J.R.R. Tolkien belonged to the Oxford literary discussion group called the Inklings.
The Inklings met informally in Oxford, especially at The Eagle and Child pub and in college rooms, from the 1930s into the early 1950s. Members read works in progress aloud and discussed literature, mythology, theology, and imaginative writing. C.S. Lewis was another central member and an important friend of Tolkien.
The group was not a formal society with a fixed membership or written constitution. Its name began as a student literary club associated with Lewis, but the later group became famous because Tolkien and Lewis shared drafts of major fantasy works there.