Middle-earth News Staff

Arwen – Founder

North Carolina

The creator of Middle-earth News. Back in January 2011, Arwen began the site as a small blog that turned into the well-known and beloved community it is today. While she no longer plays an active role running the website, Arwen is always around to engage with fellow Tolkien fans and argue about Balrog wings. You can connect with Arwen and view updates on her upcoming high fantasy novel using the links below:

Twitter | Facebook | Website

 

Valdís Longbeard – Executive Director

New York

Valdís is a classic nerd, with many geeky interests, but her life-long love of Tolkien rules them all. She was completely hooked the first time that she read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings at age 8.  Since then, she has read the books at least once a year, and delves into Middle-earth at every opportunity with a fervor that would make any dwarf proud.  She also deeply loves Peter Jackson’s films, and defends them staunchly when need arises.

When reality forces her out of Middle-earth, Valdís is a university professor, a wife, mother of two daughters, and servant to three cats.

valdis@middleearthnews.com

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

 

Myla – Staff Reporter

Connecticut

After being dragged to see The Fellowship of the Ring back in 2001 with her dad, Myla fell head-over-hobbit-feet in love with Middle-earth. She would love nothing more than to be able to live peacefully in the Shire and go on the occasional adventure with Bilbo, but in reality she’s a graphic designer who enjoys collecting everything she can about the Professor’s world.

myla@middleearthnews.com

Twitter | Instagram

 


Former Team Members

Alice

Alice discovered Tolkien’s world when she was 12 years old and watched The Fellowship of the Ring for the first time. It was love at the first sight. She read The Lord of the Rings in a few days and felt so sad when she finished that she read all the appendices several times and so it started her passion for the dates and maps.

When not at her desk writing or journaling, you’ll probably find her reading, watching movies, enjoying a meal in true Hobbit fashion or going on a walk in the countryside.

Amanda Capley

Amanda has always been a self-proclaimed nerd. It only seemed a natural progression for her to become so deeply entrenched in the vast world of Middle-earth. She quickly found herself being swept away by the intense battles, deep moral messages, and the handsome dwarf, Kili.

In addition to staying on top of all the latest Middle-earth news and events, Amanda is a full-time university student. She is also a passionate animal-lover with pets such as a giant black cat named Ozzy and a guinea pig named Gimli. The rest of her free time is spent traveling, writing, watching TV and movies, and attending nerdy conventions.

Anastasia Green

As a writer, Anastasia loves all things fiction. Being exposed to Tolkien as a teenager, she remembers reading LOTR everywhere, hardly taking her nose out of the book. He remains her main mentor to this day. Anastasia finished primary school in Poland, where she was introduced to all the magical Scandinavian stories and legends. Her love for Finnish fiction is what compelled her to begin writing. Anastasia is in love with all that has to do with film-making, is somewhat a weird mixture of old and new (the lady and a rebel), draws a little, and snowboards. When she’s not traveling in her Tardis, Ana loves taking evening strolls in her “Mind Palace” and occasionally popping by The Prancing Pony, humming to the Song Of Ice and Fire.

Britta

Britta first read The Hobbit when she was ten years old and has since devoted the majority of her time to studying and writing about Tolkien’s legendarium. When not immersed in maps and books, she can be found fighting off the agents of Sauron in The Lord of the Rings Online.

Lily Milos

Lily’s first experience with Tolkien was when the eccentric Mrs. H performed all of the characters from The Hobbit in her seventh grade class. In high school, she felt obliged to decline a second date with a boy who said he had no interest in reading The Lord of the Rings. In college, she unwisely decided to reread her beloved copy of The Hobbit during finals week, with only semi-disastrous results.

When not writing for Middle-earth News, Lily tries not to unnerve her coworkers and family with her extreme geekery, but somehow, Star Wars, Star Trek, Sherlock, Merlin, Doctor Who, The Princess Bride, Back to the Future, superheroes, Disney movies, and of course, Tolkien, seem to have relevance in EVERY conversation.

Maria

When Maria watched the Fellowship the very first time in cinemas, she fell hopelessly in love with Tolkien’s work. Up to the point where she lost herself in Middle Earth entirely. When not occupied with studying, she likes to draw, hoard books, travel around (if her bank account allows it), and pretending to be a hobbit that is attending Hogwarts in order to become a Jedi knight.

Olóriel

From time out of mind, Oloriel has been typing away in her little apartment, cats at her feet, hoping to reach out to other fantasy lovers by way of folkandfairy.com. Her discovery of Tolkien as a young adult awakened her long-dormant love of the otherworldly, and now she sees magic everywhere.

Oloriel has a degree in writing, which she put to work during a three-year stint in vanity publishing – an experience not unlike purgatory and very much like having to read 20 bad books each week – which she prefers not to talk about. To renew herself, she knits, naps, reads, prays, writes, walks in the woods, and eats too many cookies.

Rachel Took

Rachel was transformed from reluctant viewer to die hard fan when she saw The Lord of the Rings for the first time with her younger brother on a borrowed video cassette tape. Now seven years later Rachel has never lost her love for Peter Jackson’s films, but has grown in her passion for Middle Earth, Tolkien’s works, and especially hobbits.