320. How is Realm Makers Reshaping Our Culture?

This year’s Realm Makers event came up fast. Zack and Stephen had a blast at the annual event just two weeks ago in St. Louis, Missouri. Whether you got to join us there, or would like to catch up later, let’s survey the successes of this three-day conference and expo. And as more Christian fans (and creators!) find their place in these challenging yet fantastical worlds, we will explore how Realm Makers is not just helping you find your tribe, but helping slowly change the real world.

Episode sponsors

• Twist of Time by Tricia Goyer and Nathan Goyer
• Realm Makers 2026 Conference & Expo
• Author Update from Author Media
• Iffy Eats Monsters for Breakfast by Bryan Timothy Mitchell

Mission update

• New at Lorehaven: new reviews
• Stephen’s article: “Why I Look Forward to America 250,000.”
• Subscribe free to get updates and join the Lorehaven Guild.
• This week: we begin our quest into C. S. Lewis’s The Silver Chair!

1. Thursday: the Realm Awards banquet

• Zack’s arrival and initial view of the St. Louis Union Station Hotel.
• Comparisons between this new venue and previous RM locations.
• Stephen’s arrival and all-day setup of the Lorehaven booth.
• Evening festivities: the Realm Awards costume banquet.
• What we wore, what we saw, and who won best dressed.
• This event celebrates the best Christian-made fantastical stories.

Winner of the Realm Award for 2026 Book of the Year: The Unraveling of Emlyn DuLaine by Lindsay A. Franklin

Winners of the 2026 Realm Awards:

• Comics/Graphic Novels
  The Epistle to the Galatians: Word for Word Bible Comic: NIV Translation, illustrated by Simon Amadeus Pillario, published by Word for Word Bible Comics
• Cover Design
  Daughter of Light by Morgan L. Busse, cover design by Jenneth Leed, published by Enclave Publishing
• Flash Fiction
  “Godspeed, Spaulding” by Olivia Gratehouse, published by Havok Publishing
• Short Stories
  “