Around the World and Web

Around the World and Web includes announcements and items of interest from beyond the SWG.

Silmarillion Epistolary Week 2025

Silmarillion Epistolary is a challenge dedicated to creating fanworks to tell the story of the Silmarillion in the style of an epistolary novel. It will run April 14th - 20th, 2025, on Tumblr and AO3.

An epistolary novel is where the story is told through letters, diary entries, or other types of documents. One of the most well-known epistolary novels is Dracula, another more modern example would be The Princess Diaries series. These books use different kinds of documents and communications between characters such as letters, telegrams, email, journals, instant messaging, or texting to tell a story in a nontraditional way.

The goal of Silmarillion Epistolary is to encourage fans to take the stories we know and tell them through different kinds of documents.

Rules

Be kind and courteous to others. Disrespect or harassment won't be tolerated.

Entries must be in epistolary format of some kind. There are a lot of possibilities, so be creative!

Prompts are suggestions to help generate ideas, but you're not required to use them.

Tag entries as #silmarillionepistolary or @silmarillionepistolary so that they can be reblogged! If you think your post may have been missed please reach out to let us know!

Please tag NSFW entries so that they can be reblogged here with the appropriate tag.

No AI generated works, we want to see what YOU can create!

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out!

Prompts

Day 1: Daily Life, Customs, Recipes

Day 2: Exploration, New Lands, Maps

Day 3: Family, Loyalty, Journals

Day 4: Friendship, Alliance, Bookkeeping

Day 5: Love, Creation, Letters

Day 6: Loss, Betrayal, Obituaries

Day 7: Remembrance, New Beginnings, AU

These are suggestions to help generate ideas, but not required. If you don't like the prompts for the day please feel free to create something else!

April Challenge at tolkienshortfanworks

The tolkienshortfanworks challenge for April has been posted to the Dreamwidth community. 

The thematic challenge for this month is: Wood.
This could be in the sense of "forest" or in the sense of the material.
It could also be "wood" as an element in compounds or names.

The formal challenge this time is: linnod.
This is the traditional verse form used by Gilraen in the Tale of Aragorn and Arwen (LOTR Appendix A).
We only have that one canonical example with translation:
Ónen i-Estel Edain, ú-chebin estel anim.
"I gave Hope to the Dúnedain, I have kept no hope for myself."

The name of the form probably means "chant-seven".
Our Sindarin example seems to show two times seven syllables, although there may be other ways to interpret the form.
Imitate the Sindarin original or its English translation in any way you like.
Alternatively, your piece could include someone using a short response in verse in the way Gilraen does, without your imitating the form of the linnod itself.
 

These prompts can be filled separately and freely combined with other challenges and prompts that allow this. New participants welcome.

More detals on the challenges at the linked post and at the Dreamwidth community.

Celedriel Week 2025

Celedriel Week is a Tumblr events for fanworks about Galadriel and Celeborn. It will run April 6-12, 2025, with the following prompts:

April 6 - First Meetings, Impressions, The Heart Stirs. (A Gaze Caught. The Fire Ignites. "Eru save me, I've found my doom.")

April 7 - Dedication, Courtship, The Heart Blooms. (Flowers and Letters. Words of Love. "My heart, my love, my eternity. My soul soars for thee.")

April 8 - Marriage, Vows, The Heart Bound In Love. (An exchange of rings. Families bound. "In joy and suffering, in life persevering, in death enduring, I take thee and thee alone.")

April 9 - Kingdoms, Refuge, The Heart Endures. (Crowns of silver. Realms rise and fall. "Blessed are they who stand before the darkness and do not falter.")

April 10 - Separation, Conflict, The Heart Grieves. (War and loss leave wounds. Paths diverge and change. "I must follow this thread alone, but not forever.")

April 11 - Lothlorien, Children, The Heart Heals. (Wounds become scars. A silver realm. "Let our children bring joy amidst darkness.")

April 12 - The West, Undying Love, The Heart is Eternal. (A test endured and passed. A goodbye, but not a farewell. "In life and eternity, endless bliss under golden trees.")

Tolkien Ekphrasis Week 2025

Ekphrasis: the description or interpretation of a piece of art, usually visual, in a different artistic medium.

Material culture and art add vibrancy to our lives, and it seems that there are so many options in Middle Earth ripe for interpretation! A poem on Nerdanel's statues, a tapestry capturing Nessa's dance, a prose fic describing the impact of seeing Númenor's frescoes, a painting exploring the beautiful quotidian architecture of a Hobbit hole…

This is a Tolkien-fandom-wide event dedicated to the art of ekphrasis in Tolkien's worlds. Its goal is to illuminate the artistic surroundings of the places, people, and stories we love, in as many media as possible. As such, fanworks are welcome to take almost any form: see the FAQ for the full list!

The prompts are multi-part. The first part of the prompt is mandatory, describing the kind of art to be interpreted. The subsequent parts are optional thematic, formal, or visual add-ons that people may choose to incorporate or not.

In short, the timeline is:

  1. Read prompts starting March 17.
  2. Create!
  3. Post tagged work to AO3 before June 9 deadline.
  4. Enjoy daily reveals between June 10 and June 16.
  5. Amnesty day June 17 for late posters.

Inclusion

Tolkien Ekphrasis Week is open to all characters, genres, and ratings, and all Tolkien canons. This includes books, movies both live-action and animated, fan-made films like Born of Hope, TV shows, and game canons such as Lord of the Rings Online. It also includes Tolkien's non-Arda fictional works, such as Roverandom. Crossovers between two or more Tolkien canons are welcome.

Tolkien Ekphrasis Week wants to be as inclusive as possible. As such:

  • All canons and versions of canon are equally welcome and encouraged to participate.
  • Fan creators of all levels of experience should feel more than welcome to join in the fun.
  • All languages are welcomed, and works in languages other than English are actively encouraged.
  • All styles of art and all types of fic are permitted. Apart from following the Art Form content prompt for each day, there are no restrictions on genre, style, rating, or ship. There are two exceptions: first, no character bashing; second, no AI-generated writing or art.

Above all, this event is supposed to get us thinking and feeling about art, which is for everyone. With this in mind, TEW asks participants to be respectful and inclusive at all times. In particular, TEW values its queer and trans participants and participants of color and will moderate as necessary to ensure that this event remains a welcoming space.

Please see the FAQ for all rules and full instructions on how to post and tag.

Calendar

June 9, 2025: Submit all works to the AO3 Collection by this date

June 10-16, 2025: Reveals

March 17, 2026: 2025 AO3 Collection and DW community close to posting.

Housekeeping

The DW site is the primary home of Tolkien Ekphrasis Week: that is where to check first for dates, news, FAQs, links, and prompts!

Prompts will also be posted here on Tumblr. The Tumblr blog will be used for event promotion ahead of the event, answering questions via the ask function, and reblogging your creations, if they are posted and tagged on Tumblr.

This event does not and will not exist on any other form of social media other than Tumblr and DW, though I encourage you to spread the word in your other online communities.

If you have any questions, you can get in touch with the mod, @chestnut_pod, via Tumblr ask or comments on the Dreamwidth community's equivalent post.

Links

Teitho March/April Challenge: Mothers

Exploring the idea of mothers in Tolkien lets us go behind the scenes. We have quite a few mothers directly in the narrative, primarily in the Silmarillion—where we see Miriel, Nerdanel, Morwen, Idril, Aredhel, Luthien, Elwing, and even have mentions of Anaire and Earwen.

In The Lord of the Rings we read of Galadriel being Celebrian’s mother and Arwen’s grandmother. Aragorn’s mother Gilraen, Faramir and Boromir’s mother Finduilas, and Rosie Cotton—Sam’s wife—are all mentioned in the narrative. The Hobbit gives us a memory of Belladonna Took, Bilbo’s mother, and mentions of Thorin’s sister Dis—the mother of Fili and Kili. The stories of any of these characters would make for fascinating fic! Or art!

There are many who remain unmentioned and unnamed—Legolas’s mother, Gimli’s, the mothers of generations of Dunedain, of Gondorians, of the Rohirrim, of the Shire. And consider Ungoliant, mother of Shelob! And mothers among the ranks of orcs.

We are excited to see where this prompt takes you and which character gives you inspiration! Please submit your fic or art by April 30 to teitho.contest@gmail.com

Find more information about Teitho here.

Around the World and Web Archive

Events listed here are no longer active but are listed on the site for historical purposes.

Fall for Tolkien Artist Sign-Ups Open July 15

How the Fall for Tolkien event works: Artists submit their art.  All art submitted should be "finished" before it is submitted.  Art is added to a super awesome presentation.

At the end of the submission period, artists who also want to write get first dibs at making claims.

Authors choose art to write for.

Each author can make up to three claims to start; as they finish pieces, they can return and make additional claims.  Artwork can be claimed multiple times.

Complete Fall for Tolkien guidelines are available on their website.

Fall for Tolkien Schedule

July 15: Artist Sign-ups Open
September 1: Author Sign-ups Open
September 15: Artist Sign-ups Close
September 20: Art Submissions Due
October 3: Author Sign-ups Close
October 10: Author Claims (for Artists) Open
October 17: Author Claims (for Authors Only) Open
December 18: Author Submissions Due
December 21: AO3 Collection Opens

Welcome Back, Tolkien Fan Fiction!

The Tolkien Fan Fiction archive has been rebuilt and is back online! First opened in 2005, TFF is open to members of the Henneth-Annun Groups.io discussion list and accepts nearly all fanfiction based on Tolkien's works. The complete TFF rules are here.

Fansplaining Podcast, Episode 153: The Productive Fan

In Episode 153, “The Productive Fan,” Elizabeth and Flourish respond to a listener letter about some fic authors’ tendencies to see themselves as ‘bad’ if they aren’t producing written work. Topics covered include the perils of prescriptive writing advice, the Protestant work ethic, Flourish and Elizabeth’s personal writing habits, and the impact of professional authors’ conversations on fanfic authors’ discourse. Find the podcast and a transcript on the Fansplaining website.

Teitho June/July Contest: Vision

Teitho is a monthly contest for fanfiction and fanart set in Tolkien's world. The Teitho prompt for June/July is Vision.

We're excited to see where your vision of a story takes you this month! Will it be a vision seen in a dream? Or a nightmare? 
Is vision with the eyes or the mind? What does Finrod's foresight reveal to him? Are there other visions Galadriel has seen in her Mirror?

A vision for a new home, a new community, a new beginning? Or visions of past glory?

Ghostly visions seen on the path to Erech or fearful images conjured by Morgoth himself?

A vision of beauty, a vision of potential. The inner workings of the mind of Feanor?

The choice is yours–tell us your story and let us see Tolkien's world through you.

Submissions are due by July 30th!

Learn more about Teitho here and find the full Teitho rules here.

Tolkien Experience Podcast Episode 35: Interview with Erik Mueller-Harder

Luke Shelton says of his Tolkien Experience Project, "I started the Tolkien Experience Project because one of the first things that comes up when Tolkien fans get into a shared space is the desire to bond over our experiences of Tolkien’s work." In Episode 35, he interviews Erik Mueller-Harder, a Tolkien scholar who has focused on Tolkien's cartography and map-making. Erik also runs the website tolkienists.org, with its the Tolkien Society Award-nominated Tolkien Art Index and his LRCitations. You can find Luke's interview with Erik on the Tolkien Experience YouTube channel. You can subscribe to the Tolkien Experience Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher, and via RSS Feed or support the podcast on Patreon.

Mini Spring Bang 2021 Collection Open

The AO3 collection for the 2021 Mini Spring Bang has been opened! Check out Silmarillion fanworks created for this event.

Tolkien Society Seminar 2021: Tolkien and Diversity Recaps

Not a single word was spoken at the Tolkien Society's 2021 summer seminar before a contingent of Tolkien fans had decided they weren't having it. Bad photomanips involving the Eye of Sauron and other such images were (no kidding) used to smear the presenters and the very idea of the seminar. Why? For it focused on the topic of "Tolkien and Diversity."

Diversity and representation have long been subjects of discussion and debate in the Tolkien fanfiction fandom (and the alarmist pearl-clutching has a long history too). The SWG commends the Tolkien Society--one of if not the most prominent organizations devoted to study and appreciation of the Professor's work--for tackling this important topic.

Eventually, many of the presenters' talks will be available on the Tolkien Society's YouTube, and a conference proceedings is in the works as well. In the meantime, if you couldn't attend but want to know more about the presentations, the following blogs have recaps. (Know of others? Link them in the comments and we'll add them!)

Tolkien and Diversity: A Seminar Report by Christian S. Trenk (The Tolkienist)
Tolkien and Diversity Presentations (Day One) and (Day Two) by Robin Anne Reid (Tolkien on the Web)
Episode 36: Tolkien and Diversity Recap by Jude Vais and Stef Midlock (Athrabeth podcast)

Call for Papers: Academia Lunare, "Not the Fellowship. Dragons Welcome."

Our Call for Papers include essays from academics, independent researchers, fans and creative writers, appealing to both the casual reader and a more research-oriented one. We consider this cross-disciplinary collaboration a strength, and the beginning of many more journeys.

For the 2021 project, writers are invited to engage with a fictional character of choice from any of Tolkien’s works who is not part of The Lord of the Rings’ Fellowship. Though they can be characters of LOTR.

Friends, foes or neutral; dead or undead; divine beings, beasts (of the mythical or animal variety), or other. We welcome all. Bill the Pony, though undoubtedly an honorary member of the Fellowship at least according to Sam, is - for our purposes - fair game.

The purpose of this Call for Papers aims, on the one hand, at bringing to the fore more of Tolkien’s characters who do not receive the same attention as the Fellowship. On the other hand, we want to tackle these less appreciated characters in new ways, and in the light of a contemporary sensibility.

All the details about submitting are on the Academia Lunare page. Please visit it before submitting! Closing Date: 31st of August 2021.

Mythcon 51: A Virtual "Halfling" Mythcon (July 31-August 1)

The 51st Mythcon, a "virtual 'halfling' Mythcon," will be held on Saturday, July 31, and Sunday, August 1. Registration is open on the Mythcon site for the cost of $20 USD. The preliminary Mythcon schedule gives a sneak peek at this year's presenters and session titles.

Sunshine Challenge 2021

Check out the Master List to find links to all of the 2021 challenge posts.

Welcome to the sunshine_challenge! Our aim to provide a little bit of sunshine as everyone takes part in creating and sharing the content each prompt inspires.

We will post seven challenge prompts throughout the month of July. You are encouraged to complete as many of the prompts as you feel comfortable doing: whether that’s one, all seven, or some number in between! You can do them on your private journal or in public posts, the choice is yours. If you’re shy we have places for lurkers, too. We want you all to have fun and enjoy the challenge in whichever way works best for you (this includes swapping out prompts and themes that aren’t inspiring you! We encourage conversation and creativity here, so please do join the fun in whichever way suits you).

The sunshine_challenge is about celebrating the DW community and the awesome people in it. One way we can do that is by interacting with each other. Every time you visit the journal of a fellow participant and comment on what they're sharing, you are helping to grow this community and make it better. We all could use a little sunshine in our lives. ♥