2014 Tolkien at Kalamazoo schedule

So, the tentative schedule is now out for this year's Medieval Congress at Kalamazoo. Thanks to Janice, here's a link to the whole schedule of more than 550 sessions:

http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/files/schedule-2014.pdf

There are fewer on Tolkien this year (although I see two on CSL), though still quite a range of interesting topics I'm looking forward to learning more about.  Here's a listing of the Tolkien-themed sessions for those, like me, primarily interested in their Tolkien track. There are probably a few Tolkien papers in other sessions as well that I didn't spot in a first skim through the program book. This year the Tolkien events are front-loaded towards the first day of the conf, which I suppose means more time for non-Tolkien sessions and wandering through the book room.

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Thursday, May 8th, 10 a.m.

Session 38 Bernhard 208

Tolkien and His Medieval Sources

Sponsor: Tolkien at Kalamazoo

Organizer: Brad Eden, Valparaiso Univ.

Presider:  Edward Risden, St. Norbert College

Tolkien Grammaticus: The Influence of the Gesta Danorum on The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings

Leigh Smith, East Stroudsburg Univ.

Approaching “Se Uncuthaholm”: Tolkien’s Early Study of Anglo-Saxon Poetry and Prose as a Source for the Invention of Ottor Waefre

Andrew Higgins, Cardiff Metropolitan Univ.

Creative Corrections: Tolkien’s Response to Beorhtnoth’s Ofermod Colin Pajda, St. Louis Univ.

Tolkien’s Man in the Moon and Medieval Complaint Literature Brad Eden

Hrolfr Kraki in Tolkien’s Middle-earth Brent Landon Johnson, Mythgard Institute/Signum Univ.Thursday 10:00 a.m. 

Thursday, May 8th, 1.30 p.m.

Session 83 Bernhard 208

Tolkien’s The Fall of Arthur

Sponsor: Tolkien at Kalamazoo

Organizer: Brad Eden, Valparaiso Univ.

Presider:  Brad Eden

“That seems fatal to me”: Pagan and Christian in The Fall of Arthur John D. Rateliff, Independent Scholar

Mapping the Grammatical Margins of Middle-earth: How the Geography of The Fall of Arthur fits in Tolkien’s Legendarium

Robin Anne Reid, Texas A&M Univ.–Commerce

“Double-Hearted”: Psychomachia in The Fall of Arthur John R. Holmes, Franciscan Univ. of Steubenville

Tides of Time in The Fall of Arthur Robert Tredray, Independent Scholar

Where Is Avalon? Tolkien’s Otherworld in the West and The Fall of Arthur Dimitra Fimi, Cardiff Metropolitan Univ.

Thursday, May 8th, 3.30 p.m.

Session 134 Bernhard 208

Tolkien’s Natural World and Science

Sponsor: Tolkien at Kalamazoo

Organizer: Brad Eden, Valparaiso Univ.

Presider:  Anna Smol, Mount St. Vincent Univ.

The (Nearly) Discarded Image: Tolkien’s Later Tinkerings with His Medieval Cosmology

Kristine Larsen, Central Connecticut State Univ.

You Must Remember This: Time Dilation in Middle-earth

Michael Wodzak, Viterbo Univ.

Litany of the Ents: Treebeard’s Priesthood and the Sacred Nature of Tolkien’s Natural World

Victoria Holtz Wodzak, Viterbo Univ.

Friday, May 9th, 6.30 p.m.

Tales after Tolkien Society

Business Meeting

Friday, May 9th, 7 p.m.

Tolkien Unbound (Performances)

Sponsor: Tolkien at Kalamazoo

Organizer: Brad Eden, Valparaiso Univ.

Presider:  Robin Anne Reid, Texas A&M Univ.–Commerce

Maidens of Middle-earth IV

Eileen Marie Moore, Cleveland State Univ.

A Dramatic Reading of Tolkien’s The Fall of Arthur

John D. Rateliff, Independent Scholar; Thom Foy, Univ. of Michigan–Dearborn; John Houghton, Independent Scholar; and Brad Eden.

Songs for the Philologists

Douglas A. Anderson, Independent Scholar; Amy Amendt-Raduege, Whatcom Community College; Jewell Morow, Independent Scholar: Deidre Dawson, Michigan State Univ.; Merlin DeTardo, Independent Scholar; and Brad Eden.

Saturday May 10th, 12 noon

Tolkien at Kalamazoo

Business Meeting

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Hope to see some familiar faces,* as well as meet some new ones.

--John R.


*well, as familiar as faces get to someone with face blindness.