Dear Friends,
For over six years now, Alan and I have created The Prancing Pony Podcast together. It has been a source of joy, a creative outlet, and a wellspring of recovery, escape, and consolation for me for all that time. I’m proud of everything Alan and I have done together, and I’m thankful to have made many good friends along the way. However, after very careful thought, I’ve decided that the time has come for me to step away from co-hosting the PPP.
This was not a decision I came to lightly. Unfortunately, life changes over the past couple of years have made it a challenge to give the PPP the time and attention it deserves, and I’m anticipating further changes coming soon that are going to make it impossible to give this podcast and community the attention they deserve from a full-time co-host.
Now for the good news: the PPP is not going anywhere! Alan and I are working on a transition plan, and the PPP will still be the best Tolkien podcast this side of Bree after my departure. It’ll be different, but will still bring you the good stuff in pints, as we’ve done for all these years. Alan will share more details in the weeks to come, but here’s what I can share now: after we record the long-promised foundational lore episodes, I will be bowing out of The Rings of Power Wrap-up before Sept 2 when the series premieres. As for The Prancing Pony Podcast, we will record one episode together to start Season 7, after which point Alan will continue on with a new co-host.
But this isn’t the last you’ll be hearing from me! Alan and I are still working on our book together, and I will be attending PPP Moot in person in Milwaukee in October. I will still be a part of this community and will always be a passionate supporter of the PPP. And since we all know that changes aren’t permanent (but change is), Alan and I have already discussed possible ways for me to return to the PPP as a guest co-host at some point in the future, when the time is right. You will most definitely be hearing my voice again.
Once again, this wasn’t an easy decision. I ask you to please join me in wishing Alan and the rest of the team the best as we all work through this transition, and let’s all look forward to the next exciting steps on the road for the PPP and our community.
Until we meet again…
Shawn
The Lord of the Mark
Alan will be hosting a LIVE Q&A on Facebook at 12:00pm this Friday, August 5.
Please join him to celebrate Shawn’s contribution to the Tolkien community, and to learn about the future of the PPP and RoPWU shows.
Shawn, I just wanted to say thank you. I discovered the PPP only earlier this year and am still in the Silmarillion years of the podcast so I have a lot of catching up to do, but even in this short amount of time you and Alan have enriched my life. In the last couple years I’ve been learning to give myself permission to just be myself and to dive into things I’m passionate about. Taking a deeper dive into Tolkien has been part of that process of enjoying to a greater degree who I am as a person. The PPP has played a big role in this journey and has deepened my passion for Tolkien. I have so enjoyed (and will continue to) listening to the podcast when I just need to exhale, relax and just feel “at home.” I always feel I’m in the company of 2 friends talking about art that has so deeply shaped and influenced all of us in the community.
Though I know I’ve never met either of you, you and Alan have helped me to feel that I belong in the Tolkien community and have helped me to embrace a part of myself that I didn’t know was so important to me. Thank you. I am truly grateful.
Know that you have impacted so many, including myself, just by sharing your passion. All the best on your future endeavors and I will continue to enjoy listening to you and Alan as I have years of catching up to do.
Many Blessings,
Michael
Sad to see you leave Shawn. It’s always been a pleasure to listen to you and Allen over the years, and your will be missed. But I can completely understand your reasons for moving on, we all live in a “Real Life” that not only grabs, but also needs us more times then many people care to acknowledge. I give you all the credit in the world for realizing you need to be where you need to be. I wish you all the best, and like you said, we will all still be seeing/hearing from you time to time.
Shawn, I want to echo the sentiments others have already expressed. Having just caught up (I only discovered the podcast a year ago and promised myself I’d wait to comment until I was up to date) I regret not having been in touch before. Thank you for all your hard work in making the PPP so great. I trust Alan to continue making the show a brilliantly as ever, but I’ll greatly miss “dropping some eaves” on your conversations. Your camaraderie on the show has been a joy to experience.
It must be strange to have someone from halfway across the globe, whom you’ve never met, write as if they knew you. Even so, I wanted to send you my best wishes, and deepest gratitude.
Although this makes me sad I totally understand and know that there will awesome things in store for you! This podcast has brought me so much joy over the years and while I know it will continue to do so we will all miss you. I’m looking forward to hearing you guest co-host in the future and I hope we’ll still hear from you in other ways. You two are absolute rockstars to me, as podcasters and as humans. Take care, Shawn, and stay awesome!!!
Just wanted to add my voice to others. I’ve been listening to the podcast for about 4-5 years now (caught up quickly and then listen on time ever since) and have really enjoyed it and, Shawn, of course you’re a big part of that. Recently I guess I’ve really gone into overdrive on Tolkien because I started listening to some of the stuff from Corey Olson and then got into his Silmfilm project. I’m going somewhere with this, I promise. On one of the earlier episodes, the guys were talking about the elves in Cuiviénin trying to decide what to do. Corey and the others were fumbling around, describing how the elves were trying to make a choice and even if they didn’t make a choice they couldn’t not make a choice and anyway that was still a choice in itself. I was driving, yelling at my speakers “it’s right there, guys!!” (of course referring to the painfully obvious Rush reference) One more reason to love the Prancing Pony Podcast and your part in it-no way you would have missed that. I’ll trust Alan to educate people and draw them into the Venn Diagram that is the confluence of Tolkien fans and Rush fans, bur you are a natural. I’ll look forward to the episodes where you come back later next season and I really hope that you’ll be able to come back as a host, maybe for redoing the Silmarillion (although I thought you guys did a great job the first time through). I wish all the best for you and your family and your job. Thank you for the joy you helped bring into my life.
Thank you Shawn for many many hours of companionship. I am still catching up on your back catalogue after starting last year but I am already about to finish book three of rings with you both. You will be sorely missed and I look forward to spending some more time with you catching up on the next three seasons.
Seb from the rolling hills of the (Devon)Shire, UK
Oops sorry only one more season to catch up on! I will look forward to hearing you pop up now and then soon.
Thank You Shawn for all your contributions, heart, insights, humor and being an imperative part of this podcast. I started listening back in 2017 when I decided to finish reading the Silmarillion. I was curious to find how wide spread that book has been and a simple google search brought me to your show. I appreciate how much insight I got from the research You and Alan have done to dissect the themes. I learned so much more about the culture and further readings because of this podcast. You will be dearly missed, as hosts are the key to what makes great podcasts entertaining, and You and Alan have been a perfect pair of personalities that create charm and humor, and thought provoking discussion. I wish the podcast further success and hope to see you back as a guest. Best of luck to both of you on your life endeavors.
As you would so warmly say at the end of each episode, Farewell Friend!
Michael Adams said everything that I would have said. Exactly. I will continue to think of you, and, Alan, as a friend.
I’ve been trying to catch up on the podcast, and have gotten up to #208. Shawn you will be missed. Thank you for helping me learn more and creating in me a deeper love for Tolkien.