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Tolkien Oxford 50 Presentations Available

The aim of the conference was to exhibit and reflect on the range of different approaches, methodologies, and backgrounds with which Tolkien has been studied in the past 50 years, which reflects the complexity of his personality, the richness of his creative work and the breadth of his reception. In an (academic) world ever more divided into different political and social bubbles, Tolkien had provided an exceptional meeting place, for very different people united by a common interest. Just as in the ancestral music of the Ainur, the conference aimed to be a polyphonic event, in which different scholarly endeavours can come together in a moment of shared reflection and celebration.

Recordings of most talks are available here.

Presenters included:

John Garth (Author and Journalist): “An Entirely Vain and False Approach”: Literary Biography and why Tolkien was Wrong about It

Michael Ward (University of Oxford): Tolkien’s Faith in Fact and Fiction

Hamish Williams (University of Groningen): Classical Ideas in Tolkien

Lukasz Neubauer (University of Koszalin): Beowulf, Maldon and All That: A Tangled Web of Tolkien's Anglo-Saxon Scholarship and Fiction

Grace Khuri (Oriel College, University of Oxford): Kipling’s Medievalism and Tolkien’s Book of Lost Tales: Historicizing Myth and Mythologizing History in the Early 20^th Century

Holly Ordway (Word on Fire Institute/Houston Christian University): Tolkien’s Modern Reading: Past Perspectives, Present Insights, Future Study

Yoko Hemmi (Keio University): Tolkien, “British” identity, and the Celtic studies

Michaël Devaux (Université de Caen Normandie): Tolkien's Textual Variants and the Authorial Status

Simon Horobin (Magdalen College, University of Oxford): ‘Never Trust a Philologist’: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and the Place of Philology in English Studies

Giuseppe Pezzini (Corpus Christi College, University of Oxford): ‘Not about Anything but Itself’: Tolkien’s Language Invention and Literary Theory

Fëanorian Week 2024

Fëanorian Week will run March 25th, 2024-March 31st, 2024. The prompts are as followed:

• Day 1- Maedhros - > Childhood, Kingship, Angband, Coping, The Union, Relations with Different Races
• Day 2- Maglor -> Childhood, Wife,  Music & Songs of Power, Elrond & Elros, Kingship, Maglor’s  Gap, Redemption
• Day 3- Celegorm - > Childhood, Hunting, Orome & Huan, Strength & Beauty, Luthien, Nargothrond
• Day 4- Caranthir - > Childhood, Wife, Betrayal, Lordship, Dwarves & Humans, Marriage, Appearance
• Day 5- Curufin - > Childhood, Wife Celebrimbor, Forge Work
• Day 6- Ambarussa - > Childhood, Lordship, Regrets, Twin, Hunting, Nandor
• Day 7- Nerdanel and Feanor-> Mahtan, Finwe & Indis, Marriage, Reunion, Traveling, Creation, Healing

Rules: You are allowed to post anything fanrelated on the days.  If the prompts are not to your liking, you can do your own thing.  The tracktag is #feanorianweek.  Tag your work accordingly!  Have fun and be nice to others. Disrespect towards others will not be tolerated.

Publication of Tolkien's Collected Poems announced

Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull have announced the forthcoming publication of an edition of Tolkien's collected poems that will include substantial amounts of hitherto unpublished poetry, as well as published poetry (some of the latter in extract). Publication is expected in September.

The blog post by the editors linked above describes the genesis and background of this plan and some of the principles of selection. Additional details can be found in the description of the preview on Amazon here.

C+C (Celegorm & Curufin) Week 2024

C+C Week is a week-long Tumblr event from March 18th to March 23rd, exploring the relationship between Celegorm and Curufin, as well as their relationships with the rest of Arda. Prompts will be every other day.

Rules

• Content posted MUST BE YOUR OWN. No ifs ands or buts, and if you use AI-generated art I will come for you. Don’t be that guy.
• If your entry is late, THAT’S OK! feel free to be as late as you want. Yes, I would love if you posted half a year after this event’s ended.
• Please, be kind and considerate. I know Celegorm and Curufin aren’t the most popular of characters, don’t be a jerk about it.
• If you do not have fun you are immediately disqualified. Have fun.

C+C Week FAQs can can be found here.

Prompts

MAR. 17th - 18th: VALINOR

• Childhood
• Apprenticeships
• Family & friendship
• Dark omens

MAR. 19th - 20th: OATHS

• Fëanorian Oath
• Promises made
• Loyalty & betrayal
• Oaths broken

MAR. 21st - 22nd: CONTRASTS

• Light/darkness
• Laurelin/Telperion
• Heroism/villainy
• Adored/unseen

MAR. 23rd: SECRECY

• Words unspoken
• Lies by omission
• Taboos
• Late night rendezvous

Of course, you don’t have to use these prompts. They’re just for inspiration! I only ask that you keep to the theme of each day(s) somewhat. Please use the tag #c+c week 2024 (with spaces) or tag @candcweek.

Manwë Week 2024

Hello and welcome to Manwë Week!

Manwë Week is a week-long fandom event on Tumblr dedicated to Manwë Súlimo from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Silmarillion, planned for March 11th - 17th 2024. The month of March is known as Súlimë, so it seemed only fitting to create an event to celebrate the Lord of Winds!

All sorts of fanworks are welcome, including but not limited to art (digital or traditional), fanfiction, moodboards, headcanons or playlists.

Here is a brief overview of this year's prompts:

Day 1: Family | Breath & Air
Day 2: Friends & Love | Rain & Clouds
Day 3: The Children | Whispering Breeze
Day 4: Poetry & Birdsong | Taniquetil
Day 5: Free of Evil | Opposition
Day 6: Fallen | Storm
Day 7: Freeform

For more details, please have a look at the prompt list.

Any questions, suggestions or concerns? Check out the FAQ or send an ask!

Tolkienshortfanworks Challenge for March 2024

The tolkienshortfanworks challenge has been posted to the Dreamwidth community.

The thematic challenge is: glass.

This could be the beaker or the mirror or the substance.

Maybe even the Phial of Galadriel or the surface of Mirrormere...

The formal challenge is: triolet.

Here are some links for help with this form:

Definition and two modern examples linked at the Poetry Foundation.

Definition and discussion of an example by Hardy at the Academy of American Poets.

Wikipedia entry, containing another five examples from different periods in English and a French one.

These two challenge parts can be filled together or separately and be freely combined with other challenges like B2MeM or the SWG monthly challenges.

New participants welcome!

More details on the challenges at the linked entry.

Teitho March/April Contest: Alternate Universe

Our challenge for March/April is Alternate Universe.

Where will you take us? Historical setting? Literary crossovers? Or perhaps space?

Or will you choose to follow a canon story to an alternative end or situation? What if Boromir lived? What if Theoden didn’t arrive in time? What if Celebrimbor turned Annatar away? Or Fëanor regained the Silmarils?

What if Gondolin survived? Or Fingon lived? Gil-Galad lived through the Last Battle? So many possibilities!!

Tell us your story—how would you write an alternate universe/ending/plot line?

Your submissions are due to teitho.contest@gmail.com by April 30th!

Full Teitho contest guidelines can be found here.

March of the Noldor 2024

March of the Noldor is a Tumblr-based month-long event to commiserate the grueling walk the Noldor took, across the Helcaraxe, from Aman to Beleriand, through creating fanworks. March of the Noldor runs from March 1 - March 31, 2024.

How do I participate?

Post something regarding the march and mention @march-of-the-noldor on Tumblr. Everything made will be reblogged here.

Go forth and create something New!

But this is also a great time to reblog older works relating to the march too!

What is allowed?

EVERYTHING!

Art, fic, meta, moodboards, poems! It's all welcome!

Want to do a character study? Awesome!

Make a collage of the kind of wild life the Noldor might encounter? Amazing!

Talk about the different types of ice the Noldor walked across? Fantastic!

Record a list of new traditions that developed during the walk? Bring it on!

Back to Middle-earth Month 2024: Minhiriath Midway

Welcome to the Minhiriath Midway!  Enjoy the fun and games, and collect prompts as you traverse the midway of this year's celebration!

Balloon Pop

Throw a dagger, throw a dart, shoot an arrow, toss an axe (but not a Dwarf).  There are so many ways to pop the balloons in this game.  Take aim and hit your target, and see what prompt you reveal when you pop a balloon. 

Crablor Grab

Try your luck at the Crablor Grab!  This fun game of skill and luck and a little help from Crablor lets you try to pull a prompt from the machine. What prompt will you get? Visit Crablor and find out!

Haunted House

Not for the faint of heart! Visit the Hall of Horrors and collect prompts...if you dare.

Spin the Wheel

So many prompts, so little time!  But why make yourself decide?  Use these fun wheels to find your next prompt. 

• All of Arda Place Randomizer
• Random Animal Friends

Tunnel of Love

A sweet place to pick up endearing prompts.  Some snuggles, some spice, and lots of things that are nice. Climb aboard and take a ride with us.

Additionally, B2MEM is an open event where ANYTHING you create during March counts!  Feel free to add works you start, add to, or finish in March to the gallery!  You can also host your own events -- let us know what you're up to, and we'll add your event to the list of festivities!

There is no need to register in advance to play at the midway.  You can begin posting to the AO3 collection on March 1, 2024. If posting on Tumblr, use the tag B2MEM24 to make your posts easy to find by our team for reblogs!  You can join the Discord at any time!

​Posting & Viewing Works

Beginning March 1st, 2024, works can be posted to the AO3 collection. This collection never closes, so while the event will wrap by the end of April, you can always add works later as you are inspired and finish them. 

Socially Speaking...

Want to chat with others about Spring Into Arda events?  There are parties for B2MEM throughout the event and the server is open year round.  Hang with other B2MEM participants, past and present, on the perpetual Discord! 

Tolkien Fanfic Reading Month 2024

I'm making this my personal thing for all of March, to celebrate "Tolkien Reading Day". Please feel free to make it yours too.

Nothing formal or fancy. No invitation or registration required. No requirements or deadlines.

Simply gorge yourself on some Tolkien fanfic all throughout March. And COMMENT. For the love of Tolkien, please show our hardworking fandom writers some love and appreciation.