Well folks Religionish is returning to your podcast feeds this summer! It’s been almost five years since the last episode was published and the last issue of the Religionish newsletter appeared in your inbox. A lot has happened since then — In the World. Personally. Professionally. It’s just been a lot.
Religionish has always been a passion project with the hope of reaching scholars and lay folk alike to think about the place of religion in society. To that end, the show will be different.
Themed Seasons
Starting in January 2027, Religionish will begin having themed seasons. The thematic focus will help direct content and ensure a common thread across all episodes in a season.
In the past the show’s episodes jumped from topic to topic based on what interested me at the time. My interests will still drive content, but instead of it feeling disconnected from episode to episode each season of 6-8 episodes will focus on a central topic. What kinds of topics? Religion and AI, ecopiety, religion and climate change, religious nationalism, religion and mental health, and so much more!
Subscriber Content
One of the biggest reasons I stopped producing the show was it was a lot of unpaid time and labor while also working full time. To help combat this from happening again, I am offering subscription levels (you can also buy me a coffee).
There are currently 3 tiers of subscriptions:
- Friend of Religionish — $1/month
- You aren’t really a Religion Nerd, but you have a big heart. You’re probably a casual listener and know how much time and effort goes into Religionish. You’ll get my appreciation.
- You aren’t really a Religion Nerd, but you have a big heart. You’re probably a casual listener and know how much time and effort goes into Religionish. You’ll get my appreciation.
- Religion Nerd — $5/month
- Your nerd status comes with:
- Monthly Bonus Episode
- Helping to direct content of Religionish through patron only polls & requests
- Ashley’s Appreciation
- Your nerd status comes with:
- Religionish Book Club — $20/month
- You’ve gone full on nerd! That pile of books checked out from the library comes with….
- Ashley’s Reading Notes
- Author Interview Episode
- Live Video Discussion About Book
- Book Review Episode
- Chat Group
- Vote on Book Selection
- Religionish sticker to show off your religion nerd status
- Bonus Episodes
- Helping to direct content of Religionish through patron only polls & requests
- Ashley’s Appreciation
- You’ve gone full on nerd! That pile of books checked out from the library comes with….
The Religion Nerds & Book Club members will get a monthly bonus episode, tentatively called Democracy Docket that will discuss the place of free speech and religion in US democracy and track Supreme Court cases addressing the First Amendment. This series will allow Ashley to nerd out about her favorite topics of religion, media, and politics.
Religionish Book Club
Religionish Book Club begins in Fall 2026. The first book will be announced in July, giving you time to sign up, grab a copy, and dive in!
As a book club member you’ll join Ashley in reading books on religion, media, history, politics, or whatever catches her eye. There will be a concerted effort to make the selected book relate to the season’s theme, but sometimes they’ll be completely off topic.
Book club membership will also include a chat group where you’ll have access to Ashley’s reading notes and be able to discuss the book with other members. For each book there will also be 1-2 live video calls to discuss as well as author interviews (when possible) and book review episodes.
Book club content will be separate from the usual podcast feed, so it’ll be important that you provide an email address that you check often.
July 2026 Relaunch
The 2026 relaunch will include a re-release of Ashley’s top five favorite episodes beginning in July. Each month another episode will be released from the archive with a new intro explaining why it was selected.
The newsletter will continue to arrive in your inbox every other week with information about the show, links to religion news, suggested podcasts, and more. Consider the newsletter your inside scoop.
Hope you’re excited for this new direction and will recommend the show to your friends, family, and colleagues!