Tolkien Fans Bring Middle-earth to Spokane August 13-15
Tolkien scholar Michael Martinez will be appearing at the Tolkien Moot festival in Spokane, WA this weekend (August 13-15). Martinez, who has written three books about Middle-earth, J.R.R. Tolkien’s imaginary world setting for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, has been promoting the convention on his Internet radio show.
Tolkien Moot has announced its first musical guest this year: Rehtaeh, who specializes in Elvish music, is scheduled to perform live on each of the three days of the convention. Rehtaeh’s performances will be broadcast live on the Web. She will also be the featured guest in “Raw Hobbit”, an intense interview session Martinez hosts in the style of William Shatner’s “Raw Nerve”.
Tolkien Moot (www.tolkienmoot.org) is free to the public but gamers are asked to RSVP through the Website to reserve seats at the gaming tables, which are limited. According to publicity for the event, past Tolkien Moots have featured prominent Tolkien scholars like Dr. Thomas Morwinsky, John Rateliff, and Professor Chris Seeman.
Kansas City musician Heather Downing is Rehtaeh, an Elvish persona she created for Renaissance faires. Downing has released three CDs featuring Elvish and Celtic music that appeals to fans of J.R.R. Tolkien. She is currently selling one CD, “ElementAria”, through major online music retailers such as Amazon and iTunes. Downing also appears in student films and music videos that have been uploaded to YouTube.
