Makers & Mystics

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
Send a text
Join Malcolm Guite, Jonathan Pageau, Stephen Roach, and so many others!
http://www.thebreathandtheclay.com
Use the code "mystic26" for a special podcast listener rate!
Support the show
Get Tickets to The Breath and The Clay 2026 featuring Malcolm Guite, Jon Guerra, and Jonathan Pageau! March 20-22 in Winston-Salem, NC.
Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1

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 
Send a text
Join Malcolm Guite, Jonathan Pageau, Stephen Roach, and so many others!
http://www.thebreathandtheclay.com
Use the code "mystic26" for a special podcast listener rate!
Support the show
Get Tickets to The Breath and The Clay 2026 featuring Malcolm Guite, Jon Guerra, and Jonathan Pageau! March 20-22 in Winston-Salem, NC.
Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1

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
Send a text
Join Malcolm Guite, Jonathan Pageau, Stephen Roach, and so many others!
http://www.thebreathandtheclay.com
Use the code "mystic26" for a special podcast listener rate!
Support the show
Get Tickets to The Breath and The Clay 2026 featuring Malcolm Guite, Jon Guerra, and Jonathan Pageau! March 20-22 in Winston-Salem, NC.
Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1

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.
 
Send a text
Join Malcolm Guite, Jonathan Pageau, Stephen Roach, and so many others!
http://www.thebreathandtheclay.com
Use the code "mystic26" for a special podcast listener rate!
Support the show
Get Tickets to The Breath and The Clay 2026 featuring Malcolm Guite, Jon Guerra, and Jonathan Pageau! March 20-22 in Winston-Salem, NC.
Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1

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.
Send a text
Support the show
Get Tickets to The Breath and The Clay 2026 featuring Malcolm Guite, Jon Guerra, and Jonathan Pageau! March 20-22 in Winston-Salem, NC.
Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1