From #Kzoo2026 and Looking towards #Kzoo2027...and Maybe #Kzoo2028

𝔊reetings, all!

At the 2025 International Congress on Medieval Studies, held at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the Society hosted two paper sessions (Off of the Printed Prose Page: Multimodal Medievalisms and Bad Medieval/ism: Mis/Uses of the Medieval in Contemporary Fiction), a roundtable cosponsored with Tolkien at Kalamazoo (Adaptations of Tolkien: Medieval Traces in movies, Games, and Other Transmedial Texts), and the Annual General Meeting (AGM). Remarks about each follow.

The first paper session--Off of the Printed Prose Page: Multimodal Medievalisms--took place in a hybrid session at 10:30am Kalamazoo time on Thuirsday, 14 May 2026. Presiding was Society Social Media Officer Geoffrey B. Elliott. Presenting were Kristin Noone of Irvine Valley College and Society President Rachel Sikorski. Noone writes of her paper, "Unicorns, Dragons, Chaucer, Tintagel, and Euphoric Scentscapes," "Scent, Elise Vernon Pearlstine proposes, reflects identity, with deep historical connections to wealth and power. That history is evident in the scent catalogue of perfumer Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab. BPAL’s scentscape medievalism allows wearers to construct identities via a fantasized, affective, creative reenactment of an imagined aromatic Middle Ages." Sikorski, her paper's title changed from program listings to "Toss a Cover to Your Witcher: The Fandom and Virality of Fantasy Media’s Musical Reinterpretations," writes "This paper aims to explore, analyze, and discuss the rise of medieval and neo-medieval inspirations within various modern musical sub-genres such as bardcore, dwarf-metal, dungeon-synth, and more." Presentations were well received, and discussion that followed was both entertaining and generative.

The second paper session--Bad Medieval/ism: Mis/Uses of the Medieval in Contemporary Fiction--took place at 3:30pm Kalamazoo time. Presiding was Sikorski; presenting were Rebecca R. Davis-Lock of the University of Central Oklahoma, Elliott, and Julie Loveland Swanstrom of Augustana University. Davis writes of "The Imagined Medieval: Gendered Medievalisms in Tolkien Fanfiction" the following: "This paper explores how Tolkien fanfiction writers expand marginalized female characters while often incorporating Victorian-influenced medievalisms into their characterizations and narratives. Using literary analysis and corpus linguistics, it examines how assumptions about gender, class, and romance shape fan portrayals, revealing the lasting impact of medievalism on the fantasy genre." Elliott writes of "Another Update to 'Moving Beyond Tolkien's Medievalism'" that "The Fitz and the Fool novels evoke and frustrate the tropes Tolkien uses to simultaneously establish Hobb’s work as belonging to the Tolkienian tradition and assert independence from it, doing so in part by getting aspects of the medieval wrong in ways that differentiate Hobb’s work substantively from Tolkien's." Swanstrom writes of "Landlords, Succubi, and Environmental Harm: Medieval Christian Theology and Political Philosophy in Snow White and the Huntsman" that "In Snow White and the Huntsman, medieval Christian theology and political theory are both illustrated and misapplied. Lordship providing prosperity appears in Snow White's close and revitalizing connection to nature, a view historically applied to men. Further, Ravenna illustrates Christian concerns about female power, further illustrating the significance of gender." Discussion following the presentations was lengthy and enthusiastic, both on video and in chat.

The roundtable--Adaptations of Tolkien: Medieval Traces in Movies, Games, and Other Transmedial Texts--took place online at 1:30pm Kalamzoo time on Friday, 15 May 2026. Presiding was independent scholar Danielle Dupuis. Presenting were Elliott, independent scholar Margurite Lamy, independent scholar Robin Anne Reid, Sikorski, and Kris Swank of Pima Community College. Elliott writes "Expansions of The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying’s rules-set further the kind of medievalism that serves as a through-line from the game back through its antecedents into Tolkien and his own." Lamy writes "This presentation assesses Dunlendings' portrayal in The Lord of the Rings and adaptations of Tolkien's work. Drawing on adaptation and post-colonial medieval studies, it will examine how adaptations construct Dunlendings as the 'Other' and explore how 'other minds and hands' have crafted sympathy or antipathy for the people of Dunland." Reid writes "Drawing on medieval scholarship on rape and Kristine Larsen’s presentation on the language of rape in Tolkien, I analyze how the scene between Grima and Éowyn in the extended TT draws on two scenes in LotR (TT III, vi, 515 and RK, V, vii, 867) for Grima’s dialogue." Sikorski writes "The prepared statements for this roundtable will focus on how the video game developers of Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game actually interpreted, translated, and expressed Tolkien's world, characters, and the spirit of the hobbits and their homes." Swank writes "This talk explores how non-canonical character names in screen adaptations of Tolkien’s works—like Figwit, Tauriel, Arondir and Héra—balance faithfulness to invented languages with storytelling goals. It investigates naming as a lens into adaptation choices, and how these creative decisions shape audience perceptions of authenticity in Middle-earth narratives." (Sreyasi Dey of St. Xavier's University, who was slated to lead off, was not present and did not deliver the anticipated remarks: "The paper posits the character of Itadori Yuji from popular shonen manga Jujutsu Kaisen in contrast with Frodo Baggins from Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. It explores the Tolkienian echoes in the hero's sacrificial character in modern dark fantasy while plunging into the cultural differences that inform it.") Discussion among panelists and with the audience was lively and amicable.

The AGM took place online at 8pm Kalamazoo time on Thursday, 14 May 2026, and was called to order at 8:06pm. In attendance were Sikorski, presiding; Elliott; standing member Michael Torregrossa; and new member Vicky Rampin, who was at her request added to the mailing and membership lists of the Society during the meeting. Per earlier notice, the AGM treated the following items:

• Determination of offerings for the 2027 ICMS;
• Election of a Secretary, 2026-2029;
• Election of a Vice-President (At-Large), 2026-2029; and
• Other business brought before the membership, as time permits

By consent, the elections were treated first. Incumbent Vice-President (At-Large) Molly Brown and incumbent Secretary Rachel Sikorski were reelected by acclamation.

Elliott proposed four sessions for the 2027 ICMS, offering the following descriptions, as adjusted by discussion during the meeting:

•  “Will It Bardcore?”: Explorations of Medievalist Music (A Roundtable, possibly to be cosponsored)--During discussion at the 2026 ICMS session, Off of the Printed Prose Page, Dr. Elizabeth Perry asked of various songs “Will it bardcore?” Although offered partly in jest, the question prompts consideration of what bardcore is, really; what makes for “good” bardcore; what representative examples of the genre are; how the genre borrows from and interacts with Tolkien and other neo/medievalisms; and what purposes and functions are served by the genre. The proposed roundtable offers space for such considerations.
• Medievalism Outside Academe (A Roundtable or a paper session, possibly to be cosponsored)--Most faculty are contingent. The numbers of contingent faculty are dwarfed by those who, after spending years adjuncting, sought other careers yet still feel called to intellectual life. More yet did not pursue lives in academe but still have insights into the medieval, medievalist, and neomedievalist, as well as how they function. The proposed session looks to present perspectives on the medieval, medievalist, and neomedievalist from outside traditional academic structures, calling back to Richard Utz’s ICMS 2015 plenary lecture: medievalist work began as an amateur endeavor. Bringing in nonprofessional, underrepresented, outside perspectives remains worth doing.
• Continued Lessons from the Professor: Borrowings from Tolkien, 2020+ (A Paper Session, possibly to be cosponsored)--The Tales after Tolkien Society has as its stated goal the investigation of medievalism in popular culture; it has in its very name a commitment to conducting those investigations through the lens of Tolkien and his works. With the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent upheavals, it may well be that the focus that lens offers has changed. Papers for the session should look at shifts in use of Tolkien’s works, sources, and methods in the years 2020 and following, speaking to the “after” portion of the Society’s name with particular emphasis.
• A Porlockian Perspective: Interruptions in Post-Tolkien Medievalist Works (A Paper Session)--The International Porlock Society, long meeting at the ICMS, is dedicated to the study and practice of academic interruption. While the Porlock Society focused its attentions on the works of Sidney and Spenser (himself an early medievalist), it is the case that interruption abounds, both in medieval literatures (witness Arthurian legend) and in the medievalist and neomedievalist media that emerge from them. The proposed session investigates the instances, forms, and functions of interruption in works of post-Tolkien neo/medievalist literatures and other media.

Discussion of the proposed sessions noted possibilities for cosponsorship, with Sikorski and Elliott agreeing to undertake outreach to selected other organizations for that purpose; results of said outreach will be discussed once available. Discussion also determined that all four sessions (and a meeting session for the AGM) will be proposed to the 2027 ICMS, asking for hybrid sessions for each with virtual meetings as a fallback.

Further discussion at the meeting pointed towards other possible Society offerings and directions. Torregrossa suggested the Society might undertake some sort of multimedia production to increase reach and access; consensus at the meeting is that the idea is worth investigating but would require more discussion than the AGM could afford it, so further talk in that line will be conducted on the Society Discord. As in past years, the possibility of presentation at / engagement with conferences other than the ICMS, notably the various PCA groups, was raised, with Torregrossa providing some contact information for the Northeast PCA. Additionally, Torregrossa suggested outreach to the Journal of Tolkien Research and to the June 2027 International Robin Hood Studies conference; Rampin also suggested outreach to the Association for Computers and the Humanities, noting also that such projects as the LotR Project provide useful models and might form the bases for additional engagement and research.

Of interest was a comment Torregrossa made late in the AGM, questioning links between AA Milne and JRR Tolkien. Consideration of such a question in a potential "Tales around Tolkien" panel to be proposed for the 2028 ICMS was undertaken and generally approved of, with consensus approving and suggesting some outreach to other organizations at the ICMS for cosponsorship. Further discussion will take place on the Society Discord and elsewhere.

No other business being before the Society, Elliott moved to adjourn at 8:15pm Kalamazoo time, which motion was acclaimed.

---

The Society is happy to accept new members, as well as guest pieces. Please email talesaftertolkien@gmail.com to sign on and offer ideas!

AGM at #Kzoo2026

𝔗he President of the Tales after Tolkien Society, Rachel Sikorski, offers the following remarks regarding the upcoming Annual General Meeting of the Society:

The Society's AGM is being held virtually on Thursday, May 14th at 8pm EDT during the International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo.

Agenda:

• Determination of offerings for the 2027 ICMS;
• Election of a Secretary, 2026-2029;
• Election of a Vice-President (At-Large), 2026-2029; and
• Other business brought before the membership, as time permits

The offices of Secretary and Vice-President may be any member of the Society in good standing who does not currently hold two offices on the Committee. Nominations, including self-nominations, may be emailed to talesaftertolkien@gmail.com.

If you are unable to attend the meeting for any reason but have business you'd like discussed, would like to run for an office, or have any other questions/concerns, please reach out to us.

Thank you and we hope to see you there!

Getting Going for #Kzoo2026

ℌappy July, all!

The Society is pleased to report that we have THREE offerings for the 2026 International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo! All three are online. The first of them is co-sponsored with Tolkien at Kalamazoo, the roundtable Adaptations of Tolkien: Medieval Traces in Movies, Games and Other Transmedial Texts. Building upon the #Kzoo2025 work of the Society, it's session 7564, and the description the Congress has of it is

This roundtable explores enduring medieval influences in adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's works across various media, including films and television, table-top and video games, and other transmedial texts. Roundtable panelists will examine how Tolkien's deep engagement with medieval literature, history, and mythology continues to shape modern interpretations, from the visual aesthetics and world-building in cinematic adaptations to the narrative structures and mechanics in interactive games and other media. Through interdisciplinary perspectives, the discussion will address ways medieval motifs are preserved, altered, or reimagined in these adaptations, considering both creative intentions and audience reception.

The second session, a paper session, is Off of the Printed Prose Page: Multimodal Medievalisms. It's session 7569, and the description the Congress has of it is

While the pop culture landscape of books and films often borrow from and are inspired by "the medieval period"–as well as frequently disseminated, propagated, and influenced by neo-medievalist works such as those by Martin, Jordan, Sanderson, and Hobb–relatively little discourse focuses on how other types of contemporary works pull from the same and/or similar influences. With the increasing popularity of medievalism in games, music, etc., this paper panel seeks to prompt, deepen, and explore the study and discussion of the less commonly talked about–yet no less consumed–works and how they look to and use popular mis/understandings of the medieval.

The third, another paper session, is Bad Medieval/ism: Mis/Uses of the Medieval in Contemporary Fiction. Originally subtitled "I Know It's Wrong, But I Want to Have Fun," it's session 7572, and the description the Congress has of it is

This session seeks to examine the misuses and misapplications of the medieval within any fictional media from 1974 forward. Sometimes, accessibility to contemporary audiences requires deviation from what is known to scholarship; sometimes, narrative demands impose changes to particular interpretations of source material. Sometimes, however, things are flatly wrong. Effects on audiences differ, but it is clear that many audiences and authors use contemporary fiction as a means to understand earlier periods. This session seeks to explore what they get right, what they get less right, and why it matters to our ongoing understanding of the belief about the medieval.

Dear members, and dear readers, please publicize this widely; tell your friends, tell your colleagues, tell your students who have them! And get your own abstracts ready; we'd love to have your work!

Update: submissions for each are due no later than 15 September 2025 via Confex. Details are still forthcoming of the AGM.

So, About #Kzoo2025 and Looking at #Kzoo2026

ℌello, all; we hope you are and continue to be well!

At the 2025 International Congress on Medieval Studies, held at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the Society cosponsored a paper session with Tolkien at Kalamazoo: Return of the Franchise: Twenty-First-Century Continuations of Tolkien's Medievalism. The session, taking place at 3:30pm local time on 10 May 2025, was organized by Yvette Kisor (Ramapo College) and Society President Rachel Sikorski and presided over by Society member Kris Swank (University of Glasgow); it consisted of four papers.

The first was "Dice of the Rings: Reflections on a Particular Tabletop Roleplaying Game Set Amid Tolkien's Legendarium," by Geoffrey B. Elliott (Society Social Media Officer). Elliott writes of it "Among the many adaptations of Tolkien's Legendarium are many tabletop roleplaying games. These include the principal example of the genre, Dungeons & Dragons. They also range to several licensed tabletop roleplaying games. The adaptations necessary to such games illuminate both Tolkien's continued reception and popular mis/use of the medieval." A copy of the text of his paper is available at his website, Elliott RWI, and is linked here.

The second paper was "'Do not touch the water!': Gendered Materiality in Tolkien's Visual Frames," by Benjamin E.C. Shotton (University of Bristol). Shotton writes "This paper articulates the systematic and morally fraught processes of vision and visuality in The Lord of the Rings by considering how the materiality of both the Mirror of Galadriel and the Palantíri construct and enforce gendered modes of looking."

The third paper was "Peace(ful) Bywater: Exploring 'Tales of the Shire' and Analyzing the Rise of Cozy Media within the Lord of the Rings Franchise," by Rachel Sikorski. Sikorski writes "By analyzing 'Tales of the Shire and its marketing material,' this paper aims to identify and explore the thematic, aesthetic, and narrative elements that make a piece of work ‘cozy.’ Additionally, it will examine why Tolkien’s oeuvre provides an ideal backdrop for such a game within the current pop-culture landscape."

The final paper was "Rings of Power: Narrative Framing and Past Feminist Critique of Tolkien's Works," by Julie Loveland Swanstrom (Augustana University). Swanstrom writes "As Tolkien’s works are explored, examined, and expanded upon, some properties like Rings of Power seem to deal directly with several critiques levied at Tolkien’s works, namely a lack of gender and racial diversity. Centering on women and normalizing characters of color utilizes some existing Tolkienian to include more fans."

Delivery and discussion of the papers went well, with ample audience participation in the latter. It is hoped that subsequent Congresses will be able to build upon the work done.

A privately hosted annual general meeting followed the paper session at 6pm local time that same day. Owing to late notice and the scheduling concerns occasioned by the same, attendance at the meeting itself was limited, with only Rachel Sikorski and Geoffrey B. Elliott in attendance. Discussion at the scheduled meeting therefore treated matters only of immediate interest.

The first of them was cosponsoring a session with Tolkien at Kalamazoo--"Adaptations of Tolkien: Medieval Traces in Movies, Games and other Transmedial Texts (A Roundtable)"--at the 2026 Congress. The text of the session proposal is "This roundtable explores enduring medieval influences in adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's works across various media, including films and television, table-top and video games, and other transmedial texts. Roundtable panelists will examine how Tolkien's deep engagement with medieval literature, history, and mythology continues to shape modern interpretations, from the visual aesthetics and world-building in cinematic adaptations to the narrative structures and mechanics in interactive games and other media. Through interdisciplinary perspectives, the discussion will address ways medieval motifs are preserved, altered, or reimagined in these adaptations, considering both creative intentions and audience reception." Given the success of the day's paper session, it was determined that the Society would cosponsor the session.

The second matter of immediate interest was re-addressing the meeting. Since notice had not gone out in a timely fashion, it was determined that matters of interest that would normally have been treated in an annual general meeting would be addressed via online survey distributed via the Society email list and discussed in responses to the same, as well as the Society Discord.

Said survey was drafted and disseminated, if with some challenges, with over a week afforded members to respond. The transmission of the email was noted on the Society Facebook page, with a call for members who did not receive their copy of the same to request it be sent to them again. Seven responses were received, with minimal differences among them.

The survey asked the following:

• Luke Shelton has offered to remain VP (USA) for the 2025-2028 term. Do you approve?
• If and only if you do not approve of Luke Shelton as VP (USA), whom would you nominate for the position? The nominee must be a member in good standing and must not presently hold two committee positions in the Society.
• Geoffrey B. Elliott has offered to remain Social Media Officer for the 2025-2028 term. Do you approve?
• If and only if you do not approve of Geoffrey B. Elliott as Social Media Officer, whom would you nominate for the position? The nominee must be a member in good standing and must not presently hold two committee positions in the Society.
• The Society offers to propose as a paper session at the 2026 ICMS the following
  
  Off the Printed Prose Page: Multimodal Medievalisms
  "Other media than literature, ranging from the obvious movies to video games and music, among others, make much of the medieval and the kinds of ideas of the medieval that are promulgated and propagated by Tolkienian-tradition works. Rich as other arts are, and borrowing from the medieval as they do, there is relatively little discourse that focuses on how contemporary works in multiple media make use of the medieval, as such. The proposed paper session seeks to open conversations about how non-literary works look to popular mis/understandings of the medieval, making use of and influencing commonplace perceptions of the medieval."
  
  Should the Society propose the paper session?
• The Society offers to propose as a paper session at the 2026 ICMS the following
  
  Bad Medieval/ism: Mis/Uses of the Medieval in Contemporary Fiction; or, I Know It's Wrong, But I Want to Have Fun
  "That much contemporary fiction looks to the medieval for inspiration is clear. That that fiction gets a lot of the medieval wrong is also clear. Why the wrongness persists, what forms it tends to take, and what functions the particular errors serve may not be quite as clear--and so they bear examination, which the proposed paper session purposes to foster."
  
  Should the Society propose the paper session?
• If the Society should *not* propose either of the listed paper sessions, what should it propose and why?
• Is there other business you would like the Society to consider? Please let us know!

All respondents affirmed that Shelton and Elliott should remain in their positions; no other nominees were proposed.

Six of the seven respondents affirmed that the Off the Printed Prose Page session should be proposed. The lone dissenter noted difficulty filling multiple sessions and emphasized that the Bad Medieval/ism session should be proposed.

All respondents affirmed that the Bad Medieval/ism session should be proposed.

Consequently, the Society will be submitting proposals for a cosponsored roundtable with Tolkien at Kalamazoo, as well as two paper sessions. The intent, to facilitate attendance, it to have all sessions take place virtually. Similarly, the Society will ask for formally hosted virtual space for its 2026 annual general meeting at the 2026 Congress; expected agenda items will be the election of a Vice-President At-large (term ending 2029), the election of a Secretary (term ending 2029), and the determination of offerings for the 2027 Congress. Details of submissions and scheduling will follow as they become available.

AGM at #Kzoo2025

With apologies for the late notice: 

AGM to happen at the following Zoom link, https://us05web.zoom.us/j/84395462130?pwd=EW4q8mLqQSzc828gcAMiAZcaVugtW5.1, at 6pm K'zoo time after our panel. Agenda:

• Determination of offerings for the 2026 ICMS
• Election of a Social Media Officer, 2025-2028; and
• Election of a Vice-President (USA), 2025-2028.
• Other business brought before the membership, as time permits

The offices of Social Media Officer and Vice-President may, be any member of the Society in good standing who does not currently hold two offices on the Committee. Nominations, including self-nominations, may be emailed to talesaftertolkien@gmail.com.

Moving towards #Kzoo2025

ℌello, again, all, and may you continue to be well!

The Tales after Tolkien Society is pleased to report that the program for the upcoming 2025 International Congress on Medieval Studies is up, here, and that the Society's hybrid session--number 405, "Return of the Franchise: Twenty-First-Century Continuations of Tolkien’s Medievalism"--will take place at 3:30pm US Eastern Time on Saturday, 10 May 2025. For those on site, it will be in Sangren 1320.

 No business meeting is scheduled among Congress proceedings; details of the AGM will be forthcoming.

Getting Started on #Kzoo2025

ℌello, all, and may you all be well!

The Tales after Tolkien Society is pleased to report having received the following information from the International Congress on Medieval Studies, namely that the Society's proposal for a session titled Return of the Franchise: Twenty-First-Century Continuations of Tolkien's Medievalism has been accepted. It is session ID 6320, and it has been accepted as a hybrid session--meaning that there will be a physical presence on site as well as openness to virtual presentation!

Please view the official call for papers, here, and consider sending your submission directly to the Society's session, here. Abstracts are due no later than 15 September 2024. In the meantime, the public description of the session is

Seventy years after the release of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, his work continues to circulate and inspire. However, the franchise built around his work has also expanded recently. Whether looking at the upcoming movies, The War of the Rohirrim and Hunt for Gollum, the imminent second season of the Rings of Power show, or video games like Return to Moria and Tales of the Shire, we have seen a marked increase of licensed Middle-earth media over the last few years. It is in this proliferation of Tolkienian works that this paper panel aims to discuss the new iterations and additions to the Lord of the Rings franchise.

Approaches that take in diverse media and/or work from a variety of theoretical approaches are welcome. Proposals from those typically excluded from formal academe are particularly welcome.

#Kzoo2024 Report (with an eye toward #Kzoo2025)

𝔗he Tales after Tolkien Society continued its work at the online International Congress on Medieval Studies hosted by Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. For the 2024 iteration of the event, the Society conducted its annual general meeting; it also sponsored and presented a paper session and a roundtable discussion. Notes about each appear below.

The Meeting

Per §5.1 of the Society Constitution, an Annual General Meeting of the Society was held during the 2023 Congress, taking place online via the Congress. It was called to order on 9 May 2024 at 8:32pm, GMT-4hrs. Presiding was President Geoffrey B. Elliott; in attendance were Secretary and Social Media Officer Rachel Sikorski, as well as Kris Swank and John D. Rateliff.

As previously noted, the agenda for the meeting consisted of two items: determination of offerings for the 2025 Congress and election of the Society President for the term 2024-2027 (as provided for by §4.2.2 of the Society Constitution and subsections). Regarding the first, the Society purposes to focus on session co-sponsorships with groups whose aims are similar to those of the Society, with Kris Swank agreeing to liaise with the Tolkien at Kalamazoo group and Geoffrey B. Elliott agreeing to liaise with the International Society for the Study of Medievalism. The Society will also be proposing a roundtable session, Off of the Printed Prose Page: Multimodal Medievalisms. A second session topic will be held in reserve against need.

Regarding the election of Society President, Geoffrey B. Elliott reaffirmed his recusal from consideration, citing outside concerns, previous terms in office, and the need for new direction. By agreement, Rachel Sikorski resigned as Social Media Officer and was acclaimed as President, appointing Geoffrey B. Elliott to the position of Social Media Officer for the duration of the current term (until 2025), which agreement was approved by the membership present.

The discussion that followed clarified points of action to be taken and understandings of the above agenda items for members present. Clarification of past years' discussions was also made. No additional business was brought up by the Society for consideration.

A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Rachel Sikorski and seconded by Kris Swank. No opposition being heard, the meeting was adjourned at 9:31pm, UTC-4hrs.

The Paper Session

The paper session, "Alternative Medievalisms against the Tolkienian Tradition," was scheduled for 10 May 2024 at 1:30pm, UTC-4hrs. Kris Swank presided over the session. Geoffrey B. Elliott and Rachel Sikorski presented papers.

Geoffrey B. Elliott's paper, "An Update to 'Moving Beyond Tolkien's Medievalism,'" referenced early work the Society had done before adding to an argument that had been made at earlier Congresses and in print--namely that Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings milieu, by presenting refiguration of North America, expands upon the Tolkienian fantasy tradition in useful ways. A copy of his paper will appear on his personal website, www.elliottrwi.com.

Rachel Sikorski's paper, "Critical Successes: Celebrating and Exploring the Rise of Diverse Settings Within Tabletop Role-Playing Games,” analyzed three recently published sourcebooks/guides—Journeys Through The Radiant Citadel, The Islands Of Sina Una, and Coyote & Crow—in the TTRPG hobby. Her paper focused on the recent push for non-Eurocentric settings and stories in the community and how that market shift is currently being addressed by the large companies in the space, as well as independent publishers and game-makers. An (unabridged) version of her paper will be posted on this blog in the coming weeks.

The Roundtable

The roundtable session, "Tolkien and Twenty-First Century Challenges," featured two speakers. The first, Hafsah Khan (she/her), was introduced as "a second-year MA student in the English department at New York University. She is interested in exploring how imperial structures seep into fantastical landscapes, colonizing the imagination, as well as the way sociopolitical otherizations processes are mimicked in fantasy world-building. She is currently working on completing her thesis which explores constructions of monstrosity and blackness in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings by examining the geographical and linguistic cultural codes used in association with the Orc race. The second, Brenna Duperron, was introduced as "a recent graduate of the doctoral program in the Department of English at Dalhousie University. Her SSHRC-funded doctoral project, 'Fear Not the Language of the World: Red Reading Literacy in The Book of Margery Kempe,' bridges Indigenous and premodern scholarship, disrupting the borders of orality/literacy in medieval texts. Her next project interrogates the intersection between Indigeneity and fantasy medievalism, and how the genre reasserts settler-colonial frameworks and ideologies."

Following remarks by the featured speakers, robust discussion ensued, taking in a number of topics of interest. Representations of settler-colonial ideologies and complications of those representations were treated at some length, and participants in the discussion offered several useful links for further reading and research:

• https://www.srbombadil.com/fearteymito/categoria-producto/congreso/
• https://theconversation.com/italys-far-right-claim-the-lord-of-the-rings-but-theyve-misread-tolkiens-message-218148
• https://www.tolkiensociety.org/2023/04/new-society-publication-tolkien-and-diversity/
• https://signumuniversity.org/event/thesis-theater-eugene-sullivan/

Noted also was Society contact information. In addition to this webspace, the Society has a presence on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/726754757384460/, at https://twitter.com/posttolkien, and on Discord at https://discord.gg/bckushTH. Please join us!

Planning for #Kzoo2024

𝔗o follow up on an earlier post, registration for the 2024 International Congress on Medieval Studies is open. Registration is here, and it's a sliding scale.

The Society has a few things on offer for the Congress this time around, all virtual, and all in US Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4):

• Business Meeting- Thursday, 9 May 2024, 8:30pm
• Alternative Medievalisms against the Tolkienian Tradition- Friday, 10 May 2024, 1:30pm
• Tolkien and Twenty-First Century Challenges: A Roundtable- Saturday, 11 May 2024, 3:30pm
  

Items on the agenda for the business meeting, which will serve as the AGM called for by §5.1 of the Society Constitution, remain

• Determination of the Society offerings for the 2025 Congress;
• Election of the Society President, 2024-2027, per §4.2.2 of the Society Constitution and the 2021 AGM; and
  
• Other business as the Society decides to treat and as time permits.
  

Incumbent Society President Geoffrey B. Elliott notes that he is not willing to stand for reelection, having already served in the capacity for six years.

Please send Congress offering ideas and nominations for President to talesaftertolkien@gmail.com, and we'll see you at the 'zoo!

Still Another Step towards #Kzoo2024

ℌello again, all!

In a bit of an update, the official call for papers for the 2024 International Congress on Medieval Studies is up: https://wmich.edu/medievalcongress/call. The Society has two sessions and a business meeting this coming year. The sessions, per https://talesaftertolkien.blogspot.com/2023/06/another-step-towards-kzoo2024.html, are

• Alternative Medievalisms against the Tolkienian Tradition–A Paper Session: While it is the case that Tolkien’s works are a primary lens through which contemporary popular culture views the medieval, it is far from the only such lens, and the English and European medieval from which Tolkien’s works borrow so extensively are not the only medievals to be found. This paper session seeks to examine how contemporary works employ medievalisms other than those commonly associated with the Tolkienian tradition, how that employment contrasts with that tradition, and how that contrast can better illuminate how current popular cultures understand, and *can* understand, the medieval in its multitudes.
• Tolkien and Twenty-First Century Challenges–A Roundtable: That the works of Tolkien continue to be read and adapted decades after their publication bespeaks ongoing interest in those works and the continuing dialogue with the present in which those works engage. The proposed session seeks to examine how Tolkien’s works can be read against the backdrops of late-stage capitalism and hyper-concentration of wealth; resurgent authoritarianism, religious intolerance, and ethnocentrism; increasing precarity in many areas of endeavor, including but not limited to the academic; climate change; building tension between great-powers realignment and regional autonomy and independence; terrorism, state-sponsored and otherwise; and other issues of concern that occupy current attention.

The business meeting will, as has been common practice, serve as the AGM called for in §5.1 of the Society Constitution. The AGM will treat the following items:

• Determination of offerings for the 2025 ICMS
• Determination of the Society President for 2024-2027, following §4.2.2 of the Society Constitution and the 2021 AGM
• Other business brought before the membership, as time permits
  

All submissions are due no later than 15 September 2023 to the Confex portal, https://icms.confex.com/icms/2024/cfp.cgi. Please provide abstracts of no more than 300 words, as well as contact and introductory information (including how to pronounce your name and how you want presiders to refer to you).

The office of Society President may, per §3 of the Society Constitution, be any member of the Society in good standing who does not currently hold two offices on the Committee. Nominations, including self-nominations, may be emailed to talesaftertolkien@gmail.com.

Members, please distribute widely and across channels.

Thank you all, and we'll see you (virtually) at the 'zoo!

Another Step towards #Kzoo2024

𝔚e have an update about next year's Society offerings at the International Congress on Medieval Studies! Of the four panels proposed, two were accepted; they are

Alternative Medievalisms against the Tolkienian Tradition–A Paper Session

While it is the case that Tolkien’s works are a primary lens through which contemporary popular culture views the medieval, it is far from the only such lens, and the English and European medieval from which Tolkien’s works borrow so extensively are not the only medievals to be found. This paper session seeks to examine how contemporary works employ medievalisms other than those commonly associated with the Tolkienian tradition, how that employment contrasts with that tradition, and how that contrast can better illuminate how current popular cultures understand, and *can* understand, the medieval in its multitudes.

Tolkien and Twenty-First Century Challenges–A Roundtable

That the works of Tolkien continue to be read and adapted decades after their publication bespeaks ongoing interest in those works and the continuing dialogue with the present in which those works engage. The proposed session seeks to examine how Tolkien’s works can be read against the backdrops of late-stage capitalism and hyper-concentration of wealth; resurgent authoritarianism, religious intolerance, and ethnocentrism; increasing precarity in many areas of endeavor, including but not limited to the academic; climate change; building tension between great-powers realignment and regional autonomy and independence; terrorism, state-sponsored and otherwise; and other issues of concern that occupy current attention.

---

News about what the mode of delivery will be--hybrid, online, or on-site--is yet forthcoming; as soon as we know, we'll let you know. Until then, get your abstracts (up to 300 words) ready; the formal CFP is set to open in mid-July, but we're always happy to look at things at talesaftertolkien@gmail.com. Send away!

Society members, please distribute widely!

Moving Further toward #Kzoo2024

ℑn a bit of an update, the Society has submitted to the 2024 International Congress on Medieval Studies for a business meeting and the four sessions decided upon at the 2023 Annual General Meeting. All events have been requested to be blended online/onsite, with virtual options preferred if hybrid is not available. The texts submitted for consideration are below, so get started planning your papers early!

Alternative Medievalisms against the Tolkienian Tradition–A Paper Session

While it is the case that Tolkien’s works are a primary lens through which contemporary popular culture views the medieval, it is far from the only such lens, and the English and European medieval from which Tolkien’s works borrow so extensively are not the only medievals to be found. This paper session seeks to examine how contemporary works employ medievalisms other than those commonly associated with the Tolkienian tradition, how that employment contrasts with that tradition, and how that contrast can better illuminate how current popular cultures understand, and *can* understand, the medieval in its multitudes.

Off of the Printed Prose Page: Multimodal Medievalisms–A Paper Session

Other media than literature, ranging from the obvious movies to video games and music, among others, make much of the medieval and the kinds of ideas of the medieval that are promulgated and propagated by Tolkienian-tradition works. Rich as other arts are, and borrowing from the medieval as they do, there is relatively little discourse that focuses on how contemporary works in multiple media make use of the medieval, as such. The proposed paper session seeks to open conversations about how non-literary works look to popular mis/understandings of the medieval, making use of and influencing commonplace perceptions of the medieval.

Tolkien and Twenty-First Century Challenges–A Roundtable

That the works of Tolkien continue to be read and adapted decades after their publication bespeaks ongoing interest in those works and the continuing dialogue with the present in which those works engage. The proposed session seeks to examine how Tolkien’s works can be read against the backdrops of late-stage capitalism and hyper-concentration of wealth; resurgent authoritarianism, religious intolerance, and ethnocentrism; increasing precarity in many areas of endeavor, including but not limited to the academic; climate change; building tension between great-powers realignment and regional autonomy and independence; terrorism, state-sponsored and otherwise; and other issues of concern that occupy current attention.

Continued Lessons from the Professor: Borrowings from Tolkien, 2020+–A Roundtable

The Tales after Tolkien Society seeks to foster scholarship on medievalism in popular culture, recognizing the works of Tolkien are a primary lens through which popular culture views the medieval. In acknowledgment of this, the Society proposes a discussion focusing on how primary sources published or otherwise produced in 2020 and after borrow from Tolkien’s works or otherwise make use of them. In doing so, the roundtable will facilitate discussion of the continuing influence of Tolkien on prevailing perceptions of the medieval, helping to situate more formal discussions to come in a more stable sociocultural context.

We hope to have several panels for your papers, and we hope to see you--virtually or otherwise--at the 'zoo!

#Kzoo2023 Report (and an eye toward #Kzoo2024)

𝔗he Tales after Tolkien Society continued its work at the online International Congress on Medieval Studies hosted by Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. For the 2023 iteration of the event, the Society sponsored and presented a paper session and conducted its annual general meeting. Notes about each appear below.

The Session

The Society's paper session, Religion along the Tolkienian Fantasy Tradition: New Medievalist Narratives, was organized by Society President Geoffrey B. Elliott and presided over by Society VP (USA) Luke Shelton; it was presented at 8am, UTC-6, on Friday, 12 May 2023. Papers were given by Society Secretary and Social Media Officer Rachel Sikorski and by the Society President. The session, per Congress materials, was set "to examine deployment of religious structures and ideologies in medievalist narratives derivative of or notably or avowedly influenced by Tolkien’s Legendarium (although excluding works by Tolkien himself). It is a commonplace that medieval life was permeated by specific religious structures; medievalist narratives across media might well make much of religious groups and ideologies, therefore. To what extent such is the case, and in what media and what bodies of work, indicates the extent to which popular understanding of the medieval accepts its own commonplaces, offering insight into how knowledge of the medieval works in the world."

The paper by Sikorski, "Do You Even Pray Though? Examining the Worship of the Great Mother Goddess in Tamora Pierce's Tortall Universe," was "A look at religion within Tamora Pierce’s Tortall Universe and how it relates to the Post-Tolkien fantasy tradition of worship versus the historical period this genre pulls from," per Congress materials. Plans to post the paper to the Society blog were noted.

The paper by Elliott, "Playing with Medieval(ist?) Religion in Forum-Based Play-by-Post Roleplaying Games: A Case Study," noted that "One way people begin to engage with the medieval most directly is roleplaying games, of which many overtly and explicitly engage in presenting ideas of the medieval. One such is Pendragon, and one iteration thereof appeared as an online event among reasonably representative gamers whose interpretations exemplify popular understandings," per Congress materials. Plans to post the paper to the Society blog were noted.

The Meeting

Per §5.1 of the Society Constitution, an Annual General Meeting of the Society was held during the 2023 Congress, taking place on a Zoom meeting and called to order at 3:02pm, UTC-6. The Society President presided, with the Society Secretary and Social Media Officer taking minutes. Present were the two officers aforementioned, as well as VP (USA) Luke Shelton and founding member Molly Brown

As had been noted previously, the agenda for the meeting was as follows:

1. Election for VP (At-large)
2. Election for Secretary
3. Selection of Sessions to Propose for the 2024 International Congress on Medieval Studies
• Alternative Medievalisms against the Tolkienian Tradition
• Off of the Printed Prose Page: Multimodal Medievalisms
• Tolkien and Twenty-First Century Challenges
• Continued Lessons from the Professor: Borrowings from Tolkien, 2020+
4. Other Business
• Coordination with Other Societies (e.g., ISSM, Lone Medievalist, the many Tolkien societies)
• Sessions at Other Conferences than the Congress
• Publications?

As to the first point, Molly Brown graciously agreed to resume her former position and was acclaimed as VP at-large.

As to the second point, incumbent Rachel Sikorski agreed to continue in her position and was acclaimed as Secretary.

As to the third point, discussion determined to propose all four sessions for the 2024 Congress. The first two, Alternative Medievalisms against the Tolkienian Tradition and Off of the Printed Prose Page: Multimodal Medievalisms, will be proposed as paper sessions. The remaining two, Tolkien and Twenty-First Century Challenges and Continued Lessons from the Professor: Borrowings from Tolkien, 2020+, will be proposed as roundtable discussions.

As to the fourth point, more overt efforts will be undertaken to coordinate with other learned societies. Vice-President Shelton agreed to note to Tolkien at Kalamazoo the sessions the Society will propose for the 2024 Congress, helping the reduce duplication of efforts and affording members of both groups additional presentation opportunities. Vice-President Shelton also noted online resources, both Robin Reid's Online Conference Project and those of the International Society for the Study of Medievalism (here), the latter of which is hosting an online conference likely to be of interest to Society members (here). Of particular note and emphasis is the Mythopoeic Society's "Fantasy Goes to Hell," contributions to which will close soon as of this writing.

Related to the last is an idea that the Society has considered before. In light of the panel offered, as well as of panels at past Congresses, the notion that the Society would compile a volume of essays treating the deployment of religion in medievalist works suggests itself strongly. Efforts will be made to formalize a proposal for such and transmit it appropriately through contacts known to the Society.

As the meeting was conducted via Zoom, it ended upon the software's time-limit at approximately 3:45pm, UTC-6, foreclosing further discussion.

Tales after Tolkien Society Annual General Meeting Survey Results

ℌello once again, all!

Results from the survey conducted online beginning 20 March 2023 are in. The Zoom meeting, which will be hosted by the Society and presided over by Geoffrey B. Elliott, will occur on Friday, 12 May 2023, at 3:00pm in UTC-6. The invitation will go out across the Society email list, so if you have not confirmed that we have your correct email address, please do so to be able to get on and join in.

Agenda items for the meeting will be, in order

1. Election for VP (At-large)
   
2. Election for Secretary
3. Selection of Sessions to Propose for the 2024 International Congress on Medieval Studies
• Alternative Medievalisms against the Tolkienian Tradition
• Off of the Printed Prose Page: Multimodal Medievalisms
• Tolkien and Twenty-First Century Challenges
• Continued Lessons from the Professor: Borrowings from Tolkien, 2020+
  
4. Other Business
• Coordination with Other Societies (e.g., ISSM, Lone Medievalist, the many Tolkien societies)
• Sessions at Other Conferences than the Congress
• Publications?

The survey also suggested a report on the blog itself might be in order. Given constraints of Zoom meetings, the report will be posted to the blog itself. Contributions to the blog are, as always, welcome. Rachel Sikorski's author interview series remains open, and the general call for guest work is ever available.

Any members of the Society interested in standing to office, please let the Society know; if you're on the list, you're eligible.

As ever, thank you for your continued interest and support!

Tales after Tolkien Society Annual General Meeting Survey

ℌello, again, all!

To facilitate getting the 2023 Annual General Meeting of the Tales after Tolkien Society scheduled, an email has gone out to listed members at the email addresses most recently on record for them. If you're a member--check your spam folder, just to be sure, and check the list, here, for our current membership--and you didn't get one, please send the Society an email so that we can get things corrected.

If you'd like to be a member, send the Society an email so we can get you listed!

Agenda items already known are elections for the VP (At-large) and Secretary, currently Andrew Higgins and Rachel Sikorski, respectively, as well as proposals for panels for the 2024 Congress. If you're willing to stand to office, or if you have ideas for panels, let us know!

As ever, thank you for your continued interest and support!

Another Update for #Kzoo2023

ℌello, again, all, if after far too long! We'll try not to go so far between posts, moving forward.

There is a bit of news: the schedule for the 2023 International Congress on Medieval Studies has dropped (it's here). The Society's panel, Religion along the Tolkienian Fantasy Tradition: New Medievalist Narratives, did make, and it will occur virtually on Friday, 12 May 2023, at 10am US Eastern time; Rachel Sikorski and Geoffrey B. Elliott will be presenting, with Luke Shelton presiding.

As noted previously, we will arrange a Zoom call for the AGM, date and time to be determined; be looking for the usual survey here. Elections to office and conference proposals will be on the agenda; other items will be solicited, as well.

As ever, thank you for your continued interest and support!

Call For Authors!

   Are you an author who takes inspiration from the medieval period? Has J.R.R. Tolkien influenced your writing? If you answered yes to either of these questions, the Tales After Tolkien Society would love to hear from you!

  We are looking to further study and understand the impact that the Middle Ages and Tolkien have had on current story-telling and genre conventions. To that end, starting next week, we will be posting a weekly interview with an author who has found themselves pulling from the medieval period or whose work has been inspired by Tolkien's writing.

  If you'd be willing to be interviewed and speak about how the aforementioned ideas have impacted your work and discuss the genre you write in, send an email to rachelcooper201@gmail.com or comment under this post!

   We look forward to hearing from you!

An Update for #Kzoo2023

A follow-up: Per the Congress, "the ICMS Program Committee has extended the paper submission deadline through midnight Friday, September 23." So if you have 'em, get 'em in!

𝔚ell, folks, some news has come it, and it's not the news we'd want.

Put simply: the panel didn't make

Put with a bit more detail: we didn't have enough submissions come in to be able to seat a panel for the 2023 International Congress on Medieval Studies. Given that, and given the expense to Society members of attending the Congress--even remotely--the Annual General Meeting will be held via a Zoom call, date and time to be determined. Agenda items will focus on moving forward.

Thank you for your continued interest and support.

Another CFP: NE/PCA

ℑn response to the announcement about the Society's session at #Kzoo2023, Robin Anne Reid, the Tolkien Studies area chair for the Popular Culture Association, sent along word that her area would be interested in having proposals from members of the Society. She also notes "that the Northeast Popular Culture conference is virtual this fall and is open to work on Tolkien -- and on "Tales after Tolkien" as well--they have a science fiction fantasy area," adding that "anyone who cannot present at K'zoo is welcome to join us at Pop Culture (the conference will be f2f in San Antonio, Texas, in 2023 [...], or to propose at NEPCA https://nepca.blog/ (deadline there is August 1) which is virtual."

So, if you have ideas that might've fit well in "Bad Medieval/ism: Mis/Uses of the Medieval in Contemporary Fiction; or, I Know It's Wrong, But I Want to Have Fun" or "Hidden Middle Ages: Where the Middle Ages Hides in Plain Sight in Contemporary Narratives," send them along!

Some News about #Kzoo2023...And Updates

𝔑ews arrived today about the panels that the Society had proposed to the International Congress on Medieval Studies for its 2023 iteration. Of the three sessions that the Society had voted at the 2022 AGM to propose, only one was accepted: the paper session Religion along the Tolkienian Fantasy Tradition: New Medievalist Narratives. While it is something of a disappointment to have only one of the three sessions accepted, the Society looks forward to the abstracts and papers that are sure to follow.

The session will broadly examine depictions of formal religion, real-world or in-milieu, in recent (post-2000) works in the Tolkienian fantasy tradition--here, conceived loosely as fantasy works, irrespective of medium, that make use of a more or less "authentic" European Middle Ages (itself a somewhat nebulous term, as has been noted) as a primary reference for their milieux and their trappings. While it is a commonplace that religious observance was a prominent concern in medieval life, Tolkien notably largely avoids substantial overt depiction of religious forms in his works, and those authors who follow after him largely do, as well. Even those authors who are explicit about the inclusion of religion--Martin and Hobb come to mind as attention-grabbing examples, and others can be found--are far less overt about religious practices. The disjunction is curious and invites exploration...such as the session hopes to do.

Submissions for the session will be accepted via the Congress's platform, which should appear on the "Submissions" page once it goes live. Early-career researchers, persons working off of the tenure track or outside academe entirely, and persons from traditionally marginalized populations are especially encouraged to submit abstracts; the Society welcomes diverse voices working from formal and embedded approaches.

Members of the Society are encouraged to spread word of the session and to submit proposals to it, as well.

Information about the AGM will be posted once it becomes available.

Additionally, the Society still hopes for contributions from its members and other interested parties to this webspace. From an earlier announcement of the same:

The Tales after Tolkien Society, which seeks to provide a forum to examine use of the medieval and medievalism in post-Tolkien popular culture, is seeking guest contributors to its blog (talesaftertolkien.blogspot.com). Contributors need not have any institutional affiliation—we prize the voices of those on the outside. Posts can be of any length and can treat any work of any genre in any medium so long as it makes use of medieval/ist tropes and figures. We’re happy to see many topics, including (but certainly not limited to!)

• How reading / having read Tolkien influences your work, scholarly and creative;
• How reading medieval/ist work influences your own;
• How participation in / engagement with fandoms influences your own; and
• How you see a particular contemporary / recent work or body of work making use of the medieval.

More information is available at https://talesaftertolkien.blogspot.com/p/contributing.html. Interested? Email the Society at talesaftertolkien@gmail.com; we’d love to hear from you!

Note, too, that more regular activities will resume in this webspace soon; thank you for reading!