Tolkien Pop! Podcast

Nick Polk

Where Tolkien and Pop Culture Collide tolkienpop.substack.com

  1. Mar 6

    Mercury Natis - Tolkien, Queer Theory, and Punk Rock

    Nick sits down with Mercury Natis (he/they, they/them) to talk about their Tolkien experiences, queer theory, and their work in Tolkien Studies - oh, and punk rock Orcs! \m/ Mercury s an interdisciplinary doctoral researcher in English Literature and History at the University of Glasgow, researching the queer historical contexts of Tolkien’s early life and how these influenced his works. They hold a previous MA in Museum Education and a BA in Art History, and draw on the methodologies of both disciplines for their literary-historical practice. Their primary focus is on queer ambiguity in the fantastic prior to the 1960s identity politics boom, with special interests in camp aesthetics and performativity, the crossing of gender and sexuality taboos in the fantastic, the cultural environment of the first world war, and interdisciplinary art-historical criticism. They would also really like to be Bilbo Baggins when they grow old. Find them and their work at these places: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mercuryreads.bsky.social Substack: https://substack.com/@anditsfolkarequeerer Academic Work: Sauron’s Femme Fatale Sources and Their Role in the Númenor Narrative: https://youtu.be/dqkMj3PL3oA?si=OBGjfNUODEyMJ470 Baruk Khazâd! Antisemitism, Jewish Joy, and Dwarven Contexts: https://youtu.be/o7uJgil1vD8?si=B__c8NGBILHEmjSJ GIFCon: https://fantasy.glasgow.ac.uk/index.php/2025/12/15/gifcon-2026-the-technologies-of-the-fantastic-call-for-papers/ Get full access to Tolkien Pop! at tolkienpop.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 42m
  2. Jan 9

    Kaitlyn Facista of Tea with Tolkien:

    Happy New Year, Tolkien Poppers! I hope that you have been conquering your resolutions and easing back into a sense of normality. To curb the adjustment, I give to you an interview with Kaitlyn Facista of Tea with Tolkien! We talk about her upcoming book Into the Heart of the Middle-earth: Exploring Faith and Fellowship in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, which releases on February 20th! Along with some insights into her book, Kaitlyn gives us the 411 into her own Tolkien journey, how she created Tea with Tolkien, and some of her spiritual Tolkien takes. If you are deeply connected to The Lord of the Rings, whether your spiritual, religious, or none of the above, then you will enjoy this book and this conversation. Follow Kaitlyn at all these places: Facebook: Tea with Tolkien Instagram: @teawithtolkien Discord: https://www.teawithtolkien.com/discord YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@teawithtolkien He’s collaborated with (Re)thinking Faith and has an amazing line of art and original designs that have a pop culture and philosophy vibe that I freaking love. You can see how he really captured my love for punk and Tolkien with his style. So, if you want to supportTolkien Pop! or Tillich Today, go get yourself some merch! My book Tolkien and Pop Culture: Volume I is now available! This book is a selection of my Substack posts from the past couple of years, cleaned up, and formatted for publication. For the first time, you can get all these essays in print or in your Kindle library. It’ll look great on your shelf and be available for your own Tolkien purposes! Use the QR code, the link, or direct message me to order your copy: https://a.co/d/eBE7jiH Get full access to Tolkien Pop! at tolkienpop.substack.com/subscribe

    50 min
  3. 12/22/2025

    Middle-earth in South Park:

    Happy Holidays and Happy New Year, Tolkien Poppers! Today’s episode is an audio version of an essay I wrote for The Tolkien Society’s journal Mallorn entitled “Middle-earth in South Park: ‘The Return of the Fellowship of the Ring to the Two Towers’ as Parody.” Stay tuned for some exciting Tolkien guests in the New Year. I hope that your Yuletide is filled with plenty of Hobbit-sized meals and equal parts quality time with your friends and family. Peace! My friend Tillich Today designed some graphics and merch for Tolkien Pop! and you can get a shirt and/or a sticker from his website! https://byte-geist-shop.fourthwall.com/products/tolkien-pop He’s collaborated with (Re)thinking Faith and has an amazing line of art and original designs that have a pop culture and philosophy vibe that I freaking love. You can see how he really captured my love for punk and Tolkien with his style. So, if you want to supportTolkien Pop! or Tillich Today, go get yourself some merch! My book Tolkien and Pop Culture: Volume I is now available! This book is a selection of my Substack posts from the past couple of years, cleaned up, and formatted for publication. For the first time, you can get all these essays in print or in your Kindle library. It’ll look great on your shelf and be available for your own Tolkien purposes! Use the QR code, the link, or direct message me to order your copy: https://a.co/d/eBE7jiH Get full access to Tolkien Pop! at tolkienpop.substack.com/subscribe

    35 min
  4. 12/01/2025

    Homebrewed Christianity Livestream - Drs. Craig Boyd and Tripp Fuller: Tolkien and Trump: The Professor or the Profligate

    In this crosspost episode, Dr. Craig Boyd gave a live lecture and Q&A for the Process This Substack and Homebrewed Christianity. You can watch the full video conversation on Homebrewed’s YouTube channel: Craig gives listeners resources to debunk and combat the alt-right’s claim of Tolkien utilizing…get ready for it…Tolkien. After Craig’s lecture on Tolkien’s dislike for power-hungry characters and comparing Trump to Saruman, Tripp Fuller curated questions from viewers and we shared in asking some questions pertaining to Tolkien’s views on power and evil and how he and his writings can help us today. My friend Tillich Today designed some graphics and merch for Tolkien Pop! and you can get a shirt and/or a sticker from his website! https://byte-geist-shop.fourthwall.com/products/tolkien-pop He’s collaborated with (Re)thinking Faith and has an amazing line of art and original designs that have a pop culture and philosophy vibe that I freaking love. You can see how he really captured my love for punk and Tolkien with his style. So, if you want to supportTolkien Pop! or Tillich Today, go get yourself some merch! My book Tolkien and Pop Culture: Volume I is now available! This book is a selection of my Substack posts from the past couple of years, cleaned up, and formatted for publication. For the first time, you can get all these essays in print or in your Kindle library. It’ll look great on your shelf and be available for your own Tolkien purposes! Use the QR code, the link, or direct message me to order your copy: https://a.co/d/eBE7jiH Get full access to Tolkien Pop! at tolkienpop.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 38m

Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Where Tolkien and Pop Culture Collide tolkienpop.substack.com

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