The literary group that included J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis was called The Inklings.
The Inklings was an informal Oxford writers’ and scholars’ group active mainly during the 1930s and 1940s. Members met to read aloud and discuss works in progress, including fiction, poetry, and scholarly writing. Tolkien and Lewis were among its best-known participants.
The group was not a formal society with a fixed membership list or constitution. Other associated members included Charles Williams, Owen Barfield, and Warren Lewis. Meetings took place in Oxford settings, including rooms at Magdalen College and the Eagle and Child pub.
The name is sometimes mistakenly treated as a title for Tolkien and Lewis’s personal friendship. Their friendship was important, but The Inklings refers to the wider discussion group. Tolkien read portions of his developing work to fellow members, gaining reactions during the long creation of his major writings.