The Plunge with Derek Holser

William Blake: Mystic for Modernity, Episode 4 | Ron Dart

Welcome to Episode Four in our latest series: William Blake: Mystic for Modernity. As we continue to explore the life and majesty of William Blake, I am joined by a returning Plunge favorite: the Inimitable Ron Dart!
 
 
 
 
Ron has had an abiding interest in Blake since his teens in the 1960s. Ron was on staff with Amnesty International in the 1980s, taught in the department of POLSC at University of the Fraser Valley (Abbotsford BC) for 35 years, and now teaches Classics at St. Stephen’s University (New Brunswick). Ron has published more than 40 books and avocationally often in the mountains, "when men and mountains meet” (as Blake would say),
montani semper liberi.Explore many of Ron's books here: https://tinyurl.com/2s3hnvva
 
 
Largely unrecognized and dismissed as eccentric during his lifetime, William Blake is now celebrated for his fiercely imaginative, spiritually profound works and his radical opposition to institutional religion and rationalism. From an early age, Blake claimed to have had mystical visions, which profoundly influenced his creative and spiritual philosophy.
 
 
Blake was a radical thinker who sympathized with the American and French Revolutions. He abhorred slavery and the oppressive impacts of the Industrial Revolution. He rejected rationalism in favor of unbridled human imagination. His philosophical and prophetic works, such as The Marriage of Heaven and Hell and Milton, feature his own complex mythology and criticize both societal and religious repression.
 
 
 
 
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📲 Connect with Derek Holser:
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📚 Latest Book! Lightgliders ➡ https://www.amazon.com/Tambika-Shield-Wisdom-Lightglider-Origins/dp/1645075486
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William Blake: Mystic for Modernity, Episode 3 | Susanne Sklar

Welcome to Episode Three in our latest series: William Blake: Mystic for Modernity. As we continue to explore the life and majesty of William Blake, I am joined by a most enchanting guest: Susanne Sklar. 
 
 
 
Susanne Sklar, PhD, is a leading international authority on William Blake, with a particular focus on his final illuminated masterpiece, Jerusalem: The Emanation of the Giant Albion (1804–1820). Her landmark book, Blake’s Jerusalem as Visionary Theatre: Entering the Divine Body (Oxford University Press, 2011), is widely praised in academic reviews (Blake Quarterly, Christianity & Literature, etc.) for its innovative approach: treating the epic as “visionary theatre”—a fluid, performative work meant for imaginative participation rather than purely rational analysis. She draws deeply on Blake’s biblical roots, 18th-century contexts (Moravianism, Freemasonry, Joanna Southcott), and themes of radical forgiveness, beauty as salvific, and the Human Imagination as the Divine Body.
 
Sklar has taught Blake’s poetry, art, and prophecy across six countries and contributed to conferences like “Global Blake.” As a former actress/director, social worker, and peace researcher/activist (with fieldwork in the Holy Land and Russia/Soviet Union), she consistently connects Blake’s ideas to contemporary social justice, economic ethics, ecological interconnectedness, and peacemaking—positioning him as a prophetic champion against war, nationalism, exploitation, and materialism.
 
 
 
Largely unrecognized and dismissed as eccentric during his lifetime, William Blake is now celebrated for his fiercely imaginative, spiritually profound works and his radical opposition to institutional religion and rationalism. From an early age, Blake claimed to have had mystical visions, which profoundly influenced his creative and spiritual philosophy.
 
 
Blake was a radical thinker who sympathized with the American and French Revolutions. He abhorred slavery and the oppressive impacts of the Industrial Revolution. He rejected rationalism in favor of unbridled human imagination. His philosophical and prophetic works, such as The Marriage of Heaven and Hell and Milton, feature his own complex mythology and criticize both societal and religious repression.
 
 
 
 
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📲 Connect with Derek Holser:
🐦 Twitter / X: https://X.com/derekholser
📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekholser
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplungewithderekholser/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekholser
📚 Latest Book! Lightgliders ➡ https://www.amazon.com/Tambika-Shield-Wisdom-Lightglider-Origins/dp/1645075486
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William Blake: Mystic for Modernity, Episode 2 | Jason Whittaker

Welcome to the second episode in our latest series, William Blake: Mystic for Modernity. William Blake (1757–1827) was a visionary English poet, painter, and printmaker of the Romantic Age.
 
 
Jason Whittaker is a writer and academic at the University of Lincoln, who spends his time alternating between visions of William Blake and writing about digital media. The author and editor of twenty books, including Jerusalem: Blake, Parry and the Fight for Englishness (OUP, 2022) and You Want What We've Got: Big Tech v Big Journalism.
 
 
 
Largely unrecognized and dismissed as eccentric during his lifetime, William Blake is now celebrated for his fiercely imaginative, spiritually profound works and his radical opposition to institutional religion and rationalism. From an early age, Blake claimed to have had mystical visions, which profoundly influenced his creative and spiritual philosophy.
 
 
 
Blake was a radical thinker who sympathized with the American and French Revolutions. He abhorred slavery and the oppressive impacts of the Industrial Revolution. He rejected rationalism in favor of unbridled human imagination. His philosophical and prophetic works, such as The Marriage of Heaven and Hell and Milton, feature his own complex mythology and criticize both societal and religious repression.
 
 
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📲 Connect with Derek Holser:
🐦 Twitter / X: https://X.com/derekholser
📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekholser
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📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekholser
📚 Latest Book! Lightgliders ➡ https://www.amazon.com/Tambika-Shield-Wisdom-Lightglider-Origins/dp/1645075486
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William Blake: Mystic for Modernity, Episode 1 | Mark Vernon

Welcome to the first episode in our latest series, William Blake: Mystic for Modernity. William Blake (1757–1827) was a visionary English poet, painter, and printmaker of the Romantic Age.
 
 
 
My guest today is Mark Vernon. Mark is a writer and psychotherapist. A keen podcaster, including over 100 dialogues with Rupert Sheldrake, and a columnist with The Idler, he speaks regularly at festivals and broadcasts on the BBC. Mark has a PhD in Ancient Greek Philosophy, and degrees in Theology and Physics. His most recent book is Awake! William Blake and the Power of the Imagination, and previous books include Dante’s Divine Comedy: A Guide for the Spiritual Journey, and a book on Owen Barfield and the significance of Jesus for mystical Christianity. For more information, see www.markvernon.com
 
https://www.amazon.com/Awake-William-Blake-Power-Imagination/dp/1911723979
 
 
Largely unrecognized and dismissed as eccentric during his lifetime, William Blake is now celebrated for his fiercely imaginative, spiritually profound works and his radical opposition to institutional religion and rationalism. From an early age, Blake claimed to have had mystical visions, which profoundly influenced his creative and spiritual philosophy. Blake was a radical thinker who sympathized with the American and French Revolutions. He abhorred slavery and the oppressive impacts of the Industrial Revolution. He rejected rationalism in favor of unbridled human imagination. His philosophical and prophetic works, such as The Marriage of Heaven and Hell and Milton, feature his own complex mythology and criticize both societal and religious repression.
 
 
 
 
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📲 Connect with Derek Holser:
🐦 Twitter / X: https://X.com/derekholser
📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekholser
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplungewithderekholser/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekholser
📚 New Book! Lightgliders ➡ https://www.amazon.com/Tambika-Shield-Wisdom-Lightglider-Origins/dp/1645075486
 
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The Hundred Acre Wood: Animals in Literature | Brenton Dickieson

Welcome to Episode Twelve in our Animals in Literature series. Today's conversation features a fun, nostalgic, endearing discussion of Christopher Robin and his friends in The Hundred Acre Wood, created by A.A. Milne.
 
 
 
 
Today's guest is returning Plunge favorite and great friend, Brenton Dickieson.
 
 
 
 
Brenton is a father, husband, friend, university lecturer, and freelance writer from Prince Edward Island, Canada. You can follow Brenton on X, @BrentonDana:
https://x.com/BrentonDana
 
 
 
 
As the author of more than 1,100 articles, blog posts, and reviews, Brenton has worked as a freelance author, columnist, and policy writer for Canadian magazines and the government of Prince Edward Island. As a theologian of literature, Brenton writes the popular website, A Pilgrim in Narnia, which explores the intersections of faith, fantasy, and fiction.
 
 
 
 
With more than 1.1 million website hits and a yearly readership now exceeding 200,000, more than 8,000 social media followers, and significant networks within the scholarly and readerly worlds of C.S. Lewis and the Inklings, Brenton has a powerful platform for considering the literary, spiritual, and theological interest of some of our most famous world-builders, including C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, L.M. Montgomery, and others.
https://apilgriminnarnia.com/about/
 
 
 
 
 
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📲 Connect with Derek Holser:
🐦 Twitter / X: https://X.com/derekholser
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📚 New Book! Lightgliders ➡ https://www.amazon.com/Tambika-Shield-Wisdom-Lightglider-Origins/dp/1645075486
 
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Watership Down: Animals in Literature | Olga-Maria Cruz

Welcome to Episode Eleven in our Animals in Literature Series. Today's guest is the Rev. Dr. Olga-Maria Cruz, to regale us on the glories, virtues, and meaning in the novel Watership Down. Watership Down by Richard Adams is widely celebrated for its phenomenal world-building, authentic characters, and deep moral revelations. In this rabbit-centric world, a small band must survive the wilds, and hostile warrens, until finding their way - remember the way by way of great stories - to their new home. Rev. Dr. Olga-Maria Cruz is a pastor, ethics professor, musician, poet, and essayist. Her work lives at the intersection of church and university life, and anywhere words, music, people, and big ideas converge.⸻
📲 Connect with Derek Holser:
🐦 Twitter / X: https://X.com/derekholser
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📚 New Book! Lightgliders ➡ https://www.amazon.com/Tambika-Shield-Wisdom-Lightglider-Origins/dp/1645075486
 
 
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The Redwall Series: Animals in Literature | Thomas Cannariato

Welcome to Episode Eleven in our Animals in Literature series. Today's episode features a riveting and rambling conversation about The Redwall Series, by Brian Jacques. This beloved series features many anthropomorphic creatures (mostly of the burrowing type) and has served as a great guide to heroic living for young people of the past two generations. 
 
 
 
 
Joining me and enlightening me is returning guest and producer extraordinaire, Thomas Cannariato. Thomas is a writer, a musician, an academic, and much more; a jack of all trades and a master of one. Originally from Long Island, Thomas currently lives in Nashville with his wife Jenni, and their three boys. He is on a pilgrimage to discover the Father’s heart and reveal the heart of the Father to his family first and his community second. Thomas excels at long-distance relationships and deep conversations.
 
 
Thomas feels most at home over a good meal with friends or family. If you ask nicely and are willing to have a deep conversation, he will make you a pour-over with the skills he garnered from his years living in Portland, OR.⸻
📲 Connect with Derek Holser:
🐦 Twitter / X: https://X.com/derekholser
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New Book! Lightgliders ➡ https://www.amazon.com/Tambika-Shield-Wisdom-Lightglider-Origins/dp/1645075486
 
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Lions & Bears & Menageries, OH MY!: Animals in Literature | Sørina Higgins

Welcome to Episode 9 in our Animals in Literature Series. This series aims to explore the origins, conventions, and meanings we find in stories featuring anthropomorphic animals. 
 
 
 
 
Today's guest is Sørina Higgins, PhD. Sørina and I discuss Charles Williams' novel The Place of the Lion, and his Inkling counterpart C.S. Lewis' novel That Hideous Strength (with a particular emphasis on Mr. Bultitude). This is a wide-ranging conversation that you'll find entertaining, enlightening, and enigmatic. Fitting for Charles Williams, no?
 
 
 
 
Dr. Sørina Higgins is an editor, author, English teacher, and writing consultant. Her scholarly interests include British & Irish modernism & magic, religion & literature, the Inklings, and Arthuriana. Dr. Higgins received a Clyde S. Kilby Research Grant from the Marion E. Wade Center for her forthcoming book, The Oddest Inkling: An Introduction to Charles Williams, due out in 2026 from Apocryphile Press. She is also the author of the blog, The Oddest Inkling, which you can visit here:
 
https://theoddestinkling.wordpress.com/
 
 
 
Her editorial services and writing coaching can be accessed here:
 
https://wyrdhoard.com/
 
 
 
Her podcast Words Do Things can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/@DrSorinaHiggins
 
 
 
 
 
 
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📲 Connect with Derek Holser:
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📚 New Book! Lightgliders ➡ https://www.amazon.com/Tambika-Shield-Wisdom-Lightglider-Origins/dp/1645075486
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The Creatures of Narnia: Animals in Literature | Simon Horobin

Welcome to Episode 7 in our Animals in Literature series. This series aims to explore the origins, conventions, and meanings we find in stories featuring anthropomorphic animals. 
 
 
 
 
Today's guest is Simon Horobin, PhD. Simon and I discuss a number of the creatures of Narnia, from C.S. Lewis's beloved book series. Featured topics include the brave Reepicheep, the steadfast Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, the enigmatic Mr. Tumnus, and of course, the glorious Aslan. 
 
 
 
 
Simon Horobin is Professor of English Language and Literature and Fellow and Tutor in English at Magdalen College. He has written extensively on medieval linguistic and literary topics; recent books include A History of English Spelling (EUP, 2025), Bagels, Bumf, and Buses: A Day in the Life of the English Language (OUP, 2019), The English Language: A Very Short Introduction (OUP, 2018), How English Became English (OUP, 2016), and Does Spelling Matter? (OUP, 2013). He has lectured widely on C.S. Lewis and was curator of the exhibition "C.S. Lewis: Words and Worlds (Magdalen College, 2024) and is the author of C.S. Lewis's Oxford (Bodleian, 2024).
 
 
 
 
 
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📲 Connect with Derek Holser:
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📚 New Book! Lightgliders ➡ https://www.amazon.com/Tambika-Shield-Wisdom-Lightglider-Origins/dp/1645075486
 

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: Animals in Literature | David Bentley Hart

Welcome to Episode 7 in our Animals in Literature series. This series aims to explore the origins, conventions, and meanings we find in stories featuring anthropomorphic animals.
 
 
 
 
Today's guest is David Bentley Hart, PhD. David and I share a lively conversation featuring iconic characters from Lewis Carroll's mind. Featured topics include Alice, the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, the resurgence of these stories in the 1960's-70's, and we even follow the trail to the friendship of Lewis Carroll with George MacDonald (can you blame me?).
 
 
 
 
 
David Bentley Hart, PhD, is a scholar and writer, currently a collaborating researcher at the University of Notre Dame. He has published volumes of philosophy, religious studies, theology, cultural criticism, occasional essays, and fiction (including children’s fiction). He has also published various volumes of translation. His most recent books are All Things Are Full of Gods: The Mysteries of Mind and Life (Yale), Prisms, Veils: A Book of Fables (Notre Dame), and The Light of Tabor: Toward a Monistic Christology (Notre Dame). His translations of the Tao Te Ching (Yale) will appear next month. He also writes the Substack newsletter Leaves in the Wind.
 
 
https://substack.com/@davidbentleyhart
 
 
 
 
 
 
📲 Connect with Derek Holser:
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📚 New Book! Lightgliders ➡ https://www.amazon.com/Tambika-Shield-Wisdom-Lightglider-Origins/dp/1645075486