I've been quiet on this blog for the past couple of months because I have been overwhelmed by demands on my time from work and my personal life. People occasionally write to me and ask if I will blog again, both personally and about specific topics. I don't know what to tell them.

I've been contributing to two blogs most recently about SEO Theory and Brand Management for my employer. Coming up with 20+ technical posts a month takes a lot of work and I'm usually mentally and emotionally drained by the time I finish my day job and get those blog posts published.

Still, there is more that could be said about J.R.R. Tolkien and I've been wondering if this blog is an appropriate venue. I originally thought I should just write about Tolkien studies on the Web here. But maybe I should just create a new Generic Tolkien category and write something on a weekly basis, sort of like the old Suite101 articles I used to write.

MERP is organizing a new Tolkien journal. I've already missed a deadline for a first issue submission, but you may find some interesting material there when they get that project off the ground. I believe the MERP site is also being redesigned to improve navigation and readability, but given that it's a volunteer-managed site, there is no knowing when that work will be finished.

I have been trying to provide commentary on the Endor Google Group. I started out posting twice a week and have now missed entire weeks altogether. But I'll try to post 1 or 2 more commentaries this week.

"The Iliad" is a critical influence on Tolkien for several reasons, and this summer our topic has been that poem and (to a lesser extent) the Greek Epic Poets. Tolkien's Greek roots for Middle-earth and his other mythologies are understudied, undervalued, and just underloved among Tolkien fandom.

The great "Middle-earth is medieval" myth seems to have taken root across all literature thanks in large part to the Peter Jackson movies, much to the loss of Tolkien fans everywhere. You cannot understand Middle-earth unless you look at all the influences Tolkien drew upon.

I've also been hearing from people who want me to publish another book. I'm not sure what I would write about. Some people have suggested I don't have the academic background for this sort of thing, which is entirely untrue (a great part of my college education was devoted to the study of history and literature). But I'm not interested in writing "critical" reviews or defenses of Tolkien's work.

There are a few things that could be said about Tolkien studies on the Web, but the effort involved in finding and vetting worthy sites is well beyond what I can devote to the process. There are just too many other things I can accomplish in the same amount of time, given how little return for the effort there is.

So, I know people visit this blog. I'll keep an eye on the comments and if any of you want to make your desires known, I'll be glad to give them some consideration. Maybe a weekly or bi-weekly post on general Tolkien topics will work better for everyone anyway.

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