Today on Mythmakers, Julia Golding is joined by Professor Simon Horobin who has stepped into C.S. Lewis's shoes at Magdalen College, Oxford, and now he has written a beautiful book detailing Lewis's relationship with the iconic city. Join us as he discusses with Julia the peculiarities of college life in Oxford, the move to Cambridge later in life, Headington and the Kilns, as well as C.S. Lewis as a poet. The discussion ends off by venturing through the wardrobe into different fantasy lands…

Simon's book is available for purchase at https://bodleianshop.co.uk/products/c-s-lewiss-oxford

For more information on the Oxford Centre for Fantasy, our writing courses, and to check out our awesome social media content visit:

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0:10 Welcome to Mythmakers

3:38 The Legacy of C.S. Lewis

6:12 Exploring C.S. Lewis's Oxford

9:56 Oddities of Magdalen College

12:15 Women in Lewis's Life

15:00 Life at The Kilns

17:04 Lewis's Academic Journey

19:05 Surprising Discoveries in Archives

24:54 Transition to Cambridge

29:41 Oxford's Influence on Fantasy

35:08 Best Fantasy Worlds to Explore

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

0:06 Introduction to Fog on the Barrow Downs

2:44 Exploring Themes of Renewal

5:35 The Journey Begins

7:28 Warnings Ignored

9:36 The Fog of War

13:38 The Nature of Evil

18:26 The Power of Tom Bombadil

22:14 Shared Visions and Prophecies

23:35 Temptation and Contentment

24:55 Farewell to Tom Bombadil

Hero or Villain? These archetypal characters are the stock-in-trade of the fantasy genre, and so you’ll definitely enjoy this newest poetry anthology compiled by Ana Sampson, an experienced curator of poetry collections, and illustrated by the instantly recognizable pencil of Chris Riddell, multi-award-winning illustrator and former UK Children's Laureate.

Today on Mythmakers, in conversation with Julia Golding, Ana and Chris journey through history and genres, unearthing the gems. They reflect on the poems that inspired them as children, the role of compendiums in nurturing the artistic imagination, and why different approaches are often used to tell the same tale. They also explore the influence of politics on the anthology—and vice versa, and so much more. And if that wasn’t enough, Chris treats us to a live dragon sketch while several poems are read aloud—making this a truly unmissable episode!

Their book, Heroes and Villains: Poems about Legends (Macmillan), is available for purchase now. Credits for the poems read in full are: 'Nan Hardwicke Turns into a Hare' by Wendy Pratt, 'St Margaret of Antioch Speaks' by Jan Dean, 'If...' by James Carter, and 'The Dragons are Hiding' by Brian Moses.

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

0:10 Welcome to Mythmakers

1:32 Childhood Poems That Shaped Us

5:27 The Lady of Shalott and Lockdown

10:15 The Role of Poetry Anthologies

12:05 Creating the Heroes and Villains Anthology

16:40 Exploring Heroes and Villains Through Poetry

20:2Research Gems in Poetry

36:19 Creative Tips for Aspiring Writers

39:04 Contemporary Issues in Fantasy

43:01 Collaborating with Publishers

46:56 The Intersection of Politics and Fantasy

52:46 Closing Thoughts and Inspiration