For the past couple of months, I've been talking with a fellow, Erurainon, about a new project he and another fan are working on that I think is really cool and want to help them to get off the ground. In the happenstance way that things tend to happen to me in this fandom (since I rarely have the time to be proactive in my own involvement these days), I had helped a writer named Abby set up an account on Many Paths to Tread, and she asked if I would help her friend Erurainon, who was also interested in an account. In talking with the two of them, they mentioned that they are working on a Tolkien-based podcast with a primary focus on the Silmarillion fandom.

Naturally, my ears pricked up. For one, I have invested a rather considerable *ahem* amount of blood, sweat, and tears into the Silmarillion fandom. For another, podcasting is something that I have been excited about for some time now but lacked the time needed to learn what it would take to actually make a podcast and get one off of the group for the fandom. Other fandoms have been using podcasts and other forms of audio for some time now but, in the typically conservative way of the Tolkien fandom where new technology is concerned, with the exception of the Tolkien Podfic community on LJ, I've not seen podcasts/podfics really being used in this fandom.

I first offered up the SWG as a means to connect with other Silmarillion fans--Erurainon has been involved in the Tolkien community for a while but is rather new to the Silmarillion writing community--which is, of course, open to any Tolkien-based group with a few restrictions, but as we talked, he asked if I'd like to be involved with helping to create the podcasts. After getting an idea of what the goal of the project was, I jumped at the chance. (Although the SWG will help to promote other groups/projects with very few restrictions, I am much pickier, not wanting to support anything that denigrates writers/types of writing or seeks to promote a "correct" way of interpreting the texts.)

They have planned a two-fold approach to the podcast. One podcast format will be a sort of roundtable discussion about a featured Silmarillion-based story: first a reading of the story, then a discussion of it by participants in the group. The second format will progress through The Silmarillion chapter by chapter, with a group discussion of each. The project is very much in its early stages; I don't even have a central group or community to refer you to yet, being as Erurainon and I have been trying to piece together his and Abby's knowledge of podcasting with my knowledge of running fandom projects in the midst of overwhelmingly busy schedules for all of us. But I did want to put the project out there and see who might be interested in contributing to the podcasts.

Technology-wise, it's very easy to do. The discussions are held on Skype, which is a free Internet telephone service. You'd need access to a computer with a microphone and speakers; I bought a microphone for about $10 for podcasting/podfic purposes. Erurainon and I "Skyped" about the project, and it was easy to do and fun. If you want to do any audio editing (like if you want to record a podfic), you'd need audio editing software. I downloaded the free software Audacity, which it took me about an hour one evening to learn to use. (Tolkien Podfic links to these Audacity tutorials that I used.) Simply participating in a discussion as part of the podcast, however, would not require learning audio editing.

Anyone interesting in participating? This is in no way a commitment to anything; just an initial, "Yes, please let me know when you know more!" type of thing. :) Any questions, too, please do ask, and if I don't know the answer right now (being as we're still in the formative stages and haven't figured everything out yet), I'll do my best to find out. And if you know any other Silmfolk who might not see this message but might be interested, please do feel free to help me get the word out.