TORn logoBeginning last Saturday and running through to September 4, TheOneRing.net is hosting a Pledge Drive (see the banner at the top) as well as a bunch of auctions for some really cool memorabilia and collectibles.

The day-to-day operation of the website, and the events we host, require a lot more resources than when we first started nearly 15 years ago. We sometimes find it hard to ask our readers for the help we need to keep running, so we began discussing what it is that makes TheOneRing.net worth helping out. It started out as a search for the Top Ten Moments of TORn, but the list got so long because each staff member had their own idea of important moments in TORn history. Here, instead, is something more encompassing: Ten Ways TORn helps serve Tolkien and Lord of the Rings fandom (listed in no specific order).

And, if you enjoy what we do, consider a donation (no amount too small, because every bit does help!) to keep us running!

If you can’t, that’s fine as well — keep reading, commenting and contributing. Because TORn is as much you as it is us!

If you’ve ever sent in an article, submitted a photo or report, posted on our messageboards, visited our chat, or commented on our twitter, facebook or g+, you’re the reason TheOneRing.net is among the largest and most-respected pillars of the Tolkien community on the web.

Continue reading “Ten ways TORn serves Tolkien and Lord of the Rings fandom”

If you have a Tolkien/Middle-earth inspired poem you’d like to share, then send it to poetry@theonering.net. One poem per person may be submitted each month. Please make sure to proofread your work before sending it in. TheOneRing.net is not responsible for poems posting with spelling or grammatical errors.

Over the years, we’ve had several sessions on miniature and PC gaming, but this year we’re sharing a new (to the track) genre of gaming. We’re very excited to welcome Mike Yow of Elfstone come to speak with us about the tremendously popular world of Live Action Role-Playing (LARP). [More]

New CD to be released at Evening at Bree party!

Emerald Rose has announced the completion of their newest cd, “Archives of Ages to Come”, and they plan to release the cd at TORn’s Evening at Bree party at Dragon*Con. The band will be premiering selections of the new material this weekend for audiences at the ELF gathering in Orlando.

Emerald Rose has performed for TORn fans at many LOTR events, including post-Oscar parties in Hollywood. This is the band’s fifth cd, and their most musically diverse, ranging from traditional Celtic ballads and instrumentals to driving rock songs inspired by world mythology. [more]

There’s always great interest in Lord of the Rings related costuming, and we have the best of the best costumers here with us once again this year. I’d like to thank Laura Bradway for stepping in to lead this year’s panels when Quimbie had to unexpectedly drop out of Dragon*Con this year.

The schedule is not showing the actual panelists for costuming (just not enough room), so here’s who’s going to be doing what: [more]

One of the best experiences I had this year at Dragon*Con was the Kids Session during Tolkien’s Middle-earth fan track. We had approximately 15 kids ranging in age from 2 1/2 to 8 participating. Kids spent an hour drawing pictures, having their faces painted, making Elvish brooches, getting ‘Sharpie’ tattoos of their name or initial on their arm, and snacking on ‘lembas’ and apple juice. It is wonderful to see a new generation of Tolkien fans coming up! [More]

ATLANTA – For perhaps 361 days a year, give-or-take, the people who attended Dragon Con 2003 live life a lot like everybody else. But for four days those passionate about fantasy, sci-fi or related genres enter what might be the closest thing to an alternate reality there is.

Two hotels and an estimated 26,000 guests create a new universe where “strange” dress, behavior, fanaticism and sleep paterns are the norm rather than the exception. Corsets and stormtroopers become so commonplace it seems as if something is missing upon return home.

Among Tolkienites, the internet has already shrunk the fan community, but there is simply no replacement for a friendly hug or handshake and a shared laugh between those who feel strongly about a book that is on the eve of its 50th anniversary. So, during your perusal of TORn’s Dragon Con 2003 coverage, remember that perhaps the best moments are those that aren’t news, that cannot be reported upon and which will never make a headline or a photo. DCon is about being part of a sometimes strange but almost always entertaining and friendly community.