#oxforduniversity | The J.R.R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature

We are thrilled to announce that the 2025 J.R.R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature will be delivered by Zen Cho!

The lecture will take place on Monday 19 May at 6:00 pm, in the Pichette Auditorium, Pembroke College, Oxford.

Tickets will be released on Wednesday 19 March at 12:00 pm.

The lecture is free to the public, but tickets are required for entry.

For those unable to attend, the lecture will be recorded and available to view afterwards on our YouTube channel. We are generously supported by Pembroke College, the Pembroke Pink Grant, and the Kadas Family Charitable Foundation.

About the Speaker

Zen Cho was born and raised in Malaysia, and lives in the UK. She writes fantasy and romance. Her titles include the Sorcerer to the Crown historical fantasy novels and Malaysian contemporary fantasy Black Water Sister, as well as the Lambda Award-nominated novella The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water, and a short story collection, Spirits Abroad. Her newest novels, The Friend Zone Experiment and Behind Frenemy Lines, are contemporary romances set among London’s East and Southeast Asian community.

Zen is a winner of the Hugo, Crawford and British Fantasy Awards and the LA Times Ray Bradbury Prize, as well as a finalist for the World Fantasy, Ignyte, Locus, Astounding, Kitschies and Diverse Book Awards. Her short fiction has been translated into French, Spanish, Italian, Finnish, Chinese and Japanese. She has spoken at literary festivals and conventions, taught creative writing and appeared on radio, and was once a model in a campaign for a global luxury make-up brand, chosen specifically for her accomplishments rather than her looks.

When she isn’t writing, Zen works as a lawyer. She enjoys cooking and baking, reading, gossip and travel.

Photo © Ilona Denton.

Please note, this lecture took place in June 2024, prior to more recent developments regarding the speaker.

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The annual J.R.R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature seeks to promote the study of fantasy literature by making access to its lectures available to audiences from around the world.

On June 12th 2024, Neil Gaiman delivered the 2024 Tolkien Lecture, highlighting the power of libraries and fantasy and drawing attention to the life and work of Nicholas Stuart Gray.

“Fiction … heals us, by letting us feel things we didn’t experience, see through others’ eyes when the only eyes we have are our own. It tells us there are options, it gives us friends. It gives us memories of places we have never been, and that never were. It makes the bullied, brave; and the impossible, possible.”

If you missed the lecture or simply want to relive the magic again, the recording is now on our YouTube channel!

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We are immensely grateful to the Pembroke Pink Grant Scheme, the Kadas Foundation, and of course, the support of lecture attendees over the past 11 years. In addition, many thanks to the events, catering, and communications teams at Pembroke College.

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