The Mythopoeic Society (MythSoc) is a non-profit organization devoted to the study of mythopoeic literature, particularly the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univer ...

, all members of

The Inklings The Inklings were an informal literary discussion group associated with J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis at the University of Oxford for nearly two decades between the early 1930s and late 1949. The Inklings were literary enthusiasts who pr ...

, an informal group of writers who met weekly in C. S. Lewis' rooms at

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the ...

, from the early 1930s through late 1949.

History

The Mythopoeic Society was founded in 1967 by Glen H. GoodKnight. Originally composed of discussion groups based in the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

area, it expanded to include organized branches across North America; in 1972 it assimilated the Tolkien Society of America. Membership is open to those who read, study, or write in the genres of myth and fantasy.

Publications

Three periodical publications are produced by the society: * ''Mythprint'' is a quarterly newsletter with notices of Society activity, book reviews and articles; Mythopoeic Society membership includes electronic Mythprint (PDF), also available in print format by subscription. * ''

Mythlore ''Mythlore'' is a biannual (originally quarterly) peer-reviewed academic journal founded by Glen GoodKnight and published by the Mythopoeic Society. Although it publishes articles that explore the genres of myth and fantasy in general, special a ...

'', edited by

Janet Brennan Croft Janet Brennan Croft (born 1961) is an American author and editor, best known for writing and editing books and journals on J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy. She is currently Associate University Librarian for Content Discovery at Univers ...

, publishes peer-reviewed articles on mythic and fantastic works, available by subscription; since 2017, back numbers are freely available at an archive provided by

SWOSU Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) is a public university in Weatherford and Sayre, Oklahoma. It is one of six Regional University System of Oklahoma members. History SWOSU was first established through an act of the Oklahoma Ter ...

. * ''

The Mythic Circle ''The Mythic Circle'' is an illustrated fiction magazine published annually by the Mythopoeic Society containing short fiction and poetry. History and profile Founded in 1987 by Sherwood Smith and Lynn Maudlin, ''The Mythic Circle'' started as a q ...

'' is a collection of original fiction and poetry, published yearly, available by subscription. In addition to the periodicals, the society forme
The Mythopoeic Press
to publish material by and about writers of mythopoeic and fantastic literature, especially focused on The Inklings. Works published include out-of-print materials, collections of short articles and essays, and scholarly items.

Activities

The society sponsors local discussion groups throughout the United States and the ''Annual Mythopoeic Conference'', also known as ''Mythcon'', generally held on college or university campuses in various locations, primarily within the United States. Mythcon XX was held in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1989. Mythcon XXIII was held at

Keble College, Oxford Keble College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to ...

, England, in 1992 as part of '' The J. R. R. Tolkien Centenary Conference'', co-sponsored with

The Tolkien Society The Tolkien Society is an educational charity and literary society devoted to the study and promotion of the life and works of the author and academic J. R. R. Tolkien. It began informally in 1969, and held its inaugural meeting in 1970. It ...

. Likewise, Mythcon XXXVI in 2005 was held at

Aston University Aston University (abbreviated as ''Aston''. for post-nominals) is a public research university situated in the city centre of Birmingham, England. Aston began as the Birmingham Municipal Technical School in 1895, evolving into the UK's first ...

, Birmingham, England, combined with ''Tolkien 2005 - 50 Years of The Lord of the Rings'', sponsored by The Tolkien Society.History of Mythopoeic Conferences
Mythopoeic Society. Retrieved 2017-01-06.

Mythopoeic Awards

Since 1971 the Mythopoeic Society has bestowed a series o

to outstanding works. In 1991 the literary award was broken into two categories: the ''Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature'' and the ''Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature''. The ''Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies'' is given to books on J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and/or Charles Williams that make significant contributions to Inklings scholarship. The ''Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Myth and Fantasy Studies'' is given to scholarly books on other specific authors in the Inklings tradition, or to more general works on the genres of myth and fantasy. For the scholarship awards, books first published during the previous three years are eligible, including finalists for previous years.

References

External links