Mythmoot VI After-Action Report

Just a quick note this time to say that I returned from Mythmoot VI last week, so blogging will be resuming shortly. This was my second Mythmoot, and my most "active" one from a participation standpoint. I took part in a number of panels:

• A Thesis Theater panel along with a fellow philology grad and one other Signum graduate (also brilliant!). 
• A Wilderness of Dragons panel, along with some (but alas, not all--you were missed, Simon, Jeremy, and Oliver) of my fellow authors for this essay collection. 
• A "Tolkien and Gaming" panel, with Dr Corey Olsen, Trish Lambert, Jacob Rogers (one of the designers of Cubicle 7's The One Ring RPG, of which I am a superfan).
• And, of course, my own graduation. I walked an aisle, received "congratulations" from Dr Olsen (pic below) and read some of the Hervararkviða in Old Norse and in my own translation.

Other highlights included meeting one of my favorite living Inklings scholars, Diana Glyer, and hearing a wonderful talk she gave on creative collaboration; seeing a presentation from a DoD illustrator (who works at Langley, VA) on illustrating the Fall of Gondolin, hearing the inimitable Kevin Hensler talk about Semitic Chaos Dragons, and, of course, dancing.

But the best parts of Mythmoot were, as always, the long conversations around the firepit after the lights went out. Staying up long past respectable hours talking about the Holy Grail--that's why I go to these things.

Not the least of the joys of last weekend was stopping by St Nicholas Cathedral in DC for liturgy and coffee hour before I headed to the airport. My thanks to the wonderful folks at St Nicholas for their hospitality. At the end of a fun but exhausting weekend of travel and running around, it was good to stand still in church and know exactly where I was.

On the Wilderness of Dragons panel with the great Tom Hillman.

Like any good Anglo-Saxon, I chose to receive my 'congratulations' in Latin.

Hanging out with Lesley and Sara at the masquerade ball Saturday night. These two brilliant ladies put up with me through three semesters of Philology.

St Nicholas Cathedral, Washington DC. An icon of Paradise.