Keynote Speakers
T.A. Shippey, Ph.D.
Shippey is one of the leading authorities on J.R.R. Tolkien and holds the Walter Ong Chair of Humanities at St. Louis University. He is author of numerous books and articles, including Roots and Branches: Selected Papers on Tolkien; J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century; and The Road to Middle-earth. Shippey followed in Tolkien’s footsteps as schoolboy (both attended King Edward’s School, Birmingham), as rugby player (both played for Old Edwardians), as Oxford teacher (Shippey taught Old English for seven years at St. John’s College, overlapping with Tolkien’s last years of retirement), and as professor of English language at Leeds (where he inherited Tolkien’s chair and syllabus). Shippey is currently president of the International Society for the Study of Medievalism.
Diana Pavlac Glyer, Ph.D.
Glyer is a professor of English at Azusa Pacific University and specializes in the study of the creative process, particularly the way that creativity thrives within small groups and creative clusters. She holds degrees in art, education, literature, and composition. Glyer has published extensively on C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Joy Davidman, and the Inklings. Her latest book, The Company They Keep: C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien as Writers in Community, was chosen as a 2007 core academic title by the Yankee Book Peddler, the vendor of choice among academic libraries in the U.S. She is a recipient of the Chase A. Sawtell Inspirational Teaching Award.
Thomas Parham, Ph.D.
Parham is an associate professor in the Department of Theater, Film, and Television at Azusa Pacific University. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, and completed his doctorate in communication studies at Regent University. Parham wrote for the CBS drama JAG and the Family Channel sitcom Big Brother Jake, and also served as the on-location writers’ assistant for the third season of Touched by an Angel. He has executive produced several award-winning student films, including Giving Her Away, Jaded, and Robbie Mullins.
