I’m Alan Sisto, and here’s how The Prancing Pony Podcast began!
In February 2016 I met Shawn Marchese in a Facebook group for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien. We jumped right into the deep end in our first season with “On Fairy-Stories” and biweekly episodes on The Silmarillion, laying the groundwork for the themes and ideas that would serve as a roadmap on our trip through the legendarium of Middle-earth.
In Season 2, we moved into the Third Age with The Hobbit, and began releasing episodes weekly. Our six-year journey through The Lord of the Rings began in Season 3.
We cover a few pages of each chapter in each episode: reading our favorite passages, discussing themes, savoring Tolkien’s language, and highlighting connections across the vast landscape of the mythology of Middle-earth. But it’s less an academic lecture and more a nerdy hangout! We combine our in-depth study with a healthy dose of self-effacing humor, pop culture references, and bad puns. It’s our goal to make even Tolkien’s deepest works accessible to anyone; and we do this by being the sort of guys you’d want to hang out at a pub and talk Tolkien with.
WINNER
Best Online Content
2022
WINNER
Best Online Content
2020
We won the Tolkien Society award for Best Online Content in 2020 and 2022. In 2022 we also launched The Rings of Power Wrap-up podcast, which focuses on the Amazon adaptation The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Over the years we’ve also welcomed many guests to the podcast: scholars, writers, artists, and others in the Tolkien fan community. Guests such as John Garth, Corey Olsen, Verlyn Flieger, Tom Shippey, Ted Nasmith, Simon Tolkien, and more have visited the Prancing Pony, and there are always more guests on their way to our merry old inn!
At the end of Season 6 in August 2022, Shawn announced that he would no longer be able to continue his full-time role with the podcast. From Season 7 I have been joined by an all-star cast of co-hosts from all across the Tolkien community (see below for more details).
So whether you’re a hobbit just setting on out on your first adventures in Middle-earth, or a wizard well-versed in the lore of the Elder Days, we invite you to join us, and be a part of the conversation by sending us your questions and comments to Barliman’s Bag and our social media spaces!
Alan Sisto
The proprietor of The Prancing Pony, as well as a commercial voiceover artist and architectural photographer!
Shawn Marchese
Shawn has been Alan’s co-host for the first 6 seasons of the podcast, and remains the resident word-nerd and devoted disciple of Eärendil!
Marcel Aubron-Bülles
Marcel is The Tolkienist – an independent Tolkien scholar and founder of the German Tolkien Society.
Dr Sara Brown
Faculty Chair for the Lang & Lit M.A. Program at Signum University, and co-host of The Rings of Power Wrap-up!
Shaun Gunner
Chairman of the Tolkien Society – an educational charity, literary society, and fan club devoted to the life and works of J.R.R.Tolkien.
Willie "KnewBettaDoBetta" Jenkins
Willie is a Lord of the Rings and Tolkien enthusiast who became a viral sensation on Tik-Tok!
Don Marshall
The obscure Lord of the Rings Facts Guy, making Tolkien-related content for Tik-Tok, Twitch and Instagram.
Matt - Nerd of the Rings
Matt claims not to be a Tolkien-scholar, but he plays one very well on YouTube!
Corey Olsen
A.k.a. The Tolkien Professor, Corey is President of Signum University and renowned scholar of J.R.R.Tolkien.
James Tauber
Creator of the Digital Tolkien Project, a scholarly project focused on Tolkien from a linguistic and digital humanities perspective – and co-host of The Rings of Power Wrap-up!