Our good friends at Badali Jewelry are hosting an online costume contest!  There are some fabulous prizes to be won, and we know Tolkien fans are extraordinary costumers – so check out the details here and get those entries in!  Good luck!

Our good friends at publishers Houghton Mifflin Harcourt wanted to be sure that fans in the Boston area know about a Hobbit panel, which will be part of the Boston Book Festival.  The panel features folks such as Wayne Hammond, Christina Scull, Corey Olsen (The Tolkien Professor) and another friend of TORn, writer and lifelong geek Ethan Gilsdorf.  The fun happens at 11am on Saturday 27th October – all details here.  (NB We have it on good authority that the ‘sneak preview’ of the film will not include anything not already seen in trailers – so whilst it may be new to some in attendance, we know that everyone here will have seen it already!)  What better way to spend a Saturday morning than in the company of fellow Tolkien fans?

We’re busy getting ready for New York ComicCon next week – 11th to 14th October is when it all happens!  This link shows you where you can find us at the convention – we’ll have fabulous shirts (including a new, yet to be revealed, style!) and buttons (also new styles!) for sale, and all the usual fun and games you expect at a TORn booth – plus maybe a few surprises.  Friday 12th at 9pm we will be giving a panel about The Hobbit movie.  But most importantly – Thursday 11th we will be ready to PARTY!

Yes, in a week’s time we’ll be partying like a bunch of Rohirrim, at the Speakeasy Room, 442 Amsterdam Avenue.  There will be a finger food buffet; a brilliant ‘Middle-earth’ inspired play list on the sound system; amazing prizes to give away, including goodies from Sideshow Collectibles, Houghton Mifflin and Noble Collection’s NEW replica of Bilbo’s contract from the upcoming movie; free buttons and Sideshow gift cards for everyone attending; other surprises and giveaways!  Plus, your first drink is on us.  AND – we’re delighted to be teaming up with ‘Toys for Tots’ again this year, so do bring a toy or a donation if you’d like.  And more importantly – that means Marines in dress uniform….

All this for a measly $25!  Don’t say we’re not good to you.  As Gimli would say, ‘What are we waiting for?!’ – remember, tickets on the door cost $30.  So don’t delay –  go here and buy your tickets now!

Thanks to ringer Krusten for alerting us to the fact that the Snow & Ice Scuplture Festival in Bruges, Belgium, will feature ice sculptures inspired by The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and the Harry Potter books. Imagine a life-size sculpture of Smaug, the Balrog, Gandalf or “he who must not be named!” If you’re lucky enough to be in the vicinity of Bruges between November 23, 2012 and January 6, 2013, be sure to pay the festival a visit. Read more…

Get out your calendars for 2014. The Third Conference on Middle-earth, Part 2, will be held March 28-30, 2014 in Westford, MA, USA. The organizers are getting a head start on planning by issuing a call for papers. Are you a scholar or student of Tolkien who has thoughts and theories you’d like present and share? Then, you have plenty of time to prepare. Here’s a general description of the topics From the event website: J.R.R. Tolkien, his works, works based on Tolkien and his works, criticism, teaching Tolkien in the classroom, the books’ impact on oneself and/or the world, the films and the film industry, the music, the art, the fannish side of this universe and its impact, and anything you can imagine on topic. Head over to the Call for Papers page of the event website for more. Read more...