The literary club associated with J.R.R. Tolkien during his Oxford professorship was the Inklings.
The Inklings were an informal Oxford literary discussion group best known for its connection to Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Members read unfinished fiction, poetry, and essays aloud, then exchanged candid criticism. The group encouraged imaginative and religious writing during the 1930s and 1940s.
A common mix-up is the club’s founding. The original group called the Inklings was started around 1931 by Oxford undergraduate Edward Tangye Lean. After Lean left Oxford in 1933, Tolkien and Lewis transferred the name to their own circle, which met at Magdalen College and local pubs such as the Eagle and Child, nicknamed the Bird and Baby. Tolkien read parts of The Lord of the Rings to the group, while Lewis shared works including Out of the Silent Planet. The Inklings were not a formal society: they had no constitution, officers, or membership rules.