The British Tolkien Society began the custom of the Tolkien Reading Day, many years ago. Given that it was a fantastic opportunity for Tolkien fans across the world to celebrate the Professor’s work by reading from his book, it was no surprised that it took off as it did.
Talking to Barbara Sanguineti, from AIST (Italian Association for Tolkien Studies), we discovered their plans and programme to celebrate this year’s Tolkien Reading Day in Rome.
“Since 2003 Tolkien fans worldwide have celebrated the date of 25th March
(anniversary of the One Ring’s destruction) with public readings from the Professor’s books. This year, AIST will pay homage to such anniversary with an even wider initiative, a Tolkien Day in Rome. The event will be held, in partnership with LudoManiacs, at MACRO (Museum of Contemporary Art, via Nizza 138 – 00198 – Rome) from 2 pm to midnight, and will encompass many different activities. Tolkien’s works will be examined from an artistic point of view, through exhibitions and seminars held by illustrators and focused on the various representations Arda went through from the ’70s until now. Tolkien calendars will play an important part, from some very rare pieces from past years to the AIST-produced ‘Lords for the Ring’ 2018 calendar that will be unveiled on this occasion after the huge success of the 2017 edition. There will also be focus on cinema and music, including showings and discussions about several noteworthy fan movies, and a panel of music experts who will examine the influence Tolkien’s books have had on rock and heavy metal bands. The metaphysical side of Tolkien’s Legendarium will be explored as well, with the presentation of the book ‘La Reincarnazione degli Elfi’ (The Reincarnation of Elves), a collection of Tolkien’s writings on the topic edited by R. Arduini and C. Testi for its first Italian edition. Finally, from late afternoon throughout the evening the attention will shift on gaming, with conferences and live-sessions of the most famous roleplaying and board games inspired by Tolkien’s universe, like MERP and Hobbit Tales. And of course there will be plenty of public readings, by actors and fans!
The admission to the event is free (with the exception of the art workshops).”
How will you celebrate your Tolkien Reading Day tomorrow? Let us know!
