Festival in the Shire: A celebration of all things Tolkien inspired. J.R.R. Tolkien inspired Conference, Exhibition and Festival

August 13th -15th, 2010 at Y Plas, Machynlleth, Wales, United Kingdom.


Machynlleth is to host an exciting new international festival next year. Festival in the Shire is a conference, exhibition and fair celebrating themes inspired by the author J.R.R. Tolkien which will be held in the town’s historic Y Plas house and grounds.

This three day festival caters to serious Tolkien fans as well as families and everyone else by holding three separate events for different audiences. Tolkien literature enthusiasts will have the opportunity to delve deeper into Tolkien’s work with a three day conference entitled ‘Welsh influences on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien’. This will feature internationally respected speakers such as Jane Chance, Douglas Anderson, Tom Shippey, Colin Duriez, John Garth, and Verlyn Flieger and includes experts from Welsh universities such as Dimitra Fimi from University of Wales Institute Cardiff (UWIC), a specialist on Tolkien’s Welsh connections and his use of the Welsh language.

Keen collectors of Tolkien’s books and Tolkien inspired art will be delighted at the exhibition element of the festival. The exhibition will showcase rare first editions of Tolkien’s books, original art and other Tolkien artefacts. Many of these pieces are from private collections and unlikely to be shown again. In addition to displaying their paintings some of the famous artists who have illustrated Tolkien’s books will be present at this event and attendees will have the exciting opportunity to meet them and discuss their work. Artists attending include Roger Garland, Ted Nasmith, Jef Murray, Peter Pracownik and Ruth Lacon.

For information or to participate in Festival in the Shire visit www.FestivalintheShire.com or email info@FestivalintheShire.com

Anke exhibits at British and German Tolkien Society events, and was an Artist Guest of Honor at Tolkien 2005 in Birmingham.

Site of the Bulgarian Tolkien Society (in Bulgarian)

A reader who has gone through every chapter of The Lord of the Rings and posted his thoughts, musings, etc. Has done some of Unfinished Tales. Not currently posting a lot, but a fun read.

The White Tree Fund (TWTF) was inspired by a painting done by world-renowned artist Ted Nasmith. This painting, commissioned for the 2004 edition of The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien, was of the White Tree of the Kings of Gondor. In Tolkien’s world of Middle-earth, this White Tree of the Kings represented the hope and healing of a people, and had a long lineage of light and renewal.

Renewal. Healing. Enduring hope. This is the vision of The White Tree Fund – an affiliation of Tolkien and “Lord of the Rings” communities around the world. TWTF began as an idea, a hope that Tolkien communities could unite to provide assistance to the areas devastated by the earthquake and tsunamis of December 26 th, 2004. A core group was formed, aid agencies contacted, and a website established within a two-week period of the initial idea. The feedback to this effort thus far establishes the willingness of many Tolkien communities to participate in charitable efforts collectively and encourages the Fund to go forward with a structured approach.

We are an incorporated non-profit organization supporting charities engaged in the following areas through organizing fund- and awareness-raising drives and events within communities dedicated to exploring fantasy and mythology through study, literature, art, music and film:

* to support issues of human health and medical concerns through crisis response or other humanitarian programs;
* to support literacy initiatives and programs assisting children and adults; and
* to support environmental initiatives relevant to deforestation crises.

Jason Fisher's blog. In his words, "I talk about J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S Lewis, the Inklings; J.K. Rowling, Alan Garner, and others, and fantasy literature in general; language, linguistics, philology, and so forth -- plus occasional other things."

Great Tolkien site in Portuguese and English. Lots of fonts, and interesting articles too.

An array of information and criticism of JRR Tolkien and his writings. Includes an extensive biography, essays on his books, and a bibliography.

Discussion board for the fan-site MinasTirith.com focusing on buying, selling, trading and collecting Tolkien related materials.

The collecting focused discussion forum for the Council-of-Elrond fan site. Not a lot of traffic (looks like about 1 topic post per month in general).