Tolkien: Influenced and Influencing
17th July 2004, 10am - 5pm.
St Martin's College, Fusehill Street, Carlisle

This year's Tolkien Society Seminar is being held at St Martin's College, Carlisle. The day promises to be of interest to all those who want to find out more about J.R.R. Tolkien and his work. Love him or hate him no one can deny that Tolkien and "The Lord of the Rings" have had a profound influence on many people. But what influenced the man himself? Speakers will be coming from all around the world to discuss the issues.

Trevor Reynolds, Membership Secretary of The Tolkien Society, who has jointly organised this year's seminar with local member Ian Collier, said "We are really exited to be able to bring together such a wide range of Tolkien fans and scholars in Carlisle"

Speakers currently scheduled include:

Colin Duriez: 'Tolkien and C S Lewis: a mutual influence' Colin has written many books about J R R Tolkien and his contemporaries. His most recent book is "J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S.Lewis".

Maggie Fernandes: 'The Theory of names in "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R. Tolkien' Maggie is a post graduate student at the University of Lisbon in Portugal.

Michele Fry: 'The Influence of Tolkien and "The Lord of the Rings" on Women Fantasy Authors' Michele is an independent scholar, from Oxford she has published articles on Harry Potter and Siegfried Sassoon.

Paul Kerry: "The Lord of the Rings" and Catholicism' Paul is from Queen's College, Oxford.

Alison Milbank: 'Tolkien and the Gift' Alison is an Associate Professor at the University of Virginia in the USA.

Nataliya Oryshchuk: 'Tolkien's reception in post-Soviet Countries' Nataliya is a post graduate student at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.

Jessica Yates: 'Tolkien's influence on fantasy films before Peter Jackson's Trilogy' Jessica is a children's book critic and librarian from London. She edited the fantasy collection "Dragons and Warrior Daughters".

Tickets must be booked in advance (by 2nd July). You can book on-line at www.tolkiensociety.org/seminar, or ask for a booking form from The Tolkien Society Bookings Officer, Jenny Curtis, 85 Woad Lane, Great Coates, Grimsby, DN37 9NB (enclose a SAE please).

The price is £15 and includes lunch.

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