𝔒nce again, hello, all! Some more information has popped up where the Society can see it, and so we're passing it along in case it's of interest to members.
Society member Michael Torregrossa reports that he is "looking for two presiders for virtual sessions at Kalamazoo 2027 for sessions on the legends of the Holy Grail in popular culture." Those interested can reach out to him at medievalinpopularculture@gmail.com.
Claire Dillon offers a short-notice CFP " for a forthcoming issue of Radical History Review on “The Politicized Premodern Past.” The issue explores how premodern histories and imaginaries are mobilized in contemporary political projects. “Premodern” is loosely defined as 500–1500 CE in any part of the world." Additional details are at https://www.radicalhistoryreview.org/the-politicized-premodern-past-proposals-due-october-15-2026/.
The New Chaucer Society announces the following:
We are delighted to announce two Creative Medievalisms workshops for the 2026-27 academic year: novelist Jen Brown (Nov. 6) and cartoonist Kristen Haas Curtis (Feb. 5).
Jen is the author of The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton (Macmillan 2026) and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Bentley College. She has also published widely on medieval devotional literature and women as authors, readers, and patrons of medieval literary culture. Kristen is a medievalist, adaptation scholar, and independent cartoonist currently based at the University of Fribourg. She is best known to Chaucerians for her fabulous cartoon adaptation of the Nun's Priest's Tale. A description of each workshop is below.
Participation in the workshops is by nomination only. Please consider nominating your students for either workshop, or both! Nominated students receive a written invitation from the organizers, as well as a Certificate of Completion for each workshop they attend. The nomination form can be found here.
Nominations for “Rewriting Cromwell” need to be submitted by 16 October 2026.
Nominations for “Making Medieval Zines and Comics” need to be submitted by 15 January 2027.
Rewriting Cromwell: Historical Figures, Fictional Lives
Jennifer N. Brown
Friday 6 November, 11am ET, via Zoom
What happens when the archive ends and imagination begins? This workshop explores how writers transform real historical figures into literary characters. Focusing on Thomas Cromwell, one of the most influential and contested figures of Tudor England, we will move between historical documents and creative reimaginings of Cromwell in works such as Robert Bolt's A Man for All Seasons, Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall, Rebecca Lehmann's The Beheading Game, and Jennifer N. Brown's The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton. Together, we will examine how playwrights and novelists use evidence, speculation, voice, and perspective to bring the past to life. Through discussion and short writing exercises, participants will experiment with techniques for repurposing medieval and early modern sources, animating historical voices, and creating new stories from the fragments, silences, and possibilities left behind by the historical record.
“To tellen short and pleyn”: Making Medieval Zines and Comics (Even if You Think You Can’t Draw)
Kristen Haas Curtis
Friday 5 February, 11am ET, via Zoom
Our field (rightly) tends to privilege long, slow work on multi-year writing projects even as the world seems to be speeding up and attention spans appear to be waning. This disconnect can leave us feeling anxious or blocked, unable to proceed with the work we need to be doing in an environment that plays by different rules. Our work and our way of working are so important but the complicated feelings that arise from this dissonance can leave us craving a sense of completion or of forward movement: sometimes you just need to finish something. That’s where the zine (pronounced /zeen/) comes in.
Zines are self-published books that take a variety of forms and can range in complexity from the simple small book reproduced at a copy machine to a professional-looking production printed in runs of 100 or more. Zine making has been adopted by numerous countercultural movements, marginalized makers, members of fandoms, and those with niche interests, all of whom may feel underserved by the mainstream publishing industry. In this workshop we will be applying our (often niche) scholarly knowledge to playful exploration of the interactions and meaning made between text and image as we create our own zine comics. Working through a series of writing and drawing exercises, over the course of this workshop we will plan, craft, and complete our own zine projects in the form of a “one-page foldie” zine that requires nothing more than a couple sheets of paper, a pen you like working with, and an hour or so of your time. Drawing skill not required: if you have not drawn since childhood, you can still fully and productively participate in this workshop!
Creative Medievalisms is a collaboration of the New Chaucer Society and the International Piers Plowman Society. We offer online workshops run by published "creative medievalists," who guide students in reading medieval sources and developing their own creative adaptations. If you have any questions, or ideas for future workshops, you can email Liz Schirmer (eschirme@nmsu.edu) or Candace Barrington (barringtonc@ccsu.edu).
The Society will be hosting sessions at the 2027 International Congress on Medieval Studies. Society President Rachel Sikorski will have more details as they are solidified.
As ever, the Society welcomes contributions to this webspace, whether news of scholarly events, news of member achievements, or guest posts. Email us at talesaftertolkien@gmail.com if you have something to share; we'd be glad to have it!
