Uncommon Sense cover art

Uncommon Sense

Uncommon Sense

By: Society of GK Chesterton
Listen for free

Summary

 The Podcast of the Society of GKC, where we talk about everything, and everything else, with a Chestertonian perspective. The podcast is hosted by Grettelyn Darkey and Albert Saenz. Want to give us feedback? Email uncommonsense@chesterton.orgSociety of G.K. Chesterton (297168) Spirituality
Episodes
  • Celebrating Chesterton's Vision of Sanity at the 2026 Conference

    Celebrating Chesterton's Vision of Sanity at the 2026 Conference
    May 5 2026
    Gretelyn Darkey and Joe Grabowski invite listeners to join them this June at the 2026 Chesterton Society Conference in Ave Maria, Florida. This year's conference celebrates three remarkable centenaries: the publication of The Outline of Sanity, The Queen of Seven Swords, and Frances Chesterton's conversion to the Catholic Church. With speakers including Dale Ahlquist and Nancy Brown, the conference promises talks on distributism, sanity in an insane world, and Frances's journey to Rome. In This Episode: The 2026 conference returns to a university campus setting with dorm-style lodging at Ave Maria, recapturing the old-school Chesterton conference atmosphereThree major centenaries: The Outline of Sanity (1926), The Queen of Seven Swords (1926), and Frances Chesterton's conversion to Catholicism (1926)Dale Ahlquist will explore what Chesterton meant by sanity and how the modern world alters humans to fit conditions rather than shaping the world to fit the human soulNancy Brown will speak on Frances Chesterton's four-year journey to Rome after Gilbert's conversion, offering hope for those navigating similar family situationsAve Maria's Catholic town center, built around a striking church, embodies Chestertonian localism and provides the perfect setting for this year's theme Chapters: 00:00: Welcome and Conference Announcement00:24: Ave Maria, Florida—Location and Registration01:09: Return to University Campus Format03:27: First Theme: The Outline of Sanity 100th Anniversary06:40: Speakers on Distributism and Localism16:09: Second Theme: The Queen of Seven Swords19:59: Third Theme: Frances Chesterton's Conversion25:19: Nancy Brown on Frances's Journey to Rome28:05: Afterglow and Conference Experience34:20: Closing Invitation Resources Mentioned: Conference RegistrationThe Woman Who Was Chesterton by Nancy Carpentier BrownGilbert Magazine FOLLOW US InstagramFacebookX SUPPORT Consider making a donationVisit our Shop Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios
    Show More Show Less
    35 mins
  • The Man Who Carried a Swordstick and a Pen: Holly Gyger Lee on Writing Chesterton for Young Readers

    The Man Who Carried a Swordstick and a Pen: Holly Gyger Lee on Writing Chesterton for Young Readers
    Apr 28 2026
    GK Chesterton was many things—journalist, philosopher, poet, and debater—but what does his life look like through the eyes of a young reader? In this episode, Joe sits down with Holly Gyger Lee, author of the new young reader's biography The Man Who Carried a Swordstick and a Pen, to explore what drew her to Chesterton, what surprised her in the research, and why a boy who didn't fit the classroom mold became one of the most prolific writers in the English language. From Charlotte Mason's "living books" philosophy to Chesterton's theology of play, this conversation is a delight for readers of all ages. In This Episode: How Holly discovered GK Chesterton through C.S. Lewis—and why The Man Who Was Thursday wasn't the right entry pointThe Charlotte Mason "living books" philosophy that inspired Holly to write a biography for young readersWhat surprised Holly most in her research: Chesterton the unconventional student, and the headmaster's famous remark—"He is six feet of genius"The swordstick, the cloak, and how Frances shaped the image of a man who was a walking anachronism—out of time, and for all timesChesterton's theology of play and leisure, from the Toy Theater essay to his belief that the heavy work is the play Chapters: 00:00: Welcome and Introduction00:54: Holly's Background, Homeschooling, and Life in North Carolina04:01: Discovering Chesterton Through C.S. Lewis09:11: Charlotte Mason, Living Books, and the Inspiration Behind the Biography13:39: The Swordstick, the Cloak, and Chesterton's Persona16:18: Chesterton on Leisure, Play, and the Toy Theater19:14: Taking Children Seriously—Chesterton, Tolkien, Lewis, and MacDonald24:32: Research Surprises: The Unconventional Student28:43: The Junior Debating Club, Frances, and a Life of Hospitality33:37: Holly's Current Projects and Where to Find Her Resources Mentioned: Get the BookHolly's WebsiteHolly's YouTubeGilbert MagazineAmerican Chesterton Society Shop FOLLOW US: InstagramFacebookX SUPPORT: Consider making a donationVisit our Shop Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios
    Show More Show Less
    37 mins
  • What Bilbo and Boethius (and Chesterton) Teach Us About Adventure

    What Bilbo and Boethius (and Chesterton) Teach Us About Adventure
    Apr 21 2026
    What does it mean to be inconvenienced? Chesterton has a paradoxical answer. Joe Grabowski and Grettelyn Darkey unpack one of Chesterton's most beloved aphorisms — "An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered; an inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered" — tracing it from its original context in a real 1906 London flood, through the essay "On Running After One's Hat," and all the way to Boethius, St. Lawrence, and the Christian vocation to embrace the cross. In This Episode: The original context of the quote in Chesterton's essay "On Running After One's Hat" from All Things Considered, prompted by the great London flood of June 1906What running after a windblown hat has to do with Innocent Smith in Manalive—and why the sport of hat-hunting haunted Chesterton's imagination for yearsThe difference between a sunny attitude and a genuinely Chestertonian embrace of inconvenience, and why it matters on a spiritual levelBoethius, St. Lawrence, and St. Peter hanging upside down—what the saints reveal about the adventure of embracing the crossThe thread running through all of Chesterton: how a single paradox in a flood-inspired newspaper column illuminates his entire worldview Chapters: 00:00: Introduction01:52: Parsing the Quote04:50: Bilbo Baggins and Engaging with Life07:49: The 1906 London Flood20:23: Running After One's Hat23:05: Innocent Smith in Manalive28:41: The Thread of Chesterton's Philosophy35:00: Daily Inconveniences37:06: The Spiritual Dimension Resources Mentioned: All Things Considered by G.K. Chesterton (includes "On Running After One's Hat")Manalive by G.K. ChestertonThe Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius FOLLOW US InstagramFacebookX SUPPORT Consider making a donationVisit our Shop Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios
    Show More Show Less
    44 mins
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_c
No reviews yet