September 2023: Happy Hobbit Day!

 

September 2023:

Updates from the Smial of the Withywindle


Hobbit Day has Come and Gone Like Bilbo and Frodo

This month's meeting appropriately met on Hobbit Day (September 22nd), the day that Bilbo and Frodo left the Shire.  We turn now to the spooky month of October and (hopefully) a cooler fall season!

Frodo and Sam walking, mountains are in the distance

Announcements:  Meeting date change, book for October, more...

We met this past Friday at ReRoll Tavern, to talk about Beren and Luthien, and play some retro Tolkien games on their PS2.  (ReRoll's PS2, I mean.  I don't think B&L have one...)

We've noticed that several folks frequently have other commitments on Fridays, so we're going to try meeting on the fourth Wednesday of the month, which was a date that worked for all of us in attendance.  We'll see how that works out.  If you have better ideas about a meeting date for the future, don't hesitate to bring them up on Discord!

Also, we're going to meet at Apparition Spookeasy in October!  This is the bar next door to ReRoll Tavern and is Halloween-themed, which makes for a fun experience while we discuss Frankenstein.

Once October has passed, we will probably move to online meetings (via Discord) during the winter months, beginning in November.  Some folks are now living out of town and still want to participate, or want to come when they're feeling under the weather, or can't always make the drive, so holding some meetings online would be a good idea.

For our October reading, we've chosen something spookier: see below!

The Next Meeting of the Tolkien Society: Wednesday, October 25 at 6:30 PM

For October's meeting, we'll be switching to the fourth Wednesday of the month, and meeting at Apparition Spookeasy.

We'll be reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, a book many of us have probably read before, but a great classic of the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres.

As you read, notice how the story in the book differs from the typical Frankenstein movie plot that's come to define the current image of Frankenstein.




MiddleMoot 2023

MiddleMoot, our annual Tolkien Studies conference, will be held in just a couple of weeks!  This year it takes place in Waterloo, Iowa and the theme is "Tolkien and the Anthropocene."  The conference takes place on Saturday, October 14th, so please get your hotel or other accommodations booked!  You can read more about MiddleMoot 2023 on their website.

A sword thrust into a stone with the word "MiddleMoot" below it



World Fantasy Convention 2023

World Fantasy Convention is being held in Kansas City this year!  It's more like a professional conference for writers, editors and publishers than a fan-style convention, but it's a rare opportunity to see many of the people writing in the fantasy genre, right here in town.  The membership rate is steep, but the rate for staff is only $50, and a few staff positions are still available.  You can read more about it on their website at World Fantasy Convention 2023


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