Hobbits in the Not-So-Mystic West

Yesterday I sent a postcard from New Hampshire where I am currently in the midst of my latest week of teaching at Thomas More College. The week will culminate in the Monthly Traditio lectures which this month will focus on the Catholicism of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. This continues the ongoing series of talks on the spiritual journeys of Bilbo and Frodo that I have been giving over the past few months. Next week I’m giving a talk on The Hobbit at Our Lady of the Rosary parish in Indianapolis, and the following week I’m giving several talks on the Catholicism of Middle-earth in Oakland, California. The Pacific coast might not be the Mystic West exactly, nor can the Bay Area be considered the Grey Havens, but there will be a small corner of Oakland at the beginning of March which will be a haven for all those who are hobbits at heart!