We are thrilled to announce that Zen Cho will deliver the 2025 J. R. R. Tolkien Lecture in Fantasy Literature. 

The lecture will take place on Monday, 19th May at 6PM BST in the Pichette Auditorium, followed by a Q&A and complimentary drinks reception. We have reserved limited places for Pembroke members who should use the Google Form below to sign up. Tickets to the lecture are free of charge, but we recommend signing up as they will go fast.

Following the lecture, members of Pembroke College are also invited to attend dinner with Zen Cho in Pembroke Hall. Attendees will be batteled £35 for dinner, which will include two courses and wine, as well as second dessert. Please note that dinner places are extremely limited and will be allocated randomly. And do not worry - if you are unsuccessful in securing a dinner spot you will still have a ticket to the lecture! A Google Form will be circulated by email for Pembroke members to fill in by Monday 31st March 11:59PM to secure a spot at the lecture and enter the ballot for dinner.

For anyone who cannot make the event, it will be recorded and uploaded to the Tolkien Lecture website and YouTube channel after the event.

Find out more about us at @tolkienlecture on all social media or on our website https://tolkienlecture.org/.

Find out more about Zen Cho at @zenaldehyde on all social media or on her website https://zencho.org/.

If you have any questions, please email tolkienlecture@pmb.ox.ac.uk. 

Speaker’s bio:

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.