7Jul
IN THIS REPEAT: a reader's guide to The Great Divorce.
With the publication of my book about The Screwtape Letters approaching soon (it should be out by late March, 2016), I thought I'd remind you of a book by the same publisher about The Great Divorce. That book is called C.S. Lewis Goes to HEAVEN and it came out in 2012. I spoke with the author, Dr. David Clark, when it came out but also shared it again last January. I'm sharing it again for those who may not have caught it then, but this also serves as a reminder to consider this resource to help you further enjoy a fictional book by Lewis that is sometimes overlooked.
C.S. Lewis's The Great Divorce originally came out nearly 70 years ago (that is the book, which was published January 14, 1946; but it was released in weekly installments starting on November 10, 1944). Back in 2012 William O'Flaherty spoke with Dr. David Clark about a book that is a study guide and more to this great and often neglected work of fiction. His book is called C.S. Goes to Heaven. It examines Lewis's work from three main angles: Sociology, Geography and Theology. There is also three appendices dealing with a summary of the characters, Biblical references and historical people and literary references.
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5Jul
In this repeat: Here's the second of a two-part essay chat on the shorter work "On Stories."
This is the second and final part of a podcast focusing on "On Stories" by C.S. Lewis. This is the lead essay in On Stories: And other Essays on Literature. William O'Flaherty spoke with Andrew Lazo about this shorter work back in 2012. Andrew, who does a lot of behind the scenes work related to Lewis, is the co-editor of Mere Christians, a book containing testimonies of various individuals who were dramatically impacted by the writings of C.S. Lewis. In this second part, Andrew addresses the issue of the importance of re-reading stories. Favorite quotes from this essay are also shared, along with where to find other material where Lewis addresses the topics in this essay (links to purchase are below).
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Keep reading →
3Jul
IN THIS REPEAT: The first of a two-part essay chat on the shorter work by Lewis called "On Stories."
"On Stories" is the namesake essay in On Stories: And other Essays on Literature. William O'Flaherty spoke with Andrew Lazo back in 2012 about this shorter work by C.S. Lewis. Among the topics it explores is what makes a story pleasurable and why fairy tales do follow a strict logic. This is the first of a two-part episode on it (this first show alone is 20 minutes). Learn about when this essay was first published and some keys points made in the article in this first part. Next week's segment deals primarily with the issue of the importance of re-reading stories.
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28Jun
IN THIS REPEAT: About a special edition of The Pilgrim's Regress that was published in 2014.
C.S. Lewis's first Christian book has been a difficult read for most individuals, however a newly released edition makes it easier to understand. Dr. David Downing is the editor of The Pilgrim's Regress: Wade Annotated Edition. William O'Flaherty spoke with Dr. Downing recently about how he became involved in the project, along with what types of helps he provides in this version of the 1933 volume. Previously Dr. Downing has been on the show to discuss his books The Most Reluctant Convert and Looking for the King (see below for links).
25Jun
In this repeat: Another reminder about a previous interview about The Screwtape Letters: Annotated Edition.
Back in 2014 I first released this interview with Paul McCusker about The Screwtape Letters: Annotated Edition that had only been release a few months before that show was posted. I had yet to share this conversation again since moving my podcast hosting to Podbean, so it has been unavailable for awhile. This year (2016) is the 75th anniversary of the letters first appearing in a small church publication before they came out in book form in the UK in 1942. So, it seem especially important to share interview again because of this fact. Learn how Paul became involved in this project and what information you will and won't see in it.
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17Jun
IN THIS REPEAT: An essay chat on the shorter work "The Vision of John Bunyan." The essay was first published on December 13, 1962.
"The Vision of John Bunyan" was the topic for my 11th and 12th essay chat back in 2012. For this re-release I combined the shows because together they are just over twenty minutes. Kevin Belmonte, who joined me for the third essay chat (and other shows) returned for this discussion. As always, in addition to exploring several key points in the article, you will learn background information about it, as well as related articles or books on a similar topic. "The Vision of John Bunyan" is best found in Selected Literary Essays (a title that was re-issued in paperback and made available in eBook for the first time in late 2013).
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Purchase Books by Kevin Belmonte:
14Jun
IN THIS REPEAT: Here's another previous essay chat; this one on Meditation in a Toolshed.
"Meditation in a Toolshed" was the tenth essay chat William O'Flaherty did back in 2012. Dr. Bruce Edwards, Professor Emeritus of English and Africana Studies at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, is the guest for this discussion. "Meditation in a Toolshed" is a fairly short essay that is a favorite among Lewis scholars. It is best found in God in the Dock essay collection. Learn about the background to this shorter work from Lewis and a few of the key points made in it that will either introduce to this great piece or remind you about it.
11Jun
IN THIS REPEAT: Another essay chat - this on "Willings Slaves of the Welfare State" with Dr. Crystal Hurd.
Back in April 2012 I began an occasional series of essay chats. Each of these podcasts examine a single shorter work that C.S. Lewis wrote with the hopes of encourage you to read or re-read it. As "Willing Slaves of the Welfare State" is repeated with this show, I find it hard to believe that I actually did sixteen over a seven month span. Of course, back then my program wasn't very old and this was a fairly easy way to create a new podcast. My guest for this essay chat is a familiar name; Dr. Crystal Hurd has been on the show many times. Crystal is an educator and researcher from Virginia who is currently researching the role of artists as leaders. The essay discussed can most easily be found in God in the Dock.
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7Jun
IN THIS REPEAT: An essay chat on "Screwtape Proposes a Toast"
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“Screwtape Proposes a Toast” is an essay that is indirectly a follow-up to the successful book The Screwtape Letters. Brenton Dickieson joins William O’Flaherty for an essay chat on this insightful piece that Wormwood never got to hear. It was first published in The Saturday Evening Post in 1959 (see below for a link to read it online) before being reprinted several times. The best place to get in print is either in The World’s Last Night or some editions of The Screwtape Letters. This is part of an occasional series exploring a single essay by Lewis to encourage you to read (or re-read) it and other essays by him that are often neglected.
Listen to Other Shows Brenton Has Been On:
4Jun
IN THIS REPEAT: "Is Theology Poetry?" - the fourth essay chat
The following is a repeat of the fourth "essay chat" program. For those not familiar with it, the purpose of this show is to focus on a single essay (or similar shorter work) by C.S. Lewis and discuss it with another Lewis expert or enthusiast. The essay discusses is "Is Theology Poetry?" and my guest is Dr. Holly Ordway.
31May
IN THIS REPEAT: My recent interview (Feb. 2018) with Sorina Higgins about the book she editted, The Inklilngs and King Arthur. Keep reading →
29May
IN THIS REPEAT:: More from Dr. Don King. This time it's on The Collected Poems of C.S. Lewis.
Some Lewis readers are unaware that he wrote poetry (or at best are uninterested in it). Dr. Don King, editor of The Collected Poems of C.S. Lewis: A Critical Edition, believes such individuals are missing out on not only gaining a better understanding of the author, but they are also depriving themselves of some great writings. William O'Flaherty spoke with him about the scope of this new book (scheduled to released January 7, 2015) that brings together nearly all of the poetry of C.S. Lewis.
27May
IN THIS REPEAT: Interview with Colin Duriez about his book The Oxford Inklings.
Colin Duriez has written about C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien many times over his writing career as an expert on the two. But only this year (2015) has he come out with a book exploring the two of them along with a group of other friends who often met twice a week. The Oxford Inklings takes a look at the origins of this group that is often falsely called a "writer's group." In this chat with William O'Flaherty, he explains why it was much more while giving insightful details about the lives of the key members of this influential circle.
22May
IN THE REPEAT: Another great resource from Colin Duriez from a few years ago.
Many books came out in 2013 on C.S. Lewis (the 50th anniversary of his death). Two alone actually came from Colin Duriez. I’m repeating the interview I did about his second because my previous place of hosting my audio files no longer has it there. The book is called The A – Z of C.S. Lewis: A Complete Guide to His Life, Thoughts and Writings. It takes an encyclopedic approach to the topic and thus provides a person to aspects of Lewis’s life and writings that might be left unnoticed. In this interview Colin provides details about the layout of the book and shares some selections from it.
18May
IN THIS REPEAT: Here's an interview I did with the stepson of C.S. Lewis at the end of 2019.
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Back in 2013, I did my first interview with Douglas Gresham (stepson of C.S. Lewis). What follows is a new conversation I had with him that occurred in early November 2019 at an event hosted by the Presbyterian Heritage Center at their International Symposium on C. S. Lewis. The reason for the delay in my posting of it is I only received a copy of it less than a week ago. There are two things to note about this interview. One, it had already been established prior to the interview that there was not anything new to report about the progress of the deal with Netflix, and secondly, there had already been a general interview with him by Dr. Don King earlier at the event (see link below to watch it). The focus of my conversation was mostly on the Narnia books and films.
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- Older Posts »
"On Stories" is the namesake essay in On Stories: And other Essays on Literature. William O'Flaherty spoke with Andrew Lazo back in 2012 about this shorter work by C.S. Lewis. Among the topics it explores is what makes a story pleasurable and why fairy tales do follow a strict logic. This is the first of a two-part episode on it (this first show alone is 20 minutes). Learn about when this essay was first published and some keys points made in the article in this first part. Next week's segment deals primarily with the issue of the importance of re-reading stories.
Back in 2013, I did my first interview with Douglas Gresham (stepson of C.S. Lewis). What follows is a new conversation I had with him that occurred in early November 2019 at an event hosted by the Presbyterian Heritage Center at their International Symposium on C. S. Lewis. The reason for the delay in my posting of it is I only received a copy of it less than a week ago. There are two things to note about this interview. One, it had already been established prior to the interview that there was not anything new to report about the progress of the deal with Netflix, and secondly, there had already been a general interview with him by Dr. Don King earlier at the event (see link below to watch it). The focus of my conversation was mostly on the Narnia books and films. 
