The Summoned Book: A Hobbit Poem
Introductory verse – “The time has come,” The Walrus said, “To talk of many things. “Of elves and swords “And wizard-staves, “Of gold and Dwarven kings, “And why the Thrush knocks on the rock “And…
Latest Blog
Ladies and Gents: An Encounter with the Inklings
I’ve been keeper of the Bird and Baby since the last tender sold the grounds to the university. I was a spry young fellow then, eager to get myself established in the world, so when…
Top of All Tables: A Fan’s Review of the Television series “Jane and the Dragon”
When a dragon’s claws whisk young Prince Cuthbert of Kippernium away from the castle, an unlikely hero arrives at the dragon’s den to rescue the kingdom’s heir: feisty, precocious, and unforgettably red-haired twelve-year-old Jane Turnkey.…
A Not So Horrible Beginning – Part 3
EmilyI dropped my stuff on the counter and sank into my comfy armchair. Visiting my parents had been rough today, my dad was complaining as usual, and my mother was wondering when I was going…
Real, Solid, and Unbending: The Life and Legacy of Sir John Moore
Sir John Moore first leapt out of the pages of British history for me when my friend, Graham Wright, who lives not far from Moore's birthplace in Glasgow, Scotland, bid me look him up…
Out of the Information Highway to Middle-Earth I Am Come: A Review of The Lord of the Rings Online
Aragorn crouches on the ground, studying the map laid out before him. I stand off to one side and try to look as if I actually belong here. Tersely he gives orders to our…
Where Are My Lembas?: A Lord of the Rings Poem
O where, O where have my lembas gone? O where, O where can they be?! I’ve looked in the sack and I’ve looked on the ground! O where, O where can they be?! – O…
A Not So Horrible Beginning – Part 2
EmilyI hopped out; the sky was an inky blue and looked as if diamonds were littered across it. Liam came up behind me, resting his arm on my shoulders. He gazed down at me “Do…
An Extract from the Files of George Whitby, Investigator: A Mystery Based on the Game “Clue”
You’re tangled in your latest murder file when the telephone begins to shrill and rattle against the hook like a panicking bird. Reluctantly, you pluck up the earpiece and pull the receiver to…