On this website (and through my podcast feed on iTunes), I will be posting many different kinds of material, mostly in the form of digital audio files. The heart of my work on this site is my extended, in-depth lecture series on Tolkien's major works, but I have also provided several methods through which we can enter into a more interactive conversation. All of my recorded material is completely free; I hope you have as much fun listening to them as I have making them!

My name is Corey Olsen. I am a tenured English professor at Washington College and a PhD in medieval literature, and I have been a student of Tolkien's works for as long as I can remember.

I have become increasingly frustrated with the
separation between academics and general readers,
and I am determined to come out of the cloister and
spend my own career sharing my scholarly work
with the public. I founded this website because I was
convinced that there was a large number of people
out there who are eager to be included in a thoughtful
literary conversation about the works of J.R.R.
Tolkien. I have been delighted to find that I was right:
since I launched this site in July 2009, listeners have
downloaded more than 120,000 of my lectures.

• Join in with my current Washington College Tolkien course, now discussing The Silmarillion!

I am delighted to say that I have been invited to be one of the keynote speakers at The Festival in the Shire this August in Wales.

This year marks the first Festival, and it should be an extraordinary event.
I mentioned above my own desire to see scholars come together with
general readers more often -- the Festival in the Shire will make that
happen. The event will bring together top-notch scholars, renowned
artists, and excellent musicans for a three-day celebration of all things
Tolkien. I am very excited to be involved in this event; it should be amazing. Check out their website for more information.

In the meantime, the Festival organizers, led by the great Inklings scholar Colin Duriez, have launched a new online Tolkien magazine: the Journal of the Festival in the Shire. The second issue of the Journal was released in early February 2010, and it is packed with exciting content. There are interviews with several prominent Tolkien artists, such as John Howe and Ted Nasmith, and features by Ian Collier of the Tolkien Society, artist Jef Murray, and Pieter Collier of TolkienLibrary.com.

Colin Duriez has also asked me to be a regular contributor to the Journal. In the February issue, you can read my article on "How to Read Tolkien," based on my intro lecture from this website, and my interview with legendary Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey. I will be contributing more articles and interviews over the next several months.