Speaking with Joy

A Conversation with Christopher Tin about extinction elegies, species loss, hope, and his new album with choral group Voces8.

Joy concludes the summer book club on Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, discussing part five with Sarah Clarkson, and reflecting on the final section herself. 

Joy discusses Part Four of Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro with Michael Burdett and King-Ho Leung. 

Joy discusses Part Three of Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro with James Smoker.

Joy discusses Part Two of Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro with Doctors Sarah and Jeremiah Coogan.

Joy announces the book for her summer reading club (Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro), and discusses the first chapter.

Joy speaks with Professor Ben Quash about the Swiss theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar, theological aesthetics, and the Visual Commentary on Scripture.

Joy speaks with Mary McCampbell (who examined her PhD!) about how literature can help us cultivate empathy toward our neighbours, near and far.

Joy speaks with Paul Kingsnorth, a man who has been many things in his life: a poet, an eco-activist, and eco-pessimist, a warlock, and most recently, an Eastern Orthodox christian.

After a brief break to recover from Covid, Joy shares an interview with John Swinton where they speak about God's gentle, slow love, and how we should share that love with each other.

Joy speaks with Rowan Williams about his new (and first) collection of plays, the power of words, and the art of David Jones.

Joy speaks with Haley Stewart about how Jane Austen's much maligned clergyman Mr Collins knows the secrets to an aggressively happy life.

Joy speaks with Children's book author and illustrator Casey Fritz about the parables of Jesus, the power of storytelling, the place of horror, and the way ET demonstrate the gospel. 

Joy speaks with Boze about guilty pleasures, BTS, the importance of wonder, and the power of enjoying things unironically.

Joy speaks with Jenna Reed about why we forget we have bodies and what we lose when we do, the similarities between Manichaeism and the Netflix reality TV show Love is Blind, and gentle steps we can take toward a more integrated life.

Joy speaks with George Corbett about Dante Alighieri’s medieval literary masterpiece, the Comedia, and what it has to teach us about the search for direction in the dark wood of life and what it means to be human.

What do you do when you don't know what to do? When life is perplexing and no paths seem to lead anywhere? Joy discusses bewildering seasons through some of her favourite floundering art: a poem by Malcolm Guite, a song by Henry Jamison, a children's book by Barbara Cooney, and a movie with Harrison Ford and Julia Ormond. 

Joy talks with her mother Sally Clarkson about how sadness doesn't make us bad Christians, how to find light in dark seasons, and how to accompany others through sorrow. 

Joy explores the theme of good grief through the journals of CS Lewis and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the swan song of Mozart, and the Irish animated film Song of the Sea.

Joy talks with two time Grammy Award winning artist Christopher Tin about synecdoche, video games, the moon landing, Pink Floyd, and why music delights us.

Joy reads the introduction to her new book, ponders the cultivation of joy in a weary and cynical world, and announces plans for the next ten weeks of episodes. 

Joy talks with her brother Nathan about the children's book they wrote together (The Clubhouse), how imagination and creativity reflect the image of God, and why youngest siblings are the best (just kidding... or are they?).

In this episode, Joy talks with her sister Sarah about how (and why) to read really long books, and why reading good books is good for the soul.

Joy talks with Joel (her composer brother) about advent carols, and then reflects on two works of art about the the annunciation: a poem by Denise Levertov and a painting by Henry Ossawa Tanner. 

Joy sits down with a cup of tea to talk about finishing her PhD, writing a book, starting a new job, and what's next for the podcast.

Joy reflects on the final chapter of Piranesi. 

When the man called Piranesi realizes that 16 is in danger he makes up his mind to save her from the devastating flood. Joy talks with Leah Libresco Sargeant and Caitrin Keiper about Part Six of Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.

This week we open a window into Matthew Rose Sorensen's past, and what we see is more horrible than we could have imagined. Joy talks with Haley Stewart about enchantment, memory, and anti-horror novels in part five of Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.

Piranesi learns something that changes everything: his real name. Joy and Dr Matthew Rothaus Moser talk about names, disenchantment, and loneliness in Part Four of Susanna Clarke's novel Piranesi. 

Joy hosts a family discussion with Andy, Amy, and Timothy Crouch about Part Three of Piranesi. Their conversation touches on the wicked Prophet, self-care, naïveté, knowledge, innocence, and swan bones.

Joy talks with Malcolm Guite about his friendship with Susanna Clarke, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and whether we live in an enchanted universe (like Piranesi's). 

After a seven month hiatus, the podcast is back! Joy speaks with her brother Joel about part one of Susanna Clarke's intriguing novel Piranesi, and then gives a literary and thematic introduction to the book.

A special Christmas episode in which Joy's reflects on her yearly reading of Charles Dickens excellent novella A Christmas Carol.

Joy talks with Tsh Oxenreider about how to make the season of advent cozy and meaningful. 

Have you ever wondered what books were on Tolkien's bookshelves? In this episode, Joy talks with Holly Ordway about her new book Tolkien's Modern Reading.

Joy talks with anthropologist Sabine Hyland about her adventures in the Andes, her decipherment of the lost meaning of khipus, and how life is more than money.

Joy talks with Professor John Swinton about theology, disability, and dementia. God never forgets anybody, and it is the church's job to remind us we are remembered. 

Joy talks with Dr Alan Jacobs about how reading old books can make us wise and tranquil.

Joy talks with Dr Esau McCaulley about his new book Reading While Black, his desire to give his children the gift of joy in a fearful world, and their mutual passion for gospel music. 

A good conversation is one of life's greatest pleasures. Joy kicks off a series of conversational episodes by chatting with her mother about education as conversation, Christ as conversation partner, and the importance of honouring the voice of others.

In this finale episode, Joy talks with Charlotte Jones Voiklis, the granddaughter of Madeleine L'Engle. They discuss how love calls us out of safety and into the fight for light.  

In this episode Joy talks with Elena Trueba about the difference between perception and vision, expensive candles, and the importance of treating people like special cupcakes and not uniform muffins.

Joy and Boze Herrington discuss chapter ten of Wrinkle in Time, and the importance of children's books for helping us feel at home in the world.

In this episode, Joy and Dr. Matthew Rothaus Moser discuss the symbolism of Mrs Who's glasses and the innate horror regarding obscenely large disembodied brains.

Joy and Brandee Knowles (cook extraordinaire!) discuss chapter eight of Wrinkle in time, living into our bravery, and the necessity of pain.

In this episode, Joy and L'Engle biographer Sarah Arthur discuss chapter seven, the creepiness of CENTRAL, the importance of names, and the insufficiencies of the intellect.

In this episode, Joy and her mother Sally Clarkson explore chapter six of Wrinkle in Time. They discuss how the ways we narrate our stories shape the way we live them, the violence of conformity, and Sally's new book Awaking Wonder.

In this episode Joy and Sarah Clarkson ponder over the fourth dimension, proclaim the power of sorrow, and speculate about whether the Mrs. W's are angels. 

On this episode, Joy and Sarah Cozart discuss white flowers, The Dark Thing, and the strength of beauty

On this week's episode Joy and Kaitlin Schiess discuss belonging, familiarity, and the 'making strange' of fantasy stories. Tune in and then chime in on this week's discussion.