[Rhapsody]

Dear all,

On behalf of Dawn Felagund (owner and founder of the Silmarillion Writers Guild (SWG)), I am passing along this announcement for interested Silmarillion writers on this group.

**
Back to Middle-earth Month 2008: The Circles of the World

Greetings, everyone,

March is Back to Middle-earth Month. Back to Middle-earth Month--or B2MeM--was started a few years ago as a way for Tolkien fans to relive the first heady days of their fandom involvement. While it was aimed at fans who had become involved because of the movies, at SWG, we've always broadened it to include all fans, regardless or when or why they fell in love with the stories of J.R.R. Tolkien.

So why am bring this up now? In January??

Those of you who have been in SWG for a while know that we've done something special for B2MeM for the past two years. The first year, we asked people to share their stories of how they found Tolkien's works; last year, we put together a "quote tour" of Arda. But, this year, we wanted to involve the whole group more. After all, it is the group's creativity and diligence in learning more about Tolkien's works that makes SWG great!

So, this year, my comoderators and I have put together a Back to Middle-earth Month event that everyone can be a part of. Like Seven in '07, we are asking people to contribute ficlets, poems, artwork, and excerpts of longer stories that illustrate this year's B2MeM themes … but we are also asking everyone who sends in a piece to offer a few words about why their piece, or The Silmarillion as a whole, or all of Tolkien's works, or fandom is meaningful to them.

This year's theme is The Circles of the World, and we look at our creative endeavors that explore beginnings and relationships, conflicts and endings, and, of course, fate. Three times a week for the month of March, we present a different topic alongside stories and artwork illustrating that topic. The responses come from all parts of The Silmarillion but share one important things in common: These are the events, people, and places in Tolkien's world that inspire, challenge, and intrigue us. Each author's interpretation of the topic includes part of the answer to the question we ask and begin to answer each March: Why did you fall in love with The Silmarillion?

More specific details about the project are available on our website here:

SWG Back to Middle-earth Month 2008: The Circles of the World

We hope that many of you will choose to participate!

Also, if you are planning a B2MeM project or know of any other groups that are, then please let us know about it, and we'll post a link on our website.

As always, questions can be directed to me personally or to all of the group mods at moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org.

Best regards to all,

Dawn Felagund

**

Rhapsody

[Rhapsody]

On behalf of Dawn, I am passing on this gentle reminder:

Greetings, all!

I would like to offer a friendly reminder from your group mods that the deadline for Back to Middle-earth Month submissions is quickly approaching. The last day we will be accepting entries will be Monday, 25 February.

If this is the first that you're hearing of this, Back to Middle-earth Month (B2MeM) is an annual holiday observed in March that asks fans to remember why they got involved in the Tolkien fandom. SWG has participated for three years now.

This year's project asks authors and artists to send in their favorite pieces of creative work along with a few words on what inspired them to create it, how they got involved with the fandom, what characters and events inspire them the most, et cetera. We are accepting ficlets, excerpts of longer stories, poems, and artwork. The full guidelines are available here:

http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/b2mem/announcement.php

We've already received many entries--both new material and old favorites--but this is one project that works best with lots of voices.
We've all had unique experiences that brought us here! So pick your favorite story, poem, or piece of artwork; take a moment to remember what you love most about Tolkien's stories or fandom; and let's go back to Middle-earth!

All the best,

Dawn Felagund

[Rhapsody]

Hi, all,

It has come to my attention that I incorrectly typed the link to the B2MeM
guidelines in yesterday's post. This one should work:

http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/b2mem2008.php

Thanks, Ellie, for letting me know!

(That's what one gets for doing SWG work at her "real job," eh?

Dawn