Overview

The Mythopoeic Society’s primary conference, popularly called “Mythcon,” is usually held in late July or early August. Each Mythcon is constructed around a theme related to Inklings studies and/or fantastic and mythic literature (although papers on all subjects are welcome), and each features an author and a scholar guest of honor. Papers, panel discussions, readings, entertainment, an art show, a dealers’ room, and other activities fill the four-day event. Another Mythcon highlight is our formal (more or less) banquet, after which the Mythopoeic Awards are presented. A small size (usually 100-150 people) and intimate setting makes Mythcon an excellent venue for meeting people with common interests. You may see the full history and individual conference pages by visiting our Mythcon History page, where you may notice that most past Mythcons were held at college or university campuses, although in recent years hotels and conference centers have become more common as sites.

Our secondary conference is the Online Midyear Seminar, or OMS, and as the name indicates, is an online-only event held in years when there is no in-person Mythcon. The first OMS was held in 2022 and was inspired by similar events hosted by the U.K. Tolkien Society, and drew on our experiences from Mythcon 51, which was forced by the COVID-19 pandemic to pivot from its original plan as a normal in-person Mythcon to a virtual event. An advantage of the online format is increased accessibility for those who would have difficulty attending Mythcon otherwise, for reasons such as physical disabilities, financial contstraints, or difficulty of travel. Unlike Mythcon, the OMS's program is more limited (fewer program tracks, presented on only one or two days) and more closely tied to the theme. Lack of in-person contact means that non-program social activities are quite different from those of Mythcon, but our online organizers are always ready with creative ideas for fun and fellowship in a virtual setting.

Both Mythcon and OMS expect attendees to be respectful and hospitable, as outlined in our Mythopoeic Society Community Guidelines document.

The Mythopoeic Society has always encouraged scholarship in mythopoeic and Inklings studies by providing a venue in which scholars, new and old, may present papers which may in turn be considered for publication in Mythlore. We recognize student scholars (undergraduate and graduate) by awarding the Alexei Kondratiev Award at Mythcon. We also have a fund for assisting scholars in need of financial aid to attend Mythcon.

If you (or your group) are interested in putting on a Mythcon in your area, or hosting an Online Midyear Seminar no matter where you are, please contact the Steward for Mythopoeic Conferences, , at mythcon @ mythsoc.org for information and help.

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Current Mythcon

Mythcon 53

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Current OMS

Online Midsummer Seminar 2025