As we’re all getting accustomed to new ways of living through this pandemic — working from home; or going to work with, hopefully, new safety procedures; or sadly for many, losing jobs completely because of shut-downs and layoffs — we need some cheering up and sense of community. Tolkien Reading Day, held every March 25, is often a time when local Tolkien groups get together to read, discuss, and party, though that is unlikely to happen — should not happen!– in these self-isolating times.

A lot of Tolkienists have also felt bereft of their usual conference get-togethers. Cancellations so far include the Tolkien at Vermont conference, Popular Culture Association conference, and Tolkien at Kalamazoo events. We’re still waiting to see what will happen with the Leeds get-togethers, where both the International Medieval Congress and the Tolkien Society Seminar are scheduled for early July.

Tolkien Reading Day Unofficial Online Gathering

But we do have an online community that can celebrate Tolkien Reading Day. Jeremy Edmonds, over at TolkienGuide.com, has decided to organize an unofficial online gathering for Tolkien Reading Day. You will be able to pop into a livestream event all day long to chat, or to read if you like, or to listen to the scheduled readers. You will need a free account on Discord, or you will be able to access the livestream on YouTube. Go to TolkienGuide.com for the full details on how and where to get connected and to see the impressive schedule of readers.

Silmarillion Writers’ Guild Lockdown Instadrabbling

Dawn Walls-Thumma, over at the Silmarillion Writers’ Guild, is hosting an online celebration of fanworks for Tolkien Reading Day in order to, as she says, “spend time with fellow fans (while practicing social distancing!) and bring art and joy to the world at a time when it very much needs it.” The event will take place on the Silmarillion Writers’ Guild Discord server; to join, you will need to send an email to moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org. For more details, go to the Silmarillion Writers’ Guild Lockdown Instadrabbling site.

I’d be happy to hear about other online gatherings in the comments. And remember: