Speakers

Past speakers have included members of the Inklings such as Owen Barfield and John Wain; family members such as Tolkien’s daughter Priscilla Tolkien and Lewis’s stepson Douglas Gresham; and key figures such as the Revd Peter Bide, who conducted Lewis’s marriage to Joy Davidman, and the Revd Ronald Head who conducted his funeral. We have had talks from Stella Aldwinckle, founder of the Socratic Club, and from Elizabeth Anscombe, who famously debated Lewis at that very club; from Lewis’s colleagues such as Simon Barrington-Ward and Karl Leyser; his former students such as Francis Warner and Martin Moynihan; from his godson, Laurence Harwood; his editor and biographer, Walter Hooper. Other notable speakers have included Rowan Williams, Kallistos Ware, Malcolm Guite, Philip Pullman, and John Garth.

We encourage writers, academics, and independent scholars with interests related to Lewis and his circle (which we take to include Tolkien, Barfield, Charles Williams, Dorothy L. Sayers, and earlier figures such as Chesterton and MacDonald) to present their work to the Society. Established names and younger scholars are equally welcome. Discussion is lively, and often continues informally after the meeting at nearby pubs, such as The Eagle & Child, The Lamb & Flag, or The Royal Oak.

If you are interested in presenting a paper to the Society, please contact the Society Secretary.