{{Short description|Annual lecture commemorating J R R Tolkien}} {{Use British English|date=June 2020}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}} {{Infobox recurring event | name = The J. R. R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature | image = | caption = | status = Active | genre = Fantasy literature, Science fiction, Horror | frequency = Annually | venue = Pembroke College, Oxford | location = Oxford, United Kingdom | years_active = 2013–present | organiser = Pembroke College Middle Common Room | website = [https://tolkienlecture.org/ tolkienlecture.org] }}
'''The J. R. R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature''' is a free public lecture delivered annually at Pembroke College, Oxford.
The series was founded by Pembroke postgraduate students Will Badger and Gabriel Schenk in memory of J. R. R. Tolkien, who was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke from 1925 until 1945. During this time he wrote ''The Hobbit'' and the majority of ''The Lord of the Rings''. The aim of the lecture series is to stimulate more serious study of fantasy literature at Oxford University and beyond. The lecture can be on any subject dealing with fantasy, science fiction, horror, or related speculative genres.<ref>[https://tolkienlecture.org/about-us/ About Us], The J. R. R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature</ref>
The Pembroke College Middle Common Room announced the series in 2012,<ref>[https://tolkienlecture.org/2012/12/ Announcing the First Annual Pembroke Lecture on Fantasy Literature in Honour of JRR Tolkien], The J. R. R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature, 6 December 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2017.</ref> and the first lecture was delivered on 18 January 2013 by fantasy writer Kij Johnson.<ref>Matt Handley, [https://oxfordstudent.com/2013/01/10/pembroke-to-introduce-fantasy-lecture/ Pembroke To Introduce Fantasy Lecture], ''The Oxford Student'', 10 January 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2017.</ref><ref>Matthew Reza, {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20130125015151/http://www.oxonianreview.org/wp/writing-the-fantastic/ Writing the Fantastic]}}, ''The Oxonian Review'', 18 January 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2017.</ref>
R. F. Kuang was scheduled to deliver the eighth-annual lecture in April 2020,<ref>Gabriel Schenk [https://tolkienlecture.org/2020/02/29/rebecca-f-kuang-to-deliver-the-2020-tolkien-lecture-at-pembroke/], Pembroke College, Oxford, 26 February 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.</ref> but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, her lecture was postponed. On 16 May 2020, in lieu of a lecture, past speakers Kij Johnson, Adam Roberts, Lev Grossman, Terri Windling, and Victoria 'V.E.' Schwab joined forthcoming lecturer Kuang for an online symposium on [https://tolkienlecture.org/2020/05/24/tolkien-symposium-2020-video-recording-and-resource-list/ 'Fantasy in Times of Crisis']. The organizers invited donations to the Society of Authors' emergency fund to support British writers whose livelihoods had been affected by the pandemic.
Guy Gavriel Kay delivered the 2021 lecture on 11 May. It was held digitally via Zoom and streamed live to YouTube. In 2022, the Tolkien Lecture was held in person again, with R. F. Kuang delivering the lecture at Pembroke on 23 May.
Science Fiction critic, writer, and publisher Cheryl Morgan regularly blogs about the lecture series on her website.<ref>Cheryl Morgan, [https://www.cheryl-morgan.com/?p=26111 Marlon James' Tolkien Lecture], ''Cheryl's Mewsings'', 2 March 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2019.</ref><ref>Cheryl Morgan, [https://www.cheryl-morgan.com/?p=25448 V.E. Schwab’s Tolkien Lecture], ''Cheryl's Mewsings'', 2 May 2018. Retrieved 13 May 2018.</ref><ref>Cheryl Morgan, [https://www.cheryl-morgan.com/?p=24174 Susan Cooper’s Tolkien Lecture], ''Cheryl's Mewsings'', 28 April 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2017.</ref><ref>Cheryl Morgan, [https://www.cheryl-morgan.com/?p=22723 Terri Windling’s Tolkien Lecture], ''Cheryl's Mewsings'', 31 May 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2017.</ref><ref>Cheryl Morgan, [https://www.cheryl-morgan.com/?p=21010 2015 Tolkien Memorial Lecture from @leverus], ''Cheryl's Mewsings'', 31 May 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2017.</ref><ref>Cheryl Morgan, [https://www.cheryl-morgan.com/?p=15805 The Tolkien Lecture], ''Cheryl's Mewsings'', 20 January 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2017.</ref> Fantasy author Juliet E. McKenna has also written about the series.<ref>Juliet E. McKenna, [https://www.julietemckenna.com/?p=2165 Interesting things of the week; thoughts on Tolkien, writing careers and gender stereotypes], 27 May 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2017.</ref>
==History==
{| class="wikitable" |- ! Date !! Lecturer !! Title |- | 18 January 2013 || Kij Johnson || Inaugural Pembroke Lecture on Fantasy Literature in Honour of J. R. R. Tolkien<ref>{{cite web |title=PDF version of the first PLFL |url=https://tolkienlecture.org/2013/02/08/pdf-version-of-the-first-plfl/ |website=The J. R. R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature |access-date=18 November 2023 |date=8 February 2013}}</ref> |- | 2 May 2014 || Adam Roberts || Tolkien and Women<ref>{{cite web |title=Adam Roberts Lecture Podcast Now Available |url=https://tolkienlecture.org/2014/05/14/adam-roberts-lecture-podcast-now-available/ |website=The J. R. R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature |access-date=18 November 2023 |date=14 May 2014}}</ref> |- | 13 May 2015 || Lev Grossman || Fear and Loathing in Aslan's Land<ref>{{cite web |title=Video: Lev Grossman, 'Fear and Loathing in Aslan's Land' |url=https://tolkienlecture.org/2015/06/11/video-lev-grossman-fear-and-loathing-in-aslands-land/ |website=The J. R. R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature |access-date=18 November 2023 |date=11 June 2015}}</ref> |- | 26 May 2016 || Terri Windling || Tolkien's Long Shadow: Reflections on Fantasy Literature in the Post-Tolkien Era<ref>{{cite web |title=Photographs, podcast, and video for the Fourth Tolkien Lecture |url=https://tolkienlecture.org/2016/06/01/photographs-podcast-and-video-for-the-fourth-tolkien-lecture/ |website=The J. R. R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature |access-date=18 November 2023 |date=1 June 2016}}</ref> |- | 27 April 2017 || Susan Cooper || A Catch of the Breath<ref>{{cite web |title=Photographs, podcast, and video for Susan Cooper's Tolkien Lecture |url=https://tolkienlecture.org/2017/04/30/susan-coopers-tolkien-lecture/ |website=The J. R. R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature |access-date=18 November 2023 |date=30 April 2017}}</ref> |- | 1 May 2018 || V. E. Schwab || In Search of Doors<ref>{{cite web |title=Video and Photos for Victoria (V.E.) Schwab's Tolkien Lecture |url=https://tolkienlecture.org/2018/05/02/video-for-victoria-v-e-schwabs-tolkien-lecture/ |website=The J. R. R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature |access-date=18 November 2023 |date=2 May 2018}}</ref> |- | 26 February 2019 || Marlon James || Our Myths, Our Selves<ref>{{cite web |title=Video and Photos of Marlon James's Tolkien Lecture |url=https://tolkienlecture.org/2019/02/28/video-and-photos-of-marlon-jamess-tolkien-lecture/ |website=The J. R. R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature |access-date=18 November 2023 |date=28 February 2019}}</ref> |- | 16 May 2020 ||Panel Discussion:<small>{{ubl|Kij Johnson|Adam Roberts|Lev Grossman|Terri Windling|V. E. Schwab|R. F. Kuang}}</small> || Fantasy in Times of Crisis<ref>{{cite web |last1=Literature |first1=Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy |title=Tolkien Symposium 2020: Video Recording and Resource List |url=https://tolkienlecture.org/2020/05/24/tolkien-symposium-2020-video-recording-and-resource-list/ |website=The J. R. R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature |access-date=18 November 2023 |date=24 May 2020}}</ref> |- | 11 May 2021 || Guy Gavriel Kay || Just Enough Light: Some Thoughts on Fantasy and Literature<ref>{{cite web |last1=Literature |first1=Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy |title=Guy Gavriel Kay Lecture Recording |url=https://tolkienlecture.org/2021/05/14/guy-gavriel-kay-lecture-recording/ |website=The J. R. R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature |access-date=18 November 2023 |date=14 May 2021}}</ref> |- | 23 May 2022 || R. F. Kuang|| Goodness, Beauty, and Truth: The Value of Art in Times of Crisis<ref>{{cite web |title=R.F. Kuang Lecture Recording |url=https://tolkienlecture.org/2022/05/30/r-f-kuang-lecture-recording/ |website=The J. R. R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature |access-date=18 November 2023 |date=30 May 2022}}</ref> |- | 16 May 2023 || Maria Dahvana Headley || Tell Me a Story: How Fantastical Literature Has Been Shaped by Storytellers and Audiences<ref>{{cite web |title=Maria Dahvana Headley Lecture Recording and Photos |url=https://tolkienlecture.org/2023/05/25/maria-dahvana-headley-lecture-recording-and-photos/ |website=The J. R. R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature |access-date=18 November 2023 |date=25 May 2023}}</ref> |- |12 June 2024 |Neil Gaiman |Hand Grenade Pins: On Libraries and the Fantastic<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2024-04-15 |title=Neil Gaiman to Deliver the 2024 Tolkien Lecture |url=https://tolkienlecture.org/2024/04/15/neil-gaiman-to-deliver-the-2024-tolkien-lecture/ |access-date=2025-01-03 |website=The J. R. R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature |language=en}}</ref> |- |19 May 2025 |Zen Cho |The Uses of Fantasy<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-09-15 |title=Zen Cho delivers 2025 Tolkien Lecture {{!}} Pembroke college |url=https://www.pmb.ox.ac.uk/news/zen-cho-delivers-2025-tolkien-lecture |access-date=2025-09-17 |website=www.pmb.ox.ac.uk |language=en}}</ref> |- |19 May 2026 |Brandon Sanderson |TBD<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-12-04 |title=Brandon Sanderson announces 2026 events in London |url=https://www.deseret.com/utah/2025/12/04/dragonsteel-nexus-2025-welcome/ |access-date=2025-12-11 |website=Deseret News |language=en}}</ref> |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://tolkienlecture.org/ Official Website] * [http://pembrokemcr.com/tolkien/tolkien-lecture-2013.pdf Press Release for the launch of the series] * [https://www.pmb.ox.ac.uk/ Pembroke College, Oxford, Official Website]
{{DEFAULTSORT:J. R. R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature, The}} Tolkien Category:Tolkien studies Category:Science fiction studies Category:Speculative fiction Category:Annual events in England Category:Recurring events established in 2013 Category:Pembroke College, Oxford Category:2013 establishments in England