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Mini Spring Bang 2021 Collection Open

The AO3 collection for the 2021 Mini Spring Bang has been opened! Check out Silmarillion fanworks created for this event.

Tolkien Society Seminar 2021: Tolkien and Diversity Recaps

Not a single word was spoken at the Tolkien Society's 2021 summer seminar before a contingent of Tolkien fans had decided they weren't having it. Bad photomanips involving the Eye of Sauron and other such images were (no kidding) used to smear the presenters and the very idea of the seminar. Why? For it focused on the topic of "Tolkien and Diversity."

Diversity and representation have long been subjects of discussion and debate in the Tolkien fanfiction fandom (and the alarmist pearl-clutching has a long history too). The SWG commends the Tolkien Society--one of if not the most prominent organizations devoted to study and appreciation of the Professor's work--for tackling this important topic.

Eventually, many of the presenters' talks will be available on the Tolkien Society's YouTube, and a conference proceedings is in the works as well. In the meantime, if you couldn't attend but want to know more about the presentations, the following blogs have recaps. (Know of others? Link them in the comments and we'll add them!)

Tolkien and Diversity: A Seminar Report by Christian S. Trenk (The Tolkienist)
Tolkien and Diversity Presentations (Day One) and (Day Two) by Robin Anne Reid (Tolkien on the Web)
Episode 36: Tolkien and Diversity Recap by Jude Vais and Stef Midlock (Athrabeth podcast)

Call for Papers: Academia Lunare, "Not the Fellowship. Dragons Welcome."

Our Call for Papers include essays from academics, independent researchers, fans and creative writers, appealing to both the casual reader and a more research-oriented one. We consider this cross-disciplinary collaboration a strength, and the beginning of many more journeys.

For the 2021 project, writers are invited to engage with a fictional character of choice from any of Tolkien’s works who is not part of The Lord of the Rings’ Fellowship. Though they can be characters of LOTR.

Friends, foes or neutral; dead or undead; divine beings, beasts (of the mythical or animal variety), or other. We welcome all. Bill the Pony, though undoubtedly an honorary member of the Fellowship at least according to Sam, is - for our purposes - fair game.

The purpose of this Call for Papers aims, on the one hand, at bringing to the fore more of Tolkien’s characters who do not receive the same attention as the Fellowship. On the other hand, we want to tackle these less appreciated characters in new ways, and in the light of a contemporary sensibility.

All the details about submitting are on the Academia Lunare page. Please visit it before submitting! Closing Date: 31st of August 2021.

Mythcon 51: A Virtual "Halfling" Mythcon (July 31-August 1)

The 51st Mythcon, a "virtual 'halfling' Mythcon," will be held on Saturday, July 31, and Sunday, August 1. Registration is open on the Mythcon site for the cost of $20 USD. The preliminary Mythcon schedule gives a sneak peek at this year's presenters and session titles.

Sunshine Challenge 2021

Check out the Master List to find links to all of the 2021 challenge posts.

Welcome to the sunshine_challenge! Our aim to provide a little bit of sunshine as everyone takes part in creating and sharing the content each prompt inspires.

We will post seven challenge prompts throughout the month of July. You are encouraged to complete as many of the prompts as you feel comfortable doing: whether that’s one, all seven, or some number in between! You can do them on your private journal or in public posts, the choice is yours. If you’re shy we have places for lurkers, too. We want you all to have fun and enjoy the challenge in whichever way works best for you (this includes swapping out prompts and themes that aren’t inspiring you! We encourage conversation and creativity here, so please do join the fun in whichever way suits you).

The sunshine_challenge is about celebrating the DW community and the awesome people in it. One way we can do that is by interacting with each other. Every time you visit the journal of a fellow participant and comment on what they're sharing, you are helping to grow this community and make it better. We all could use a little sunshine in our lives. ♥

Tolkien Society Seminar This Weekend (July 3-4)

The second Tolkien Society Seminar of 2021 will be held online on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th July 2021 on Zoom. We will additionally be live-streaming the event on our YouTube channel.

About the Seminar

The Tolkien Society Seminar is a short academic conference of both researcher-led and non-academic presentations on a specific theme pertaining to Tolkien scholarship. The online setting of the 2020 seminar saw an increased interest with over 400 attendees from 37 countries. We are delighted to be running another online seminar that will be free for all.

Summer Seminar: Tolkien and Diversity

While interest in the topic of diversity has steadily grown within Tolkien research, it is now receiving more critical attention than ever before. Spurred by recent interpretations of Tolkien’s creations and the cast list of the upcoming Amazon show The Lord of the Rings, it is crucial we discuss the theme of diversity in relation to Tolkien. How do adaptations of Tolkien’s works (from film and art to music) open a discourse on diversity within Tolkien’s works and his place within modern society? Beyond his secondary-world, diversity further encompasses Tolkien’s readership and how his texts exist within the primary world. Who is reading Tolkien? How is he understood around the globe? How may these new readings enrich current perspectives on Tolkien?

Representation is now more important than ever and Tolkien’s efforts to represent (or ignore) particular characteristics requires further examination. Additionally, how a character’s identity shapes and influences its place within Tolkien’s secondary-world still requires greater attention. This seminar aims to explore the many possible applications of “diversity” within Tolkien’s works, his adaptations, and his readership.

Programme

Please log in at 14:45 (GMT) to ensure a prompt start at 15:00 (GMT) on both days.

Saturday 3rd July

Sunday 4th July

Who to Contact

If you have any questions or need any further information, please email Will Sherwood at education@tolkiensociety.org

Tolkien Gen Week Runs July 5-11, 2021

Tolkien Gen Week is a week to appreciate all of the incredible characters and relationships within Tolkien’s legendarium that fall under the broad category of “gen”. Gen content is often less visible because of the shipping-focused nature of fandom, but Tolkien’s works are full of other kinds of stories, and this week is an effort to give them the appreciation they deserve.

This year's Tolkien Gen Week runs from July 5-11, 2021!

Any content and creations are welcome as long as it is non-romantic and non-sexual! You can create edits, gifs, fanart, fanfic, fanmixes, and more! Please tag your posts on Tumblr with #tolkiengenweek AND @ mention this blog @tolkiengenweek so they can be easily found. If your submission turns into a long post, please put what you can beneath a “Keep reading” divider.

This year's prompts are:

DAY ONE: Family
DAY TWO: Friendship
DAY THREE: Gray Spaces
DAY FOUR: Solo
DAY FIVE: Culture
DAY SIX: Environment
DAY SEVEN: Freeform

More complete prompts explanations can be found here.

Additional Links:

• About Tolkien Gen Week
• Code of Conduct
• FAQ
• AO3 Collection

Tolkien Short Fanworks July Challenge

July features both a thematic prompt and formal challenge. You can combine the thematic prompt and the formal challenge, but they can be filled entirely independently.

Thematic prompt: sea shell.

Two bonus quotation prompts related to this theme:

I walked by the sea, and there came to me,
as a star-beam on the wet sand,
a white shell like a sea-bell;
trembling it lay in my wet hand

[From Tolkien's "The Sea Bell"]

In the twilight by the river on a hollow thing of shell
He made immortal music

[From Tolkien's "The Horns of Ylmir"]

The formal challenge is to write a poem in couplets.

Usual reminder that although you can fill the thematic prompt any way you like, in order to post the fill to this community or to the related collection on AO3, the fanwork can only have a word count up to 1000 words and must be linked to a Tolkien fandom.

Rec lists and podfics can be posted as fills for thematic prompts, as long as the fanworks concerned meet those conditions.

The next challenge will be posted at the beginning of August, but the prompts don't expire and late fills are always welcome!

Oxonmoot - Calls for Papers and for Activities (deadlines)

Oxonmoot is an annual event hosted by The Tolkien Society which brings together Tolkien fans, scholars, students and Society members from across the world. Oxonmoot 2021 is being held over four days, from the afternoon of Thursday 2nd September until lunch time on Sunday 5th September. This will be a hybrid event bringing together online delegates with those attending in person at St Anne’s College, Oxford.

The Call for Papers and Call for Activities are open. The Call for Papers closes at 8:00 am UK time on Thursday 1st July, while the Call for Activities closes at 8:00 am UK time on Sunday 18th July. 

Registration is now open. Fees range from £35 to £95, depending.

Tolkien Society Summer Seminar 2021 (3/4 July) posts its programme

The Tolkien Society Seminar is a short academic conference of both researcher-led and non-academic presentations on a specific theme pertaining to Tolkien scholarship. The theme for this year's conference is "Tolkien and Diversity" and recognizes the growing need for discussion of diversity and representation in Tolkien's works and adaptations of those works.

This year's seminar will be held online via Zoom and livestreamed on the Tolkien Society's YouTube channel on Saturday, July 3rd and Sunday, July 4th. Registration is free, and you can register on the Tolkien Society website.

The schedule has now been posted on the same page; the papers cover a wide variety of relevant topics in the Legendarium and in the reception of Tolkien's works.