At Westford conference, a fellowship of Tolkien fans

Joy Fields, eager to meet the J.R.R. Tolkien fans with whom shehas role-played on the Internet, is flying in from California.Edmund Meskys, with a suitcase stuffed with old fanzines to sell,will make the drive from Moultonborough, N.H. Jan Finder, who likesto go by Pippen, his "Lord of the Rings" alias, is heading to townfrom Albany, N.Y.

They will gather tomorrow and Saturday with other Tolkienenthusiasts at the Regency Inn and Conference Center in Westford forwhat is being billed as the "3rd Conference on Middle-earth."(Middle-earth is the fictitious setting of Tolkien's work.) Withpanel discussions, a party, and Tolkien-themed wares for sale, thegathering will be the ultimate Frodo-fest.

"What I'm looking forward to is having a weekend to treat talkingabout Tolkien as a serious topic as opposed to the culturalperception that we're all nerds and geeks who live in our parents'basements," said Emily Moniz, 29, a doctoral student at The CatholicUniversity of America in Washington, D.C.. She will present herpaper, "Gondor Needs No King: Images of Kingship in the Ramayana andJ.R.R. Tolkien's `The Lord of the Rings.' "

For Tolkien enthusiasts, it has been a long wait betweenconferences.

Finder was a graduate student at the University of Illinois whenhe organized the first Middle-earth conference in 1969. Two yearslater he held the second at Cleveland State University, where he wasworking as an assistant dean. Then the conference died out.

Now, in the aftermath of the huge success of the "Rings" filmsand with "The Hobbit" now in production, interest in Tolkien ishigher than ever before. After a four-decade drought, Finder hasbrought back the conference.

"I just finally said, `I want to do it, and I don't give a damnif I lose money - I'll pay for it,' " said Finder, 72. "This issomething I've wanted to do for 40 years." He chose the Westfordhotel for a simple reason: It's close to Boston but less expensivethan other venues.

Still, there were some chuckles in Westford when word of theconference spread.

"It's really strange," said Jo Cobleigh, an office manager forthe town's police department. "I'm picturing all these people incostume wandering around the Regency."

Science fiction and fantasy conventions dot the landscape, fromDragon*Con in Atlanta and Comic-Con International in San Diego toArisia in Boston. The Middle-earth gathering won't be nearly aslarge.

By yesterday, just 48 people had paid between $25 and $65 toregister.

But attendees said they were looking forward to a conference thatthey can easily navigate. Eric Van, a Watertown statistician andTolkien lover, said he is anticipating a chance for fans to talkwith one another and listen to presentations without having tojostle for elbow room.

"It looks like it'll be a small, intense gathering," said Van,who will speak on a panel titled "Two Films to Do `The Hobbit' IsOne Too Many!" "I'm looking forward to this one because it's goingto be one group of people in one room doing one thing."

With just four novels - "The Hobbit" and the three volumes of"The Lord of the Rings" - the English John Ronald Reuel Tolkien,who died in 1973, was one of the most influential writers inhistory. The "Rings" trilogy has sold more than 150 million copies.

Peter Jackson's three "Lord of the Rings" films grossed $2.9billion and won 17 Oscars, and in the process made Tolkien relevantto a new generation. In 2010, Forbes ranked Tolkien the third top-earning dead celebrity, just behind Michael Jackson and ElvisPresley.

Finder became a Tolkien devotee in 1964, when he found himself somesmerized with the "Rings" trilogy that he spent three straightdays curled up at his parents' house blowing through it.

Now retired, Finder has been struggling with prostate cancer andspent time last week in the hospital. But he said he is eager tocome to Westford. Even after all these years, Finder re-readsTolkien's work and finds himself particularly drawn to Middle-earth.

"I don't know if I'd want to live there, but there's a certainallure to the very earthiness. The pacing is slow, and this issomething that a lot of people strive for and look for in theirlife," he said. "This is why that high-priced lawyer disappears intoVermont and starts a dairy farm."

One of the papers that will be presented this weekend lays outJohn Bentley's plan to replicate Middle-earth in the Sierra Norteregion of Spain. In a phone interview from his home, Bentleydescribed an unspoiled region near Madrid where Tolkien lovers willbe able to stay in a hobbit hole and enjoy many of the interests ofhobbits, including beekeeping, agriculture, and country crafts. Hestopped short of calling it a theme park.

"We don't want any razzmatazz hotels like Disneyland," saidBentley, a retired British engineer who will not be attending theWestford conference. "We want this to be the Tolkien center in thenorthern hemisphere. There are [millions of] Tolkien fans in theworld. So I reckon. This will be a real Middle-earth for them."

Other presentations will focus on Christian elements in theauthor's work and a slide show tour of New Zealand, where Jacksonfilmed much of "Rings" and has just begun work on "The Hobbit."

There will also be some partying in Westford. Tomorrow night,participants will take part in the "Downfall of Sauron Party," asoiree complete with seed cakes, one of Bilbo's favorites.

Merchants at the conference will include author Resa Nelson andMethuen's Ed Trachtenberg, who runs a store called The Dragon'sLair, which sells stone dragons, pewter unicorns, and other fantasy-themed items. Attendees can also sift through Middle-earthyclothing, which includes long, flowing elf gowns.

Meskys, a 75-year-old retired teacher, will haul a suitcase andbox of old Tolkien-themed magazines to the convention. He has beenstoring them in his garage but thinks it is time to let them go.Money is not his motivation. He plans to sell them for between 25cents and $2 an issue.

"I'm getting old," Meskys said. "I don't have the energy I usedto have. I just want to pass on the material."

Geoff Edgers can be reached at gedgers@globe.com.

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