--- In ElfstoneLARP@yahoogroups.com, scott brown <marshwoodbay@...> wrote:
oops! sorry I did not realize this post was going to the same place as my other, forgive the redundency!
>
--- In ElfstoneLARP@yahoogroups.com, "Scott" <marshwoodbay@...> wrote:
>
> Greetings!
> I have been interested in your Larp for a number of years now and my son and I find ourselves in the position to finally participate.
> We have been Larping up north in NJ and now that my son has graduated college and moved down here with me in Florida toget his masters, we can no longer participate on a monthly level at our previous larp.
>
> We have been Tolkien fans for many years and always thought it would be wonderful to be part of a Tolkien based larp.
>
> I have always played a dwarven character and would like to do so again but I am rather torn between that and being a Beorning Ranger (if that is possible) Both of those characters are very well fleshed out and I have costuming for either.
>
> My son will be choosing between his Ranger/minstral or a Knight of Dol Amroth but we both need to dig into the rules before we make any desisions.
>
> If anyone has any suggestions based on the flavor of the current gameplay andinvirement, I would welcome them.
>
> Scott
>
Greetings!
I have been interested in your Larp for a number of years now and my son and I find ourselves in the position to finally participate.
We have been Larping up north in NJ and now that my son has graduated college and moved down here with me in Florida toget his masters, we can no longer participate on a monthly level at our previous larp.
Wehave been Tolkien fans formany years andalways thought it would be wonderfultobe part of a Tolkien based larp.
I have always played a dwarven character and would like to do so again but I am rather torn between that and being a Beorning Ranger (if that is possible) Both of those characters are very well fleshed out and I have costuming for either.
My son will be choosing between his Ranger/minstral or a Knight of Dol Amroth but we both need to dig into the rules before we make any desisions.
If anyone has any suggestions based on the flavor of the current gameplay andinvirement, I would welcome them.
Scott
Greetings!
And welcome to my newsletter for August, 2011! Please feel free to forward this to anyone you think would be interested in keeping up with me! To receive these newsletters regularly, please drop me an email or subscribe online from my website (http://www.JefMurray.com ) or at: http://groups.google.com/group/Mystical_Realms . Notices of events and items of interest are at the bottom of this email.
Pitchers ===============
The 2012 Jef Murray/ALEP2 Fantasy Calendar continues selling fast! It has now been sold in the USA, Canada, England, Ireland, France, and the Netherlands. This 2012 calendar is loaded with painting images from Middle-earth, and it is being published in support of the upcoming ALEP2 (A Long Expected Party 2) gathering of Tolkien fans in Kentucky in September (see www.alep2.us). You can order your copy at www.JefMurray.com .
Ponderings ==============
Lucy saw the man on the street several times before she recalled that he had been murdered the year before. On reflection, she realized this wasn't because she was inattentive; he was simply hard to notice. The bulky figure appeared hazy and indistinct, as if seen from some great distance: he was dressed in loose fitting, drab clothing, he avoided the streetlights, and he kept his head down as he walked. So, he was nearly invisible as he drifted ahead of her on the sidewalk.
What struck her, ultimately, was the limp. He had a peculiar arrhythmic gait that wasn't pronounced, but that, once noticed, caused her to think "he walks just like old man Brander." She hadn't thought about Brander since she'd heard about his death. It was one of those awful events that everyone tittered about at the time but then quickly lost interest: an unruly son had beaten his father to death after a quarrel and had then vanished. As far as Lucy could remember, the son, Billy, had never been apprehended.
During these late winter days, Lucy usually returned to her apartment after darkness had fallen. She was in her early twenties, slender, with dark hair. She wasn't pretty, but she was often told she had a wonderful smile. Employed as a secretary in an office building, Lucy had held her job for just a few months. It wasn't work she liked much, but it paid the rent while she tried to find her true vocation.
Lucy often stopped by the church to say prayers after her long work days, and sometimes she would remain for evening Mass. When she first took notice of the limping man, she had just left the spired, red brick building; he was walking about half a block ahead of her. A chill went down her spine as she thought of the murdered man, Brander, but she continued on her way. And as she watched him, she noticed that, like Brander, he was large and heavily built. Brander had been a farmer, and he had been as strong as an ox. His son, Billy, had apparently taken after him.
Lucy felt the chill of the March evening. It looked stormy, and the Macon city lights reflected orange on low clouds. The limping man seemed to be headed in the same direction she was. But when they reached her apartment block, he continued on his way. Lucy paused at the door leading up to her flat and peered down the street, but she could no longer see him. Seemingly, he had melted into the darkness….
o o o
The next evening, Lucy stayed for Mass. Father Hildebrand was filling in for the pastor. She had heard him speak before and liked his homilies.
"The great failing of our time," Father Hildebrand proclaimed from the carved wooden pulpit, "is that we no longer believe in the unseen world. We deny the reality of demons, of angels, and of those souls who have gone on before us. We concern ourselves only with the here and the now. And by hedging off our world into that which can be explained and is thus real, versus that which cannot be explained and is thus nonsense, we deny the very power, the majesty, the subtlety, and the mercy of God."
After Mass, as Lucy knelt in prayer, she suddenly felt the presence of someone next to her. She opened her eyes. Kneeling in the pew was the limping man. Enormous, hulking, he stared at her with burning eyes. Lucy gasped and fled from the sanctuary, stricken with fear. She ran all the way back to her apartment building and up the stairs. She only stopped once she was inside her flat with the bolts thrown. She leaned against the door and caught her breath.
"Why was I so frightened?" she thought. "He was just watching me as I prayed…." She chastised herself for being silly. "After all, I don't know who he is. He could just be a street person." She poured herself a large glass of red wine, and although the thought of the man's eyes continued to trouble her during the evening, she was, at last, able to forget the incident and fall asleep.
o o o
The next evening, Lucy went to confession before Mass. The dark, heavy wooden confessionals, ornately carved, stood at the back of the French Romanesque church. She recognized Father Hildebrand's voice as she slid open the door to the confessional grille. And after confessing her sins, she mentioned her fears regarding the strange limping man. There was a long pause.
"Daughter, do you know for certain that this man is the one, Brander, whom you knew?"
"No, father, I do not," said Lucy, "But my heart tells me that it is him, even though that might not seem possible."
"Let me advise you, then, to remain vigilant, but prayerful. If this man approaches you again, try not to be fearful, but continue with your prayers, or better yet, ask him what it is he wishes from you."
"I will try, Father, but I am so frightened when I see him…."
"Try not to fear, my child, but trust that there may be more reason for this encounter than you now perceive. Have faith in God and all shall be well…."
After confession, Lucy remained for Mass. Again, she was struck by how much Father Hildebrand had to say about the unseen world…that supernatural realm just beyond the veil. And, just as had happened on the previous night, she remained deep in prayer following Father Hildebrand's dismissal.
As she knelt on the pew with her Rosary, she once again discerned a presence beside her. And once again, she opened her eyes and beheld the hulking presence of the limping man kneeling in the pew beside her.
She breathed deeply, and then looked into the man's eyes. "Do you wish something of me?" she asked.
The grayish hulk beside her quavered. The eyes blinked several times, and a moan escaped the man's lips.
"Please!" Lucy cried, "What is it you want?!"
The figure lurched to its feet, hesitated, then knelt again at her side. It moaned pitifully, and then lifted its hands toward her, as if in supplication.
Lucy, who had until then been on the brink of hysteria, suddenly felt pity for the creature. "Would…would you like me to pray for you?" she asked. The figure remained silent, but bobbed its head. Lucy shut her eyes and prayed as hard as she could for the soul of this being. She clenched her eyes and pressed tears…tears both of fear and of pity…from their corners.
And when she ceased praying and opened her eyes…the limping man was gone.
o o o
The next evening, Lucy asked to speak with Father Hildebrand before Mass.
"Father, I saw him again yesterday," Lucy told him once they were alone.
"You are the one who spoke to me in the confessional? Of seeing the spirit of someone who was murdered?"
"Yes, Father, that was me. I'm Lucy. The…the man approached me again after Mass. I asked if he wanted me to pray for him, and he seemed to say `yes'."
Father Hildebrand looked at her for a moment. "And do you still believe that this was the man who was murdered?"
"I do."
"Do you know the Church's teaching on the poor souls?" he asked.
"You mean those who have died and who have been saved, but who are still in torment because of their sins?"
"Yes," he said. "I do not know if the one you have seen is simply a homeless man, or something more, but we may be able to find out."
"How, Father?"
"If you will stay for Mass this evening, I will, after Mass, come and remain in a pew close enough to keep an eye on you. And if this person confronts you again, I will be there to see him. Perhaps, then, I can better advise you as to his nature."
"Would you do that, Father? Thank you!"
o o o
After Mass, Lucy again knelt in prayer. And between her petitions, she noticed that Father Hildebrand had come to kneel in the same pew as herself, but well away from her. She continued her prayers until, as on previous evenings, she felt that someone or something was beside her. She opened her eyes. There was the limping man. But he looked different. He seemed less unruly, less frightening. His eyes still burned as he looked at her, but now she did not feel fear in his presence.
"Shall we pray together?" she asked the man. He nodded and bowed his head toward the altar. She prayed for the man. After some time, she opened her eyes, and, as before, he was gone. She looked beyond where the man had knelt and saw Father Hildebrand rising from the pew. She hastened to him.
"What do you think Father?" she asked him.
"About what, Lucy?"
"About the man that was kneeling beside me?"
Father Hildebrand looked intently at her. "I saw no one but you in the pew," he said. "But I did hear you speak…was it to the man you mentioned?"
Lucy was stunned. "There was no one in the pew?!" she exclaimed. "But he was right there beside me! We prayed together!"
Father Hildebrand looked down at the floor for a moment. "I believe you," he said. "But, this simply tells me that the creature that you were praying with is not of this earth. He may well be one of the poor souls in Purgatory who has come to you to ask for your aid. If so, this is a great privilege, Lucy. There are not many in these doubt-filled days that have enough faith and sanctity to attract a suffering soul. And if it is true that you have been chosen to help this man, then you must continue to do all you can for him."
o o o
Lucy came to Mass each evening on subsequent days. And each time, following Mass, her visitor knelt beside her. With each visit, his features became less wild and horrifying. And after a week of these meetings, Lucy ventured to speak to him.
"Are you Farmer Brander who was killed over a year ago?" she asked him.
"Yes," he answered. His voice was hoarse, as if through long disuse.
"And why do you come to me after Mass?" she asked.
"For prayers," he said.
"But why do you need prayers?" she asked. "Are you in torment?"
The man rose from the pew. "Look at me!!!" he said. And she perceived that his entire figure was shrouded in flames, as if every part of him was burning. She could feel intense heat emanating from him.
"I am so sorry!" she said. "I didn't know…"
o o o
Two weeks passed. Father Hildebrand continued to encourage her prayers for Brander. She came to Mass every evening, and did not mind walking home alone each night, even though the neighborhood between the church and her apartment building was not the safest. On some of these nights, Farmer Brander would walk before her to her apartment block, always continuing on past her door as if his destination lay somewhere beyond her ken.
But one evening, Brander did not appear after Mass. And when Lucy left the sanctuary, she noticed a figure lurking in the shadows beside the huge church doors. The shadow followed her as she headed home. At first she thought it might be Brander, but he had never followed; he had always gone on before her.
When she came to the poorest lit portion of her path, her pursuer came up quickly from behind and grabbed her around her waist.
"Shush, now, and you won't get hurt!" he hissed.
Lucy froze. "Who are you?! What do you want?!" she gasped.
"Give me your purse," he whispered in her ear, "and then…we'll see what else Billy might take a fancy to.…"
Just at that moment, a huge figure appeared beside them both. The man, Billy, stepped back and pulled out a knife, but the figure reached over and grabbed him by the arm. Smoke billowed from his sleeve, and, screaming, Billy lashed out with the blade. Then he froze. Lucy turned to look at her assailant. Billy was staring past her in horror, waving his hands in front of his face as if to awaken from a nightmare.
"No! No! It can't be you! You're dead! I killed you!!!" he yelled, and, dropping the knife, he bolted down the street, clutching at his still-smoking arm.
Lucy turned around and looked at the man beside her. It was Farmer Brander. He looked at her sadly, and then…simply faded away before her eyes.
o o o
It had been a glorious spring day. The daffodils were blooming and the robins were out. And although it was too early yet for the crickets to begin their serenade, Lucy knew that soon they, too, would emerge from beneath the loam. Father Hildebrand had heard about Billy's attack, and they had both, with great relief, learned of his capture by the police. It had not been hard to find a fugitive who had a burn mark in the shape of a man's hand on his arm; he had been picked up when he sought treatment in the local emergency room.
Farmer Brander had continued to come to Lucy for several Masses following his son's appearance. But on this March 25th, Lucy sensed that, perhaps, this might be the last time.
As on all the other evenings of his visits, on this Feast of the Assumption, the murdered man joined Lucy in prayer following Mass. But once her prayers were through and she opened her eyes to see him, he said "You have done all that you can for me. I will be going now."
"But will you be alright?" she asked.
"Yes. But, I…have to make my own way from here."
"Is there anything else that I can do for you?" she asked.
"No. But you can help these others…."
It was then that Lucy noticed several shadowy figures seated in the pews around her. Wild they appeared, as had Farmer Brander when she first saw him. "Is this my task, then, to help these other souls?" she asked.
"Yes," he responded. "And some day, you may find my son, Billy, among them. You won't forget to pray for him?"
"No, of course not," she said. And she bowed her head once more and asked for God's blessings on this poor man who had first come to her so many weeks before. When she finally lifted her head to behold the altar, he was gone.
Lucy stood. "Come along, then," she said to the misty figures that populated the pews around her. "We shall see all of this through together…."
And, as she left the sanctuary, the host of hungry souls followed her out of the church and into the night….
Prospects ===================
• A Long Expected Party 2 (ALEP2) will be held September 28 – October 2 in Shaker Village, Kentucky. For those of you who missed the original ALEP in 2008, please consider joining us this time `round! This event is held in perhaps the most "Shire-like" place in the US, and we expect the camaraderie and fun will be a welcome respite from the world's woes. For more information, and to book your place in the festivities, see www.alep2.us).
• The Middle-earth Network ( http://middleearthnetwork.com ) is fast becoming the "Go To" place for news about Tolkien-related events and for discussions on the social network, http://mymiddle-earth.com/ . There are contests, postings of artwork and music, plus Middle Earth Radio. Most recently, Maerech of the Dunedain Radio held and interview with Tim, JP, David, Marc Gunn and myself on the original "A Long Expected Party (ALEP)" in 2008, as well as a discussion of how this year's event is expected to play out. Tune into the Middle-earth Network for rebroadcasts and other great news and features!
• The Return of the Ring 2012 (see http://www.returnofthering.org/) will be a huge Tolkien-themed conference and gathering at Loughborough University on 16-20th August, 2012. I am delighted to have been invited to appear as a guest of honour at the event and am looking forward not only to sharing my paintings and sketches, but also to participating in panels and presentations. You can book reservations now online.
• Tolkien biographer Joseph Pearce and I collaborated on an EWTN TV special on J.R.R. Tolkien that is now available on DVD. The production includes dozens of my illustrations of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, and it focuses on the Catholicity of Tolkien's magnum opus. You can order the a DVD of the show at: http://www.ewtnreligiouscatalogue.com/TOLKIEN+S+LORD+OF+THE+RINGS+A+CATHOLIC+WORLD+VIEW/shop.axd/ProductDetails?x=0&y=0&keywords=Pearce+Tolkien&edp_no=22609
Greetings!
And welcome to my newsletter for July, 2011! Please feel free to forward this to anyone you think would be interested in keeping up with me! To receive these newsletters regularly, please drop me an email or subscribe online from my website (http://www.JefMurray.com ) or at: http://groups.google.com/group/Mystical_Realms . Notices of events and items of interest are at the bottom of this email.
Pitchers ===============
I have posted three new painting images on my website. These include "Cupid's Bow", a new image in my "Fairy Tales" gallery, plus "Mirkwood" and "At the Carrock", both in my Tolkien gallery. You can see all of these by going to http://www.JefMurray.com and clicking on the "Newest Works" button on the top of the page.
As always, these and all of the images in my online galleries are available as signed and numbered limited-edition Giclee prints.
Do let me know how these new images strike you!
Ponderings ==============
"Do you remember that night?" she asked him.
"I think so," he said. He could recall sitting on the porch on a hot summer evening. What was it they had talked about?
"You asked him a question, remember?"
That's right, he thought, I did....
. . .
"Have you ever seen an elf, uncle?"
The boy sat on the floor with his back against a porch column. The smell of citronella from the candles waxed and waned at the evening breeze's whim.
The old man sat in his rocker, staring out at the thicket behind the house. He held his pipe in his hand, but it had gone out. It wasn't quite dark enough for lightning bugs. "Well, Master Sam, I reckon I did the first time I ever saw your Aunt Lilly."
The boy thought about that for a moment, then said, "No, I don't mean a person. I mean an elf. A real elf. You know, like the ones you say live in the woods yonder." The boy pointed toward the scrub.
"Well…" said the old man, then stopped and coughed violently. When he was finally able to catch his breath, he asked for water. Sam went into the house and came back with a glass. The old man took a few swallows and cleared his throat. Sam waited for a moment, then took the glass and put it down on the table next to the rocker.
The old man took a deep breath, and then said, "Now, what were we talking about?"
"Elves, uncle."
"Ah, yes. Elves…" the old man closed his eyes and hummed a snatch of tune to himself. "You mean you've never seen any?"
"Nope," said the boy. A single cicada started singing, and then a full orchestra's worth of the insects joined in.
The old man shook his head. "By the time I was your age, I'd seen elves plenty of times. Well, `elves' isn't quite right: one elf. But I saw her quite a lot."
"Her? Are you talking about Aunt Lilly again?"
"No, no. I didn't meet your Aunt Lilly until I was all grown up. I was just your age…fact, a bit younger. Don't remember the first time I ever saw Tina. I know I saw her in dreams a lot…."
"Oh, so you just dreamt about elves, you didn't actually see them."
"No, no, I saw her too: in real life, plain as day. But I reckon I saw her in dreams for awhile first." The old man sat up and reached for his matches. He struck one and tried to light his pipe again, but the match went out. He sucked on the stem for a bit, and then put the pipe down on the table beside the water glass.
"Here's how it is, Sam. Elves aren't folks you have a lot of say-so with. They pretty much come and go as they please. At least, that's been my experience. The one I know used to hang around a lot until I was…oh, maybe in the third grade. Then we moved to the ocean because the doctor's said it was better for my lungs. After that…well, I reckon she didn't like the ocean too much, because I saw her less and less. Dreamt of her less and less, too. But she still shows up now and again."
"Well, what's she like?"
"Who, Tina?"
"Yeah. Isn't that what you said her name was? Doesn't sound like an elf's name."
"Well, that's because it wasn't. I called her that."
"Didn't she ever say what her real name was?"
"Well, she didn't talk about herself all that much, and I don't expect I ever asked her proper. But she was a real elf alright. Pretty thing. Always dressed in white, and she was always dragging me out of bed at night and hauling me off into the woods on adventures. That was in dreams, though...."
"Wait a minute. She wasn't all smoochy, was she? Like regular girls are?"
The old man smiled. "No, but you know I wouldn't have minded if she was, even though I was younger than you and wasn't interested in `smoochiness' any more than you are now. `Feisty' is what I'd have called her: kind of like your Aunt Lilly. She laughed a lot…usually at me. She thought I was such a slow-poke." The old man sighed. "Guess she was right, because I never could keep up with her…."
They sat for a while and listened to the cicadas. The crickets were joining in now, too.
"There's one!" said Sam.
"One what?" asked the old man.
"A lightning bug. See, there it is again!"
"Yep, I saw it. Pretty things. Tina thinks they're pretty too, lighting up all the time, luring you into the woods; kind of like if you followed `em, you'd end up…I don't know, someplace enchanted, someplace really wonderful…."
They watched in silence as more and more fireflies glittered in the gloaming.
"Uncle, why do you reckon I can't see elves?"
"Well…" said the old man, "I don't know for sure. Some folks can see `em and some can't, seems to me. But have you ever asked to see them? I mean, in your prayers at night?"
"That doesn't seem right to me, asking to see elves when I'm supposed to be talking to God."
"Why not? Don't you think elves were made by God, same as us?"
"I don't know. Lots of folks say elves don't exist at all."
"Lots of folks say God doesn't exist at all, but do you believe them?"
"No, I guess not."
"Well, then, don't believe them about elves. If you're meant to, you'll see them someday. Matter of fact, I'll make a deal with you. If you'll stop listening to those idiots…" and here the old man leaned forward and lowered his voice, "…if you'll stop listening to the folks who tell you elves don't exist…and I know they include your father…then I'll make you a promise."
"What sort of promise?"
"I'll promise you that next time I see Tina, I'll ask her to make sure you see the elves. What would you think about that?"
"That'd be great! But, didn't you say you hadn't seen Tina in a long time?"
"It's been a spell, for sure," said the old man. "Last time was…oh, I think it might have been when your Aunt Lilly passed away."
"But that was when I was a little kid!" said Sam.
"It was, but I can't help that. Elves don't notice time the same way as you and me."
They paused for a few moments as the cicada chorus boiled around them once more.
"So, is it a deal?" asked the old man.
"Sure, it's a deal."
"And you'll make sure you ask to see them in your prayers, right?"
"OK, uncle."
. . .
"So, do you remember now?" she asked.
He nodded. "But, I was still just a boy. That had to be ten years ago."
"It was ten years ago," she said.
"So, where have you been all that time?" he asked, looking at his visitor. She appeared to be a youngish girl, perhaps twelve or thirteen, but her green eyes were bright, intelligent, and mischievous. She was dressed completely in white, with a silver sash cinching her gown at the waist. Her pointed ears protruded above hair that was curly and dark, and her lips were pale silver.
She giggled. "I've been right here, silly! Don't you know anything?" She punched his arm.
"Ouch!" he said. "But, wait a minute, why did you come along now? I mean, after all these years?"
"Your uncle promised he'd ask Tina next time he saw her, right?"
"Right."
"Well, Tina's been busy. He didn't need her around much `til tonight."
"So, you're not Tina?"
"No, of course not!"
"Then who are you?"
"That, mister smarty-pants, is something you'll have to find out for yourself." She poked her tongue out at him.
"But wait a minute, what do you mean uncle `didn't need' Tina?"
"Oh, he hasn't been sick or lonely enough to bother with her for some time. When he was a boy, he was in and out of the hospital a lot, and that was how he got to know Tina so well. But, you're healthy as a horse, so don't go expecting to have me hanging around much…unless you're really out of sorts, in which case, I'll consider it. I've got enough work to do looking after you as it is!"
She gave him a stern look, and then put her hands on her hips. "But, that's that. I've done what I was asked to do; you've seen an elf. And, since you're about to wake up anyway, I'm going now…."
"Wait, when are you coming back again?"
"Whenever you need me. Whenever you really need me. But, since you asked, and since you hate `smoochy' girls, here's something to remember me by." She leaned over and gave him an enormous sloppy kiss on his forehead. "There! Now, time to get up!!!"
The telephone rang.
Sam started up out of bed. The elf was gone. He reached over and grabbed the receiver. "Hello?"
"Sam? This is your dad. Listen, I hate to wake you, but I thought you should know. Your uncle passed away about an hour ago. It was sudden; none of us was expecting it. He died peacefully, though. I'm sorry; I know you two were close…."
"Yeah, we were, dad." Sam said. He rubbed his eyes. "Did he say anything to you? I mean, before he went to bed last night? Or in the last couple of days?"
"Well, he said he'd been dreaming about your Aunt Lilly a lot lately. Said something about when it was time, he figured somebody would come and show him how to find her again. Funny thing to say, don't you think?"
"Yeah, funny," said Sam. "Thanks for letting me know, dad. I'll call you later."
He put the receiver back on the phone, rubbed his eyes and lifted his head. That's when he noticed it. He could see himself reflected in the mirror, and on his forehead, a silver mark glistened in the early morning light. It was in the shape of a kiss.
Prospects ===================
• A Long Expected Party 2 (ALEP2) will be held this coming September in Shaker Village, Kentucky. For those of you who missed the original ALEP in 2008, please consider joining us this time `round! This event is held in perhaps the most "Shire-like" place in the US, and we expect the camaraderie and fun enjoyed in 2008 will be a welcome respite from the world's woes. For more information, and to book your place in the festivities, see www.alep2.us).
• Related to the above, the first ever Jef Murray/ALEP2 Fantasy Calendar is available! This 2012 calendar is loaded with painting images from Middle-earth, and it is being published in support of the ALEP2 (A Long Expected Party 2) gathering of Tolkien fans in Kentucky in September (see www.alep2.us). You can order your copy at www.JefMurray.com .
• The Middle-earth Network ( http://middleearthnetwork.com ) is fast becoming the "Go To" place for news about Tolkien-related events and for discussions on the social network, http://mymiddle-earth.com/ . There are contests, postings of artwork and music, plus Middle Earth Radio. Most recently, Maerech of the Dunedain Radio held and interview with Tim, JP, David, Marc Gunn and myself on the original "A Long Expected Party (ALEP)" in 2008, as well as a discussion of how this year's event is expected to play out. Tune into the Middle-earth Network for rebroadcasts and other great news and features!
• The Return of the Ring 2012 (see http://www.returnofthering.org/) will be a huge Tolkien-themed conference and gathering at Loughborough University on 16-20th August, 2012. I am delighted to have been invited to appear as a guest of honour at the event and am looking forward not only to sharing my paintings and sketches, but also to participating in panels and presentations. You can book reservations now online.
• Tolkien biographer Joseph Pearce and I collaborated on an EWTN TV special on J.R.R. Tolkien that is now available on DVD. The production includes dozens of my illustrations of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, and it focuses on the Catholicity of Tolkien's magnum opus. You can order the a DVD of the show at: http://www.ewtnreligiouscatalogue.com/TOLKIEN+S+LORD+OF+THE+RINGS+A+CATHOLIC+WORLD+VIEW/shop.axd/ProductDetails?x=0&y=0&keywords=Pearce+Tolkien&edp_no=22609
