Matthew Dickerson is a professor of computer science at Middlebury College in Vermont, a member of the Environmental Studies Program and also director of the New England Young Writers' Conference at Bread Loaf. He is the author of several books about J.R.R. Tolkien including: "Following Gandalf: Epic Battles and Moral Victory in The Lord of the Rings" (2004), "Ents, Elves and Eriador: the Environmental Vision of J.R.R.Tolkien" (2006), "From Homer to Harry Potter: A Handbook of Myth and Fantasy" (2006) and his "A Hobbit Journey: Discovering the Enchantment of J.R.R.Tolkien's Middle-earth" (2012).