Mythmakers

Here’s a story that will encourage many of our listeners: SJ Poyton’s epic journey to publication has spanned nearly 20 years, and her perseverance has paid off with the release of her sci-fi children’s novel, Mammoth Rider. Think Jurassic Park, but much more plausible.
In this episode, SJ and Julia Golding sit down to discuss the environmental themes behind the book, as well as the importance of including neurodiverse characters in a way that portrays their unique minds as simply being part of who they are, and even as a part of their gifts. SJ and Julia go on to decide how one should name a mammoth, before speculating about which mythical creature they would wish to introduce into the real world.

To learn more about SJ, and to order your own copy of Mammoth Rider, visit https://www.sjpoyton.com/

(00:04) Introduction to SJ Poyton and Mammoth Rider(00:47) A 19-Year Journey to Publication(04:35) What Mammoth Rider Is About(06:56) How Mammoths Could Help Fight Climate Change(09:05) Greenland, Nyala, and the White Mammoth(12:15) Neurodiversity in the Book and in SJ’s Life(17:10) Dyslexia Representation in Fantasy(21:01) Writing the Sequel to Mammoth Rider(26:08) Science Notes, Ethics, and Questions for Readers(26:56) Which Fantasy Creature Would You Bring Back?

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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Saddle up and join the Round Table as Mythmakers embarks on a journey through some of the most famous retellings of King Arthur in celebration of Tolkien Reading Day. Which author started the ball rolling, and who poetically kicked it on into the 19th century? Where do the traces of these tales become most apparent in the works of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis? And who has continued the Arthurian tradition into modern times?

Finally, we turn to the screen—what is the most successful adaptation of them all? Tune in to see if you agree with our pick!

(00:00) Tolkien Reading Day and the Power of Arthur(03:09) Malory and the Rise of Arthur in Print(05:26) Arthur Pulls the Sword from the Stone(09:24) Keats and the Melancholy of Arthur(12:08) Tennyson, Avalon, and Echoes in Tolkien(15:15) William Morris and Arthur’s Expanding World(16:52) T.S. Eliot, Charles Williams, and the Modern Grail(22:22) Film, Comedy, and Reinventing Arthur(23:00) Tolkien and Lewis Through an Arthurian Lens(27:02) Modern Retellings and Julia Golding’s Own Arthur Stories(29:12) Why BBC’s Merlin Works So Well(30:43) Reading Arthur to Better Understand Tolkien

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

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.

(00:00) A Chapter Built Around a Single Decision(02:00) Why the Black Gate Must Be Impossible to Enter(05:00) Mordor as a Living Landscape of Evil(08:00) Frodo’s Resolve and the Stakes of the Quest(11:00) Writing Into Uncertainty and Finding the Way Forward(13:30) Trust, Suspicion, and Gollum’s Divided Nature(17:00) The Hidden Path and Foreshadowing What Lies Ahead(21:00) Tension, Stillness, and Delaying the Decision(26:00) Sam’s Perspective and the Power of Small Hope(29:00) Choosing to Trust Gollum and Moving Forward

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

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.

(00:00) Introducing the Passage of the Marshes(02:20) The Structure of the Chapter and Its Locations(04:30) Gollum as Guide and Contradictory Character(08:40) Food, Lembas, and Gollum’s Drama(14:00) Frodo and Sam’s Changing Relationship(17:00) Entering the Dead Marshes(22:30) The Atmosphere and Worldbuilding of the Marshes(27:30) The Dead Faces Beneath the Water(31:10) The Ringwraith’s Overflight and Growing Fear(37:10) Gollum’s Inner Debate and the Road to Mordor

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

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.

(00:04) Welcome to Mythmakers and the Two Towers wrap-up begins
(01:00) Aragorn’s “odd negligence” and a sense of fate driving events
(02:49) Boromir’s deathbed scene and the shift into a heroic register
(03:53) Aragorn’s stage-like lament and Legolas’ clear-headed plan
(05:05) Entering Rohan: potted history, songs over books, and Anglo-Saxon echoes
(07:22) The Riders arrive: horses, “manes,” and cinematic choreography
(08:47) Back to the hobbits: Pippin moves from “luggage” to leadership
(10:16) Orc factions, wartime alliances, and the craft problem of “common speech”
(13:00) Gandalf returns: riddles, limits on power, and “the turn of the tide”

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