Tolkien in Vermont

And, while I'm still on upcoming Tolkien conferences, it looks like next year I'll be able to make it to the 10th Annual Tolkien at the University of Vermont (Burlington). I've heard good things about this gathering for several years now, but never been able to make it before; this coming year, I gather their planned focus is going to be on THE HOBBIT. Here's a listing of their schedule for this current year, when their focus had been Tolkien's Bestiary:

http://tolkiendiscussion.blogspot.com/2012/04/9th-annual-tolkien-at-uvm-conference.html

More on this one as the date gets closer and I find out more details.

--JDR

UPDATE: hm! This message was supposed to go out before the one about the Dublin conference. No harm in its coming third in the sequence rather than second, I suppose, esp. since I'll be posting more about this one as it approaches. Just one of the mysteries of blogger, I suppose.

--JDR

And Another

While I'm at it, I shd mention another upcoming Tolkien conference I only found out about at Kalamazoo, at Gerald Hynes' presentation (in the session re. SIGURD & GUDRUN). While I won't be able to go to it, it sounds and interesting one: THE FOREST & THE CITY, being held at Trinity College, Dublin this September (the 21st-22nd). I remember going to Trinity College during the week I spent in Dublin researching my dissertation on Lord Dunsany in 1987.*

Looks like they have quite an impressive array of Tolkienists: Shippey, Verlyn, Dimitra Fimi, Drout, Henry Gee, &c. &c. Some of the topics sound good too, particularly Hynes' on deforestation and the Fall of Numenor (I assume in reference to the deliberate destruction of the White Tree).

Anyway, this one's definitely off the beaten track so far as venues for Tolkien conferences go, and all the more interesting for it. Hope they get a good turn-out and, given the amount of talent they have listed as speakers, a proceedings volume to follow. I know I'd want to read it.

Here's the link:

http://www.tcd.ie/English/news-events/Tolkien%20Conference.php

--John R.

*I remember being stunned at one point when I rounded a corner and saw, in a display case at the end of the row of bookshelves I'd just been looking at, the Book of Kells.

Another Upcoming Tolkien Conference

So, recently Jan Howard Finder got in touch with me to share the news about another in the series of Conferences on Middle Earth.

http://www.3rdcome.org/

The first such event took place near the dawn of Tolkien studies, at the Univ. of Illinois (Urbana) back in 1969*

That was followed, two years later, by a second Conference on Middle Earth in Cleveland in 1971; among the presenters were Isaacs and Zimbardo, both Debbie and Ivor Rogers, and Richard West.**

According to Jared Lobdell's Introduction to A TOLKIEN COMPASS [1975], a third such conference was planned for Pleasantville, NY in 1973 but didn't take place; accordingly, he gathered together four papers from the First conference, four from the Second, and two submitted for the unheld Third to comprise that worthy tome.***

In fact, despite a thirty year delay, the long-expected Third Conference did indeed take place,**** though so far as I know no proceedings have been forthcoming from it yet.

And now comes word that a Fourth Conference on Middle-earth (for legal reasons called the Third Conference, Part 2) has been scheduled for Westford, Mass. in 2014. I have no idea whether I'll be able to make this or not, but wanted to help spread the word, esp. for those in the Boston/New England area.

Here's hoping they get a good turn out that and their conference is a good 'un.

--John R.

*here's a link that lists the papers presented, including Bonniejean Christensen's famous piece on changes in "Riddles in the Dark" between the first and second editions of THE HOBBIT:

http://www.3rdcome.org/1stconference.html

**http://www.3rdcome.org/2ndconference.html

***presumably one of these two additions is Richard's West's superb "Interlace" essay, given that it's not listed on either of the two conference schedules.

****http://www.3rdcome.org/3rdconference.html

Valparaiso Tolkien Conference

So, now that it's been officially announced, I can talk about an upcoming Tolkien conference to be held next spring in Valparaiso, Indiana.

The featured speakers will be Verlyn Flieger, Douglas Anderson, and myself, so I'll be in good company as well as among friends.

If you're interested in celebrating the 75th anniversary of THE HOBBIT, this shd be a good way to do it.

Here's the link:

http://conference.valpo.edu/tolkien/

--John R.

current Dunsany play: MR. FAITHFUL

Kalamazoo 2012

So, early tomorrow morning I'm off to attend this year's Tolkien track at the Medieval Congress at Kalamazoo.

There's a handy-dandy listing of the Tolkien sessions here:

http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2012/04/21/55218-kalamazoo-and-tolkien-too/

--alhough I must add, sadly, that two of the four people on the 75th Anniversary HOBBIT panel have had to bow out (Jane Beal and Jason Fisher). Too bad; I was looking forward to finding out what 'Hidden War' she meant, while Voluspa always gets my attention (having devoted an entire appendix of my book to just one part of it). Still, there are plenty of other interesting-sounding sessions, and of course there's all the non-Tolkien 99% of the rest of the conference to think about too.

So, if you're there, be sure to drop by and say hello.

If not, think about giving it a try another year: I always learn something new I didn't know each year.

--John R.

current audiobook: SILVER ON THE TREE

current Dunsany play: LORD ADRIAN