How illustrators bring fantastical worlds to life

By Chloe Wynne,

Catherine Shen

Published September 16, 2024 at 7:15 AM EDT

Illustration inspired by The Hobbit. — The Hobbit.

National Hobbit Day is this week. From the rolling hills of the Shire to the great forests of Mirkwood, J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantastical worlds have inspired generations of illustrators to bring imagined concepts to life through art.

This hour, we sit down with two local fantasy and science-fiction illustrators, including David Wenzel, who created a graphic novel adaptation of The Hobbit.

GUESTS:

David Thorn Wenzel, Illustrator and children's book artist best known for his graphic novel adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit
Tom Kidd, Science fiction and fantasy illustrator

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Where We Live

Chloe Wynne

Chloe Wynne is a producer for The Wheelhouse and Where We Live. She previously worked as a producer and reporter for the investigative podcast series, Admissible: Shreds of Evidence, which was co-produced by VPM and Story Mechanics and distributed by iHeartRadio. She began her journalism career at inewsource, an investigative newsroom in San Diego, Calif., where she covered housing, education and crime. She earned her master’s degree from Columbia Journalism School in 2021, where she focused on audio storytelling.

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Catherine Shen

Catherine is the Host of Connecticut Public’s morning talk show and podcast, Where We Live. Catherine and the WWL team focus on going beyond the headlines to bring in meaningful conversations that put Connecticut in context.

See stories by Catherine Shen