Defending Fantasy, Geekery, Lord of the Rings, & Harry Potter | Dominic de Souza & Stephanie Petters, Wood & Word

Defending Fantasy, Geekery, Lord of the Rings, & Harry Potter | Dominic de Souza & Stephanie Petters, Wood & Word

Apr 23, 2023 | Export, Latest

In this interview, Stephanie Petters from Wood and Word joins by Dominic de Souza, to chat about Matt Fradd’s recent article In Defense of Fantasy. Fradd lists arguments for the importance of good fantasy fiction, a genre not always appreciated. Dominic and I chat about our personal experiences with fiction and why we think it actually has great importance in our world, especially as Christians.

What a fun conversation! Stephanie Petters has started a new Substack to share her creativity, Wood and Word. “Are you a fan of the poems and books from Of Wood and Word? You’ll also receive exclusive updates on new projects and recommendations for your bookshelf by the author behind the brand, Stephanie Petters.”

Watch this conversation

Don’t miss part 2: the Death of the Villain?

  • What are the four kinds of authors?
  • If fantasy is escapist – and that is its glory – then what are we escaping into?
  • What is the role of a fiction author?
  • Fiction vs catechisms: Mystical evangelizers or faith-inspired fiction authors?
  • The problem of preachy fiction and mercy-reading
  • Our problematic need for anti-heroes today
  • How storytelling can be a spiritual path for writers
  • How fantasy is an re-connection with spiritual and numinous reality
  • Why fantasy is one of the most needed genres today
  • Why Harry Potter is more realistic than Spiderman
  • Why we need more fiction to re-imagine reality and dreaming
  • Why we are all called to be a mission from God to our time
  • The first Gospel of Creation

Stay tuned for a bonus clip – the Death of the Villain!

Dominic de Souza is founder of LegendFiction, a creative community for Catholic & Orthodox fiction authors.

  • What is your personal experience with fiction?
  • Has the writings of any fiction authors impacted your faith?
  • Let us know in the comments!

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Dominic Vera

Founder of LegendFiction, and a total Wandery. Geeks over epics, mystics, science, the angelic, & Netflix. A young, Catholic dad and novelist passionate about worldbuilding and faith-inspired fiction. A graduate from the Writer’s Institute for Children’s Literature, self-published a children’s novel, and works as a full time marketer and graphic designer. Married, with a small girl and a smaller corgi. Website | See more of Dominic's posts

Join the list for our Digest of interviews and updates!

If you join our private writing community, we promise to be your writing fairy godmothers, granting you three wishes to help you reach your writing dreams. And if we can’t make them come true, we’ll turn into pumpkins and let you squish us.

Paths of Legend