Joseph Loconte on War, Friendship, and Imagination

Joseph Loconte on War, Friendship, and Imagination

Author: frontporchrepublic September 23, 2021 Duration: 39:37
Guest Host:  Jeff Bilbro Guest:  Joe Loconte Front Porch Republic editor Jeff Bilbro sits down with Joe Loconte of The King’s College for a spirited discussion of the book-turned-film A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, and a Great War.  Bonded by war and steeled by friendship, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R Tolkien produced works of fantasy that have guided us back to reality.       Highlights 1:30    Loconte’s Italian immigrant family 4:00    Bleak poet learns to love goodness 7:45    Myth, not just for escapism anymore 9:30    Joe finds Frodo in his 40s 11:30  Lewis finds MacDonald on a train 13:45  Beowulf, Aeneas, and the hero who faces failure 19:00  Pagans love Christian realism 21:00  A letter to Owen Barfield 24:30  Band of Icelandic brothers 27:15  Behind the scenes 33:00  War, friendship, and imagination 36:00  Courage is key 37:15  Creative friendship, pursued deliberately Resources Buy the book See the trailer Get to know Joe Thanks as always to Wendell Kimbrough  

There’s a certain kind of conversation that happens best when you’re not in a hurry, when the topic can wander from the headlines of the day to the deeper questions that have always shaped how we live together. The Brass Spittoon is built for that kind of talk. Hosted by the folks at Front Porch Republic, this podcast serves as a gathering spot for discussions rooted in the tangible realities of our lives-our connections to a specific place, the practical limits we encounter, and what genuine liberty means within that framework. Each episode feels less like a lecture and more like joining a thoughtful, meandering dialogue among friends who aren’t afraid to chew over ideas from both the past and the present. You’ll hear explorations of culture, community, and the small-scale practices that build a durable society, all approached with a sense of curiosity and a lack of pretense. It’s for anyone weary of abstract debates and hungry for conversations grounded in the texture of everyday life. So, pull up a chair and settle in; this is where we consider how to live well, right where we are.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 32

The Brass Spittoon
Podcast Episodes
Humane Politics [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:51
Adam Smith, a philosopher at the University of Dubuque, counterattacks the disenchanted War on Suffering. FPR President Mark Mitchell goes biblical to bring down a heightened politics of insanity. Brass Spittoon podcaste…
Human Responses to Technology [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:59
Jeff Bilbro, FPR’s super-beaver EIC and Grove City College professor, looks to ancient mythology to assess modern technology and fiction of the future. Cassandra Nelson of the University of Virginia’s Institute for Advan…
Imagining Life Beyond the Machine: Eric Miller and Jason Peters [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:06
Eric Miller, biographer of Christopher Lasch and a professor at Geneva College, plus longtime porcher Jason Peters of Hillsdale College address the role of imagination in shaping our shared reality. Matt Stewart, an asso…
Paul Kingsnorth: Blizzard of the World [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:14
Paul Kingsnorth delivered the keynote address at the 2023 FPR conference in Madison, Wisconsin. With help from a diverse band of fellow travelers including Jewish-Canadian songwriter Leonard Cohen, Anglo-Catholic social…
Paul Kingsnorth’s Opening Prayer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:11
Paul Kingsnorth, the keynote speaker at the 2023 FPR conference in Madison, Wisconsin, begins things with a bonus talk on the power of prayer in a desecrated western world. Highlights 1:15 Mark Mitchell’s welcome 4:00 Pa…
Bill Kauffman in Conversation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:05
Bill Kauffman, author of multiple books including Poetry Night at the Ballpark and long the closing speaker at FPR conferences, talks about the origins of Front Porch Republic and his unique life of letters. Host: John M…
After Virtual: Civic Life [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:11
The After Virtual conference podcast series closes with a focus on civics and cemeteries. Mark Mitchell, author of Plutocratic Socialism, talks on, well, plutocrats and socialism (plus the importance of property ownershi…
After Virtual: Health [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:16
The penultimate session from the FPR conference After Virtual: The Art of Recovering Lost Goods addresses health. Philosopher Adam Smith from the University of Dubuque and medical doctor Brian Volck, author of Attending…
After Virtual: Chris Arnade [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:04
Chris Arnade, the keynote speaker at the After Virtual conference, has traded global finance for skid row photography. Chris discusses his journey from Wall Street board rooms to a booth at McDonald’s and the associated…
After Virtual: Education [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:29
The second episode from the FPR conference After Virtual: The Art of Recovering Lost Goods looks at education. Jeff Polet discusses walking away from Hope. Angel Adams Parham talks about the elementary power of a rapping…