This morning, I visited an English class at Petoskey High School. We talked about how Tolkien pursued his private hobby of invented languages, and how he expressed his creative world in poetry and myth. We looked at his friendship with C. S. Lewis and considered the implications of Tolkien's claim that Lewis is the one who helped him to realize that his creative vision had great value and should be shared with others.

The students confessed that they found The Hobbit a bit too detailed and slow for their taste. So we talked a little bit about subcreation and fantasy, and different approaches to writing a story.

It was a great experience, and I think it was a great addition to the month-long C. S. Lewis Literary Festival here in Michigan. For Festival information, check out their website: http://www.cslewisfestival.org/

In my lecture this weekend, I'll talk about Tolkien's poem "The Tale of Tinuviel." Here is a link to a recording of Tolkien reading that incomparable poem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhDgJwcJcVk&feature=related

"The leaves were long, the grass was green,
The hemlock-umbels tall and fair,
And in the glade a light was seen
Of stars in shadow shimmering.
Tinuviel was dancing there
To music of a pipe unseen,
And light of stars was in her hair,
And in her raiment glimmering."

October 20, 2010

Author Diana Glyer to Speak at the Wade Center on
“C.S. Lewis’s Fingerprints on the Map of Middle-Earth”

Author Diana Pavlac Glyer, presents a lecture titled “C.S. Lewis’s Fingerprints on the Map of Middle-Earth,” at 4 p.m. Wednesday, October 20. The topic of her talk is based on her study of collaboration among the Inklings, which was completed using resources at the Marion E. Wade Center.

Dr. Glyer is the author of The Company They Keep: C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien as Writers in Community. Her book reveals the behind-the-scenes story of how Lewis, Tolkien, Owen Barfield, Charles Williams, and other Inklings influenced each other’s works and accomplishments. This engaging work was published in 2007 and in the words of Wade Center Associate Director Marjorie Lamp Mead, “deserves a place in the library of all those who value the works of the Inklings.”

Dr. Glyer is a professor of English at Azusa Pacific University and was the winner of the Mythopoeic Scholarship Award for Inklings Studies in 2008. Copies of her book will be available for sale at the event.

This lecture is free and open to the public. It takes place at The Marion E. Wade Center, located at 351 E. Lincoln Avenue in Wheaton (campus map).

The Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College is a special library, archives, and museum devoted to the works of seven British authors including C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, Dorothy L. Sayers, G.K. Chesterton, George MacDonald, and Owen Barfield. Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.) is a coeducational Christian liberal arts college noted for its rigorous academics, integration of faith and learning, and consistent ranking among the top liberal arts colleges in the country.

Take a look: http://www.aslanscountry.com/2010/09/2010-c-s-lewis-festival/

Several years ago, I did an interview about Lewis and Tolkien for the Mars Hill Audio Journal. The folks at Mars Hill make it easy to purchase the MP3, CD, or cassette of this interview and others.

It's a wonderful resource. Here's a link:

http://www.marshillaudio.org/resources/volume_contents.asp?segmentVolumeID=088

http://www.matchstickmarvels.com/MinasTirith.htm