Around the World and Web includes announcements and items of interest from beyond the SWG.
Forgotten Ground Regained Features Tolkien-Inspired Alliterative Poetry
In late July, issue 11 was released of Forgotten Ground Regained: A Quarterly Journal of Alliterative Verse, containing 22 poems by 18 poets on the theme, "Alliterative Verse in Arda" (poetry on or about J.R.R. Tolkien and Tolkien's Middle Earth).
The current issue is one of a series of thematic issues. Past themes include "Poems of Love and Loss", "Images of the Natural World", "Mythic Tales and Sacred Truths", "Protests, Prophetic Truths, and Poetic Battles", "Norse and Icelandic Forms", and "Psalms and Meditations". Forgotten Ground Regained is edited by SWG member and Mereth Aderthad presenter Paul D. Deane. (You can view his Mereth Aderthad presentation on alliterative verse in Tolkien here, in addition to alliterative poems created to accompany his presentation in the Mereth Aderthad fanzine.) Several members and friends of the SWG appear in the magazine, including Paul, Himring, Zdenka, Dawn Felagund, and Savannah Horrell.
You can read the "Alliterative Verse in Arda" of Forgotten Ground Regained here.
Forgotten Ground Regained is always open to Tolkien-based poetry, so aspiring scops should check out the submission guidelines here!
Sindar Week 2026
Welcome to Sindar Week 2026!
This year’s event will be from Monday September 7th to Sunday September 14th
The prompts are:
Day 1 — Firsts & Lasts | Doriath | Thingol & Celeborn
Day 2 — Water & Air | Falas | Círdan & Lúthien
Day 3 — Sorrow & Grief | Mithrim | Daeron & Nimloth
Day 4 — Friends & Rivals | Mirkwood | Thranduil & Legolas
Day 5 — Earth & Fire | Lothlórien | Celebrían & Amroth
Day 6 — Joy & Celebration | Edhellond | Nellas & Mablung
Day 7 — Language & Memory | Cuiviénen | OCs & Unnamed Characters
As always, the prompts are only optional and inspirational, and there is no requirement to stick to them. Mix and match, use none, one, all of them. Happy creating!
Finwean Sibblings Prompt Fest 2026
2026 schedule:
Prompting: September 1st-14th
Publishing of prompt list: September 19th (at latest)
Claiming Begins: September 21st at 18:00 UTC
Works due: November 20th
Posting starts: November 27th
Full Rules & Requirements can be found here: Desktop | Mobile
Tolkien Sapphic September
Tolkien Sapphic September is a month long event focusing on Sapphic relationships and characters in Tolkien and adjacent materials.
This is an ANTI-AI event- ai created, assisted, or concept built pieces are NOT ADMISSABLE.
This includes: canon characters, lotro characters,ocs, imagines, x readers, and self inserts.
This event is FULLY FOCUSED on Sapphics this INCLUDES ALL 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈 identities!
Past works, works in progress, and late submissions are WELCOME!💫
Submissions to the blog and reblogs here from the Tolkien Sapphic September tags will begin the 1st of September and go throughout the month.
We have an AO3 collection which is happily accepting submissions
Basic rules:
- No AI
- No incest
- Main ship MUST be sapphic.
- Any sexual works must be 18+
- Appropriately tagged for readers
Prompts
These are totally optional and can be altered and combined!!! Think of this year as a custom tea blend all for you!!!
Tea chart
Pine
Old lady yuri
Snowed in
Winter
Lemon balm
Hate sex
Enemies to lovers
One bed
Strawberry
Devotion
Kink
Lust
Basil
Pining
Childhood friends
One bed
Earl grey
Arranged marriage
Letters
Royalty
Books
Rosemary
Modern au
Meet tragic
Adoration
Instrument/art
Valerian
Tragedy
Good bye
Last kiss
Hope
Berry
Horror
Hunter/hunted
Survival
Dandelion
Forbidden love
Loyalty
Resiliency
Hope
Rose
Toxic (to sweet or not)
Opposites attract
Rivals to lovers
Mint
Pride
Gift
Three kisses
Chamomile
Meet cute
Friends to lovers
Fluff
Ginger
Yearning
Indirect kiss
Confession
Smut with feelings
Catnip
Crossover
Self insert
Indulgence
Around the World and Web Archive
Events listed here are no longer active but are listed on the site for historical purposes.
White Oliphaunt 2024
In the White Oliphaunt gift exchange, Tolkien fans sign up to exchange humorous gifts with each other.
Schedule
- Sign ups open: November 1st
- Sign ups close: November 30th
- Assignments out: December 1st
- Anonymous posting + Last call for dropouts: December 24th
- Gift reveal: December 31st
Tolkien Horror Week 2024
Welcome to Tolkien Horror Week! This is a new event, following in the footsteps of Terrifying Tolkien Week, last run in 2019. This event celebrates all things spooky and creepy in Tolkien’s work—both the things he tells us explicitly and the things he leaves up to our imaginations.
The event will run from October 27th to November 2nd and accepts all types of fanworks. There is an AO3 collection for the event here.
Below are some suggested prompts for each day of the week. They are not mandatory; feel free to combine them or disregard them entirely.
Day 1: Angband & Utumno | seeth all things crooked | captivity
Day 2: Angmar, Rhudaur, & Minas Morgul | of such dread and dark enchantment | sorcery
Day 3: Mordor & the Dead Marshes | the pitiless land | control
Day 4: The Barrow-downs & the Old Forest | the clinging mists | corruption
Day 5: Mirkwood, Nan Elmoth, & Taur-nu-Fuin | the shadows grew long in the forest | hunting
Day 6: Nan Dungortheb & the Paths of the Dead | by perilous paths | terror
Day 7: Isengard, Moria, & Númenor | we cannot get out | trapped
Please mention @tolkienhorrorweek in the body of your post and tag #tolkienhorrorweek and #tolkienhorrorweek2024 in the first 10 tags. You may also submit a post.
Given the nature of the event, please also tag for any potential triggers or content warnings and place any NSFW content beneath a read more/link to AO3.
For more information, please see the FAQ. If you have any questions, drop them in the ask box.
Tolkien Latin American and Caribbean Week 2024
A week dedicated to celebrate Latin American and Caribbean cultures, peoples and traditions through Tolkien's Legendarium. It will start on October 21st (Monday) at 00:00, Brasilia time (what time is it in my country?). The week will end on October 27th, but feel free to post after the week is over. I'll still check tags, mentions and submissions for a while.
Everyone is free to participate, you don't have to be latino or caribbean nor have deep knowledge about Latin America/Caribbean to participate on this event. All creations are welcome - arts, graphics, gifs, fanfics, etc. - as long as they represent a Latin American/Caribbean element(s). It can be languages, cultures, traditions, anything from Latin America/Caribbean. Creations should be Safe for Work, no explicit content will be accepted to make this week accessible to everyone.
Please don't forget to tag your contributions with #tolkienlatam&caribbeanweek and mention me @tolkienlatamandcaribbeanweek.
Prompts
↬ Day One: Eru Ilúvatar | The Beginning | The World and All That Is
↬ Day Two: Ainur | The Powers of Arda | The Shaping of Arda
↬ Day Three: Eldar | The Awakening | Those Who Stayed and Those Who Left
↬ Day Four: Dwarves | Family | Culture
↬ Day Five: Men | Ancestors | Kingdoms
↬ Day Six: Hobbits | Dances | Music
↬ Day Seven: Freeform | AU | OCs
Other Links
Half-Elven Week 2024
We are back with the fourth year of Half-Elven Week, an event dedicated to celebrating Tolkien's half-elves. To note – as half-elven, we count all characters who have the blood of elves and some other race, no matter if they are called so in the canon. Half-Elven Week will run on Tumblr from October 14th - October - 20th 2024.
Prompts
Day 1 - Being Different; Doriathrim - Lúthien, Dior, Eluréd, Elurín, Elwing
Day 2 - The Choice; People of Sirion - Elwing, Eärendil, Elrond, Elros
Day 3 - Heritage; Númenoreans - Elros, his children and descendants
Day 4 - Power; People of Rivendell - Elrond, his children and descendants
Day 5 - Legacy; Princes of Dol Amroth - Galador, Gilmith, and their descendants
Day 6 - Loss; Parents of half-elves - Melian, Thingol, Tuor, Idril, Beren, Nimloth, Celebrían, Elros's wife, Imrazôr, Mithrellas, and others
Day 7 - Freeform
Rules
- Prompts aren't mandatory, only a source of inspiration.
- OCs are welcome - children of Caranthir/Haleth, Aegnor/Andreth, any elf/other race pair.
- Tag your work #halfelvenweek and tag us @halfelvenweek so we can find your post.
- If you have any questions, asks are open!
Lúthien Week 2024
Lúthien Week will take place October 14 – 20, 2024 on Tumblr! This event is dedicated to the characters of the Beren and Lúthien story, from the star-crossed protagonists to faithful allies to villains ... and everyone in between!
Why October? It captures the mood of the story. In all its spookiness, October is the perfect month for Lúthien Week, as the tale features vampires, werewolves, talking dogs, and even talking cats (yes, I mean Tevildo). At the same time, October is cozy, and Beren and Lúthien is ultimately a comforting story to read while curled up in a blanket with a warm cup of tea.
Follow this blog to stay tuned for more info about Lúthien Week! Prompts to come soon. If you have questions, send an ask!
Prompts
Day 1: Lúthien | Beren
Love at first sight | Dancing | Eldritch
Day 2: Thingol | Melian | Barahir
Family | Promises | Inheritance
Day 3: Huan | Finrod | Orodreth
Friendship | Loyalty | Sacrifice
Day 4: Celegorm | Curufin | Daeron
Deception | Determination | Betrayal
Day 5: Sauron/ Thû | Tevildo | Draugluin
Imprisonment | Shapeshifting | Rescue
Day 6: Thuringwethil | Melkor | Carcharoth
Disguise | Enchantment | Battle
Day 7: Mandos | Dior | Descendants
Song | Life and Death | Legacy
Tolkien Society: Christopher Tolkien Centenary Conference
The Tolkien Society is pleased to announce it will be hosting the online Christopher Tolkien Centenary Conference on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th November 2024. Registration is free and can be done on the conference webpage.
Confirmed Speakers
- Douglas A. Anderson — editor of The Annotated Hobbit
- Nicholas Birns — author of The Literary Role of History in the Fiction of J.R.R. Tolkien
- Sara Brown — lecturer on Tolkien, and Language and Literature Department Chair at Signum University
- Sonali Chunodkar — researcher on secondary beliefs in Tolkien’s works
- Michael D. C. Drout — editor of Beowulf and the Critics, and J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia; co-editor of Tolkien Studies
- Vincent Ferré — Professor in Comparative Literature (University Sorbonne Nouvelle), translator, and editor of Dictionnaire Tolkien. Literary advisor to the Estate of Christopher Tolkien
- Dimitra Fimi — Tolkien scholar and fantasy professor at the University of Glasgow, co-editor of A Secret Vice, author of Tolkien, Race and Cultural History
- Verlyn Flieger — editor of Smith of Wootton Major, The Story of Kullervo, and The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun; author of Splintered Light
- William Fliss — Tolkien archivist at Marquette University’s Raynor Library
- John Garth — author of Tolkien and the Great War, The Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien and Tolkien at Exeter College
- Christopher Gilson — chief editor of Parma Eldalamberon and leading member of the Elvish Linguistic Fellowship
- Nick Groom — author of Twenty-First-Century Tolkien
- Peter Grybauskas — editor of The Battle of Maldon: together with The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth
- Wayne G. Hammond — co-editor of The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien, The Art of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, Roverandom, and co-author of J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator, The Lord of the Rings: A Reader’s Companion
- Andrew Higgins — co-editor of A Secret Vice
- Thomas Honegger — co-editor of Sub-creating Arda and Laughter in Middle-earth: Humour in and around the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien
- Carl F. Hostetter — editor of The Nature of Middle-earth and Vinyar Tengwar
- John Howe — artist who has illustrated covers for The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The History of Middle-earth
- Yvette Kisor — researcher on medieval literature and the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, co-editor of Tolkien Studies and Tolkien and Alterity
- Kristine Larsen — writer and researcher on science and astronomy in Tolkien’s works
- Alan Lee — artist who has illustrated The Lord of the Rings, The Children of Húrin, Beren and Lúthien and The Fall of Númenor
- Ted Nasmith — artist who has illustrated The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales
- Richard Ovenden — Bodley’s Librarian and co-editor of The Great Tales Never End
- John D. Rateliff — author of The History of The Hobbit
- Robin Reid — researcher on Tolkien fandom, fan fiction, and race in Tolkien’s works
- Christina Scull — co-editor of The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien, The Art of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, Roverandom, and co-author of J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator, The Lord of the Rings: A Reader’s Companion
- Brian Sibley — author of The Fall of Númenor
- Chris Smith — the Tolkien editor of HarperCollins
- James Tauber — researcher on corpus linguistics and digital humanities for Tolkien’s works
The full schedule will be published closer to the event.
Teitho October/November Challenge: Legacy
Welcome to the Teitho Contest, where you can participate with a variety of other writers and artists and send in stories and pictures based on our themes.
Join us in this writing and drawing contest!
A new challenge is posted every month. On the first day of the challenge, we announce a new theme on this site. You then have two months to create your entry, which has to be finished when you send it in.
After the deadline of the contest, the voting period begins. Based on the number of entries, it lasts for two or more weeks. The winners are usually announced a day or two after the end of the voting. Teitho remains one of the last prompt-based, independent, Tolkien fan-fiction/fan art monthly contests. Full contest guidelines are here.
Our prompt this month is Legacy.
What impact do past events have on the present? What traits, ideals or beliefs impact an individual’s followers or descendants? What do we leave for those who come after?
Legacies can be both positive and negative, as we see in the house of Fëanor.
It can be steadfastness, as we see in Fingolfin and his descendants.
An individual can leave a legacy, but so can a community or an entire culture—what legacy did Numenor leave to those who escaped the destruction?
It could be a written legacy like the Red Book of Westmarch, started by Bilbo Baggins to recount his quest for Erebor, then added to over the years to become much more than a simple diary.
A legacy may also be an object, an item passed down from individual to individual: a bequest, a sword, a ring, a property, an oath.
What will you choose to explore using this prompt? We look forward to your stories and art this month!
Please submit by November 30, 2024 to teitho.contest@gmail.com
October challenge at tolkienshortfanworks
The October challenge at tolkienshortfanworks has been posted to the Dreamwidth community.
The October Challenge is inspired by the Golden Shovel form.
Below you will find three stanzas of poetry by Tolkien.
Take a line or several lines from one or more of these stanzas.
Use the words of the line or lines you chose in your piece in the same order that they come in Tolkien's poem.
Use all the words of your line(s) in the same order, but fill the gaps between with new material, as you like, with no other restrictions. Your piece need not be on the same subject and can be in an entirely different tone or mode!
You can challenge yourself to use the chosen words at the beginning or end of sentences or lines of verse (if writing a poem), if you would like, but this is not required.
A)
Far over the misty mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away ere break of day
To seek the pale enchanted gold.
(from: The Hobbit)
B)
Ere iron was found or tree was hewn,
When young was mountain under moon;
Ere ring was made, or wrought was woe,
It walked the forests long ago
(from: The Lord of the Rings)
C)
Tall ships and tall kings
Three times three,
What brought they from the foundered land
Over the flowing sea?
Seven stars and seven stones
And one white tree.
(from: The Lord of the Rings)
If you want to know more about the Golden Shovel, a poetic form invented by Terrance Hayes, you can find it explained here:
https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/golden-shovel-poetic-form
More details on these monthly challenges at the entry linked above.
New participants welcome (a Dreamwidth account is required) and we welcome combination with prompts and challenges from other communities and sites.
Tolkien Dwarf Week 2024
Tolkien Dwarf Week will take place on October 7 – 13, 2024 on Tumblr. All types of work you want to create are welcome: fanfiction, fanart, meta, music, moodboards, calligraphy, translations, transcriptions, rec lists… you name it!
The aim of this event is to show the underappreciated dwarves in Tolkien’s legendarium some love. (So while I probably won’t be outright excluding works about Thorin, Fíli, and Kíli, focussing on them is not the aim of this event, sorry.)
Please make sure to tag your posts with #tolkiendwarfweek and/or mention @a-grump-of-dwarves so that I can find and reblog them. If you are a bit late in posting, don’t worry: I will continue checking the tag regularly for at least a week after the event has officially ended, and probably a bit less regularly after that.
Prompts
Fanworks are welcome that do not fit the prompts. Just post them on whatever day fits for you.
- Day 1 (October 7): 1st and 2nd Age
- Day 2 (October 8): interactions with other cultures
- Day 3 (October 9): dwarrowdams
- Day 4 (October 10): travelling
- Day 5 (October 11): culture
- Day 6 (October 12): family
- Day 7 (October 13): craft
Sigriel Week 2024
Sigriel Week is a week of fan creation celebrating the characters Sigrid and Tauriel from the Hobbit movies, timed to coincide with the date of the Battle of the Five Armies on 10 October 2941 of the Third Age of Middle-earth. The event will run on Tumblr from 7-13 October 2024.
Whether you see the relationship between Sigrid and Tauriel as romantic, platonic, queerplatonic or something else, your creations are welcome - and so are late submissions. Just mention this blog @sigrielweek in your posts and tag #sigrielweek2024 so we can see them and reblog!
Here are some prompts and themes to inspire you - each day has a theme and some suggested sub-themes. Feel free to interpret them however you like!
Monday 7 October - beginnings
- did they meet for the first time when Tauriel and Legolas chased the Orcs into their home - or before?
- the attack on Lake-town
- how do they meet in an AU?
Tuesday 8 October - getting to know you
- do they hit it off straight away or does it take a bit longer?
- on the lakeshore
- first steps towards friendship - or more?
Wednesday 9 October - we're in this together, we have separate paths
- journey to Dale/Gundabad
- in an AU, is there an age difference/background difference?
- how do they reconcile the differences between them?
Thursday 10 October - crisis and aftermath
- Battle of the Five Armies
- loss and grief
- supporting each other
Friday 11 October - someone really special
- realisations of feelings
- getting together
- a special place in each other's lives
Saturday 12 October - getting away from it all
- what does a day with no responsibilities look like?
- what do they do for fun?
- what part do their families and friends play in their lives?
Sunday 13 October - afterwards
- does Tauriel stay in Dale?
- happily ever after - or not?
- does Sigrid inherit the crown instead of Bain?
- what does Tauriel do after Sigrid dies?