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Home , A Secret Vice, Dimitra Fimi, Fastitocalon (poem)

Dr Curriculum Vitae December 2017 Department of Humanities Cardiff Metropolitan University Cyncoed Campus, Cardiff CF23 6SQ [email protected]

EDUCATION

Ph.D. English Literature, Cardiff University, 2005 M.A. Early Celtic Studies, Cardiff University, 2002 B.A. English Language and Literature, University of Athens, 2000

PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS

2016-currently Senior Lecturer in English, Department of Humanities, Cardiff Metropolitan University 2009-2016 Lecturer in English, Department of Humanities, Cardiff Metropolitan University 2009-2010 Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Open University, Associate Lecturer 2004-2009 Centre for Lifelong Learning, Cardiff University, Associate Lecturer

PUBLICATIONS Books 2017 Celtic in Contemporary Children’s Fantasy: Idealization, Identity, Ideology. London: Palgrave Macmillan. 2016 Tolkien, J.R.R. : Tolkien on Invented Languages, edited by Dimitra Fimi and Andrew Higgins. London: HarperCollins. 2008 Tolkien, Race and Cultural History: From Fairies to . Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

Referred Journal Articles

2012 ‘Between Greece and Europe: The Fairy Tales of Penelope Delta’, : Studies in Fantasticism Ancient to Modern, 2 (1), pp. 97-112. 2007 ‘Tolkien’s “‘Celtic’ type of legends”: Merging Traditions’, , 4, pp. 51-71. 2006 ‘“Mad Elves” and “Elusive Beauty”: Some Celtic Strands of Tolkien’s Mythology’, Folklore, 117 (2), pp. 156-170. 2005 ‘“Come Sing ye Light Fairy Things Tripping so Gay”: Victorian Fairies and the Early Work of J.R.R. Tolkien’, Working with English: Medieval and Modern Language, Literature and Drama, 2, pp. 10-26.

Book Chapters

2017 ‘Tolkien’s Arda’, in Wolf, M. (ed.) The Routledge Companion to Imaginary Worlds. New York: Routledge, pp. 377-84. 2017 Fimi, D. and Higgins, A. ‘Invented Languages’, in Wolf, M. (ed.) The Routledge Companion to Imaginary Worlds. New York: Routledge, pp. 21-9. 2016 ‘The Past as an Imaginary World: The Case of Medievalism’, in Wolf, M. (ed.) Revisiting Imaginary Worlds: A Subcreation Studies Anthology. New York: Routledge, pp. 46-66. 2015 ‘Teaching Race and Cultures in Tolkien's Works’, in Donovan, L.A. (ed.), Approaches to Teaching J. R. R. Tolkien's and Other Works. New York: MLA, pp. 144-9. 2014 ‘Later Fantasy Fiction’, in Lee, S. (ed.) A Companion to J. R. R. Tolkien. Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 335-49. 2013 ‘“Wildman of the Woods”: Inscribing Tragedy on the Landscape of Middle- earth in The Children of Húrin’, in Conrad-O’Brien, H. and Hynes, G. (eds), Tolkien: The Forest and the City. Dublin: Four Courts Press, pp. 43-56. 2012 ‘Tolkien and the Fantasy Tradition’, in Whitehead, C. (ed.) Critical Insights: The Fantastic. CA: Salem Press, pp. 40-60. 2011 ‘Filming Folklore: Adapting Fantasy for the Big Screen through Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings’, in Bogstad, J.M. and Kaveny, P. E. (eds), Picturing Tolkien: Essays on Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, pp. 84-101. 2007 ‘Tolkien and Old Norse Antiquity: Real and Romantic Links in Material Culture’, in Clark, D. and Phelpstead, C. (eds), Old Norse Made New: Essays on the Post-Medieval Reception of Old Norse Literature and Culture. London: Viking Society for Northern Research, pp. 83-99.

Conference Proceedings

2011 Cox, K., Fimi, D., Jordan, S. and North, K. ‘Literary Walks: Exploring Cardiff Bay (UK) through E-Learning’. Proceedings of the Annual International Conference on Education & e-Learning. N.p.: Global Science and Technology Forum (GSTF), pp. 171-176. 2008 ‘Material Culture and Materiality in Middle-earth: Tolkien and Archaeology’, in Wells, Sarah (ed.), The Ring Goes Ever On: Proceedings of the Tolkien 2005 Conference: 50 Years of The Lord of the Rings. Coventry: , pp. 339-344.

Encyclopedia Entries

2008 ‘’, ‘The Little White Bird’, ‘Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens’, ‘Peter and Wendy’, and ‘Ursula Le Guin: Biographical Profile’, in Clark, Robert (ed.) The Literary Encyclopedia. Available at: http://www.litencyc.com 2006 ‘Victorian Fairyology’ and ‘Greece: Reception of Tolkien’, in Drout, M. (ed.), The J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment. New York: Routledge, pp. 186-7 and 257-8.

Book Reviews (Selected)

2016 Review of , by J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by . Journal of , 3:1. Available at: http://scholar.valpo.edu/journaloftolkienresearch/vol3/iss1/4/ 2015 Review of Magical Tales: Myth, Legend and Enchantment in Children's Books, edited by by Carolyne Larrington and Diane Purkiss. Folklore, 126 (2), pp. 241-242. 2014 Review of , by J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by . Gramarye: The Journal of the Sussex Centre for Folklore, Fairy Tales and Fantasy, Winter 2014, Issue 6, pp. 80-2. 2012 Review of Beatrix Potter: Fables to Faeries, edited by Rowena Godfrey. Folklore, 123 (1), pp. 113-14. 2012 Review of The Myth of Persephone in Girls’ , by Virginia Holly. Times Higher Education, 5 January. 2010 Review of Laughing with Medusa: Classical Myth and Feminist Thought, edited by Vanda Zajko and Miriam Leonard. Folklore, 121 (2), pp. 236-238. 2009 Review of Concepts of Arthur, by Thomas Green. Speculum: A Journal Medieval Studies, 84 (3), pp. 722-723. 2008 Review of Elves in Anglo-Saxon England: Matters of Belief, Health, Gender and Identity, by Alaric Hall. Folklore, 119 (3), pp. 349-51. 2008 Review of , Elves, and Eriador: The Environmental Vision of J.R.R. Tolkien, by Matthew Dickerson and Jonathan Evans. Folklore, 119 (3), pp. 351-2. 2008 Review of Inside Language: Linguistic and Aesthetic Theory in Tolkien, by Ross Smith. Tolkien Studies, 5, pp. 229-33. 2006 Review of Perilous Realms: Celtic and Norse in Tolkien's Middle-earth, by , Tolkien Studies, 3, pp. 187-190.

Other Publications

2017 ‘J.R.R. Tolkien’s Christmas letters to his children bring echoes of Middle- earth to the North Pole’, The Conversation, 21 December. Available at: https://theconversation.com/j-r-r-tolkiens-christmas-letters-to-his-children- bring-echoes-of-middle-earth-to-the-north-pole-89464 2017 ‘Why build new worlds’, Times Literary Supplement (TLS) Online, 19 September. Available at: https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/fantasy- worlds-invention-restraint/ 2017 ‘Alan Garner’s The Owl Service at fifty’, Times Literary Supplement (TLS) Online, 21 August. Available at: https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/alan- garner-owl-service-fifty/ 2017 ‘The “Ancient Celtic Year” in Contemporary Children’s Fantasy’, Gramarye: The Journal of the Sussex Centre for Folklore, Fairy Tales and Fantasy, 11, pp. 51-53. 2017 ‘Inventing a Whole Language’, Times Literary Supplement (TLS) Online, 17 March. Available at: http://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/how-to-invent-a- language-tolkien-burgess/ 2016 ‘How to invent a Tolkien-style language’, The Conversation, 7 April. Available at: https://theconversation.com/how-to-invent-a-tolkien-style- language-57380 2015 ‘After 150 years, we still haven’t solved the puzzle of Alice in Wonderland’, The Conversation, 3 July. Available at: https://theconversation.com/after-150- years-we-still-havent-solved-the-puzzle-of-alice-in-wonderland-44049 2014 ‘Tolkien and Folklore: and The Lay of ’, Mallorn, 55 (Winter 2014), pp. 27-8. 2014 ‘Enid Blyton’s The Faraway Tree to hit the screen in latest bid to aim fantasy at grown-ups’, The Conversation, 28 October. Available at: http://theconversation.com/enid-blytons-the-faraway-tree-to-hit-the-screen-in- latest-bid-to-aim-fantasy-at-grown-ups-33347 2011 ‘Join the Great Chain of Reading and be Inspired’, The Western Mail, 3 March. Available at: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/join- great-chain-reading-inspired-1843727

AWARDS 2017 Tolkien Society Award 2017 for Best Book for: Tolkien, J.R.R. A Secret Vice: Tolkien on Invented Languages, edited by Dimitra Fimi and Andrew Higgins. London: HarperCollins. 2010 2010 Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies 2010 for Tolkien, Race and Cultural History: From Fairies to Hobbits. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

ESTEEM INDICATORS 2017 Judge for the Wales Book of the Year Award 2017 (English language entries) 2017 Alumna of the Welsh Crucible 2017 Programme (http://www.welshcrucible.org.uk/)

FELLOWSHIPS 2012 Student-led Teaching Fellowship, Most Inspiring Lecturer, Cardiff Metropolitan University 2011 Fellow, Higher Education Academy

GRANTS AND RESEARCH FUNDING 2017 Welsh Crucible 2017 Grant Scheme (£9,862) for interdisciplinary research project titled: “Year of the Sea: assessing changes in marine ecosystems through literature, arts and law”. Co-investigators: Dr Ruth Callaway (Swansea University), Dr Amanda Rogers (Swansea University), Kerry Lewis (Aberystwyth University), Dr Sarah Pogoda (Bangor University). 2017 Welsh Crucible 2017 Grant Scheme (£9,239) for interdisciplinary research project titled: “The world’s smallest book: showcasing the wonder of miniaturisation to engage with the public imagination”. Co-investigator: Dr Daryl Beggs (Cardiff University). 2017 Welsh Crucible 2017 Grant Scheme (£4919) for interdisciplinary research project titled: “The Myth of the Inventor: Philip Vaughan”. Co-ivestigators: Stefano Barazza (University of South Wales), and Dr Davide Crivelli (Cardiff University). 2011 Learning and Teaching Development Unit Funding, Cardiff Metropolitan University (£15,000) for team project on Literary Tourism. 2010 Research and Enterprise Unit Funding, Cardiff Metropolitan University (£4000) to develop two online courses on Fantasy Literature (Year 3 undergraduate level) and J.R.R. Tolkien (Masters level). 2004 Research Grant, President’s Fund (£500), towards completion of PhD. 2004 Research Grant, Sir Richard Stapley Educational Trust (£500) towards completion of PhD. 2003 Research Grant, Sir Richard Stapley Educational Trust (£500) towards completion of PhD. 2003 Research Grant, Lynne Grundy Memorial Trust (£500) towards completion of PhD.

INVITED TALKS 2015 ‘Dreaming the Middle Ages: The Past as an Imaginary World in the Works of Thomas Chatterton, J. R. R. Tolkien and Umberto Eco’, University of Oulu, Finland, 12 November. 2015 ‘Teaching Tolkien in HE’, The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities and the Bodleian Library, Oxford University, 29 October 2015 ‘Welsh heritage for teenagers: Re-writing the Mabinogion in Alan Garner’s The Owl Service and Jenny Nimmo’s The Snow Spider’, Centre for Lifelong Learning, Cardiff University, 17 June 2012 ‘Chatterton's Forgery, Feigned Manuscripts and Literary Legacy: The Case of J.R.R. Tolkien’, University of the West of England Regional History Centre, in association with the Thomas Chatterton Society, M-Shed, Bristol, 15 March. 2011 ‘The Welsh Language and Tolkien’s “Linguistic Aesthetic”’, Tolkien and Wales: A Celebration, Cardiff University, 21 May. 2009 ‘Tales Before Tolkien: Researching the Roots of Modern Fantasy’, Humanities Forum, Cardiff University Centre for Lifelong Learning, 11 June. 2006 ‘Tolkien and Old Norse Antiquity’, Viking Society For Northern Research Student Conference, Oxford University, 26 February.

CONFERENCES

Keynote Lectures

2017 ‘George MacDonald and Celticity’. George MacDonald’s Scotland, University of Aberdeen, 19-21 July. 2012 ‘Revisiting Race in Tolkien's Legendarium: Constructing Cultures and Ideologies in an Imaginary World’. The Politics of Contemporary Fantasy, University of Würzburg, 5-7 October.

Panels Organized

2017 International Medieval Congress, University of Leeds: ‘J. R. R. Tolkien: Medieval Roots and Modern Branches’; ‘“New” Tolkien: Expanding the Canon’; ‘: The Future of Tolkien Scholarship – A Round Table Discussion’; ‘Otherness in Tolkien’s Medievalism’. 6-9 July. 2016 International Medieval Congress, University of Leeds: ‘J. R. R. Tolkien: Medieval Roots and Modern Branches’; ‘“New” Tolkien: The Story of Kullervo and A Secret Vice – A Round Table Discussion’. 4-7 July. 2015 International Medieval Congress, University of Leeds: ‘Celtic Literature in Tolkien’s Medievalism’; ‘“New” Tolkien: The Fall of Arthur and the Beowulf Translation – A Round Table Discussion’. 6-9 July.

Papers Presented (Selected)

2016 ‘Irishness, Folklore and Modernity in Kate Thompson’s The New Policeman’. Fantasies of Contemporary Culture, Cardiff University, 23 May. 2016 ‘Tolkien and Radical Linguistic Experimentation’. 51st International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, 12–15 May. 2015 ‘“Celtic” Myth and Celticity in Lloyd Alexander’s The Chronicles of Prydain’. International Medieval Congress 2015, Institute for Medieval Studies, University of Leeds, 6-9 July. 2015 ‘Kipling, Tolkien and their “mythologies for England”’. Enchanted Edwardians, Third Annual Conference of the Edwardian Culture Network, in association with the University of Bristol, 30-31 March. 2014 ‘Where is Avalon?: J.R.R. Tolkien's otherworld in the West and The Fall of Arthur’. 49th International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, 8-11 May. 2012 ‘“Wildman of the Woods”: Inscribing Tragedy on the Landscape of Middle- earth in The Children of Hurin’. Tolkien: The Forest and the City, School of English, Trinity College Dublin, 21-22 September. 2012 ‘“You must’ve heard of Babbitty Rabbitty!”: Fairy Tales and Folklore in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series’. Folklore and Fantasy Conference co-organised by the Folklore Society and the Sussex Centre for Folklore, Fairy Tales and Fantasy, University of Chichester, 13-15 April. 2011 Cox, K., Fimi, D., Jordan, S. and North, K. 'Literary Walks: Exploring Cardiff Bay through E-Learning'. Annual International Conference Education & e- Learning, Global Science and Technology Forum (GSTF), Singapore, 7-9 November. [presented by K. Cox] 2011 Cox, K., Fimi, D. and North, K. (2011) ‘Literary Tourism: Exploring Cardiff’. IV International Critical Tourism Studies Conference: Tourism Futures: Enhancing Creative & Critical Action, Welsh Centre for Tourism Research, Cardiff Metropolitan University, 2-5 July. 2009 ‘Tolkien and the Fairies: Faith and Folklore’. 44th International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, 7-10 May. 2008 ‘Tolkien's Science Fiction Experiments’. Space, Time, Machine and Monster: A Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Conference for the Valleys, organised by Academi, University of Glamorgan, Treforest, 21 June. 2007 ‘Mappa Terrae-mediae: Exploring Middle-earth Cartography and Cosmography’. International Medieval Congress 2007, Institute for Medieval Studies, University of Leeds, 9-12 July. 2007 ‘Tolkien and the Metaphysics of Language’. 42nd International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, 10-13 May. 2006 ‘Film Folklore and Folklore in Film in Peter Jackson's adaptation of The Lord of the Rings’. Folklore Society Annual Conference: ‘Folklore, Film and Television: Convergences in Traditional Cultures and Popular Media’, Warburg Institute, London, 31 March-1 April. 2005 ‘“Tears are the Very Wine of Blessedness”: Eucatastrophe, the Sense of Loss and Despair, and Sweet Sorrow in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings’. Sixth International Conference of the Hellenic Association for the Study of English: ‘(Re)Constructing Pain and Joy in Language, Literature, and Culture’, Athens University, 20-23 October. 2005 ‘“Needless to Say They Are Not Celtic”: J. R. R. Tolkien's Love-Hate Relationship with “Things Celtic” and How They Sneaked into His Middle- Earth Literature’. Celtic Folk Studies Conference: ‘Folklore and Identity in Celtic Cultures’, Cardiff University, 20-23 July.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Cardiff Metropolitan University Monsters, Cyborgs and Imaginary Worlds (Year 2, 2014-2017) Children’s Literature (Year 2, 2011-2017) Representing the 'Past' (Masters, 2010-2017) Gothic and Science Fiction (Year 3, 2009-2015) Literary Transformations (Year 2, 2010-2014) Literature and Landscape (Masters, 2012-2013) J.R.R. Tolkien: Myth and Middle-earth in Context (Masters, 2010-2013) Introduction to Poetry (Year 1, 2009-2013) Fantasy Literature: Tales Before and After Tolkien (Year 3, 2010-2012) Myth in Popular Culture (Year 3, 2009-2010) 19th-century Literature and Society (Year 2, 2009-2010) Open University Children's Literature (Year 3, 2009-2010) Cardiff University Classical in English Literature (Year 1, 2006-2009) From Literature to Film: Three Women’s Novels on Screen (Year 1, 2006-2009) Myth, Language and Ideology in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Fiction (Year 1, 2004-2007) Fantasy Worlds: An Exploration of Fantasy Literature (Year 1, 2007-2009) Literature, Tradition and Mythology (Year 1, 2007-2008)

SERVICE TO PROFESSION

Editorial Boards Member of the editorial board of Journal of Tolkien Research. Member of Advisory Board of Walking Tree Publishers Member of Advisory Board of Routledge’s Imaginary Worlds Book Series Member of the editorial board of The Literary Encyclopedia (responsibility for genre fiction and children’s literature)

Peer-Review Journal articles for Tolkien Studies, English: The Journal of the English Association, Green Letters: Studies in Ecocriticism, Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts Book proposals for Palgrave Macmillan and Routledge

External Examining of PhD Theses 2015 Jyrki Korpua, University of Oulu, Finland. 2016 Karen Grahame, University of Aberdeen. 2016 Julie Le Blank, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.

Department and University Service Chair of Cardiff Metropolitan University’s Digital Engagement Group (2016-currently) Programme Director for Cardiff Metropolitan University’s Humanities BA Programmes (2016-currently) Member of Research Degrees Committee (2010-2016) Member of Research and Enterprise Committee (2011-2014) Member of Programme Committee for Cardiff Metropolitan University’s Humanities BA Programmes (2010-currently) Member of Programme Committee for Cardiff Metropolitan University’s Humanities Masters (2010-currently) External Examiner for BA English at the University of Suffolk (2014-currently) and University of Buckingham (2014, validation).

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND CONSULTATION

2016 Consultation for Literature Wales’ “Wales, Land of Legends” literary tourism programme. 2016 ‘Hallowe’en in Literature’. [Public Lecture, Newport & Gwent Literary Club]. 26 October. 2013 ‘Tolkien’s Middle-earth: Fantasy and Reality’. [Public Lecture, Literature Wales Time, Space, Machine and Monster Festival, Riverfront Arts Centre, Newport]. 19 October. 2011 ‘Children’s Literature and Fantasy: From The Water Babies to Harry Potter’. [Public Lecture, Literature Wales Literature Lounge Events, St. David's 2/Dewi Sant, Cardiff]. 13 October. 2011 ‘Tolkien’s Wales in the Black Mountains: A Literary Walk’. [Public Lecture, Literature Wales Literary Tourism Programme, in association with the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority]. 30 June. 2009 ‘Tolkien's Welsh Inspirations, Language and Places’. [Public Lecture, Pentyrch and District Local History Society]. 25 September.

MEDIA COVERAGE

TV and Web Videos 2016 BBC4: Sleuths, Spies & Sorcerers: Andrew Marr's Paperback Heroes: Episode 2: Fantasy (consultant) 2014 BBC iWonder guide: “How was The Lord of the Rings influenced by World War One?”, available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zgr9kqt (consultant; interviewee) 2014 BBC iWonder guide: “Why do the Elves in The sound Welsh?”, available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z2hthyc (consultant; presenter) 2009 History Channel: Clash of the Gods: Episode 8: Beowulf (28 September); Episode 9: Tolkien’s Monsters (5 October); Episode 10: Thor (12 October) (consultant, interviewee)

Radio (Selected) 2016 BBC Radio 4: Archive on 4, Tolkien: The Lost Recordings. 6 August. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07mvd5z (interviewee) 2015 BBC Radio Wales Arts Show: Celebrating Alice. 2 December. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06qdh6k (interviewee) 2011 BBC Radio Wales: Jamie and Louise Show. Christmas in folklore and literature. 20 December. (interviewee) 2009 BBC Radio Wales: Good Evening Wales. Tolkien’s Welsh connections and inspiration. 29 October. (interviewee) 2007 BBC Radio 4: Woman’s Hour. Food in Literature. 2 July. (interviewee)

LANGUAGES Modern Greek (native) French (fluent) Welsh (conversational) Italian (can read with dictionary)

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS Member, Folklore Society Member, Viking Society for Northern Research Member, Ireland-Wales Research Network Member, Edwardian Culture Network Member, The Science Fiction Foundation