TumblogWritings, musings and generally lighthearted bantee

Want to study Tolkien for credit towards an MA (or just for fun) with world-class scholars and teachers?

Listen to the recording of the live broadcast announcement of the Mythgard Institute, courtesy of Middle-Earth Network Radio:

Part I: .mp3 | .m4a  Part II: .mp3 | .m4a
(and the Mythgard Q&A Call-In Show, 11/27/11: .mp3)

For years, students have had two basic options in higher education: take courses at a residential college or major university or choose to take online classes. The former traditionally presents challenges of increasing cost and geography while the latter is lacking the dialectical interactions that enrich the residential college experience.

But now, there is a third choice, which brings together the best of both systems:  The Mythgard Institute.

The Day Has Come!

Visit www.mythgard.org today!

All lectures have been given, the students have gone and the entire series of Undergraduate Tolkien Survey recordings has been posted online. Listen in on the complete Washington College Tolkien course from the Spring 2010 semester!

Listen in as I announce my new book, Exploring The Hobbit, on Middle-earth Network Radio!

Radio Show – .mp3 or .m4a

In the second week of February, the Washington Post ran a very flattering story about me and my podcast, written by Post reporter Daniel DeVise. You can check out the article, a live text chat, and a FAQ quiz that I did with the Post.

CHESTERTOWN, MD. – Corey Olsen had a lot to say about J.R.R. Tolkien. But it seemed a pity to consign his thoughts to a scholarly journal, to be read by a few hundred fellow academics who already knew more than enough about the author of “The Lord of the Rings.”

Follow along with my newest Washington College course, “Faerie and Fantasy” class begins in late January of 2011, but the reading schedule is available now!

Read along with the new Silmarillion Seminar, which just began!  From this December I will be reading through the entirety of this complex – but rewarding – J.R.R. Tolkien work.  Won’t you join us?

In November 2010, John DiBartolo (musician and songwriter with The Lonely Mountain Band), Ted Nasmith (world-famous painter and Tolkien illustrator), and I got together by Skype to talk about our work and our different approaches to interpreting Tolkien’s work. We also answered together a number of questions from listeners and fans.

The recording will be released in three parts on my Bonus page: I hope you enjoy it!