Hobbit Alert: Michigan College Hosts Medieval Fair
KALAMAZOO (CBS Detroit/AP) — Can't get enough of hobbits? Do you wish you could play your very own "Game of Thrones?"
Take comfort in the fact you're not alone: Thousands of people interested in the Middle Ages are expected to gather at Western Michigan University for a four-day conference.
The International Congress on Medieval Studies runs Thursday through Sunday, May 10-13, on the school's campus in Kalamazoo. Western Michigan says it expects about 3,000 academics, students and enthusiasts to convene during the the 5oth anniversary of the event.
The congress is to feature 550 sessions that include the presentation of scholarly papers, performances, workshops and panel discussions. An exhibit hall is to include dozens of book dealers and other vendors.
Among the papers to be presented are: "The Medievalism of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Novels," ''The Hobbit on its 75th Anniversary" and "Revenants, Ghosts and Trolls: The Living, the Dead and the In-Between."
The event comes courtesy of The Medieval Institute at Western, billed as "among the top ten of the some 90 institutes, centers, and programs focusing on Medieval Studies in North America." The institute has published more than 200 books and journals on subjects related to life in the Middle Ages since 1964. Get more information HERE.
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