The Anointing of David: A Villanelle
The scent of oil is rising from my hair; The prophet’s words hurl flames upon my mind. Beneath the gaze of God, king’s crown I bear. - Before the prophet’s eyes my soul is bare;…
Year: 2014
Recusants of Middle-Earth: A Lord of the Rings Poem
Hobbits of the country Shire (Pilgrims with crude farming tools) Servants of the Secret Fire (Priests concealed in stifling holes) – Ring of Power from Sauron’s hand (Becket’s ring King Henry claimed) Darkness falling o’er…
The Ghost’s Conscience: A Character Study of the Persian in "The Phantom of the Opera"
Many people are familiar with the haunting mystery/horror story that is French writer Gaston Leroux’s Phantom of the Opera. They know of the ill-fated obsession that Erik, a brilliant yet malformed musician, held…
I Will Be a Hero
Author's Note: This story is based on an experience that Admiral Nelson allegedly had when in his teens, after being invalided home from the East Indies with what was almost certainly malaria. During the voyage…
Catherine Stewart Interview
Teenage author and apologist, Catherine Stewart took the time to tell us at I&F a little bit about her recently published book How To Become A Heroic Catholic (2014). Here she explains her inspiration for…
Estel: A Lord of the Rings Story
Her skin was paler than the clouds that had shrouded Imladris from the sun these past months. She was fading from his grasp, like snow melting as it impacted his palm. “I choose a…
The Crossroads: A Lord of the Rings Poem
Silence reigns upon this land Beneath the Shadow’s grim command, Save thunder rolling off the hills, A bleak portent that give us chills. The trembling earth beneath our feet Seems to warn of our defeat;…
The Summoned Book: A Hobbit Poem
Introductory verse – “The time has come,” The Walrus said, “To talk of many things. “Of elves and swords “And wizard-staves, “Of gold and Dwarven kings, “And why the Thrush knocks on the rock “And…
Ladies and Gents: An Encounter with the Inklings
I’ve been keeper of the Bird and Baby since the last tender sold the grounds to the university. I was a spry young fellow then, eager to get myself established in the world, so when…
Top of All Tables: A Fan’s Review of the Television series “Jane and the Dragon”
When a dragon’s claws whisk young Prince Cuthbert of Kippernium away from the castle, an unlikely hero arrives at the dragon’s den to rescue the kingdom’s heir: feisty, precocious, and unforgettably red-haired twelve-year-old Jane Turnkey.…