At the end of 2021, we asked our members what they'd like to see us build on our site in the coming years. There was significant support for all of the options, and we spent the past year expanding our archive to accept fanworks of all types. The only item on the list we haven't yet completed is the ability for members to host events on our site.
This one is a much more ambitious lift: building an entirely new feature vs. extending existing functionality. During 2023, we will be chipping away at hopefully getting this figured out, built, and up and running. To get us started, we need as much feedback as possible on what people would want to see this feature include.
So what even are "member-run events"? Basically, we'd provide you with what you need to set up an event, share information with your participants, and have participants post their fanworks, all using our site and resources. If your event would benefit from having a website or archive behind it, we would provide you with the tools to set that up. We've seen some excellent events run by members on our Discord, so we'd love it we could extend this further to offer our website and archive to those events that would benefit from it.
To get a preliminary sense of what event admins and moderators are looking for, we have set up a survey to collect feedback. All feedback is welcome, whether you already run an event, are thinking about it, or just want to share an opinion. Contacting us through the site is also welcome.
Meanwhile and speaking of events, remember that instadrabbling runs twice this weekend on our Discord server with prompts for past challenges as part of our Jubilee [six-year!!) amnesty challenge. If you're not a member of our Discord and want to be (whether for instadrabbling or something else), just hit reply and request an invite.
SWG News
New Challenge: Potluck Bingo
Sit down to a delicious selection of prompts served on bingo boards, created by the SWG community.
Tolkien Meta Week, December 8-14
We will be hosting a Tolkien Meta Week in December, here on the archive and on our Tumblr, for nonfiction fanworks about Tolkien.
Mereth Aderthad 2025: Call for Presenters for Meta, Research, and Scholarship Open
We welcome proposals from creators of meta, research, and scholarship about Tolkien for our July 2025 hybrid Mereth Aderthad event!
A Sense of History: Doom and Ascent
In the final essay in the series about the tower allegory in Tolkien's "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics," Simon J. Cook pulls together the series to give the full picture of how not just the allegory but the legendarium can be read.
Themed Collection: Orcs Are People
Cuarthol shares a collection of fiction, art, and essays that challenge the notion of Orcs as an inhuman enemy and instead consider the legendarium from the perspective that Orcs are people.
Themed Collection: Alliterative Verse for Arda
Rhunedhel shares ten alliterative poems about Tolkien's world, which build on Tolkien's own reverence for alliterative verse.
Cultus Dispatches: Why People Don't Comment
Many an author has stared at her clicks and her comment count and wondered: Why don't most readers comment? An update on a 2018 article for Long Live Feedback, this month's column uses Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data to reveal three big factors: skill, confidence, and community connections.
In Memory of Oshun
We are sad to share the news that our long-time member, author, and friend Oshun has passed away. We are raising money to help her family with expenses for those who wish to contribute.
New Fanworks
On a Night of Snow by by Elleth [Writing]
Fingon returns to Barad Eithel after a late-autumn hunt, finding someone unexpected with his wife. The night takes an even more unexpected turn for all three of them.
Read more ...Getting Dirty by by Elleth [Writing]
A collection of NSFW ficlets for the "Keep It Clean" bingo card of the 2024 Potluck Bingo.
Read more ...Collection of Potluck Drabbles by by Artano [Writing]
This is a collection of true drabbles completed for the 'Four Words' drabble bingo card.
Read more ...2024 Potluck Doodles by by silmalope [Artwork]
Assorted prompt fills for the 2024 Potluck bingo boards, to varying degrees of completion! :)
Read more ...A Collection of Maps Exhibiting the Changing Political Landscape in Beleriand by by Artano [Artwork]
Created for the 'Geography/Maps/Places' prompt on the "Tolkien meta" bingo board, this is a collection of maps marked with the various people groups showing how they arrived and moved about Beleriand. This collection focuses specifically on the time from the arrival of the Teleri, Vanyar, and Noldor before they went to Aman up to the distribution of the various kingdoms after the Flight of the Noldor, when they arrived in Middle-earth and settled there.
Read more ...On the Nature of the Sindar’s Hunting the Petty-dwarves by by Artano [Writing]
This is an analysis on whether the Sindar ate the Petty-dwarves during the years they hunted them, completed for the 'Literary Analysis' prompt on the "Tolkien Meta" bingo card.
Read more ...Indeed the Everlasting Darkness shall be our lot by by Erdariel [Writing]
Maglor sings. He wanders. Slowly, a shadow comes over his sight and mind, deepening little by little
Read more ...Valier & colours by by daughterofshadows [Artwork]
Semi-abstract arts representing the queens of the Valar.
Read more ...Survivors: A Pair of Drabbles by by Himring [Writing]
Written for an Insta-drabbling challenge for Orctober prompts, but not horror (or fluff either): two drabbles about survivors, Maglor and Haleth.
Read more ...Updated Fanworks
Ransom of the Fairy Twins by by Rocky41_7 [Writing]
Maglor and Maedhros trade Elrond and Elros to King Gil-galad in exchange for a Silmaril, but they have miscalculated.
Read more ...Instadrabbling by by SWG Moderators [Series]
We get together from time to time on the SWG Discord and produce spontaneous fanworks based on randomly chosen prompts. This collection includes drabbles, ficlets, and other flash fanworks produced as part of our instadrabbling sessions.
Read more ...Beyond the Silmarillion Fanworks
Long-tressed Wingildi by by Anérea [Artwork]
"... the long-tressed Wingildi ... spirits of the foam and the surf of ocean."
~ a painted sketch for Scribbles and Drabbles 2024.
Read more ...
Around the World and Web
Teitho November/December Contest: Healing
The theme for Teitho's November/December contest is healing.
Lord of the Rings Secret Santa 2024
LotR SESA has been ongoing for twenty-one years and is running again this year as a prompt meme hosted on AO3 for all genres of Tolkien-based fanfiction.
November challenge at tolkienshortfanworks
The challenge for November has been posted to the tolkienshortfanworks community on Dreamwidth. Thematic prompt: refuge. Formal challenge: include imitation of a sound. As always, these can be filled independently and also freely combined with SWG and other challenges. New participants welcome!
November 2024 Call for Papers and Proposals
Calls for papers and proposals for conferences and publications that are open during the month of November 2024.
White Oliphaunt 2024
The White Oliphaunt is a Tolkien fanwork exchange for humorous gifts.
Tolkien Society: Christopher Tolkien Centenary Conference
The Tolkien Society will be hosting the online Christopher Tolkien Centenary Conference on November 23-24, 2024.
Teitho October/November Challenge: Legacy
For October/November, the Teitho contest invites fanfiction and art around the theme of Legacy.
Kiliel Week 2024
Kiliel Week is a Tumblr event for fanworks about the Kili/Tauriel pairing.
Acorns and Oak Leaves: A Year of Bagginshield
Throughout 2024, the Bagginshield community Acorns and Oak Leaves offers monthly prompts to encourage new creations of all kinds.
