Michael D. C. Drout is Chair of the English Department and Prentice Associate Professor of English at Wheaton College, Norton, Massachusetts, where he teaches Old and Middle English literature, fantasy, science fiction and the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Drout edited and published Tolkien’s Beowulf and the Critics in 2002, and in 2003 this edition won the Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies. Drout also edited the 2006 J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment, published by Routledge. He is one of the founding editors of the journal Tolkien Studies and has published numerous articles on Tolkien and fantasy literature.
His technical research in medieval studies includes on Anglo-Saxon monastic rules, wills and the “wisdom poems” of the Exeter Book as well as articles on Beowulf and Anglo-Saxon medicine. Drout runs anglosaxonaloud.com, a daily podcast of Old English verse, and he is the producer and performer of Beowulf Aloud, a reading of the entire poem in Old English. His book, How Tradition Works: A Meme-Based Poetics of the Anglo-Saxon Tenth Century was published in 2006 by Arizona Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies.
Drout has also recorded seven college courses on CD for The Modern Scholar division of Recorded Books. These include Rings, Swords and Monsters: Exploring Fantasy Literature (also published by Barnes and Noble as Of Sorcerers and Men), From Here to Infinity: An Exploration of Science Fiction, Bard of the Middle Ages: The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, The History of the English Language, A Way with Words, Part 1: Rhetoric, Writing and the Arts of Persuasion and A Way with Words, Part 2: Understanding and Appreciating Literature.
Drout is currently engaged in a project to extract DNA from medieval manuscripts and is writing a new book, From Tradition to Culture. In 2006 he was awarded a Millicent C. McIntosh Fellowship from the Woodrow Wilson Institute. He lives in Dedham, Massachusetts with his wife and two children.
You can visit his website here.
Jef Murray is a fantasy artist and illustrator best known for his illustrations of works by J.R.R. Tolkien. His paintings and illustrations appear regularly in Tolkien publications (Amon Hen, Mallorn, and Parma Nole) and in Catholic publications (St. Austin Review and the Georgia Bulletin) worldwide. 
He is Artist-in-Residence for the St. AustinReview, and was artist guest of honor at the 2006 Gathering of the Fellowship in Toronto along with Ted Nasmith. He was nominated for an Imperishable Flame award in 2006, and his most recent book illustrations were for How Shall We Celebrate by Lorraine Murray.
He is also responsible for the Gathering of the Fellowship Logo as well as the colorful painting used by A Long-Expected Party seen to the right.
You can visit his website here.
Judy Mitchell, co-owner of Alley Cat Scratch Costume, hasn't been costuming forever - it just seems that way. Actually she nearly flunked junior high sewing and swore never to touch a sewing machine or even sew on a button! Just goes to show how early plans work out. Joining a medieval group in the late 1970s introduced her to a concept of 'meatball sewing' and she got hooked. Now it all makes sense! And while she still might not be willing to do mending or replace buttons, spending a year at a time researching, and even handsewing, dead-accurate historical clothing for competition has left it's mark.
Having figured out what went wrong in Jr High, she happily encourages others with 'remedial sewing' to get more people hooked. When not sewing or researching, Judy fills up her spare time being a viking re enactor, playing with her 4 cats, or attached to the computer, and even being married to a very patient man.
You can visit her web site here.
A long-time fan of Tolkien, history, and fantasy role playing games, Michael Cook is a professional armor and sword maker for Celebrate Studios in Eastern Tennessee. He creates historically accurate weapons and armor as well original fantasy creations and replicas. Heavily inspired by the Lord of Rings films and the work of WETA Workshop, his leather Elven Armor has won Best of Show at Chattacon and Best in Class, Master Category at DragonCon 2006.
Michael Cook holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sequential Art from the Savannah College of Art and Design. He is a published comic book artist and illustrator. He has been married for twelve years and is a father to two cats.
He can be e-mailed directly at studiokensai@comcast.net. He is always welcoming custom work. ;)
More of his costume work can be seen here.
Michael also has a LiveJournal where a lot more of his work, including illustrations, can be seen.
Brobdingnagian Bards
We at ALEP are thrilled to welcome our bards for the event: the Brobdingnagian Bards! Scottish and Irish folk songs combined with the Lord of the Rings music and a wee bit o'Celtic fun. The Brobdingnagian Bards are The Original Celtic Renaissance music duo from Austin, Texas. Their unique brand of folk music on the autoharp, recorder, and mandolin has made them one of the most-popular Celtic music groups online where they give away thousands of free Celtic MP3 downloads daily.
The Brobdingnagian Bards perform coast-to-coast, and in any given month might be at a Lord of the Rings Oscar Party, a Celtic festival, or a Science Fiction Convention. However, they are an absolute favorite at Renaissance Faires, where they add high energy and wit to make every show a memorable experience.
You can visit their site here.
Performing for us Friday night in the Hall of Fire will be the talented Harpist Dana Woodard. Dana has played professionally for many years and performs at weddings, plays, dinners and other functions that need a touch of class.
We are honored and excited to have Dana playing for us since the event Friday evening will need an element of grace and Elvish quality that only a harp can bring.
Her life-long absorption in works of myth and fantasy is reflected in many of her own current works-in-progress which include: a book-length analysis of Frodo as sacrificial hero in The Lord of the Rings; a novel rooted in Celtic imagery and lore; and a collection of writing meditations inspired by goddess mythology.
George Beahm, the author of THE ESSENTIAL JRR TOLKIEN SOURCEBOOK, has twice been a guest of honor at ORC and also at the Tolkien celebration, the "Into the West" Party. The author of dozens of books about Stephen King, C.S. Lewis, J.K. Rowling, and Philip Pullman, Beahm's company, Flights of Imagination, has released all of Tim Kirk's paintings for the 1975 Tolkien Calendar. A lifelong fantasy fan, Beahm lives in Williamsburg, Virginia.
You can visit his website here.
Kate Brown has been singing for as long as she’s been a resident of this world. Though she performs various styles and genres, she has always had a love of Celtic music and Irish folk songs, for which her hauntingly clear soprano voice seems to fit perfectly. Her musical accomplishments include many awards and accolades for multiple perfect score winnings at local, regional, state, and multi-state contests and events, and she has quite a fan base in the regional area. A huge fan of the fantasy adventure realm, she spends her evenings reading Tolkien and Brooks by the fire with her cats, and dreaming of the days when elves really will take over the world and magic will once more replace science as the ultimate power source.
Kate can be contacted for Celtic or other musical performances at queen_of_the_elves1890@yahoo.com.
More to come!
