mythsoc

[mythsoc]

i think all quiet on the western front and the lord of the rings are in direct conversation with each other, as in theyre the retelling of the same war with one saying here’s what happened, we all died, and it did not matter at all and another going hush little boy, of course we won, of course your friends came back

[mythsoc]

Can't make it to OMS this year? Join the Mythsoc Discord to be kept apprised of future events!

Online MidWinter Seminar 2024

Something Mighty Queer: queerness in fantasy, science fiction, speculative fiction, and other mythopoeic work

February 17-18, 2024 Via Zoom and Discord

Guest of Honor: Taylor Driggers

Join us for a virtual conference centered around queerness in fantasy, science fiction, speculative fiction, or other mythopoeic work. “Queerness” is an intentionally ambiguous term, demonstrating the diversity of queer experiences, and the necessity of situating queerness as a liminal, complex paradigm. Queer theory is wider than the study of gender identity or sexuality, extending to taking positions against normativity and dominant modes of thought, and engaging with the indefinite.

Register online: https://mythsoc.org/oms/oms-2024.htm

[mythsoc]

Online MidWinter Seminar 2024

Something Mighty Queer: queerness in fantasy, science fiction, speculative fiction, and other mythopoeic work

February 17-18, 2024 Via Zoom and Discord

Guest of Honor: Taylor Driggers

Join us for a virtual conference centered around queerness in fantasy, science fiction, speculative fiction, or other mythopoeic work. “Queerness” is an intentionally ambiguous term, demonstrating the diversity of queer experiences, and the necessity of situating queerness as a liminal, complex paradigm. Queer theory is wider than the study of gender identity or sexuality, extending to taking positions against normativity and dominant modes of thought, and engaging with the indefinite.

Register online: https://mythsoc.org/oms/oms-2024.htm

[mythsoc]

Online MidWinter Seminar 2024

Something Mighty Queer: queerness in fantasy, science fiction, speculative fiction, and other mythopoeic work

February 17-18, 2024 Via Zoom and Discord

Guest of Honor: Taylor Driggers

Join us for a virtual conference centered around queerness in fantasy, science fiction, speculative fiction, or other mythopoeic work. “Queerness” is an intentionally ambiguous term, demonstrating the diversity of queer experiences, and the necessity of situating queerness as a liminal, complex paradigm. Queer theory is wider than the study of gender identity or sexuality, extending to taking positions against normativity and dominant modes of thought, and engaging with the indefinite.

Register online: https://mythsoc.org/oms/oms-2024.htm

[mythsoc]

Online MidWinter Seminar 2024

Something Mighty Queer: queerness in fantasy, science fiction, speculative fiction, and other mythopoeic work

February 17-18, 2024 Via Zoom and Discord

Guest of Honor: Taylor Driggers

Join us for a virtual conference centered around queerness in fantasy, science fiction, speculative fiction, or other mythopoeic work. “Queerness” is an intentionally ambiguous term, demonstrating the diversity of queer experiences, and the necessity of situating queerness as a liminal, complex paradigm. Queer theory is wider than the study of gender identity or sexuality, extending to taking positions against normativity and dominant modes of thought, and engaging with the indefinite.

Register online: https://mythsoc.org/oms/oms-2024.htm

[mythsoc]

Online MidWinter Seminar 2024

Something Mighty Queer: queerness in fantasy, science fiction, speculative fiction, and other mythopoeic work

February 17-18, 2024 Via Zoom and Discord

Guest of Honor: Taylor Driggers

Join us for a virtual conference centered around queerness in fantasy, science fiction, speculative fiction, or other mythopoeic work. “Queerness” is an intentionally ambiguous term, demonstrating the diversity of queer experiences, and the necessity of situating queerness as a liminal, complex paradigm. Queer theory is wider than the study of gender identity or sexuality, extending to taking positions against normativity and dominant modes of thought, and engaging with the indefinite.

Register online: https://mythsoc.org/oms/oms-2024.htm

[mythsoc]

Online MidWinter Seminar 2024

Something Mighty Queer: queerness in fantasy, science fiction, speculative fiction, and other mythopoeic work

February 17-18, 2024 Via Zoom and Discord

Guest of Honor: Taylor Driggers

Join us for a virtual conference centered around queerness in fantasy, science fiction, speculative fiction, or other mythopoeic work. “Queerness” is an intentionally ambiguous term, demonstrating the diversity of queer experiences, and the necessity of situating queerness as a liminal, complex paradigm. Queer theory is wider than the study of gender identity or sexuality, extending to taking positions against normativity and dominant modes of thought, and engaging with the indefinite.

Register online: https://mythsoc.org/oms/oms-2024.htm

[mythsoc]

Online MidWinter Seminar 2024

Something Mighty Queer: queerness in fantasy, science fiction, speculative fiction, and other mythopoeic work

February 17-18, 2024 Via Zoom and Discord

Guest of Honor: Taylor Driggers

Join us for a virtual conference centered around queerness in fantasy, science fiction, speculative fiction, or other mythopoeic work. “Queerness” is an intentionally ambiguous term, demonstrating the diversity of queer experiences, and the necessity of situating queerness as a liminal, complex paradigm. Queer theory is wider than the study of gender identity or sexuality, extending to taking positions against normativity and dominant modes of thought, and engaging with the indefinite.

Register online: https://mythsoc.org/oms/oms-2024.htm

[mythsoc]

Online MidWinter Seminar 2024

Something Mighty Queer: queerness in fantasy, science fiction, speculative fiction, and other mythopoeic work

February 17-18, 2024

Via Zoom and Discord

Guest of Honor: Taylor Driggers

Join us for a virtual conference centered around queerness in fantasy, science fiction, speculative fiction, or other mythopoeic work. “Queerness” is an intentionally ambiguous term, demonstrating the diversity of queer experiences, and the necessity of situating queerness as a liminal, complex paradigm. Queer theory is wider than the study of gender identity or sexuality, extending to taking positions against normativity and dominant modes of thought, and engaging with the indefinite.

Register online: https://mythsoc.org/oms/oms-2024.htm

[mythsoc]

Tips on Publishing in Tolkien Studies from PCA/ACA

I attended an informal evening session at the Popular Culture Association conference about publishing in Tolkien Studies, and I wanted to share the advice that was given. There were some big names there: journal editors and book publishers who were happy to share what they see come across their desks, as well as scholars and academics with extensive experience publishing in Tolkien Studies.

Know what's been published. A major reason Tolkien Studies journals turn down submissions is that those submissions are retreading territory that's already been extensively covered in the scholarship. Journal of Tolkien Research, Mythlore, and Mallorn have all or most of their journals online, so they are good places to start in making sure your ideas forge in a new direction.

New scholars in the field do better publishing in journals rather than themed anthologies. Themed anthologies often don't make it to print for a variety of reasons, but their editors usually expect you to turn in a finished article (because the anthology is often looking for a publisher and needs the articles to show potential publishers ... but just like any attempt at publication, there's no guarantee that a publisher will pick up the anthology). Journals, on the other hand, have a structure in place to publish regularly, so if your article is accepted, it is much more likely to see print.

Read the guidelines for a particular publication and be scrupulous in following them.

I was but a small candle among these luminaries in the Tolkien Studies field, but I will still offer my two cents: Do not think that because you're "just a fan" that you have nothing to say worthy of publication. I keep a foot in both pools--the scholarly pool and the fandom pool--and fans often discuss ideas that haven't made it into the scholarship yet. And Tolkien Studies is a field that is very open to contributions from independent scholars (read: fans), in a large part because everyone in Tolkien Studies knows that the field hasn't been built by academics but by fans.

I am vocal in encouraging fans doing work in the field who want to try publishing that work (and not everyone does, and that's fine too) to give it a go. For those who want to know what my process as an independent scholar has looked like and who have questions or need a nudge before taking the first step, my inbox is always open.

[mythsoc]

Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The eeb that deebs, the blorb that plinks!

’Twas Tumblr, and the slithy memes Did bode and call out on the dash: Fucken WIMDY were the shitpost streams, And of things was the trash.

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The eeb that deebs, the blorb that plinks! Beware of Shittos Glup, and shun Bendlebick Cumperdincks!”

He took his discourse sword in hand; Long time the chungus foe he sought— So rested he in the ball pit (free!) And sat awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish (derogatory) thought he sat, The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, Came GIFfling through the old group chat, And hurgled as it came!

UWU! UWU! And through and through The discourse blade went "Um, actually, the Jabberwock is coded as friendly because 'eyes of flame' means red and orange, and those are warm and inviting colors according to 'color theory', which I guess you haven't heard of and don't understand." He left it dead, and with its head He man car door hook hand.

“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boi! O #frabjousday! Sounds fake but okay!” He reblogged in his joy.

’Twas Tumblr, and the slithy memes Did bode and call out on the dash: Fucken WIMDY were the shitpost streams, And all of us were trash.

[mythsoc]

Anyway, here’s a picture of Royd Tolkien, great grandson of J.R.R. Tolkien, alongside a real-life wizard, Sir Ian Gandalf McKellen.

[mythsoc]

Beautiful portraits by ChoiStar :D !

[mythsoc]

Boromir never met Eowyn, but he would have loved her to bits. Best shieldmaiden in-law.

[mythsoc]

Ironic that Bilbo is so annoyed with the Sackville-Bagginses for stealing from him and trying to evict him from his house, when his whole adventure involves stealing from someone and evicting them from their house.  

[mythsoc]

You can actually download this essay--and lots of others--for free!! 

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature is a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal published by the Mythopoeic Society that focuses on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and the genres of myth and fantasy.

HEY UH SILM TUMBLR FANDOM, MENTION OF YOU GOT INTO A PUBLISHED SCHOLARLY PAPER

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