PEORIA -- An evening devoted to The Hobbitt with Doug Anderson and Mike Foster as moderators, drew at least 125 people to Bradley Hall in Peoria on Tuesday, Feb. 17.
Here's Mike Foster's account:
One family drove from Galesburg - about 60 miles - despite the cold and rain. There was one fellow from Notre Dame, Joe Kraemer from Cincinnati, Jan and Jeff Long from Milwaukee, David Berberick from Madison, as well as Graham Stockdale, Derek Hoover, and Linda Lowery from my Bradley JRRT (Tolkien) class.
Doug and I discussed his books and Tolkien from 7:30 to 8:20 and the audience Q&A lasted till 9, bringing up discussion of other authors like E. A. Wyke-Smith, Robert Holdstock, C.S. Lewis, Ursula K. LeGuin, Peter S. Beagle et alia.
Doug then joined the Bradley bookstore guy outside Neumiller (Auditorium) and sold and signed books till almost 9:30, when we adjourned to the Peoria Pizza Works for an after-party of 16 with Far Westfarthing smial (a Tolkien/ fantasy book group now in its 12th year), the Longs, Kraemer, Berberick, all well-known Tolkien scholars, and Doug at the head of the horseshoe table. Bass Ale & thin-crust pizza was involved.
Can't remember the last time it was almost midnight when Jo & I got home from a date vs. almost 9.
Considering the downtown competition from BU vs. SMSU as well as Lord of the Dance, it was a good turnout.
The Longs and David Berberick stopped by Foster's Farm for a semi-unexpected party of strong coffee and almond biscotti then next morning. All in all, a fine time.
-- Mike Foster, Metamora, IL
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