Diversity

The Tolkien Society focuses on diversity and inclusion during their annual summer seminar

The Tolkien Society focuses on diversity and inclusion during their annual summer seminar

The literary organization The Tolkien Society, founded around a half-century ago, is dedicated to promoting the life and works of the British scholar and author of the high fantasy novel “The Lord of the Rings,” J.R.R. Tolkien. Since 1986, the Society has held an annual short summer conference consisting of academic talks and panel discussions on a Tolkien-related theme. The 2021 Summer Seminar, titled “Tolkien and Diversity,” was held live via Zoom on July 3 and July 4. The conference, free to the public, hosted more than 500 attendees from 42 countries. The theme of diversity received backlash from right-wing political commentators who accused the society of going “woke.”

Increasing diversity in YA Lit raises questions about authorship

BY GABY RODRIGUEZ ’22

Young adult (YA) novels rocketed into the public eye in 2008 when Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” came to the big screen. YA has always been a genre that defied typical expectations; not quite children’s literature but not quite a full-fledged heavy adult narrative, YA is a rebellion against publishing norms. This boundary-pushing nature gives minority authors more opportunities to publish their work, creating a more diverse array of YA novels.