Joe Ricke is a scholar, poet, actor, director, songwriter, and organizer. He was formerly Director of the Center for the Study of C. S. Lewis & Friends at Taylor University. He has edited three books of Inkling-related material, published chapters and articles on Shakespeare, early drama, Tolkien, Lewis, Academic Freedom, and other topics. His poems have appeared in numerous journals and in the book New Crops from Old Fields: Eight Medievalist Poets. Among other plays, he has directed As You Like It, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Loves Labours Lost, The Winter’s Tale, Waiting for Godot, Wit, and Antigone. He won the Best Actor Award in the 2019 Queens (NY) World Film Fest for his role in Palace. He is the founder and director of the Inkling Folk Fellowship.