Episode 6: Landscapes Real and Imagined with Jonathan Rogers

Worlds Within is a podcast miniseries about place-based storytelling. On each episode, we talk with creators about the landscapes that shape stories, and the stories that shape landscapes.In this episode, we talk with author and storyteller Jonathan Rogers about the landscapes that shape our imagination and the role of place in the creative life.Jonathan reflects on his upbringing in Georgia and his life in Nashville, sharing how swamps, caves, and creative community have influenced his storytelling. He invites us to consider how place is not only geography, but also the people and relationships that give it meaning.Throughout the conversation, Jonathan offers insight into the craft of writing place: how setting creates both limits and opportunities, how attention shapes originality, and how the visible world is shaped by deeper, often unseen forces.We hope this episode encourages you to notice more closely the places you inhabit and to discover the stories waiting there.Bio: Jonathan Rogers is the author of several acclaimed books of fiction and nonfiction. He calls his fiction “fantasy adventure stories told in an American accent.” His novels, including The Wilderking Trilogy and The Charlatan’s Boy, are fantasy adventure stories shaped more by American vernacular storytelling than by high fantasy, drawing on the humor and rhythms of Twain rather than Tolkien. His nonfiction works, The World According to Narnia, Saint Patrick, and The Terrible Speed of Mercy: A Spiritual Biography of Flannery O’Connor, also trace the themes of divine comedy and the redemptive power of joy.Hear more from Jonathan on The Habit Podcast, or connect with others and keep learning from him in his online writing community. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit adriennegarrison.substack.com