Our Story
Inspired by the legendary Oxford literary fellowship
The Original Inklings
In the smoke-filled back room of an Oxford pub called the Eagle and Child... or as the locals knew it, "the Bird and Baby"... a remarkable group of friends gathered twice weekly during the 1930s and 1940s. They claimed a back room that had earned the name "Rabbit Room" years earlier, when a landlady by the name of Florence Blagrove kept rabbits there. They called themselves the Inklings.
The name was a delightful pun... meaning both "people with vague or half-formed intimations and ideas" and "those who dabble in ink." It perfectly captured the spirit of writers sharing works-in-progress with trusted friends.
At the center of this fellowship was C.S. Lewis, the Cambridge don who would become one of the most influential Christian writers of the 20th century. Alongside him sat J.R.R. Tolkien, quietly working on what would become The Lord of the Rings. Charles Williams, Owen Barfield, Lewis's brother Warren, and others completed the circle.
Their method was simple but powerful: read your work aloud, then brace yourself for honest, sometimes brutal, always constructive critique. It was in these sessions that entire chapters of Narnia and Middle-earth were first heard by human ears.
The Core Members
C.S. Lewis
1898-1963
The central figure of the Inklings. Author of The Chronicles of Narnia, Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, and the Space Trilogy.
J.R.R. Tolkien
1892-1973
Creator of Middle-earth. Author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford.
Charles Williams
1886-1945
Novelist, poet, and theologian. Author of supernatural thrillers and theological works. Editor at Oxford University Press.
Owen Barfield
1898-1997
Philosopher, author, and Lewis's closest friend. His ideas deeply influenced both Lewis and Tolkien's work.
Their Legacy
The Inklings demonstrated something profound: that creative excellence flourishes in community. Lewis later wrote, "What I owe to them all is incalculable." Tolkien credited Lewis's support for his ability to finish The Lord of the Rings, saying "only by his support and friendship did I ever struggle to the end."
Their influence extends far beyond their own works. The Inklings helped establish fantasy as a serious literary genre, defended the value of myth and imagination in an increasingly skeptical age, and showed that Christian faith and artistic excellence are not only compatible but mutually enriching.
Books like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe were first read aloud in Lewis's rooms at Magdalen College. The early chapters of The Lord of the Rings were debated over pints at the Eagle and Child. These gatherings produced some of the most beloved and influential works of the 20th century.
The Founder's Journey
Steven D. Mikel has long walked at the intersection of faith and creativity. A visual artist since childhood, he began painting in traditional watercolors at age six and later pioneered coffee as a fine art medium in 2008... becoming a galleried artist whose work can be explored at Dark Roast Watercolors.
The seed of AmericanInklings was planted in 2020, during a season of profound personal reckoning. Like the Prodigal Son, Steven had wandered far from his foundation... making wrong decisions, stepping away from his faith, and eventually facing the consequences of those choices. Yet it was precisely in that stripped-down season, with little but time and solitude, that transformation began.
He read voraciously: the Bible with fresh eyes, C.S. Lewis's apologetics and fiction, Dickens, Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, Dante's Inferno, and works examining what had been lost in contemporary creative culture... Leland Ryken's The Christian Imagination, Steven Pressfield's The War of Art, and Donald Kuspit's The End of Art and Redeeming Art. He grew increasingly troubled by the decline of beauty and meaning in modern art, and increasingly inspired by what the Oxford Inklings had accomplished through simple fellowship and honest critique.
It was also during this season that other creative visions took shape. Every Martian... a platform offering spiritual wisdom and practical guidance for modern Christian men... was born from his deepening walk with God. Stone Soup... an interactive graphic novel series restoring Victorian-era vocabulary through immersive storytelling... emerged from his belief that art and education can and should enrich one another.
But the question that would become AmericanInklings persisted: What if such a fellowship existed today? What if Christian creatives... writers, painters, photographers, illustrators... could gather as Lewis and Tolkien once did, sharpening one another's craft while pointing toward truth and beauty?
The idea gestated through years of continued reflection and spiritual restoration. In 2024, the formal charter was drafted, articulating the values that would guide the fellowship. Now, in 2026, AmericanInklings opens its doors... a testament that even from the ash of personal failure, something beautiful can emerge when surrendered to divine purpose.
"The original Inklings proved that creative genius flourishes in community. AmericanInklings is my invitation for today's Christian artists to experience that same transformative fellowship... and perhaps, like me, to discover that our greatest work often emerges from our deepest valleys." ... Steven D. Mikel
AmericanInklings Today
Founded by Steven D. Mikel, AmericanInklings carries the torch of the Oxford fellowship into the 21st century. We are a community of Christian creatives dedicated to the cultivation and celebration of creativity and intellectual discourse.
Like our predecessors, we believe that:
- ✦ Honest critique sharpens our craft
- ✦ Fellowship sustains our creative journey
- ✦ Faith provides the foundation for truth and beauty
- ✦ Art reveals deeper truths about existence
While the original Inklings focused primarily on literature, we have expanded to embrace the visual arts as well, including painting, drawing, sculpture, illustration, and photography. We maintain the intimate, supportive atmosphere that made the original Inklings so productive.
Currently, our fellowship gathers virtually, allowing members from across the country to participate regardless of geography. As our community grows, we plan to establish regional gatherings for face-to-face meetings where proximity allows. We recognize the irreplaceable value of sharing a table together... but we also understand that distance and life circumstances can make that difficult. Our virtual fellowship ensures that no creative is left isolated.
Read Our Full CharterOur Creative Disciplines
We focus on two primary forms of artistic expression
Literature
Poetry, short stories, novels, essays, and scripts. The written word remains at the heart of our fellowship, just as it was for the original Inklings.
Visual Arts
Painting, drawing, sculpture, illustration, photography, and digital art. Visual expressions of truth and beauty that complement the written word.
Become Part of the Fellowship
If you're a Christian creative passionate about your craft and hungry for community, we invite you to apply for membership.
Apply Now