Podcast
Words Do Things
Hosted by Sørina Higgins · EN
Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words... can really hurt you. Join Dr. Sørina Higgins and guests to think about the powers and limits of language. Are words magical? Can they actually effect change? Why do people weaponize them? Can we shift our use of public rhetoric? What have great authors believed about the relationship between writing and the divine? How can you become a more powerful and effective writer?
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
War & Peace with John Garth
2d ago00:57:56Tap to summarizeThe award-winning author of Tolkien & The Great War and several other books on Tolkien joins Sørina to talk about John Ronald’s war experience, the relationship between trauma and silence, what’s wrong with generative AI, and more. John Garth’s website: https://johngarth.co.uk/ John’s fundraising page: https://steady.page/en/john-garth-on-tolkiens-life-and-works/about John’s blog: https://johngarth.wordpress.com/ If you like this work, please support it by joining my Author’s Circle https://buymeacoffee.com/higginssorina If you’re a writer, hire me as your Consulting Editor: https://wyrdhoard.com/ If you want more thoughts on politics, subscribe to my Substack: https://substack.com/@sorinahiggins
Transcribe →Did Tolkien Believe in Faeries? with Janet Brennan Croft and David L. Emerson
1w ago01:21:11Tap to summarizeThat’s not the only topic we discuss! Sørina gets her clearest answer yet about the relationship among consciousness, language, and mythology, and Janet solves the mystery of animal sentience! They dive into the history of Tolkien’s fame and what he’s done for the fantasy genre, and they close with a look at how The Lord of the Rings applies to their situation living in Minneapolis at the height of ICE activity and citizen response. Janet on Tolkien Gateway: https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Janet_Brennan_Croft David on Tolkienists: https://tolkienists.org/david-l-emerson/ If you like my work, please support me by joining my Author’s Circle: https://buymeacoffee.com/higginssorina If you’re a writer, hire me as your Consulting Editor: https://wyrdhoard.com/ If you want thoughts on politics, subscribe to my Substack: https://substack.com/@sorinahiggins
Transcribe →Malcolm Guite: "Camelot Against Barbarism"
2w ago01:15:37Tap to summarizePlease welcome my friend & hero, “the world’s least likely influencer”; poet, priest, rock-n-roller; the #1 best-selling poet in the world: Malcolm Guite! In his inimitable, inspiring fashion, the Rev. Dr. tells tales to delight the mind and the ear, praising the beauties of rhyme and meter, eschewing irony. He rhapsodizes about Tolkien’s prophetic power and genuine magic to speak worlds into being. As a special gift to listeners, he reads the entirety of his evocative--and invocational--poem “Spell.” Order Galahad and the Grail here—once they print more copies! Follow Malcolm’s YouTube channel, “A Spell in the Library.” Here’s his website. If you like my work, please support me by joining my Author’s Circle. If you’re a writer, hire me as your Consulting Editor or Writing Coach. If you want thoughts on politics, subscribe to my Substack.
Transcribe →"Spa Day for the Mind" with the Lord of the Mark and the Man of the West!
3w ago01:26:42Tap to summarizeShawn Marchese & Alan Sisto talk Tolkien! The Prancing Pony Guys get back together for this delightful conversation about phonetic fitness, word nerdery, linguistic beauty, and personal delight in the Legendarium. What’s your favorite moment in the show? Please share! * Be sure to subscribe to The Prancing Pony Podcast if you don't already! https://theprancingponypodcast.com/ * Follow Prancing Pony Productions for all Alan's content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMJvdkW6YasPhksZnPFfLZw. * Subscribe to Shawn's substack: https://substack.com/@shawnemarchese. * Buy a copy of Alan & Shawn's book, Why We Love Middle-earth, wherever fine books are sold (buy local! choose used!). * If you like this work, please support it by joining my Author's Circle https://buymeacoffee.com/higginssorina * If you're a writer, hire me as your Consulting Editor: https://wyrdhoard.com/ * If you want more thoughts on politics, subscribe to my Substack: https://substack.com/@sorinahiggins
Transcribe →Inescapably Theological: Carl Edlund Anderson on Tolkien
May 2401:12:27Tap to summarizeWant to know a little more about what philology is, what Tolkien’s job was, and how languages work (both natural and constructed)? Then join these two professors for a long conversation asking things like: Which words are pretty? Why are they pretty? Does God think they’re pretty? Is English better than German? Is Welsh better than English? They get into the concept of “true names,” important discussions of war and peace, and lament the great decline. The conclusion is that Tolkien condemns coercion and petty tyrants—a topic applicable to our own times as to his. Carl Edlund Anderson’s faculty page Carl Edlund Anderson on Google scholar Carl Edlund Anderson on Academia.edu If you like this work, please support it by joining my Author’s Circle If you’re a writer, hire me as your Consulting Editor If you want more thoughts on politics, subscribe to my Substack
Transcribe →Two Chads Talking Tolkien: Bornholdt & High on the Languages of Middle-earth
May 1701:12:08Tap to summarizeChad & Chad begin by reviewing several important language-related terms in Tolkien: “Elvish,” “Quenya,” “Sindarin,” “Westron,” “Tengwar,” and “Cirth.” They get into the question of why make up languages at all, then delve into the functions of words in Middle-earth, including the frame story and both primary- and secondary-world problems of translation. Tentatively, they touch on the nature of magic and the fabric of reality in Tolkien’s subcreated world, including the difficulties of ret-conning and the theological tangles Tolkien wrote himself into later on when trying to “scientificate” the legendarium. When talking about six principles from JRRT about how to talk to each other, they analyze the difference between Tolkien and George R.R. Martin and what makes someone fit for leadership. Both nerdy and relevant, this episode is a delicious Chad sandwich! Chad Bornholdt on Tolkienists.org Chad High on Tolkienists.org Chad Bornholdt’s Silmarillion Summaries Chad Bornholdt’s Silmarillion School Chad High on Tolkien Guide If you like my work, please support it by joining my Author’s Circle or giving a one-time gift. If you’re a writer, hire me as your Consulting Editor. If you want more thoughts on politics, subscribe to my Substack.
Transcribe →Statler & Waldorf Talk Tolkien: Tom Hillman & Joe Hoffman
May 1001:06:03Tap to summarizeContinuing the "Elvish English" series, Tom Hillman & Joe Hoffman take Sørina Higgins through how myth and language are co-causational, what Tolkien believed about the Logos and creation (and subcreation), and what makes languages beautiful. They share insights into how magic and art work in Middle-earth and whether Elvish poetry auto-translates (for more on that topic, see Tom's award-winning article "The Tides of Time"!). Maybe it be long before Sørina again finds herself between two such terrible old men! ;) * Tom Hillman's piece that won the Tolkien Society Award for best article: https://scholar.valpo.edu/journaloftolkienresearch/vol22/iss1/5/ * If you like this work, please support it by joining my Author's Circle https://buymeacoffee.com/higginssorina * If you're a writer, hire me as your Consulting Editor: https://wyrdhoard.com/ * If you want more thoughts on politics, subscribe to my Substack: https://substack.com/@sorinahiggins
Transcribe →It's like Breakfast: Verlyn Flieger on Tolkien
May 300:43:50Tap to summarizeIn the second episode in the "Elvish English" series, Sørina Higgins has the distinct honor of talking with Verlyn Flieger, one of the greats of Tolkien studies. They speculate why Tolkien loved certain sounds, how Dr. Flieger made her career on his works, and why they're her favorite books. They compare their experiences of reading Lord of the Rings for the first time and wonder whether Shakespeare or Tolkien offers more helpful insights for facing difficult times.
Transcribe →The Tower of Words: Michael D. C. Drout on Tolkien
Apr 2601:05:14Tap to summarizeProf. Michael D. C. Drout explains that for J.R.R. Tolkien, words work on different levels: there is pleasure in sound patterns, but real power is in the way words act on people & how people act. Words are not magical. Drout talks about Saruman’s voice, lying, and how both left-wingers and right-wingers claim Tolkien is on their side: each revolts against domination. Fantasy cannot provide consolation for loss, but can give shape to grief and point to a world where there is comfort. * Prof. Drout’s faculty page * Prof. Drout on Tolkien Gateway * The Tower and the Ruin on Bookfinder (buy used! buy local!) * If you like this work, please support it by joining my Author’s Circle * If you’re a writer, hire me as your Consulting Editor * If you want more thoughts on politics, subscribe to my Substack
Transcribe →"Elvlish English" Series 3 Trailer
Apr 2200:03:54Tap to summarizeNo description available
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