Canon Rejects (Volume 18, Issue 15)
The History of Middle-earth and other texts related to how Christopher Tolkien constructed The Silmarillion out of his father's unpublished drafts can seem both a blessing and a curse to the fanworks creator. On the one hand, they give us so much raw material for our works. On the other, they muddle the water considerably where "canon" is concerned.
Fanworks creators have different views on which of these posthumous, draft, and previously unpublished works count as canon and which do not. Many, however, reject the earliest concepts when they were replaced later by different ideas (which often went on to become that "canon" that is the published Silmarillion). This isn't shocking. Tolkien's earliest writings on the legendarium date to the 1910s, when he was still in his 20s. The Book of Lost Tales, especially, seems at odds with the Silmarillion we know, in terms of plot, character, and style. Tolkien himself appears to have agreed. When he recommenced work on the first phases of what, decades later, would be published as The Silmarillion, he stripped almost all of his Lost Tales work away and began again with something termed, literally, "The Sketch of the Mythology." (Though many of these ideas would end up rejected too.) From there, decades of successive revisions, many letters, and much noodling about brought about the various materials that Christopher Tolkien used in putting together the published Silmarillion.
This month, however, we are embracing those early rejects like they were never cast ignobly out of the legendarium. Prompts for our challenge this month, called Rejects, are just what they sound like: rejected concepts from Tolkien's pre-LotR work on the legendarium. These were the days when the Silmarils had yet to achieve central status, Victorian fairy-story and the medieval Northern mythos somehow coexited, and Tolkien hadn't yet abandoned his "mythology for England" (do not laugh!) We're asking creators to pretend like their assigned event did transpire as it did in the early works and explore any aspect of the legendarium with that revised canon in mind.
If you'd like a Rejects prompt, you can reply to this email, and we'll send one along.
Also: The schedule for the Second Age Book Club hosted on our Discord server on April 29-30 has also been posted. (If you need a Discord invite, reply to this email!) And this is the last call for responses on the Fandom Voices project on defining canon, if you want your response included in the article. (Incoming responses will be added to the collection forevermore ... or as close to it as we mortals can achieve.)
SWG News
A Sense of History: Straight Road
The next in a series of articles about ships passing to and from the West, Simon uses "The Fall of Númenor" to attempt to arrive at Tolkien's reading of the exordium to "Beowulf."
Fandom Voices: Comments and Feedback
Our Fandom Voices project tackles the fraught questions of feedback: what it is like to leave and receive feedback in the world of Tolkien fanworks.
20th Birthday Event Feedback Needed
Answer one small question to help us plan an even to celebrate our 20th birthday next year!
Call for Contributors: Themed Collections
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New Challenge: Bollywood
This month's challenge offers songs, films, and tropes from Bollywood, the world's largest film industry based out of India, as prompts for fanworks.
New Fanworks
Meeting the In-Laws by by awwyeah107 [Writing]
Caranthir is nervous about meeting Haleth’s father and brother for the first time. Haleth is sure everything will go well.
Read more ...Morgoth's prisoner by by elennalore [Artwork]
Maedhros in Angband
Read more ...Tumult by by StarSpray [Writing]
After the chaos of the War of Wrath, Uinen smooths the way for the ships of the Edain to sail to their new home.
Later, she does what she can at its fall.
Read more ...Coincidences of Fate by by cílil [Writing]
Sometimes Eönwë wonders if his life is just like Manwë's romance novels. Sometimes he even thinks the One may be laughing at him from above.
A story told in exactly 4 1/3 drabbles.
Read more ...Updated Fanworks
Tengwar Drabbles by by cílil [Writing]
A collection of Silmarillion-centric drabbles written for the Tengwar Challenge. Short and sweet!
Read more ...Around the World and Web
Teitho August/September Contest: Do you remember ...?
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August challenge at tolkienshortfanworks on Dreamwidth
The August challenge has been posted to the tolkienshortfanworks community on Dreamwidth. The thematic challenge is: magic trees. The formal challenge is: call and response. New participants welcome.
Tolkien Pinup Calendar 2025 Sign-Ups Open
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August 2024 Call for Papers and Proposals
Calls for papers and proposals for conferences and publications that are open during the month of August 2024.
Innumerable Stars 2024
Innumerable Stars is a Tolkien fandom gift exchange for all works by Tolkien or associated with Middle-earth.
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Eönwë Week 2024
Eönwë Week is a Tumblr event for creating fanworks about Eönwë.
Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang (TRSB) 2024
Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang is an annual event where authors create a story of at least 5,000 words in response to an artwork created for the event.
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.