I have to admit that I was initially skeptical when I first heard that a ‘new’ work was being published by J.R.R. Tolkien. I envisioned a book written containing a minimal influence of the master, cobbled together in order to make a buck. Thankfully my cynicism was short lived. It only took a bit of thought to dismiss that as ludicrous. Christopher Tolkien has been nothing but a devoted son to his father in the years since his death, working tirelessly to bring forth the massive works of his father that would otherwise not have seen the light of day. I merely had to think back to how easily I lost myself in The Silmarillion to recall just how much Christopher Tolkien has influenced my love of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.
“Myth must be kept alive.
The people who can keep it alive are the artists of one kind or another.
The function of the artist is the mythologization of the environment
and the world.”
~ Joseph Campbell
The Endicott Studio was conceived in the heart and mind of Terri Windling and began life housed in a real, physical place. It has since morphed into something that I admire more than I can readily describe: it is a caring, compassionate and passionate community.
Early inspiration for my site came from the endless variety of fun garnered from daily visits to Neil Gaiman’s journal. Like the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game, I can trace so much of what I like and what I treasure over the last decade back to Neil Gaiman. One of the most influential of them is The Endicott Studio. My goal here is not to give a blow by blow account of how Endicott Studio came into being. That can be found here, and it is a fascinating read. What I want to do is give a brief overview of Endicott Studio’s inception and then launch into what I personally love about this community and how it influences me.
If the name Charles de Lint sounds familiar to you and yet you haven’t read any of his work it may be for a number of reasons. You may recall in the Terri Windling Friday Favorites that I mentioned that she, along with de Lint, coined the term mythic fiction and were instrumental in bringing this type of fantasy back to popularity. You may have seen the many striking book covers graced by the work of John Jude Palencar as you walk down the fantasy aisles. Or it may be because Charles de Lint has written over 40 novels, has numerous short story collections, writes poetry, and is a Celtic folk musician. Whatever the reason, the name Charles de Lint should be familiar to you. If it is not, I cannot encourage you strongly enough to remedy that situation as quick as possible.
I am pleased to announce to all that my sister Abby and her husband Mike are expecting! Though it was supposed to be a secret for awhile it took my sister all of 5 minutes to spill the beans at this weekend’s get-together. They are excited, as are we all! This will be their first…if you don’t count their other two babies:
