Kaitlyn Facista

Author and Tolkien Content Creator

Kaitlyn Facista is a wife, mother to six, Catholic convert, and author. She is the founder of Tea with Tolkien, a welcoming and positive online community celebrating the life, writings, and Catholic faith of J.R.R. Tolkien. Her first book, Into the Heart of Middle-earth: Exploring Faith and Fellowship in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings will debut from Ave Maria Press in 2026.

Kaitlyn writes and speaks on topics of Tolkien’s faith, his creative imagination, and what it means to be a Hobbit at Heart. She has also created several free reading resources to accompany Tolkien’s works, including “The Silmarillion Reader's Guide”, “Pocket Guide to Middle-earth”, and “30 Days in the Shire”.

Kaitlyn was recognized as a leader in the Tolkien community and interviewed as a lore expert in an official after-show segment for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power in 2024. Tea with Tolkien was shortlisted for a Tolkien Society Award in the Best Online Content category in 2023 and 2025.

You can get in touch using the form on our contact page or via email at kaitlyn@teawithtolkien.com.

Forthcoming Title:

  • Into the Heart of Middle-earth: Exploring Faith and Fellowship in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (Ave Maria Press, 2026)

Self-Published: Free Resources

Chapter Contributions:

  • Catholic Hipster: The Next Level: How Some Awesomely Obscure Stuff Helps Us Live Our Faith with Passion, by Tommy Tighe, Ave Maria Press (2019)

  • Stories From the Soul: Spiritual Reflections, edited by Jared Wuerzburger, Franciscan Young Adult Ministry (2020)

Print & Digital Publications:

Speaking:

  • “Faith Like Hobbits”, Breakout Session. Diocese of Indianapolis Young Adult Conference (May 2023)

  • “No Man am I: Women in Middle-earth” Panel. San Diego Comic-Con Panel (July 2023)

Highlighted Interviews and Podcasts: