The Muster at Marquette

A new short film by Andrew Coons takes a closer look at Marquette's Tolkien Fandom Oral History Collection, which aims to preserve the voices of 6,000 Tolkien fans. Award-winning documentary filmmaker Andrew Coons—a passionate Tolkien fan—has produced a short documentary about the Tolkien Fandom Oral History Collection that Bill Fliss has been building for the past several years. The film, The Muster at Marquette is being released for online viewing beginning on Hobbit Day, September 22, 2025.

The documentary offers an intimate glimpse into the fandom surrounding The Lord of the Rings and other works by J.R.R. Tolkien. It delves into the work being done by Dr. William Fliss and The Tolkien Fandom Oral History Collection at Marquette University. The project aims to collect 6,000 three-minute oral histories from fans across the world. 

• View the Muster at Marquette trailer.
• Add your voice to the Tolkien Fandom Oral History Project muster. 
• Learn more about the J.R.R. Tolkien collection at Raynor Library.