What can ancient stories teach us about creativity, courage, and our own place in the modern world?

In this episode, Stephen Roach welcomes poet and priest Malcolm Guite back to Makers & Mystics to explore his poetic retelling of King Arthur and the Holy Grail. Malcolm reflects on how these stories shaped him from childhood and why myth still carries moral and spiritual weight in a disenchanted age.

Together, they discuss the role of storytelling in recovering a sacramental vision of the world. This conversation is an invitation to re-enchantment—to slow down, commit to your craft, and take your place in the great unfolding story.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL HEAR ABOUT

• Why Arthurian legend endures: its moral and spiritual resonance
• Taking up the tale: how myth becomes personal meaning
• Re-enchantment: seeing the world with wonder in an age of distraction
• The value of slow, faithful creative practice

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In this episode of Makers & Mystics, Stephen Roach sits down with cultural critic, writer, and iconographer Jonathan Pageau to explore the state of contemporary storytelling and the enduring power of myth.

Pageau, creator of The Symbolic World, explains how symbols operate beneath conscious awareness to shape imagination and culture. Together, they discuss why traditional narratives appear depleted, how propaganda differs from true myth, and why fairy tales continue to communicate truths modern culture struggles to articulate.

The conversation turns toward artists and storytellers, what it means to create work rooted in beauty, transcendence, and enduring symbolic patterns rather than novelty or cynicism. The conversation also connects with the theme of The Breath and the Clay 2026 —what it means to make space: space in our art, in our imagination, and in our lives for transcendent meaning to take root.

Jonathan Pageau will be our keynote presenter for this year's event in Winston-Salem, NC, March 20-22. http://www.thebreathandtheclay.com

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In this episode of Makers & Mystics, Stephen Roach continues the series The Pace of Beauty with Dr. Timothy Patitsas, author of The Ethics of Beauty.

Focusing on Chapter Six, The Mystical Architect, they explore the inseparability of beauty and goodness, the cruciform nature of the artist’s journey, and how trauma has shaped modern art’s uneasy relationship with beauty. Together, they consider architecture as a foundational pattern of experience and the slow work of cultural renewal through restored patterns of beauty.

Learn more about Dr. Patitsas and his work:
https://www.stnicholaspress.net/store/the-ethics-of-beauty

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This replay episode features excerpts from a 2017 conversation with author Brian Zahnd, exploring his insights on Christian aesthetics and the role of beauty in faith.

The discussion centers on Zahnd's book, "Beauty Will Save the World," and his argument for understanding Christianity through the lens of beauty rather than relying solely on truth claims and moral arguments.

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What does it mean to repair what has been broken, and can there be beauty in that work?

In this episode of Makers & Mystics, Stephen Roach is joined by Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg for a thoughtful conversation on repentance, accountability, and the demanding work of repair. As part of our ongoing series on beauty, this episode explores repentance not as performance or apology, but as a process of truth-telling, learning, and transformation.

Drawing from ancient Jewish wisdom and contemporary justice work, Rabbi Danya reflects on how individuals, communities, and institutions can move toward healing after harm—and why art, imagination, and beauty are essential for sustaining the work of justice and hope.

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The Beauty of Authenticity — John Van Deusen

Songwriter John Van Deusen joins Makers & Mystics to explore the beauty of authenticity in art, faith, and vocation. In a creative landscape that often rewards certainty and success, John reflects on the cost—and freedom—of making honesty the point.

At the center of the conversation is his latest album, As Long As I Am In The Tent of This Body I Will Make A Joyful Noise, a shape-shifting, faith-inflected collection that resists tidy resolutions and embraces vulnerability, doubt, joy, and embodied life.

Together, host Stephen Roach and John Van Deusen talk about creative calling, audience expectation, near-successes, family life, and why authenticity remains a risky—but faithful—posture for artists.

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What if beauty isn’t an escape from the outrage and exhaustion of the world—but a form of resistance against it?

In a culture overrun with anxiety and uncertainty, turning toward beauty can feel almost defiant. In this episode of Makers & Mystics, host Stephen Roach is joined by theologian, poet, and cultural critic Jonathan P. Walton to explore how beauty forms us for resilience, integrity, and repair—both personally and communally.

Drawing from his book Beauty and Resistance: Spiritual Rhythms for Formation and Repair, Walton reflects on the spiritual and emotional work required to live truthfully in a hurried, narcissistic culture. Together, they discuss the tension between joy and guilt, the importance of celebration and lament, and the danger of the false self in spiritual formation.

Jonathan introduces the Four Rs—Rest, Restore, Resist, Repeat—as a crafted rule of life that helps us resist what deforms us while cultivating beauty, depth, and intentional living. He also shares the backstory behind his poem “Change of Plans,” offering insight into how community, faith, and honesty shape the long journey toward wholeness.

This conversation is an invitation to slow down, tend to what is wounded, and rediscover beauty not as escape—but as faithful resistance.

Resources & Links

• Beauty and Resistance: Spiritual Rhythms for Formation and Repair — Jonathan P. Walton
• Support The Podcast — Join our Patreon growing community! http://www.patreon.com/makersandmystics

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What role does beauty play in a fractured and hurried world—and what might happen if we allowed it to slow us down?

This episode marks the beginning of a new Makers and Mystics series, The Pace of Beauty, exploring how beauty invites us into a more attentive and spiritually grounded way of living.

In this opening conversation, Stephen Roach is joined by Winfield Bevins, author, artist, and founder of Creo Arts, a missional arts community awakening the world to the beauty of the Christian story. Together, they explore the themes of Winfield's book How Beauty Will Save the World and reflect on the intersection of art, faith, and community.

Winfield shares personal stories of how art became a lifeline during a formative season of his life, and how creative practices can function as spiritual disciplines. He emphasizes the transformative power of beauty and the arts in a broken world, advocating for a deeper integration of creativity within the church.

Book Offer for Listeners

Oaks Press is offering listeners of Makers and Mystics a free copy of Winfield Bevins’s book How Beauty Will Save the World. Simply cover the cost of shipping and use the code MAKERS at checkout.

Get your copy here:
How Beauty Will Save the World — Oaks Press

Resources

• How Beauty Will Save the World by Winfield Bevins
• Creo Arts
• Makers and Mystics Podcast

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