PODCAST · arts
The Signum Scene
by Signum University
The Signum Scene podcast covers Signum University news, Signum Symposia, and creator chats from Signum Plaza—engaging talks on literature for fans and scholars. Featuring event updates, faculty chats, MA student thesis presentations, and interviews with leading academics and creators, it offers something for everyone.
Episodes
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Thesis Theater: Shae Rossi, "Movement Through Enchantment...the Otherworld in Tolkien’s Legendarium"
This recording from October 10, 2026. Signum University presents Thesis Theater with Shannon (Shae) Rossi, "To Work an Enchantment upon Them: Movement through Enchantment into the Otherworld in Tolkien’s Legendarium." The connection between J.R.R. Tolkien and the Celtic Otherworld has been much...
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Thesis Theater: Galen Miller-Atkins, "Word-Foot Theory and the Early Runic Language"
This recording from August 1, 2026. Signum University presents Thesis Theater with Galen Miller-Atkins, "Early Runic Meter: Word-Foot Theory and the Early Runic Language." Several early runic inscriptions exhibit alliterative patterns, broadly reminiscent of later alliterative verse patterns;...
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Thesis Theater: J. Michael Southards, "Sophistic Critique into the Lewis-Plato Conversation"
This recording from May 13, 2026. Signum University presents Thesis Theater with J. Michael Southards, "It's All in Plato: Bringing the Sophistic Critique into the Lewis-Plato Conversation." The scholarly conversation surrounding the relationship between C.S. Lewis and Plato is robust but does…
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Thesis Theater: Tamara Bootsma, "The Old Swedish Bjärköarätten: an English Translation"
This recording from April 11, 2026. Signum University presents Thesis Theater with Tamara Bootsma, "The Old Swedish Bjärköarätten: an English Translation." The complete Bjärköarätten, the Trading Town Law, of medieval Sweden, exists only in one manuscript, written about 1345. Originally composed...
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Thesis Theater: Elizabeth (Libby) Lyon, “Chaucer’s Enigmatic Quitting of The Canterbury Tales"
This recording from December 13, 2025. Signum University presents Thesis Theater with Elizabeth (Libby) Lyon on Saturday, December 13, 2025 at 11am ET. This thesis explores Chaucer’s perplexing conclusion to his Canterbury Tales, reflecting particularly on parallels between the Parson’s Prologue...
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State of the University Address, 2025
Now Corey Olsen delivers the 2025 State of the University Address, to discuss the exciting future of Signum University! Thank you all for your support for Signum University. https://signumuniversity.org/news/annual-fundraising-campaign-2025/ https://signumuniversity.org/support/...
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Storyweb 005 - Stacy Aannestad
This episode contains my conversation with Stacy Aannestad about her novel: Flight: the Den-Aronel Chronicles in the Signum University Collaboratory. I also report on two new works that have entered the fiction sector since the last episode.
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Thesis Theater: Bronwyn Rivera, "Pilgrimage Narrative in Violet Evergarden"
This recording from September 1, 2025. Signum University presents Thesis Theater with Bronwyn Rivera on Monday, September 1, 2025 at 11 am ET. From psychology to film theory, ecocriticism to posthumanism, anime studies have flourished as scholars investigate the medium through a variety of...
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Thesis Theater: Grace Bennett, “Neutral and Evil Technology in Lewis and Tolkien"
This recording from August 13, 2025. Signum University presents Thesis Theater with Grace Bennett on Wednesday, August 13, 2025 at 3pm ET. This thesis challenges the reductionistic narrative that C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were anti-technology and anti-science. It examines technological…
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Thesis Theater: Sarah Shahan Polo, "The Lord of the Rings, Modernism, and The Counterculture"
This recording from August 6, 2025 Signum University presents Thesis Theater with Sarah Shahan Polo on Wednesday, August 6, 2025 at 1pm ET. This thesis explores the complex relationship between J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and the literary and cultural movements of modernism and...
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Storyweb 004 - Julian Barr
This episode contains an interview with author and Academic Submissions Coordinator Dr Julian Barr. Julian has a middle grade novel called Rebel Seers: Beyond the Ashlands up in the collaboratory and several works published outside Signum University. There is also a brief reminder about the new...
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Thesis Theater: Jeffrey Wade, "Do the Inhabitants of Arda Know How Their Own Story Ends?"
This recording from June 4, 2025. Signum University presents Thesis Theater with Jeffrey Wade on Thursday, June 4, 2025 at 5pm ET. This thesis concerns itself with the question of whether the inhabitants of Tolkien’s Arda possess an awareness of their creation’s eschatological end. It is not a...
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Thesis Theater: Fr. Andrew Damick, "Divine Council Theology in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth"
This recording from May 30, 2025. Signum University presents Thesis Theater with Father Andrew Damick on Friday, May 30, 2025 at 2pm ET. In J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth legendarium, particularly in The Silmarillion and related material, the reader encounters divine beings, including the Valar,...
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Storyweb 003 - Brad Patty
This episode contains an interview with author Brad Patty, whose novel Arms and White Samite is posted in the fiction submission hall of the Circulation Library. WE also update new things added to the Collaboratory since the last podcast was recorded.
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Thesis Theater: Sarah Monnier, "Toward a Digital Edition of Widsið"
This recording from May 24, 2025. Signum University presents Thesis Theater with Sarah Monnier on Friday, May 24, 2025 at 9am ET. It is a truth universally acknowledged that the Classics, which generally means Greek and Latin language materials, are much more advanced in digital scholarship and...
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Storyweb 002 - What Has Gone Before
In this episode of the Storyweb, host Christopher Bartlett takes the listeners on a tour of what is already in the Fiction Hall of the Signum University Collaboratory’s circulation library. He gives an overview of each of the works one may find there, and urges subscribers to engage with the...
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Thesis Theater: Kimberly McKinney, "Ecology, Eucatastrophe, and Estel"
This recording from May 7, 2025. Signum University presents Thesis Theater with Kimberly McKinney on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 at 10am ET. J. R. R. Tolkien’s tales about Middle-earth were designed to provide a conceivable mythological history for the existing world. Due to this intentional…
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Storyweb 000 - Trailer
Introducing Storyweb, a new series of chats with authors and creators from the Signum Plaza.
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Storyweb 001 - Sparrow Alden
In this inaugural episode of the Storyweb series, Christopher Bartlett interviews Sparrow Alden about her history and process as a writer. They discuss A Flash of Wings, Sparrow’s anthology of flash fiction that appears in the Signum University Collaboratory....
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State of the University Address, 2024
Join President Corey Olsen for a look at the year that has been and a discussion of Signum's direction in 2025 and beyond! Please consider supporting Signum University. https://signumuniversity.org/news/find-joy-learn-the-things-that-you-love/ https://signumuniversity.org/support/donate/ More…
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Thesis Theater: Jay Moses, "Seedbed Of Darkness: M.R. James, Folk Horror, And 17th Century England"
This recording from November 1, 2024. Signum University presents Thesis Theater with Jay Moses on Saturday, November 1, 2024 at 5pm ET. M.R. James was recognized and acclaimed for his short stories of the macabre written at the turn of the twentieth century. In the 1970’s the new genre of Folk...
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Thesis Theater: Peter DeVault, "Illuminating the Metrical Grammar of Germanic Alliterative Poetry"
This recording from September 28, 2024. Signum University presents Thesis Theater with Peter DeVault on Saturday, September 28, 2024 at 10am ET. Modern metrical analysis of Germanic alliterative poetry (GAP) has invariably proceeded from edited texts in which the poem is represented visually as...
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Thesis Theater: Julia Stowe, "Time and Eternity in 8-10th c. West Germanic Language and Literature"
This recording from September 9, 2024. Signum University presents Thesis Theater with Julia Stowe on Saturday, September 14, 2024 at 10am ET. The concepts of time and eternity, and the words that are used to express them, have significant influence over a culture. This thesis examines how the...
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Thesis Theater: Robert Black, "Beowulf as a Christian Critique of Germanic Heroism"
This recording from August 10, 2024. Signum University presents Thesis Theater with Robert Black on Saturday, August 10, 2024 at 4pm ET. This paper proposes to compare once again the heroes Beowulf and Böðvarr Bjarki, using linguistics and critiques of the heroes to build on the traditional...
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Thesis Theater: Celesta Clegg, "Original Sin: A Portrait of the Fall Through Germanic Texts”
This recording from July 13, 2024. Signum University presents Thesis Theater with Celesta Clegg on Saturday, July 13, 2024 at 5pm ET. Germanic reworkings of Genesis material present a glimpse into the Christian doctrine and societal understandings of the medieval culture in which the texts were...
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Thesis Theater: Shannon Choudhari, "Notion Club Papers and Tolkien’s Vision of Creative Mysticism"
This recording from May 10, 2024. Signum University Graduate School presents Thesis Theater with Shannon Choudhari on Tuesday, May 10, 2024 at 5pm ET. “I wonder what you’ve been up to?”: The Notion Club Papers and Tolkien’s Vision of Creative Mysticism Since it’s publication in 1992, Tolkien’s...
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Thesis Theater: Trevor Brierly, "Tolkien's Vision of Faërie in 'Smith of Wooton Major'"
This recording from May 7, 2024. Signum University Graduate School presents Thesis Theater with Trevor Brierly on Tuesday, May 7, 2024 at 2pm ET, on the subject of Tolkien's "Vision of Faërie" in "Smith of Wootton Major." Tolkien's story "Smith of Wootton Major", written in 1965, and an...
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Thesis Theater: Timothy Francis, "Administrative Art as Genre in Kafka, Tooker, and Ravn"
This recording from April 11, 2024. Signum MA student Timothy Francis will present his thesis “Administrative Art as Genre in Kafka, Tooker, and Ravn” and respond to questions from the audience in an interactive Thesis Theater. The discussion will be facilitated by Timothy’s thesis supervisor…
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Thesis Theater: Duane Watson, "Dominate or Preserve: Magic as a Means of Production in Middle-earth"
This recording from April 5, 2024. Abstract J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth has long been praised for its sense of depth, but Tolkien’s creation has often been criticized, especially by Marxist critics, for its lack in depicting economic realities and for providing a reactionary fantasy to soothe...
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Thesis Theater: Laurel Stevens, "An Awareness of Debts: Dark Academia and its Source-Texts"
This recording from March 22, 2024. Abstract Dark Academia (DA), as a genre, is an offshoot of academic fiction that has become prominent over the last decade. After defining DA and exploring its roots, I dive into Intertextuality to ask why modern authors have chosen DA as their genre of choice…
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State of the University Address, Fall 2023
This recording is from Signum University Annual Fundraising Webathon, December 9, 2023. If you want to watch the recordings of the full event, check the 2023 Fundraising campaign playlist here. • Signum University Annual Fundraising ... This year's campaign announcement • Signum University's Fall...
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Thesis Theater: Kira Tregoning, "The Semantic and Narrative Meaning in Homeric Epithets"
This recording from October 6, 2023. Signum MA student Kira Tregoning will present her thesis “More Complicated Than They Seem: The Semantic and Contextual Meaning of Homeric Epithets” and respond to questions from the audience in an interactive Thesis Theater. The discussion will be facilitated…
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Thesis Theater: Gina Petrone, "'Let Me In!' Vampirism in Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights"
This recording from August 1st, 2023. Signum MA student Gina Petrone will present her thesis “‘Let Me In!’ Vampirism in Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights” and respond to questions from the audience in an interactive Thesis Theater. The discussion will be facilitated by Gina’s thesis supervisor…
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Thesis Theater: Christoph Schabert, "Magus Saga Jarls: A Digital Edition"
This recording from July 29, 2023. Signum MA student Christoph Schabert will present his thesis “Mágus saga jarls: A Digital Edition” and respond to questions from the audience in an interactive Thesis Theater. The discussion will be facilitated by Christoph’s thesis supervisor, Dr. Paul…
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Thesis Theater: Patrick Lyon, "The Familiar and the Strange in the Old English Rhyming Poem"
This recording from July 30, 2023. Signum MA student Patrick Lyon will present his thesis “Merry Old Englyn: The Familiar and the Strange in The Old English Rhyming Poem” and respond to questions from the audience in an interactive Thesis Theater. The discussion will be facilitated by Patrick’s...
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Summer Courses 2023
Find out about the new courses offered at Signum University this coming Summer Term (May 1 – July 30) and meet the professors who will be teaching them! Representatives from the courses will be on hand to explain how the classes work, what people can expect if they sign up, and answer questions...
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Thesis Theater: Jennifer Ewing, “The Promises to the Overcomer”
Thesis Theater: Jennifer Ewing, “The Promises to the Overcomer” This recording from April 3rd, 2023. Signum MA student Jennifer Ewing will present her thesis “The Promises to the Overcomer: The Gifts and Rewards Given to the Fellowship in The Lord of the Rings” and respond to questions from the...
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Spring Courses 2023
This recording from December 1, 2022. Find out about the new courses offered at Signum University this coming Spring Term (January 9 – April 2) and meet the professors who will be teaching them! Representatives from the courses will be on hand to explain how the classes work, what people can…
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State of the University Address, Fall 2022
This is Part 1 of the separate recordings from The 2022 Fall Fundraising Campaign Finale, recorded on November 19, 2022. Our teaching programs Signum Graduate School https://signumuniversity.org/degree-p... Signum Academy Clubs https://signumuniversity.org/non-degr... Mythgard Institute...
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Thesis Theater: Nadia Schafer, "One Strange (s)Elf:...the Radical Hope of Legolas Greenleaf"
This recording from September 5, 2022. Signum MA student Nadia Schafer will present her thesis “One Strange (s) Elf: Deep Ecology, Decolonization and the Radical Hope of Legolas Greenleaf ” and respond to questions from the audience in an interactive Thesis Theater. The discussion will be...
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Fall Courses 2022
This recording from August 25, 2022. Find out about the new courses offered at Signum University this coming Fall Term (August 29 – November 20) and meet the professors who will be teaching them! Representatives from the courses will be on hand to explain how the classes work, what people can...
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Thesis Theater: Jacob R. Schreiner, "Sub-creation Through Speech-Acts in Tolkien’s Legendarium"
Thesis Theater: Jacob R. Schreiner, "Sub-creation Through Speech-Acts in Tolkien’s Legendarium" This recording from June 1, 2022. Signum MA student Jacob R. Schreiner will present his thesis “The Logos of Faith: Sub-creation Through Speech-Acts in Tolkien’s Legendarium” and respond to questions...
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Thesis Theater: Miriam Davidson, "Nonviolent Countercurrents in Tolkien's Epic of War"
Thesis Theater: Miriam Davidson, "Nonviolent Countercurrents in Tolkien's Epic of War" This recording from May 26, 2022. Signum MA student Miriam Davidson will present her thesis “The Sword Not for its Sharpness: Nonviolent Countercurrents in Tolkien’s Epic of War” and respond to questions from…
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Thesis Theater: Emily Austin, "The Road Gives Ever On: the Road Motif in Lord of the Rings"
Thesis Theater: Emily Austin, "The Road Gives Ever On: the Road Motif in Lord of the Rings" This recording from May 21, 2022. Signum MA student Emily Austin will present her thesis “The Road Gives Ever On: Following the Road Motif in The Lord of the Rings ” and respond to questions from the...
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Thesis Theater: Taylor Johnson Guinan, "Ventures into the Land of the Dead in Children's Literature”
Thesis Theater: Taylor Johnson Guinan, "Ventures into the Land of the Dead in Children's Literature” This recording from May 7, 2022. Signum MA student Taylor Johnson Guinan will present her thesis “Only in Dying Life: Ventures into the Land of the Dead in Children’s Fantasy Literature” and…
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Thesis Theatre: Phil Knight, “Drauma-Jóns Saga: A Digital Edition and Translation”
This recording from April 15th, 2022. Signum MA student Phil Knight will present his thesis “Drauma-Jóns Saga: A Digital Edition and Translation” and respond to questions from the audience in an interactive Thesis Theatre. The discussion will be facilitated by Phil’s thesis supervisor, Dr. Paul...
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Summer Courses 2022
This recording from April 22, 2022. Find out about the new courses offered at Signum University this coming Summer Term (May 2 – July 31) and meet the professors who will be teaching them! Representatives from the courses will be on hand to explain how the classes work, what people can expect if...
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Spring Courses 2022
recorded on January 4, 2022. Signum University Spring 2022 semester starts January 10! In this Course Preview event, you can find out about the new courses offered at Signum University this coming Spring Term (January 10 – April 3) and meet the professors who will be teaching them!…
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Thesis Theater: Elise Trudel Cedeño ~ "Examining the Structure of the Modern Fantasy Epic"
This recording from January 5th, 2022. Signum master’s student Elise Trudel Cedeño will present her thesis “Series Theory: Examining the Structure of the Modern Fantasy Epic” and respond to questions from the audience in an interactive Thesis Theater. The discussion will be facilitated by Elise’s...
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Hugo Award 2021: Best Novel Roundtable
This recording from December 18th, 2021 If the answer is always reading good Science Fiction and fantasy, then the question must always be “How can I best spend my time and escape the normal confines of our day?” Join us at 6pm Eastern on December 18th for our non-affiliated Hugo Awards evening,...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The Signum Scene podcast covers Signum University news, Signum Symposia, and creator chats from Signum Plaza—engaging talks on literature for fans and scholars. Featuring event updates, faculty chats, MA student thesis presentations, and interviews with leading academics and creators, it offers something for everyone.
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The Signum Scene currently has 143 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
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The Signum Scene podcast covers Signum University news, Signum Symposia, and creator chats from Signum Plaza—engaging talks on literature for fans and scholars. Featuring event updates, faculty chats, MA student thesis presentations, and interviews with leading academics and creators, it offers...
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The Signum Scene publishes regularly with 143 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
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