The informal Oxford literary group associated with J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis was called The Inklings.
The Inklings were a discussion and reading group whose members included writers and academics connected with the University of Oxford. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis were among its best-known participants, and the group also included figures such as Charles Williams and Owen Barfield.
Members read aloud from works in progress and discussed literature, theology, language, and ideas. Tolkien read portions of The Lord of the Rings to fellow members during its long composition. These meetings provided criticism and companionship, although The Inklings were not a formally chartered society with a fixed membership list.
The group commonly met at The Eagle and Child pub in Oxford, known to members as the Bird and Baby, as well as in college rooms. The pub is therefore associated with the group, but it was not the group’s name.