An annual Tolkien-inspired Art Exhibition, held at The Redesdale Hall, Moreton-in-Marsh, Glos will, for the first time, feature an original Tolkien drawing from 1911.

It is the first public showing of the Original drawing of “Lamb’s Farm, Gedling” drawn by JRR Tolkien in 1911, and is significant because it shows an early version of the famous JRRT monogram, and also because it was in this location, inspired by a line from Crist by the Anglo-Saxon poet Cynewulf, that Tolkien later wrote a poem of his own, The Voyage of Earendil the Evening Star. From this small beginning, in the buildings shown in this picture, his epic “Silmarillion” began, that grew and eventually led over time to the creation of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Continue reading “Unseen Original Tolkien Artwork Exhibit”

James writes: In Wales, Uk, August this summer we are having a festival to celebrate all things Tolkien inspired!

‘Announcing the biggest and most exciting event for Tolkien enthusiasts in 2010: Festival in the Shire! This will be the most comprehensive event ever held for the fans of J.R.R. Tolkien, with a conference, a fan exposition of art, books and memorabilia with its own talks and programs as well as a large festival with stalls, local food, live music and entertainment.’ visit: www.festivalintheshire.com

The Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature is given to the fantasy novel, multi-volume, or single-author story collection for adults published during 2009 that best exemplifies the spirit of the Inklings. Books are eligible for two years after publication if not selected as a finalist during the first year of eligibility. Books from a series are eligible if they stand on their own; otherwise, the series becomes eligible the year its final volume appears. The Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature honors books for younger readers (from Young Adults to picture books for beginning readers), in the tradition of The Hobbit or The Chronicles of Narnia. Rules for eligibility are otherwise the same as for the Adult Literature award. The question of which award a borderline book is best suited for will be decided by consensus of the committees.

Update: it turns out that one of the nominees for Scholarship in Inklings Studies for “Arda Reconstructed: The Creation of the Published Silmarillion” is none other than message board member Voronwe the Faithful (a.k.a. Douglas Charles Kane). Congratulations and good luck, Doug!

Continue reading “2010 Mythopoeic Award Finalists”

Ringer spy Earl provided a story hot of the presses from the Los Angeles Times that says MGM’s management is no longer in control of the studio’s fate and that debtholders are now the decision makers.

The MGM Saga is developing into a film-worthy drama all its own (one that will never get a greenlight) and the article states: “The internal divide and lingering uncertainty demonstrate how tortured MGM’s reorganization process has been and how the balance of power has shifted from management to lenders.

For fans this means that non-entertainment types are now calling the shots and how that plays out is completely unpredictable. There is one tidbit about the two movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” to be directed by Guillermo del Toro and produced by Peter Jackson:
Though Time Warner’s bid has not been officially rejected, people at the media giant’s Warner Bros. studio have been frustrated by the protracted process, in part because it and MGM co-own the rights to movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit,” which are currently in development.

The article explains a lot more of the intricacies of what is going on. How does this fit with the report that filming will start in November? We have our feelers out and will update you as soon as we hear anything definite.

While it isn’t exactly “news” it will be of a lot of interest to those who haven’t seen the 2011 version of the annual Tolkien calendar that Cor Blok is next year’s artist.

Blok is the only Tolkien artist living who met J.R.R. Tolkien in person and the English professor bought two paintings from the Dutch professor (history of art) and was given a third as a gift. Blok’s work, produced 50 years ago, is a definite departure from the more familiar works many fans are used to. He reportedly produced over 100 illustrations. You can pre-order it here and you can read a recent interview with Blok here. It is scheduled to be available in July.