As you may already know, the Rabbit Room began as a blog—a beloved ongoing conversation between a collection of writers and artists committed to encouraging each other and throwing ideas back and forth, just for the pleasure of it. It looked a little something like this:
Isn’t it so nostalgic?
These days, as you may also know, we make and share a myriad of content including but not limited to our blog posts. So here at the beginning of 2020, I figured it would be a good idea to provide a flyover view of the various ways you can follow our work on a daily and weekly basis.
Podcasts
Click to explore!
For starters, let’s talk about the newest iron in the fire: our Podcast Network.
Our network currently hosts nine podcasts. That sounds like a lot—and it sort of is—but our podcast schedule is seasonal, meaning that we actively release new episodes from just two or three series at a time throughout the year. Here’s what you can keep your eyes peeled for this year.
The Habit Podcast (updated weekly). I have the sincere pleasure of engineering this podcast, and I can tell you that Jonathan Rogers is unstoppable. In just about five hours, we’ll record six stellar conversations with writers about writing. I don’t know how this guy does it, but for the foreseeable future, he’ll have a new interview ready for you to listen to every week.
Fin’s Revolution (updated sporadically, dozens of episodes at a time).
This is the podcast wherein Pete Peterson embarks on the adventure of reading through The Fiddler’s Gun and Fiddler’s Green audiobook-style, complete with funny voices. It’s endlessly engaging, and he’s halfway done, having just finished The Fiddler’s Gun. Be sure to check out his special bonus episodes, in which Shigé Clark (our head of Communications & Development) asks him piercing historical and narrative questions.
The Second Muse (updated seasonally). This is my own personal contribution to our podcast network, in which I interview songwriters and producers about their own encounters with moments of resistance in the writing and record-making process. In each episode, we also break down a particular song of theirs in a Song Exploder-type fashion, analyzing how it grew into itself from the infancy of an idea to the completion of a shiny recording. Watch for Season Two to be released this spring.
The Artist’s Creed (updated seasonally). One of our board members and our first-ever Scholar in Residence, Dr. Steve Guthrie is currently on sabbatical from his position as Religion & the Arts professor at Belmont University. The Artist’s Creed is one side project he will be undertaking during his time with us. The network’s most theological offering, Season One of The Artist’s Creed engaged topically in the Apostle’s Creed episode by episode, asking how it could inform the calling of the artist. But Season Two will look a little different—watch for it to be released in late summer.
Fixed In Post (updated sporadically, one episode at a time). Our dear friend John Barber is a great lover of good films. Every so often, he and Pete get together to talk about their favorites. Watch for their Best of 2019 episode to come out soon.
In podcast world, there are some other projects in the works this year that I can’t tell you about yet. But let’s just say we’ve never been more excited, and we’re breaking out of our comfort zone. Stay tuned.
Streaming Playlists
Click to listen to the Rabbit Room Playlist on Spotify! (Also available on Apple Music)
One of our favorite new developments is streaming playlists. This is where we get to nerd out about all the new music from artists in our community and share it with as many listeners as we can. Chris Thiessen (Head of Sales and Donor Administration) curates our playlists to give you our latest take on great new music being made.
Rabbit Room Playlist (updated monthly). This is our most general playlist, aiming to cover all the bases and keep up with new releases by artists in our community.
Seasonal Playlists (updated quarterly). Our blog contributors band together with the coming of each new season to provide a soundtrack to the spring, summer, autumn, and winter. In addition to the earth’s seasons, we provide soundtracks for liturgical seasons, like Advent, Christmastide, Lent, and Easter.
The Local Show Playlist (updated in the spring and fall, during Local Show seasons). Whenever we host Local Shows (our writers round concert in Nashville, TN), we keep track of the set list and reconstruct it on Apple Music and Spotify for your listening pleasure. It updates every two weeks with each new show.
Weekly Digest
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On a daily basis, the stream of new content can be a bit overwhelming. That’s why we’ve established our weekly digest, an email that includes highlights from that week’s blog and podcast content, news updates, upcoming tour dates from artists in our community, and our beloved “Stuff We Liked This Week” section, where staff members share books, music, movies, and podcast recommendations for the week.
In addition to sharing stuff we liked, I greatly enjoy asking (via our Rabbit Room Chinwag page on Facebook) what you liked every Friday morning. It always gets a great discussion going, and I come away so encouraged by the great art being put into the world. Click here to check out last Friday’s discussion, and feel free to add your own comment as well!
Blog Posts
Where it all started.
The heartbeat of all our content, the Rabbit Room blog sets the tone of our weekly discussion and anchors everything we do. Because chances are that if you regularly engage with the Rabbit Room, you like to read. And you probably even like to settle into your chair, light a candle, make some tea, and read with abandon. So if you want a place to go throughout your week for thought-provoking articles pertaining to art, music, story, and community, look no further.
I update our blog four to five times every work week with a balance of reflective articles, important bits of news, and short delights. (Fun fact: I’ve been reading the blog since I was a freshman in high school. Pinch me.)
If you’re looking for a place to start, here are a few of my favorite articles from the last few months: “Alleluia” by Amy Baik Lee, “The Garden Unguarded” by Matthew Cyr, and “Giants in the Land” by Helena Sorensen.
Thanks for reading, listening, and participating.
That’s about all the content we put out on a regular basis! I hope this guide has been helpful, whether you’re a new reader looking for a place to begin or a long-time listener who’s lost track of what all we’ve got going on.
To wrap this up, here are some quick links to launch you into the media of your choice.
Listen to our streaming playlists (Spotify, Apple Music).
In a world that is becoming more and more overrun with information by the day, we aim to provide a grounding and hospitable space where you can slow down and engage with worthwhile thoughts from a robustly Christian perspective. Because as far as we can see, art nourishes community and community nourishes art, and more than ever before, both of these gifts require and deserve every bit of nourishment they can get.
Welcome. We’re so glad you’re here.