A portion of any purchases you make in any Barnes & Noble in the US this weekend can go to support HPEF and Infinitus - and purchases in the Fisherman's Wharf Barnes & Noble can help prisoners get access to Harry Potter books.

Azkatraz is supporting various charities with our on-site and pre-event fundraisers - one of them is San Francisco's Prisoners' Literature Project, a project coordinated by Bound Together Books.

As their website says:

Most prisons do not allow prisoners to receive books directly from individuals. Instead, books must be sent through "pre-approved vendors" such as publishers or expensive bookstores like Barnes & Noble. In many cases, prisoners do not have anyone on the outside who is willing or able to send books via this route. And what about prison libraries, you ask? Some consist of mostly suspense or western novels, and even then, library access may be treated as more of a privilege than a right.

This is where PLP steps in. We believe that everyone deserves access to literature and educational materials, including people trying to work towards social change, self-empowerment or rehabilitation within the incarceration system. Through our affiliation with Bound Together Books, PLP is able to send free books to those inside.

Given Azkatraz's themes of making the choice between what is right and what is easy, and the concept of imprisonment, we thought it appropriate to support the Prisoners' Literature Project this year - especially when we heard that so many of those incarcerated love to read the Harry Potter series. And there aren't enough copies of the later books to go around - especially because Deathly Hallows hasn't been released in paperback yet.

Let's bring Deathly Hallows - and Half-Blood Prince - to those who want to read them.

You can call the Barnes & Noble at Fisherman's Wharf this weekend and pre-order a copy of Deathly Hallows in paperback, and just ask for it to be held for the PLP. The Prisoners' Literature Project representative will be able to pick up all the donated copies after July 7, and send them "inside". Donations of other Harry Potter books, as well as dictionaries, are also appreciated.

Dial 415-292-6762 and give them the code 581066 and place your order; make sure to tell them to hold the books in the Prisoners' Literature Project box. Or if you're in San Francisco, stop by the store at 2550 Taylor Street, and make sure you say hi to Azkatraz Vendor Chair Linda, who'll be on-site much of the weekend, and who can help you with your PLP donation.

Later in the month, in the Vendor Room at Azkatraz, you'll also be able to purchase a copy of any of the Harry Potter books in paperback and donate it to the PLP right there.

You can also use the 581066 code in any Barnes & Noble in the United States, and a portion of the purchase will be donated by B&N to HPEF to use towards making Infintius wonderful. Print out our PDF flyer and bring it to a store near you, then give it to the checkout clerk before they ring up your purchases.

We had originally planned to close the resgistration system today, but we're going to leave it up for a few more days. Here's what is still available:

Weekend Pass (including the Ball) - $130

Single-day Pass for Sat/Sun/Mon - $45 per day

Master of Potter Administration including breakfast, lunch and cocktail reception on Monday - $130 without a registration, $100 with a regular registration, and $75 for Merlin Circle sponsors

Dessert with Chris Rankin - $75

Sunday Keynote Luncheon with Eddie Newquist of the HP Museum Exhibit - $65

Sunday or Monday breakfast - $35

Fog Bowl/Quidditch competition - $35 (includes pizza and a team shirt)

Azkatraz Film Festival featuring Cherrybomb - $15

Photos with Chris Rankin - $30

All of the above will be available on-site until at least the day before each event; photos with Chris will be available throughout Azkatraz. Email info @ hp2009.org (without the spaces) if you have any questions, and click on the link to REGISTRATION at the top of the page to purchase a new registration, or modify an existing one.

Tomorrow is your last chance to sign up to play in our Fog Bowl Tournament on Friday, July 17, and be guaranteed a personalized player shirt!

Our Quidditch tournament takes place from about 10 AM until around 3 PM at Golden Gate Park (with a lunch break from noon til about 1:30, and there's still space on seven of the Fog Bowl Tournament teams - but only people who sign up before 11:59 PM on Monday, June 29 will be able to get personalized t-shirts. So scroll up to REGISTRATION and click to modify your registration - or even register for the first time if you haven't yet.

We will be taking on-site sign-ups but those players may not get their first choice team, and will not get a personalized shirt.

The teams are the Alcatraz Birdmen, Chinatown Dragons, Embarcadero Earthquakes, Folsom Falcons, Lombard Street Zig-Zags, Presidio Pelicans or Sea Cliff Serpents.

QUIDDITCH TEAM LOGOS

Learn more about the Fog Bowl here.

If you fly into San Francisco, there's a number of ways to get from each local airport to the Parc55 Hotel.

SFO to the Parc55
Supershuttle from SFO to the Parc 55 is $17.00 per person
Bart (Metro system) will be around $9.00; prices will go up this month by as much as two dollars for the one-way trip.
A taxi is about $45.00

Oakland to the Parc55
Supershuttle from Oakland airport will be $29.00 for the first person, $15.00 second person
Bart is approximately $18.00 per person

A taxi is around $50.00

San Jose to the Parc55

Supershuttle from San Jose Airport is $75.00, and a taxi is about $100.00
You can also rent a car from Hertz and return it within a block of the Parc55; it would be cheaper than a taxi and you can stop at a grocery and get water or snacks along the way.

Since our first event in 2003, HP Education Fanon, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, has supported other nonprofits in the US and overseas with the money brought in from auctions and raffles - and Azkatraz will be no different.

For this, our sixth event. we have chosen charities whose missions mesh with our  Azkatraz themes - the difference between what is right and what is easy, imprisonment and literacy.

Thus, the sums brought in by various events and activities at Azkatraz will go towards Amnesty International, the HP Alliance, the Prisoners Literature Project and Kids Need to Read.

Read more about the charities, and how you can support them by attending Wrock Around the Rock, bidding in the Art & More Auction on Monday night, purchasing raffle tickets, playing in the Jail & Bail Fundraiser, and more, by clicking here.

If you are a published author and/or a "celeb" and are interested in donating a personal copy of your favorite Harry Potter book for our auction, please email the event chairs at info@hp2009.org; we'll keep your email address private, and let you know where to send the book - and thanks in advance!

We've just finished a virtual meeting with the hotel, and can confirm that there will be delicious vegetarian and vegan options at all of the meals - and all of the meals will be buffet-style.

If you have a ticked the box during registration that asked whether you had dietary issues, you should have been contacted by our registrant by now. If you have an issue that will not be addressed by the presence of vegetarian and vegan options at each meal, but did not get an email from the registrar, please email us by June 26 at info @ hp2009.org.

We've also finalized the special drink menus - but we're keeping those a secret until you get to the Parc55. All our special, Potter-inspired drinks will be available at the hotel bar from Thursday through Tuesday, and at the PJ Party and Prison Break Ball.

And we've confirmed two menus:

Here's the menu for the Keynote Lunch with Eddie Newquist, at noon on Sunday:

Hot & Sour Soup
Lettuce Wraps with Spicy Chicken and Minced Asian Vegetables
Shrimp Salad
Asian Fried Rice (Vegetarian)
Fried Vegetarian Spring Roll
Hawaiian Grilled Chicken with Tropical Salsa & Fried Green Onions
Stir Fry Beef
Assortment of California, Cucumber & Spicy Tuna Rolls
Fortune & Almond Cookies
Lemon Curd Tart
A chocolate dessert to be announced later
Starbucks® Coffee, Decaffeinated Coffee & Assortment of Tazo Teas

And the menu for Dessert with Chris Rankin, at 8:30 on Saturday:

A Fountain of Warm Milk Chocolate, Sliced Bananas, Strawberries, Pineapple, Large Marshmallows, Pretzel Sticks, Oreo Cookies & Pound Cake
An assortment of gourmet cheeses, crackers and breads
Lemonade, Freshly Brewed Starbucks® Coffee, Decaffeinated Coffee & Assortment of Tazo Teas

You can add the Keynote Luncheon or any of the other add-on events to your Registration by clicking the REGISTRATION link above, and stay tuned for more announcements about the menus at the other meals.

Cherrybomb Screening Added to Azkatraz Film Festival

Movie madness continues at Azkatraz on Monday with the very first HPEF film festival. Team Azkatraz is incredibly proud to bring you the U.S. premiere of Rupert Grint’s new film, “Cherrybomb” to start off the afternoon’s events.

We will also be screening “We Are Wizards,” a documentary on Wizard Rock and HP fandom that enjoyed limited release around the country last year, and a reprise edition of the Convict Theatre vid collection.

The Zeum theatre only seats 200, so purchase your film festival ticket for $15 by modifying your registration, or when you create a new registration. If there are any tickets left, they will be available for purchase when you check in, or at the Zeum box office on Monday morning.

Because of the content and language in Cherrybomb, only those over the age of 17, or those accompanied by a parent or guardian, may attend that portion of the Azkatraz Film Festival; since the theater is small, only those holding a single-day, Weekend, Full or Merlin's Circle registration can purchase a ticket to Cherrybomb.

Schedule:

1:00 PM – Cherrybomb

2:30 PM – We Are Wizards

4:15 PM: Convict Theatre Vidding Show

On Monday, July 20, we will be offering a special one-day program track focused on the impact of the Harry Potter phenomenon on business and law; this track will take place off-site at ZEUM. The special registration for the MPA includes breakfast at the Parc55 on Monday morning, with a presentation by Susan Gunelius, author of Harry Potter: the Story of a Global Business Phenomenon, lunch with special guests, and a networking reception at the end of the day's program, three amazing panels and your choice of three breakout sessions from our list of at least a dozen fantastic Q&As, micro-panels and presentations.

While the Luncheon and Cocktail Reception are open only to MPA registrants,  if you have a Full Registration, a No-Feasts Weekend Pass, a Vendor Pass or a Merlin's Circle registration, you can attend one MPA session of your choice (taking Fire Marshall limitations into consideration) - and you can add on an MPA registration at the Registration Desk at Azkatraz through July 18. Those who hold a Monday registration cannot attend MPA programming without upgrading to the MPA ticket.

The MPA will cost $130 without a registration, $100 with a full- or weekend-registration, and $75 for Merlin Circle sponsors.

The list of presenters includes Robin Burgener and Tanis Stoliar of the 20Q Project, Lev Grossman, TIME Magazine's book editor and tech writer, Fred Von Lohmann and Corynne McSherry of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, of Dreamwidth StudiosDenise Paolucci & Mark Smith, Elizabeth Bland, Exhibition Coordinator at the National Library of Medicine, Aaron Schwabach and Julie Cromer-Young of the Thomas Jefferson School of Law, and of course Henry Jenkins, who is transitioning from MIT to USC, and MPA Chair Monique Trottier, formerly of Raincoast Books.

The PDF of all programming at ZEUM is available here; the list of programming sessions can be found here.

Add a Masters of Potter Administration to your Azkatraz agenda by clicking REGISTER NOW! at the top of the page; you can add it to a new registration, or an existing one. If you have any questions, please email us at info @ hp2009.org.

We've posted our current list of all Find Your Flock events at Azkatraz, including a lot Snape-centric events, ship meet-ups, site-specific activites and more.

Check out the schedule and summaries here!

If you aren't on the schedule yet, or if there's an error in your listing, please contact Kerry asap. We can only include Flocks in the program if we have your information confirmed by June 16, 2009.

As many of you have heard by now, there is a rumor that the release date for “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” in IMAX has been pushed back two weeks until July 29th. IMAX has not itself confirmed this yet.

Obviously, the Azkatraz screening of the film in IMAX may be affected by this news. Please rest assured that we are working with IMAX and exploring all of our options to make this an event to remember. We realize that Azkatraz is just over a month away but the Azkatraz team has only learned this news at the same time as all of you as well so please bear with us as we try to work this out.