SWG News

Middle-earth Olympics Team Sign-Ups Open

Posted by Dawn Felagund on 2 July 2021. Last updated on 11 July 2021.

Quick Links: Register a Team | Team List

The Summer Olympics … a time when the world unites to cheer on their favorite teams in popular sports while pretending to understand the finer points of the more obscure events. Sports and games were likewise a part of the legendarium, whether the Galadriel's prowess as a swimmer, undertaken in Arda's salad days, or Maedhros's single-handed fencing skills and similar militaristic exercises from Middle-earth's darker eras.

This month, in honor of the 20201 Summer Olympics and sport in Middle-earth, we present our own Olympic games! This month will feature a series of prompts that can be done as an individual or a team. Want to join a team? Sign-ups are open to set up a national team for your favorite group of characters from the legendarium!

Right now, registration is open for national teams. If you'd like to register a team, check out the Middle-earth Olympics guidelines and register your team for Middle-earth Olympics. If you'd like to join a team, see the team list and contact the team captain or the mods to join. If you want to participate individually, you don't need to do anything at all yet--just create something for one or more of the challenge prompts when they open on July 15!

Important Dates

July 11: Last day to create a team
July 12: Open sign-ups for teams begin
July 15: Challenge prompts posted
July 16: Last day to join a team
July 17, time TBD: Opening Ceremony on Discord
August 10: Last day for challenge entries
August 15, time TBD: Medal and Closing Ceremonies

See the Middle-earth Olympics challenge page for full details on how to get involved, either with a team as an individual participant.

In order to receive a stamp for your fanwork, your response must be posted to the archive on or before 10 August 2021. For complete challenge guidelines, see the Challenges page on our website.

New Challenge: Back to the Future

Posted by Dawn Felagund on 2 July 2021. Last updated on 20 July 2021.

"I imagine the gap to be about 6000 years: that is we are now at the end of the Fifth Age, if the Ages were of about the same length as S.A. and T.A. But they have, I think, quickened; and I imagine we are actually at the end of the Sixth Age, or in the Seventh."

J.R.R. Tolkien, "Letter 211 to Rhona Beare" (1958)

In the same letter to Ms. Beare quoted above, Tolkien also wrote, "I have, I suppose, constructed an imaginary time, but kept my feet on my own mother-earth for place," leading many fans to interpret our current time as the Seventh Age. However, as the quote shows, Tolkien was far from certain of that conclusion--and the rapidity with which his ideas were evolving at this point in his work on The Silmarillion casts similar doubt on just about anything he wrote during this time. (Dome of Varda, anyone?)

This month's challenge asks you to put a character, culture, or place in Arda in the Seventh Age. When the Seventh Age actually is--is it right now? in the future? or was Tolkien totally wrong and it's actually passed?--is completely up to you.

Furthermore, June is Pride Month, and as in years past, fanworks that include LGBTQ+ charcters will receive a special stamp.

In order to receive a stamp for your fanwork, your response must be posted to the archive on or before 10 July 2021. For complete challenge guidelines, see the Challenges page on our website.

New Challenge: Book by Its Cover

Posted by Dawn Felagund on 15 May 2021. Last updated on 2 July 2021.

Were you ever told, as a child, not to judge a book by its cover? Well, this month, we're telling you to throw that advice away!

This month's prompts will be book covers: gorgeous, cringey, perplexing, and everything in between. You can use any element of the book cover to create a fanwork. If you'd like to receive a prompt for this month's challenge, comment on our Dreamwidth, comment on our LiveJournal, send us an ask on Tumblr, or email us at moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org.

As the prompts are old book covers, their default form is as an image. If you would prefer a description instead, please let us know when you request your prompt.

In order to receive a stamp for your fanwork, your response must be posted to the archive on or before 10 June 2021. For complete challenge guidelines, see the Challenges page on our website.

Volunteers Needed: Scouts for Around the World & Web

Posted by Dawn Felagund on 13 May 2021. Last updated on 31 October 2021.

Around the World and Web has been a long-running part of our site where we post announcements and links to events and content outside of the SWG. We are looking for scouts to help us maintain this part of our site so that SWG members are connected with the broader Tolkien fandom. Of course, we're interested in help from members willing to share announcements and links that they find as part of their participation in fandom. Scouts can also include admins and moderators of events who want access to post about their events on the SWG.

There is no minimum commitment to becoming a scout! You can share as much or as little as you would like.

Interested in learning more? Our FAQ about what and how to post an Around the World & Web announcement is a good place to start.

If you'd like to become a scout, or if you have questions about the role, contact our moderator team.

Character of the Month: Tar-Minastir

Posted by Dawn Felagund on 30 April 2021. Last updated on 4 July 2021.

A man of his times, Tar-Minastir perpetuated Númenórean policies of the past and foreshadowed those that would follow. Read Tar-Minastir's biography here.

And don't miss our award-winning character biography collection here!

Site Downtime on April 30

Posted by Dawn Felagund on 28 April 2021. Last updated on 28 April 2021.

On April 30, from 11:30-12:30 Eastern Time, our webhost will be performing maintenance and the site will go offline for about a half-hour. If you notice anything that works incorrectly or oddly after this maintenance, please report it to the mods.

Thank You, Volunteers!

Posted by Dawn Felagund on 25 April 2021. Last updated on 2 July 2021.

In true Tolkienian tradition, our new site is the product of many minds and hands who worked on everything from documents to testing to keeping the current group and site afloat while we made the transition to the new software. If you are enjoying the new site, please consider commenting on one of our volunteers' fanworks as a token of thanks!

While we knew we needed a software overhaul, we also decided to use the transition as an opportunity to review and update site documents as well, specifically with an inclusivity focus. Welcoming all Tolkien fans has always been one of our values, but our documents were fifteen years old and didn't always reflect our values as they have evolved in this time. This kind of work can be challenging, uncomfortable, and even painful, and our inclusivity committee deserves kudos for making it happen. Thank you, Elwin Fortuna, Mertiya, Janeways, Independence1776, and Elleth for being a part of this work.

Of course, the site itself took a lot of effort from a lot of people. First of all, bunn designed our beautiful new logo, chosen by our members in a landslide, and around which the design of the rest of the site proceeded. Our intrepid beta testers jumped into using a mostly untried site and then reported all the problems they found (and there were lots!) to the cranky site builder, who was just eager at that point to be done. Their patience with the new site (and with me!) is so appreciated, and the site as you see it now is much better for their efforts. They'll tell you they didn't do much but don't believe them! Our journey to this point would have been much rougher without them. Thank you, firstamazon, Gabriel, Independence1776, ArizonaPoppy, Himring, Lferion, and Janeways--our invaluable beta testers!

In addition to work on the new site itself, the old site needed to be kept afloat. One of my big worries, entering into this project, was that the current site and group would suffer as I floundered through the weeds of rebuilding the new site. Many people pulled together to make sure this didn't happen. My comoderators Lyra and Grundy kept the monthly challenges running. More than once, I stumbled into our shared challenge document on the day it was due, hoping to throw something together, only to discover that they'd finished it, and it was ready to go. Likewise, the newsletter kept going because of Russandol, with Angelica, Elleth, Oshun, and Lindariel compiling and producing the content each month. On our Discord server, Grundy and Suzelle kept the lights on and the conversation flowing. I sure wasn't paying attention--the server could have turned into a Tetris fan board and I would have been none the wiser! Because of all of you, the SWG pulled through so that we still had a group in place to occupy the lovely new site we'd built--thank you all!

My final thank you goes out to Russandol, who was my partner in crime on this rebuild project. As the migration grew in complexity and modules continued to randomly break the site and I once, memorably, broke the site as well, I kept expecting she would tell me she'd had enough. She never did. She was responsible for migrating thousands of fanworks, comments, and hundreds of users from our aging eFiction software to our new Drupal platform, which did not particularly care for talking to each other. She sometimes had to endure a dozen emails from me a day to the tune of "help this broke!" Russa, thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for all you did and continue to do for this community. I am so grateful for your help.

Finally, thank you to our members and friends who make this community what it is. Whether you've been with us for the full sixteen years of our journey or are just joining us now, this site would be nothing without the people who share their work, support the work of others, and keep our love for Tolkien alive. Never underestimate the power of a single comment or fanwork or small act of kindness. You are the reason we exist, and I am thankful for each of you and your ongoing support of the Silmarillion Writers' Guild.

Site Reopening Ribbon-Cutting This Weekend

Posted by Dawn Felagund on 24 April 2021. Last updated on 25 April 2021.

After eight months of work, we are thrilled to officially welcome the SWG site back to the Internet with a ribbon-cutting party. In an effort to welcome our international member base, we will be holding two events on our Discord server. All are welcome, and you can join our Discord here. (Note that we've closed the open invite for this weekend. Logged-in SWG members can join Discord by scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking the Discord icon. Visitors can message the mods for a Discord invite.) See below for the program for each event.

Saturday, April 24, 23:00/11PM UTC

(Find this in my timezone)

Welcome, Acknowledgments, and Site Dedication, Dawn Felagund, in the #live-readings channel

Toast, open mic in #live-readings. Bring your drink of choice and raise a glass to another fifteen years of the SWG!

Readings, in the #live-readings channel

Instadrabbling, in the #instadrabbling and #instadrabbling-nsfw channels (under SWG Events). Join us to create some impromptu Tolkien-based fanworks using prompts around the themes of renewal and the future. All participants are welcome to bring a prompt for these themes.

Sunday, April 25, 15:00/3PM UTC

(Find this in my timezone)

Welcome, Acknowledgments, and Site Dedication, Dawn Felagund, in the #live-readings channel

Toast, open mic in #live-readings. Bring your drink of choice and raise a glass to another fifteen years of the SWG!

Readings, in the #live-readings channel

Instadrabbling, in the #instadrabbling and #instadrabbling-nsfw channels (under SWG Events). Join us to create some impromptu Tolkien-based fanworks using prompts around the themes of renewal and the future. All participants are welcome to bring a prompt for these themes.

SWG Site Reopening: Official Ribbon-Cutting Party!

Posted by Dawn Felagund on 17 April 2021. Last updated on 24 April 2021.

We are thrilled to announce the completion of our new website--the first step forward in building a more vibrant and inclusive community for Tolkien fans to enjoy. In celebration of this watershed moment for our group, we will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 24 and 25, featuring a live reading and instadrabbling session! There will be two sessions, timed to welcome as many of our members from around the world as we can.

Saturday, April 24, 23:00/11PM UTC (find this in my timezone)
Sunday, April 25, 15:00/3PM UTC (find this in my timezone)

The celebration will be held on the SWG's Discord server. (Not a member of our Discord server but want to join? See below!)

Live Reading

We'll kick off the event with a tribute and toast to the new site, then hand the mic to our members to share readings of ficlets, poems, and excerpts from Tolkien to mark the occasion.

  • If you're reading a poem or ficlet, please read only a work you have authored.

  • Selections should focus on the broad themes of renewal and looking toward the future.

  • Please choose a selection that can be read in five minutes or less.

If you want to read, complete this form. You can read at one or both sessions. At this time, we're asking for one selection per reader, but if you'd be interested in reading more, let us know in the Notes field on the form. If we have room, we will add you in! Once you've signed up, you'll hear from a moderator within the next week to confirm your reading time.

Just want to listen in? Listeners are more than welcome! Join our Discord server or look for a link on the date of the event to join in. We will also record the reading* so that those unable to attend can listen later.

* Participants can opt out of the recording; just check the appropriate box on the form above.

Instadrabbling

Instadrabbling is a long-running Tolkien fanfiction tradition carried on for at least the better part of two decades. Traditionally, a group gathers on a chat server, one participant offers four words chosen at random from the closest book at hand, and all participants create a perfect drabble using those four words, post their work, and squee and celebrate!

For this event, in an effort to welcome as many participants as we can, our expectations are considerably looser. Prompts will focus on the theme of renewal. Prompts can be anything at all: a quote, an image, a video clip, a song, a passage from Tolkien ... even the traditional four-word prompt! Participants are welcome to bring a prompt or simply create using the prompts offered by others.

All fanworks are welcome. While the tradition is a perfect 100-word drabble, if that's too short? (Too long??) Write something else! Write a poem or a short story. Don't write? Do a sketch using the prompts, work on a cosplay project, make a playlist--any and all creativity is welcome!

Participants are also welcome who don't want to create fanworks of their own but want to enjoy those made by others and join in the conversation. Join our Discord server or look for a link on the date of the event to join in.

How to Join Our Discord Server

If you're an SWG member, log in and scroll to the bottom of the site, where you'll find a link to our Discord server. If you're not a member of our site yet (do you want to be??), contact our mod team, and we'll send you an invite.

We'll also post invite links on our site and social media that can be used at the time of the events to join in.

Ribbon image credit: Brett Croft (modified by Dawn Felagund under license terms)

New Challenge: Queens of the Quill

Posted by Dawn Felagund on 14 April 2021. Last updated on 15 May 2021.

April is poetry month and Legendarium Ladies April, so in the spirit of both, this month's prompts will be poems by women writers. If you'd like to receive a prompt for this month's challenge, comment on our Dreamwidth, comment on our LiveJournal, send us an ask on Tumblr, or email us at moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org. Some of our poetic prompts are about heavier topics. If you'd rather avoid these (or any particular topic), just let us know in your request!

In honor of Legendarium Ladies April, we encourage participants to combine our challenge with LLA prompts, and we will have a special stamp for fanworks that do. Please make sure your story notes indicate the LLA prompt(s) you completed for your fanwork if you want to receive this stamp. You may use any past LLA prompts.

In order to receive a stamp for your fanwork, your response must be posted to the archive on or before 10 May 2021. For complete challenge guidelines, see the Challenges page on our website.