“To go there is to destroy the magic…” This is really the beauty of Middle-earth. The horizon is always pushed back. The mystery of it all is never fully explained.

The Professor on Frodo and the Ring. "Frodo undertook his quest out of love..."

Friends: What's your home decor? Me: A whole bookcase devoted to Tolkien.

This conversation with Frodo and his friends is so moving, especially if you slow down to grasp what is going on! I wrote a reflection on it and how it shows us the beauty and peril of true friendship! I think it will encourage you in your own life.

The Peril of True Friendship

A slow read-through reflection on LOTR

christopherstites.com

A while back I had a brilliant conversation with none other than the enchanting Malcolm Guite! We talked about Tolkien, stories, imagination, language and the prophetic edge of LOTR.

Malcolm Guite on enchantment and imagination

YouTube video by The Wonder of Tolkien

youtu.be

A new article on the problem I see with cultural criticism and Lewis' way to an healthy approach to art! "The first demand any work of any art makes upon us is surrender. Look. Listen. Receive. Get yourself out of the way."

Critiquing Ourselves to Death

C.S. Lewis on how to approach art and criticism

christopherstites.com

Some lesser known sketches and paintings by Tolkien.

Wrote a little article on the idea of myth, the Gospel and why we must see the world through the lens of our imagination to see it truly for what it is.

The Miracle: Myth Became Fact

Trying to understand my love for myth

christopherstites.com

"Tolkien judges the effectiveness of fairy-stories by their ability to 'awaken desire, satisfying it while often whetting it unbearably.'" - Lisa Coutras

It's not too late to join our LOTR read-through. We just started last week! We're having some great discussions in our chat and have our first video call coming up soon! My hope is that as we read this, we become more awake to the wild story we are all living in!

The Slow LOTR Read-Along!

The official details for our Middle-earth adventure!

substack.com

Finished the Minas Tirith Lego set. What a masterpiece in design. So fun.

When I read lines like this from Tolkien, I can't help but be stunned by the depth to which he understood humanity and the way the world works under God.

We have over 50 folks engaged in our slow read-along through LOTR. Friends from the US, Netherlands, UK, etc. First-time readers and 30th-time readers! Join us as we discuss, read, and hop on video-calls to discuss the beauty of Tolkien’s story.

The Slow LOTR Read-Along!

The official details for our Middle-earth adventure!

christopherstites.com

Friends: What's your hobby? Me: Reading things by Tolkien and on Tolkien.

Our read-along crew is introducing themselves: we’ve got a first-time LOTR reader in their 70s AND someone who’s been reading it since the 70s! Love this. We start this week! 📚⚔️🏔️ Join us!

The Slow LOTR Read-Along!

The official details for our Middle-earth adventure!

christopherstites.com

Genuinely surprised at the engagement with this. So stoked to be a guide to help people not only enjoy LOTR, but help them carry greater meaning and courage into their lives from it! We start in a week! Join us on the journey!

The Wonder of Tolkien@tolkienwonder.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Here it is: The OFFICIAL plan for our Slow LOTR Read-Along! Can't wait to start this in a few weeks. Join us for the journey.

Here it is: The OFFICIAL plan for our Slow LOTR Read-Along! Can't wait to start this in a few weeks. Join us for the journey.

The Slow LOTR Read-Along!

The official details for our Middle-earth adventure!

christopherstites.com

Just finished creating a 14 month reading plan through LOTR. A slow journey through this wild story - averaging around 20 pages a week. Slow enough to enjoy the depth and wonder of it all! We’re starting June 14th for all paid-subscribers on my substack! Link below.

Just finished creating a 14 month reading plan through LOTR. A slow journey through this wild story - averaging around 20 pages a week. Slow enough to enjoy the depth and wonder of it all! We’re starting June 14th for all paid-subscribers on my substack! Link below.

My interview with Malcolm Guite has recently seen a big rise in views -- I think because Malcolm has been on what seems like a thousand podcasts in the last few months! If you haven't seen it, it's worth the hour of time. You will leave encouraged and stirred up in your imagination!

Malcolm Guite on enchantment and imagination

YouTube video by The Wonder of Tolkien

youtube.com

Lewis' reply to Tolkien, who had written to share the news that The Lord of the Rings would be published. This is a treasure…

A former student on Tolkien: "He could turn a lecture room into a mead hall in which he was the bard and we were the feasting, listening guests."

Starting this journey in a few weeks... Would love for you to join. Learn more below in the link 👇

Lewis to Tolkien: ‘Tollers, there is too little of what we really like in stories. I am afraid we shall have to try and write some ourselves.’

Reading my kids the beginning of The Hobbit for the umpteenth time… It never gets old. Always filled with laughs and enchantment.

A snippet of what C.S. Lewis wrote in review of Tolkien’s LOTR: “We know at once it has done things to us.”

Excited to start this journey through LOTR in June! Hope you will join us!

Join Me for a Slow Journey Through Middle-earth

YouTube video by The Wonder of Tolkien

youtu.be

We need fairy-stories to wake us up to the real and wild magic of the world we presently live in.

Starting in June, I’ll be leading a read-through of LOTR with a small community of paid subscribers on substack. We’ll journey through the story together with meaningful reflections and discussion! Become a paid-subscriber before June to join! Read more here: shorturl.at/EPMc3

Professor Tolkien and his three-year-old son, Christopher (1928). Christopher would later devote more than four decades of his life to serving as the literary executor of his father’s works, painstakingly editing and publishing much of Tolkien’s legendarium for the world to read!