Get Involved
Do you want to get involved with The Return of the Ring? Here's how:-
Call for papers
Have a non-academic event or activity? See our call for non-academic items.
J.R.R. Tolkien is an author who excites diverse critical response from both academia and non-academia. Although best known for The Lord of the Ring sand other tales of his Middle-earth 'legendarium', Tolkien's oeuvre extends to Anglo-Saxon studies (to which he contributed much as an academic), essays on fairy tales, poetry, children's tales and non Middle-earth fantasy.
In recent years academic interest in the fantasy genre has increased dramatically. Likewise fandom studies are developing as fan productions proliferate, particularly since Peter Jackson's film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings.
Return of the Ring is a conference celebrating 75 Years of The Hobbit which aims to bring together scholars and researchers from across the globe to share their expertise and interest in any Tolkien-related area of study such as linguistics, fantasy, literature, education, media & culture, fandom etc. Speakers include Tom Shippey, Brian Sibley, Martin Barker, Dimitra Fimi, John Garth, and Corey Olsen amongst others. The conference will include several academic streams as well as other events and is run by The Tolkien Society, the long-established literary society devoted to the promotion and understanding of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.
There will also be a gathering of musicians and artists inspired or influenced by Tolkien, and of those interested in any aspect of Tolkien and his work.
The call for papers is now closed, but the Tolkien Society invites submissions of proposals for non-academic items. To apply, please fill in the form by 29th February 2012. For more information about the programme, or to discuss any aspect of your proposal, please contact Meggy McMurry at programme@returnofthering.org.
Volunteer
Any fan-run convention needs volunteers to function. The Return of the Ring is no different. If you would like to volunteer to help us we would very much like to hear from you - please contact us on volunteering@returnofthering.org and we can have a chat at how bets to utilise your excellent skills.
Show your support
If you don't like volunteering and offering up talks, how about you help us in much smaller ways and help us spread the word!
Buy some Return of the Ring merchandise
