybeer.camp

Follow Nick on:

Instagram: @njspolk

Threads: @njspolk

Facebook: Tolkien Pop!

Bluesky: @tolkienpop.substack.com

Pick up your copy of Nick’s book Tolkien and Pop Culture here: https://a.co/d/39E9dZs

Get your Tolkien Pop! merch here: https://byte-geist-shop.fourthwall.com/products/tolkien-pop

Get full access to Tolkien Pop! at tolkienpop.substack.com/subscribe

In this Tolkien Pop! Podcast Episode Nick sits down with Dr. Luke Shelton, Editor-in-Chief for Mallorn, the academic of The Tolkien Society and overall awesome Tolkien scholar and friend.

We talk about his Tolkien experience, doctoral work and dissertation ‘Small Hands Do Them Because They Must’: examining the reception of The Lord of the Rings among young readers, his current work, and upcoming work in Tolkien Studies and fandom.

Find Luke and his work at these places:

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lukebshelton.bsky.social

Instagram: @lukebshelton

Website: https://luke-shelton.com/

Tolkien Experience Podcast:

Check out Westmoot 2026: https://www.tolkiensociety.org/events/westmoot-2026/

This podcast is brought to you by Theology Beer Camp. Check it out and get your tickets at theologybeer.camp

Get full access to Tolkien Pop! at tolkienpop.substack.com/subscribe

Nick sits down with Ralph Linhardt, Kirk Manton, and Jock Petersen, the filmmakers of the documentary series The Forge of Friendship, which focuses on the lives and friendships of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.

Ralph, Kirk, and Jock talk about their own Tolkien and Lewis experiences, how it has impact their lives and friendships, and how all that led to their work at Eastgate Creative and the making of The Forge of Friendship.

Watch The Forge of Friendship trailer: https://youtu.be/sVf46qyTK5c?si=YdiEA5ONS8c1yfxf

Check out Eastgate Creative: https://www.eastgatecreative.org/

Support Eastgate Creative and The Forge of Friendship: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/support-the-forge-of-friendship-and-other-projects

Get full access to Tolkien Pop! at tolkienpop.substack.com/subscribe

Nick sits down with Mercury Natis (he/they, they/them) to talk about their Tolkien experiences, queer theory, and their work in Tolkien Studies - oh, and punk rock Orcs! \m/ Mercury s an interdisciplinary doctoral researcher in English Literature and History at the University of Glasgow, researching the queer historical contexts of Tolkien’s early life and how these influenced his works. They hold a previous MA in Museum Education and a BA in Art History, and draw on the methodologies of both disciplines for their literary-historical practice. Their primary focus is on queer ambiguity in the fantastic prior to the 1960s identity politics boom, with special interests in camp aesthetics and performativity, the crossing of gender and sexuality taboos in the fantastic, the cultural environment of the first world war, and interdisciplinary art-historical criticism. They would also really like to be Bilbo Baggins when they grow old.

Find them and their work at these places:

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mercuryreads.bsky.social

Substack: https://substack.com/@anditsfolkarequeerer

Academic Work:

Sauron’s Femme Fatale Sources and Their Role in the Númenor Narrative: https://youtu.be/dqkMj3PL3oA?si=OBGjfNUODEyMJ470

Baruk Khazâd! Antisemitism, Jewish Joy, and Dwarven Contexts: https://youtu.be/o7uJgil1vD8?si=B__c8NGBILHEmjSJ

GIFCon: https://fantasy.glasgow.ac.uk/index.php/2025/12/15/gifcon-2026-the-technologies-of-the-fantastic-call-for-papers/

Get full access to Tolkien Pop! at tolkienpop.substack.com/subscribe

Happy New Year, Tolkien Poppers!

I hope that you have been conquering your resolutions and easing back into a sense of normality.

To curb the adjustment, I give to you an interview with Kaitlyn Facista of Tea with Tolkien! We talk about her upcoming book Into the Heart of the Middle-earth: Exploring Faith and Fellowship in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, which releases on February 20th!

Along with some insights into her book, Kaitlyn gives us the 411 into her own Tolkien journey, how she created Tea with Tolkien, and some of her spiritual Tolkien takes. If you are deeply connected to The Lord of the Rings, whether your spiritual, religious, or none of the above, then you will enjoy this book and this conversation.

Follow Kaitlyn at all these places:

Facebook: Tea with Tolkien

Instagram: @teawithtolkien

Discord: https://www.teawithtolkien.com/discord

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@teawithtolkien

He’s collaborated with (Re)thinking Faith and has an amazing line of art and original designs that have a pop culture and philosophy vibe that I freaking love. You can see how he really captured my love for punk and Tolkien with his style. So, if you want to supportTolkien Pop! or Tillich Today, go get yourself some merch!

My book Tolkien and Pop Culture: Volume I is now available! This book is a selection of my Substack posts from the past couple of years, cleaned up, and formatted for publication. For the first time, you can get all these essays in print or in your Kindle library. It’ll look great on your shelf and be available for your own Tolkien purposes! Use the QR code, the link, or direct message me to order your copy: https://a.co/d/eBE7jiH

Get full access to Tolkien Pop! at tolkienpop.substack.com/subscribe