Welcome to the Silmarillion Writers' Guild

Interview with Silmalope by Dawn - Featured artist for The Aromantic in Tolkien - Silmarillion Writers' Guild - Mereth Aderthad 2025 - July 19, 2025 - Burlington, VT, and online - a celebration of creativity and scholarship inspired by the works of J.R.R. Tolkien
Mereth Aderthad Interview: Interview with Silmalope by Dawn. Silmalope is the featured artist for Shadow's Mereth Aderthad 2025 presentation, "The Aromantic in Tolkien." Dawn spoke with Silmalope about their approach to making art, what inspires their work, and the importance of diverse representation in fanworks.
SWG Challenge - Period Drama - 15 May through 15 June 2025
New Challenge: Period Drama. A Matryoskha challenge with prompts inspired by common tropes in period dramas and historical fiction.
Interview with JazTheBard by Maglor - Twilight, Child Of: Comparisons Between Tinúviel, Lómion, and Undómiel - Silmarillion Writers' Guild - Mereth Aderthad 2025 - July 19, 2025 - Burlington, VT, and online - a celebration of creativity and scholarship inspired by the works of J.R.R. Tolkien
Mereth Aderthad Interview: Interview with JazTheBard by Maglor. Lúthien, Maeglin, and Arwen all share a reference to "twilight" in their names. In our latest interview for Mereth Aderthad 2025, Maglor spoke with JazTheBard about her paper "Twilight, Child Of: Comparisons Between Tinúviel, Lómion, and Undómiel," the role of gender in the legendarium, and setting parts of her presentation to music.
Interview with Savannah Horrell by Anerea - By Guile Committed: Comparing Tolkien’s Thieves to Beowulf - Silmarillion Writers' Guild - Mereth Aderthad 2025 - July 19, 2025 - Burlington, VT, and online - a celebration of creativity and scholarship inspired by the works of J.R.R. Tolkien
Mereth Aderthad Interview: Interview with Savannah Horrell by Anérea. Although he considered Germanic literature some of his key inspirations, Tolkien's work deviated in its tendency to prefer the perspective of the humble over the privileged. Anérea spoke with Savannah Horrell about her upcoming Mereth Aderthad presentation "By Guile Committed: Comparing Tolkien’s Thieves to Beowulf" and how Tolkien's depictions of thieves differ from the Anglo-Saxon poem "Beowulf."
Interview with Zhie by Shadow - How to Make a Star from a Tree: The Science of Telperion and Laurelin - Silmarillion Writers' Guild - Mereth Aderthad 2025 - July 19, 2025 - Burlington, VT, and online - a celebration of creativity and scholarship inspired by the works of J.R.R. Tolkien
Mereth Aderthad Interview: Interview with Zhie by Shadow. There are rewards in considering the scientific roots of aspects of the legendarium typically considered mythic or folkloric. Shadow spoke with Zhie about the challenges of investigating such a topic as a non-scientist for Zhie's upcoming Mereth Aderthad paper "How to Make a Star from a Tree: The Science of Telperion and Laurelin."
The Silmarillion Writers' Guild Presents Mereth Aderthad 2025 - July 19, 2025, Burlington, VT and online - A celebration of creativity and scholarship inspired by the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Registration is open!
Mereth Aderthad 2025: Program Posted. Check out our schedule of presentations and fanworks, as well as featured artists for Mereth Aderthad 2025! Registration for in-person and virtual attendance is now open.
Musicals! A Silmarillion Writers' Guild Challenge, Coming April 15-May 15, 2025. Banner depicts a dark-hair Elf tipping his hat and three Silmarils.
New Challenge: Musicals. Prompts this month come from musicals.
Instadrabbling, April 5, May 3, and June 7, 18:00/6PM UTC, SWG Discord, #instadrabbling
Instadrabbling Sessions for April, May, and June. The first Saturday of each month, we will be hosting instadrabbling on our Discord server.
Character of the Month: Vidumavi of the Northmen by Secondborn
Character of the Month: Vidumavi of the Northmen. A seemingly minor character, Vidumavi's story illustrates the themes of fellowship, the fading of faerie, and the dangers of racial hierarchy.
Tolkien Fanartics - Mapping Arda, Part III: The Second Age
Tolkien Fanartics: Mapping Arda - The Second Age. In the third part of the Mapping Arda series, Anérea and Varda delle Stelle present a selection of fan-created maps of the lands of the Second Age.

Latest News

Registration for Mereth Aderthad 2025 is open! Register here!

Mereth Aderthad Interview: Interview with Silmalope by Dawn
Silmalope is the featured artist for Shadow's Mereth Aderthad 2025 presentation, "The Aromantic in Tolkien." Dawn spoke with Silmalope about their approach to making art, what inspires their work, and the importance of diverse representation in fanworks.

New Challenge: Period Drama
A Matryoskha challenge with prompts inspired by common tropes in period dramas and historical fiction.

Mereth Aderthad Interview: Interview with JazTheBard by Maglor
Lúthien, Maeglin, and Arwen all share a reference to "twilight" in their names. In our latest interview for Mereth Aderthad 2025, Maglor spoke with JazTheBard about her paper "Twilight, Child Of: Comparisons Between Tinúviel, Lómion, and Undómiel," the role of gender in the legendarium, and setting parts of her presentation to music.

Newest Fanworks

She Hath My Love (Drabbles about Women) by Elrond's Library

A collection of drabbles about women in Tolkien's Legendarium. 

One In the Fires of the Heart of the World by Isilme_among_the_stars

Maedhros finds that regret and pain do not end with death. But it does at last bring release from the oath and he can at last embark upon the long, hard road toward redemption. 

Interview with Dr. Zara Ashkenazi-Khan by Saelind by SWG Newsletter Staff

In her upcoming paper for Mereth Aderthad 2025, "Exile, Ruin and Resistance: Beleriand as Postcolonial Palimpsest," Dr. Zara Ashkenazi-Khan considers why the third kinslaying stands apart in a book filled with violence.

Finarfin Moodboard by Artano

Moodboard focused on Finarfin before and near the beginning of the War of Wrath

History has its eyes on you by daughterofshadows

Gil-galad, Hamilton lyrics and three poignant events in his life.

New in References

Interview with Dr. Zara Ashkenazi-Khan by Saelind by SWG Newsletter Staff

In her upcoming paper for Mereth Aderthad 2025, "Exile, Ruin and Resistance: Beleriand as Postcolonial Palimpsest," Dr. Zara Ashkenazi-Khan considers why the third kinslaying stands apart in a book filled with violence. Saelind recently spoke with Zara about her paper, postcolonialism and The Silmarillion, and how fanfiction and scholarship each contribute in…

Interview with Silmalope by Dawn by silmalope

Silmalope is the featured artist for Shadow's Mereth Aderthad 2025 presentation, "The Aromantic in Tolkien." Dawn spoke with Silmalope about their approach to making art, what inspires their work, and the importance of diverse representation in fanworks.

Interview with JazTheBard by Maglor by JazTheBard

Lúthien, Maeglin, and Arwen all share a reference to "twilight" in their names. In our latest interview for Mereth Aderthad 2025, Maglor spoke with JazTheBard about her paper "Twilight, Child Of: Comparisons Between Tinúviel, Lómion, and Undómiel," the role of gender in the legendarium, and setting parts of her presentation to music.

Newest Artwork

Finarfin Moodboard by Artano
Moodbaord containing photos of golden hair woven with pearls, a crown reflecting a crown of thorns, a chessboard, a spear, and a painting of a knight leading an army in battle with the quote "I know that greatness lies in you /But remember from here on in /History has its /Eyes on you "

Moodboard focused on Finarfin before and near the beginning of the War of Wrath

Rating: General
Warnings: No warnings listed

Heavy is the Crown by Artano
Drawing depicting a tired Finarfin resting his head on his hand. Around the image are the words "Oceans rise, / Empires fall, / It’s much harder when it’s all your call." written in green and gold

Finarfin struggles with the weight of his authority during the War of Wrath

 

Rating: General
Warnings: No warnings listed

2025 Birthday Bash Prompt Fills by silmalope
Thumbnail image. A sketch of Argon backlit by the rising moon.

Sketches inspired by the 2025 Birthday Bash challenge prompts!

Rating: Creator Chooses Not to Rate
Warnings: Check Notes for Warnings, Creator Chooses Not to Warn

Around the World and Web

Monster Fucker May 2025
This is an 18+ Tumblr and AO3 event for smutty fanworks involving monsters from the legendarium, put on by the Tolkien Pinup Calendar.

Tolkien100 Drabble Community
Tolkien100 is a long-running drabble community that originated on LiveJournal and is currently maintained on both LiveJournal and Dreamwidth. The community focusses on fixed length-drabbles (100 words). There are also regular prompts. New participants welcome.

May Challenge at tolkienshortfanworks on Dreamwidth
The May challenge has been posted at the tolkienshortfanwork community on Dreamwidth. This month it is a number of prompts containing "may", including "May It Be", by Enya.