Category Archives: Reflections

Let’s Talk About Samwise Gamgee: Tolkien’s Greatest Characters on the Plunge Podcast with Derek Holser

Posted on December 5, 2025 by Brenton Dickieson

Ah, Sam, what a character. When Derek Holser reached out to me about his Tolkien’s Greatest Characters series on the Plunge, Samwise Gamgee came first to mind. The most hobbitish of heroes, the gardening guardian, most faithful companion of the fellowship, … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links, Reflections, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged Derek Holser, film adaptation, friendship, Inklings, J.R.R. Tolkien, literature, Lord of the Rings, Samwise Gamgee, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Plunge Podcast, writing | 2 Comments

Can C.S. Lewis and L.M. Montgomery be Kindred Spirits? My CSLKS Conference Talk in Iași, Romania

Posted on November 17, 2025 by Brenton Dickieson

I am busily prepping for the talk I announced last week for the C.S. Lewis and Kindred Spirits (CSLKS) conference in Iași, Romania: “’At war with all wild things’: A Settler’s Reflections on C.S. Lewis and Indigenous Spaces.” As I … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged Anne of Green Gables, Anne's House of Dreams, books, C.S. Lewis, CSLKS, Emily of New Moon, L.M. Montgomery, lion the witch and the wardrobe, Narnia, Rainbow Valley | 1 Comment

“At war with all wild things”: A Settler’s Reflections on C.S.Lewis and Indigenous Spaces (Iași, Romania)

Posted on November 14, 2025 by Brenton Dickieson

It is chilly and pouring rain here in Prince Edward Island … normal weather for the week of Remembrance Day. Anne of Green Gables and I both love Island Octobers, but I struggle with the dying-dark and dreary days of … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Canada, fantasy, Harry Potter, literature, Octavia E. Butler, Out of the Silent Planet, Prince Edward Island, The Horse and His Boy, The Last Battle, The Silver Chair, The Voyage of The Dawn Treader, writing | 17 Comments

Manly Reading of Girl Books: A Note on Tenderness with Sean of the South

Posted on September 23, 2025 by

Quite innocently, early the other morning, I woke up to a video in my Messenger inbox from Paul Ford. I am not someone who is terribly attracted to products like this, but Paul F. Ford is the author of an … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, L.M. Montgomery, literature, Narnia, Paul F. Ford | 4 Comments

My New Role at the University of Prince Edward Island (or How to Beat the Summer Heat in the Land of Anne of Green Gables)

Posted on August 12, 2025 by

Hello, dear readers! My wife and I are escaping a beautiful but intensely hot high afternoon in a tourist cafe in the Land of Anne of Green Gables (Cavendish, PEI). We are camping on our Island’s magical North Shore (read … Continue reading →