Cardiff Metropolitan University is offering another great online course: J.R.R. Tolkien: Myth and Middle-earth in Context. Online registration is available now for the course that begins September 19 and runs for twelve weeks. The course is available to anyone who can access the internet – you don’t need to live in the U.K. However, only a limited number of students may enroll, so all enrollments will be treated on a first-come, first-served basis. While this is an accredited course at Masters level, students can take it for credit or just for pleasure. Students will have access to Cardiff Metropolitan University’s Electronic Library (which includes a wealth of e-books, databases such as JSTOR and Literature Online), as well as relevant journals such as Tolkien Studies and Mythlore in electronic format. According to our friends at Cardiff, this unique course will not be offered again for at least a year or two, so be sure to register soon!
Tom Scott from dominion-post: A Hobbit movie set discreetly hidden in the Maupuia bush will remain for up to 16 extra months and walkers may be able to get close enough to check it out. The site which was used to film scenes of the town of Dalewas due to come down on August 31 but the Wellington City Council recently approved another resource consent. This consent means the set will remain until December 31, 2013.
This means it will be used for the making of Desolation of Smaug which — if the title is a reliable clue — will deal with the dragon Smaug. The site is privately owned, but walking tracks in the area are open at the owner’s discretion and glimpses of the site ”may be possible” from sites in Evans Bay and Roseneath. Potential spoiler warning
Can you believe it has been 10 years since we first gathered at Griffith Park to celebrate the birthday of not one, but two imaginary characters from a book and film? The Baggins’ Birthday Bash has always been a great way to celebrate Fellowship amongst LA Fandom, act a little goofy, and to farewell the Summer. This year the party comes just a day after the official 75th anniversary of the publication of The Hobbit back in 1937, so we’ll have more to celebrate than just Bilbo and Frodo. Here are the pertinent details:
When: September 22 from Noon till 6pm
Where: Griffith Park in LA, just past the Carousel turnoff. There are directions and a link to a map at the bottom of the description on the Facebook Event Page. Baggins’ Birthday Bash Facebook page
What can you bring?: Take a peek at the Facebook page, and open the description fully to see what food and beverage needs we have and what you can bring. The list will be updated when people RSVP, which can be done on the Facebook event page, or by emailing Garfeimao@TheOneRing.net
Activities: There will be some trivia, we will have fans taking turns to read The Hobbit aloud during the day, and there will be a rousing game of Golfimbul, followed by a Birthday Cake.
Thirty-nine years ago today, our beloved professor, J.R.R. Tolkien, passed away at the age of 81. Among his many legacies are the books, “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings,” that have brought so much joy to so many people, including us. This morning, the variety news show “Sunday Morning” which airs weekly on CBS in the U.S., did a small segment in tribute to Tolkien. Message board member Magpie caught it and alerted us to it, and we wanted to share it with you:
Imogen Reed from The Tolkien Library has compiled a list of Fifteen Places Tolkien Fans should Visit before they Die. As Reed explains, these places, where he grew up, lived and worked, were important sources of inspiration for Tolkien’s works.
The list includes the The Eagle and Child, the pub where he regularly met with C.S Lewis and other writers as well as Sarehole Mill on the outskirts of Birmingham. Tolkien spent much of his childhood at Sarehole, and which many believe its rolling fields, pastures and woods and with the Mill itself was Tolkien’s inspiration for Bag End, and the woods and fields the Shire.
Now that we have three films to think about, one of the questions a lot of people are wondering is: “How will this affect the screenplay for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey?”. Just where will the first film end? In this Greenbooks guest post, Thomas Monteath outlines his thoughts on just how the first Hobbit film could work. These views are his own, and do not necessarily represent those of TheOneRing.net or its staff.
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.
Tom Scott from 
Now that we have three films to think about, one of the questions a lot of people are wondering is: “How will this affect the screenplay for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey?”. Just where will the first film end? In this Greenbooks guest post, Thomas Monteath outlines his thoughts on just how the first Hobbit film could work. These views are his own, and do not necessarily represent those of TheOneRing.net or its staff.