I’m thrilled to find my name on the shortlist for a Tolkien Society award for Best Article! My essay was published in the open access Journal of Tolkien Research. Titled “Tolkien, ‘The Battle of Maldon,’ and ‘The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth’: Poetic Allusions and the Experience of Time,” it discusses Tolkien’s views on the Old English poem “The Battle of Maldon” and how that text served as a nexus for his creative and scholarly work. As usual, I have a lot to say about “The Homecoming”, especially some ideas inspired by the late Richard West. The article appears in a special issue on Tolkien and Medieval Poetry in honour of Richard West, edited by Dr. Jane Beal.

Congratulations to my fellow nominees in the Best Article category: Andoni Cossio and Dimitra Fimi, Nick Groom, Yvette Kisor, and Siobhán Maloney Latar.

Tolkien Society members can vote for their favourites in several categories. Voting deadline is Friday 25 April. For more information: https://www.tolkiensociety.org/2025/04/vote-now-in-tolkien-society-awards-2025/.