Shawn went down the hobbit hole in his teens after finding a reference to Tolkien in a book about Pink Floyd, and has been in love with Middle-earth (and progressive rock) ever since. He’s especially drawn to the linguistic aspects of Tolkien’s work, and shares his obsession for languages with listeners every week as the Prancing Pony Podcast’s resident word-nerd.

If Shawn could live anywhere in Middle-earth, it would be Rivendell, where he’d find a spot surrounded by Elrond’s ​“storied and figured maps and books of lore”, start reading, and not get up until the dinner bell rings.