Presentation Summaries

This is a BETA list!
Everything is subject to change, and may be updated, or even Apparated as we get closer to the date.

NOTE TO PRESENTERS: If your Summary is listed as "Pending" or panelists "TBA," please contact us regarding your Release forms. Thank you.

ALBUS: Automated Language Building Using Spreadsheets [A Workshop on the Creation of Unique Fictional Languages by Using Simple Spreadsheet Tools]

WORKSHOP: Keith Melchiors

Using the ALBUS method (Automated Language Building Using Spreadsheets), aspiring writers will learn how to quickly and easily create a unique fictional language for use in their own fanfiction or original works. The basics of substitution ciphers (letter swapping algorithms) will be discussed, followed by step-by-step instruction on creating a simple ALBUS translation cipher in a spreadsheet program. Once complete, the ALBUS spreadsheet acts as a real-time language translator - when an English phrase is typed into the ALBUS spreadsheet, the text is instantly translated into a customized fictional language. By varying the letter pairs used in the letter-swap algorithm, a virtually endless variety of fictional languages can be created. The creation of an ALBUS spreadsheet will be explained and demonstrated in simple, easy-to-understand terms - no previous spreadsheet experience is required, though some experience would be helpful.

 

Are You a Weasley or a Malfoy: Parenting Within the Harry Potter Fandom

ROUNDTABLE - Bekki Olivieri

Parents who participate in fandom often find themselves in dangerous territory: how much do your kids really need to know? Reading Harry Potter to them all? Definitely! Bringing the kids to the movies? Of course! Linking them to a favorite fluffy fic? Maybe. Pointing them to your (sometimes racy) RPG? Err, maybe not. Join your fellow fans to discuss ways you and your children can enjoy your obsession together and what to do when your offspring are no longer interested.

 

The Art of Azkaban

PRESENTATION - Leslie Combermale

A presentation and discussion of the history of release of the authorized art of Harry Potter. (This presentation will be in the Gallery.)

 

The Art of Storyboarding

PRESENTATION - Leslie Combermale

Summary Pending

 

Blaise Zabini: A Boy By Any Other Name

ROUNDTABLE - Evy

All we knew of him was his name and house, but eight years and five books later (before he appears once again in Deathly Hallows), Blaise Zabini has spawned a small but intense cult-like following, numerous fics, even an identity crisis and a fandom debate that was the minor-character equivalent of the shipping wars. He was not the only minor character Sorted that evening, and he was not the only Slytherin we knew of; but it was he whose identity was formed primarily on the way fandom saw him. The release of DH only added fuel to the fire. With the new canon that we have for Blaise, what more can fandom look forward to?

 

Cho, Parvati, and Dean: Creating a Potterverse Rainbow. (How to Draw Characters of Color - From Features to Skin Tone!)

WORKSHOP - Glockgal

One of the greatest challenges a fanartist faces is creating characters of color without making them look like tacky stereotypes. In fact, many artists avoid drawing Blaise and Padma for fear of drawing them 'wrong.' This workshop will use a cross-section of Potterverse characters and provide tips on visually rendering facial features, skin tones, and other race-related attributes. The goal is to build artistic confidence in creating not just some but all the lovely characters JKR has provided for fandom. Come and join the fun! All art skills encouraged!

 

Claiming vs. Taming: The Broomstick in Potter and Wicked

PRESENTATION - Chelsea Clarey

This talk will explore the symbolism surrounding the broomstick in Rowling’s Harry Potter books and Gregory Maguire’s Wicked. The icon is drawn from the same powerful cultural context of witch-related folklore, but each novel uses the symbol quite differently. The Wicked Witch uses her broom to claim a feminine power based on subversion, solitude, and forceful sexuality in Wicked. That power, however, is rendered highly masculine as a source of physical prowess and social acceptance in the Potter books. The presentation looks at the traditional conception of the witch as a woman who uses the trappings of femininity to step into a masculine landscape of power and danger, and how Harry’s broom erases this tone of subversion and becomes instead the overtly phallic symbol of male prowess.

 

Color Your Own Snape

WORKSHOP - Tripperfunster

Color your own sallow, greasy Potions Master! An interactive fanart workshop for everyone, including beginners, non artists, and crunchy, old seasoned veterans. Crayons are surprisingly easy to work with, and with a few simple tricks, you can achieve great depth and realism.

 

Creating without Canon: Writing Next Gen

PANEL - Bryoney Brinn, Camden Spenser, romaine24

In this panel discussion, several favorite authors will discuss their interpretations of the Next Gen kids, what is considered canon, and what is becoming fanon. Topics will include, "To Slytherin or Not to Slytherin - Sorting the Next Gen Kids," "Don't Get Too Friendly - Scorpius and Rose," "Creating the 'Non-Book' Characters – Dominique, Fred, Lucy, and the Rest," "The Next Gen of Cross-Gen," and "Albus Severus/Scorpius – the Initials that Launched a ship." The discussions will be followed by a question and answer period with the audience.

 

Criminal Justice

PANEL - Linda McCabe, Christina Rudy, TBA

Summary Pending

 

 

Cross-Generational Fanfic: What is the Attraction to Writing and Reading May to August or Even May to December Stories?

PANEL - Alisanne, Leela_cat, lilyseyes, romaine24, tray-la-la

Cross-generational pairings are different from other ships; there is an inherent power differential that has to be negotiated. The older partner often has more experience, and if they are in a position of power, social taboos and morality can come into play. The younger partner also brings unique properties to the pairing, perhaps by being more overtly sexual or by challenging long held beliefs. It is this power dynamic that attracts so many to this genre. This panel discussion will explore the various attractions to cross-gen in general as well as reviewing a brief history of the various cross-gen pairings in HP fanfic, including: Severus/Harry, Severus/Hermione, and Harry/Scorpius. We will also explore why certain pairings are more popular than others, what are some of the common themes for various ships, and what are the differences and similarities between Harry’s Generation with the Marauder Generation vs. Harry’s Generation with the Next Gen.

 

Dark Side of Fandom

ROUNDTABLE - Melusinahp

While many people in fandom enjoy darkfic, its existence remains controversial. People who create and enjoy it are accused of making light of serious subjects and tainting the reputation of fandom as a whole. On the other hand, many fandomers find reading, writing, and creating art centered on dark subject matter to be life-affirming and cathartic. They feel that fandom is the one place they can express this usually hidden aspect of their psyches without fear of censure. In this roundtable, we intend to discuss this controversy and ask ourselves some other questions about darkfic and art.

 

Death and the Hero: Love and Death in the Novels of JK Rowling and the Epic of Gilgamesh

PRESENTATION - Ajuan Maria Mance

Summary Pending

 

Diced, Sliced and Dangerous: Environment and Ethics in the World of Harry Potter Fans

PRESENTATION - Claudia Pine

Summary Pending

 

The Dolores Umbridge Problem

PRESENTATION - Gerald Sullivan

This presentation examines the place of Dolores Umbridge within the broad set of relations and inversions constituted by the characters in the Harry Potter novels. We will seek to understand more fully the interrelations of disguises, lies, appearance, and the character of revenge and justice so much at the heart of the magical world. Besides Voldemort's desire for power and vulnerability, it contends that Umbridge provides a source of the sinister--an unprincipled quest for order and enforced agreement.

 

Draco’s Difficult Decision

PRESENTATION - Valerie Frankel

Why can’t Draco take responsibility for his actions, or even determine who he’s fighting? While Harry defies the social status quo, freeing house elves and befriending giants, Draco succumbs to family prejudice rather than choosing his own enemies (as some pure-bloods like Sirius Black do). Draco lives for appearance, bullying students and calling them Mudbloods to make himself look superior. This Slytherin bond ties him to his allies and makes him susceptible to recruitment by the Death Eaters. “I can help you, Draco,” Dumbledore offers. Draco hesitates: Even with his mother’s life in the balance, his lukewarm affections nudge him toward a half-hearted decision. Will Draco ever truly choose a side?

 

Draco/Hermione: It's a Potentially Long Story

ROUNDTABLE - Itsbeenvery

Among readers the world over, it would be safe to assume many feel canon makes it clear that there is no love lost between Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger. How could they go from hate to happily-ever-after? How could Hermione reconcile Draco's behavior toward her? Would Draco need to under go a fundamental change in his system of beliefs? Could a relationship exist between the two of them in canon without breaking the HP universe, or is it only possible in fanon or a post-DH setting? These questions, along with general discussion about why Draco/Hermione fans enjoy the match, trends, or accepted views on the pairing, characterization patterns, views of canon vs. fanon, etc., will give attendees a chance to pose and discuss an assortment of topics face-to-face with fellow fans and/or those interested in seeing what we see in D/Hr.

 

Draw Your Own Snape

WORKSHOP - Lizard Spots

This is an interactive fanart workshop for beginners (and anyone else who wants to come along) to learn how to draw our favorite grumpy old professor Severus Snape. Snape fans are eagerly invited, as well as anyone who just wants to learn a little about portraiture and character design. Remember to bring pencils and paper with you. And fair warning: I'll be taking photographs of your drawings at the end of the workshop!

 

Dreaming the Magical Cyborg

PRESENTATION - M Groesbeck

Summary Pending

 

 

Dumbledore was Never Free

PRESENTATION - Lorrie Kim

Themes of imprisonment run through Dumbledore’s life story and through his choices. Using Dumbledore’s own methods of observation and conjecture, we can study these themes to understand the more mysterious aspects of this complex character beneath the brilliant, genial exterior. Why did he chose to put people under virtual house arrest as his primary solution to danger? Why was this usually gentle man harsher with Snape than with any other character in the series? When he kept himself emotionally imprisoned with grief, what other emotions was he trying to contain? If we look into the Pensieve carefully enough, we can even take a guess together at what happened between him and Gellert Grindelwald leading up to the legendary duel of 1945, and at how Dumbledore won the Elder Wand.

 

Dumbledore: Haughty or Self-Hating?

PRESENTATION - Penny Gershman

Dumbledore is one of the greatest wizards of all time and has always appeared as someone who has confidence in his actions and ideas. However, at King's Cross we start to get a feel for the level of disappointment that Dumbledore appears to have in himself. The commentary for the story "The Tale of the Three Brothers" in the Tales of Beedle the Bard adds to the notion that Dumbledore feels a sense of self loathing, which contradicts many of his self-proclaimed attributes. Is it possible that Dumbledore had questionable self confidence, and did this affect some of his decisions throughout the series?

 

Elf Rights and Werewolf Legislation: Designing Public Health Interventions and Social Welfare Policies to Apply to the Wizarding and Muggle World

PRESENTATION - Elizabeth Wu

Although 4th year Hermione Granger had her heart in the right place, her misunderstanding of House Elves and their attitudes and beliefs undermined her program’s effectiveness and even fostered distrust. Elizabeth Wu, a current Master’s student in the UCLA School of Public Health, will give an introduction to Public Health intervention design by using numerous examples from Harry Potter canon and fanfiction (i.e. half-breed policies, werewolf legislation, magical bullying, etc.) to look at predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors that are critical for evaluating a population’s perceived needs, values, attitudes, and sociodemographic factors in order to arrive at realistic and sustainable public health and social welfare goals, objectives, and implementation activities. Hermione will have lots to do in post-Voldemort social restructuring and rebuilding, as will Muggles who are interested in community capacity building and mobilizing community resources to effect social change.

 

The Essence of Harry Potter Roleplay

Roundtable - Carmen Yu, TBA

Summary Pending

 

Ethics. And Harry

PRESENTATION - Renée Agatsuma

Does Harry’s use of Unforgiveables ruin his heroism? Did “for the greater good” ruin Dumbledore for you? Did Snape’s motivations for his actions matter ethically? I have seen many of these questions debated among the Harry Potter community. People get angry and have the same argument but don't listen to each other. They do not realize that they are coming from one of the different ethical moral perspectives. All of these perspectives are valid and value different things. Join Ms. Agatsuma's short lesson on Ethics background so that we will have tools to talk about these types of issues respectfully and using good ethical argument.

 

Exploring Family Dynamics of the Weasleys: Challenging the "Ideal Family"

PRESENTATION - Monica de Castro

There have been many studies about family development, relationships, and dynamics that it almost seems redundant to discuss it again. However, the importance of family is still essential to many people’s lives in that “even in the face of emotional or physical abuse, most people still return to family in times of trouble,” which is partly the reason for this presentation. Rather than studying families in the “real world,” we will examine the family dynamics of one living in the “surreal world” of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter, the Weasley family. This presentation examines the Weasley family dynamics of how they function and how they interact with one another through the use of communication theories such as Relational Dialectics, Interactional View, Uncertainty Reduction Theory, and Social Penetration Theory. The presentation seeks to determine whether the Weasleys are a portrayal of the author’s “ideal family.” The conclusion suggests for people to challenge the accepted meaning of the “ideal family.”

 

Eyes of Deathly Hallows: Harry Potter's Corrected and Transforming Vision

PRESENTATION - John Granger

Joanne Rowling told a reporter in 2007 that the "key" to her seven book series, the lines she waited 17 years to write, were Dumbledore's farewell to Harry at what Harry thinks of as King's Cross station in Deathly Hallows. John Granger uses the predominant eye symbolism of the series finale to explain this "is it real or just in my head?" conversation and why it opens up both the "power beyond any magic" of children's tales and the meaning of the world's best-selling books. Granger describes the Symbolist or Inkling stream of English literature in which Rowling writes and how Coleridge's idea of the primary imagination and traditional images of eyes, light, and mirrors inform this work.

 

The Fall of Ron

ROUNDTABLE - Nicole Wilson

Leading to his betrayal, Ron must to contend with his desires, which developed into a powerful influence when the trio was catapulted into the hunt for horcruxes and the locket began to break down Ron’s resolve. The locket’s innate ability to intensify negativity compounded Ron’s desires into an uncontrollable force. This situation is comparable to Adam and Eve’s betrayal of God’s will; their desire for the forbidden fruit was compounded by an outside source, the Snake. In this roundtable, we will discuss Ron’s departure and why his ability to return, and in doing so repent for his betrayal, exposes both the weaknesses and strengths of Ron’s character. “The Fall of Ron” will compare and contrast his past transgressions/assets, discuss whether or not Ron’s betrayal was inevitable due to unresolved feelings, a severe inferiority complex, or if his betrayal was purely inspired by the locket’s influence.

 

Fan Art and the Pr0n: Tickling Fandom's Fancy with Adult Artwork*

PANEL - Glockgal, Itsbeenvery, Karasu_hime, Lizard Spots, Reallycorking, Tripperfunster

Perhaps it helps you conceptualize a scene involving beloved characters, or maybe it gets you through the cold, lonely nights. Whatever purpose it serves, fan artists have been providing, and fandom has been delighting in, artistic works of an adult nature for some time. What inspires these artists? Do they draw for themselves or for others? Is drawing het different than drawing slash? Should galleries be password-protected? Has drawing certain pairings changed their view of those ships? Is the feedback level different for works that require adult ratings than it is for works that don't? Additional topics, along with audience-generated questions, will be brought up and discussed during this panel. We hope to provide insight on adult fan art from an artist perspective, in a thoroughly fun, laid-back environment. If you love open discussion, HP, and fan arts that require NSFW warnings, this panel is for you!

*Attendance at this panel may be restricted to ages 17 and up.

 

Fanart - Past, Present, Post-Fandom

PANEL - Dramedy, Glockgal, Tbranch, Xterm

Four fanartists from different corners of the Potterverse discuss the phenomena of fanart - its roots in the HP world, what it's like now, and how it could turn out for future fanartists. Each fanartist will share their art and their viewpoints, ranging from female and male experiences, old skool and newbie, gen art and adult art, and het and slash. Take a step back into fandom nostalgia! Take a step forward to see what's next!

 

Fast, Easy, Beautiful Paper Wands

WORKSHOP - Acromantular

Summary Pending

 

Feminism & Hermione

PANEL - Robyn Joffe, Kiah Morris, Claudia Pine, Danielle Stillman

Summary Pending

 

Feminism & Romance

PANEL - Kiah Morris, Travis Prinzi

Summary Pending

 

Femmeslash vs. Slash

ROUNDTABLE - April Ledbetter

In criticism, femmeslash and slash are often lumped together under the heading of Slash, while ignoring the vital differences in the two genres. Citing Eve Sedgwick, many describe slash as the recognition that there is a significant charge (i.e. homosocial desire) within male relationships in literature and media, partially as a result of pervasively misogynistic representations of women. This panel is particularly interested in theorizing the impetus for femmeslash vs. slash, especially how these texts negotiate the misogyny in the original texts.

 

Fighting the Slytherin Stereotype Within the Gryffindor Schema

PRESENTATION - Noelle Lang

In the world of JK Rowling, magic does not erase social problems. In fact, it only makes them worse. There are countless examples throughout the series of magical and non-magical beings being oppressed by other magical beings. Even the hallowed grounds of Hogwarts are not safe from social injustices. The Slytherin House is the house with the most prejudices within it and upon it. Readers are led to believe that all Slytherins are evil and only out for themselves. Yet, there is a shining moment in Deathly Hallows that proves this is not the case and shows that the traits associated with Slytherins can be put into place for the ultimate good.

 

Fighting with a Rubber Sword: Working with Humor as an Artist or Author

PANEL - Dacro, Glockgal, Littleblackbow

Explore the many sides of humor, from satire to slapstick to ‘crack,' while still maintaining a slight amount of dignity and an extra-large portion of pride in your work. Dacro, Littleblackbow, and Glockgal will present some examples from their work, as well as walk participants through some hands-on activities that will confront the stigmas, enhance creativity, and hopefully make you laugh. Do you have what it takes to pick up the rubber sword and swing?

 

From Fanartist to Full-Time

PANEL - Fiendling, Glockgal, Tbranch

This panel discussion will provide the curious, or those harboring artistic aspirations, with everything three fanartists have learned about working as professional artists in book illustration, concept design, video games, and comics.

 

From Foes to Fiendfyre to Family Men: Deathly Hallows and the Future of Harry/Draco Slash Fanfiction

PANEL - Bryoney Brinn, femmequixotic, furiosity, November Snowflake, pir8fancier

The final installment in the Harry Potter series left both halves of this popular ship still standing--but to what effect? The novel's central storyline brings Harry and Draco together in the midst of war, and even arguably presents them as saving each other's lives, while the epilogue goes on to show them 19 years later as adults with their own families and at least a nodding acquaintanceship. How have the events of Deathly Hallows been reflected in Harry/Draco fanfiction written since the book's publication, and how have authors diverged in their approach to the infamous epilogue--or to Deathly Hallows itself? From epilogue compliance to EWE to total AU, this highly interactive panel will explore trends in H/D fanworks with an eye toward both the evolution of the ship and the future of the pairing. Is all truly well in H/D?

 

Fully Knowable Severus Snape

PRESENTATION - Lorrie Kim

Every Snape fan remembers his dying words, “Look…at…me.” But what did those words mean, exactly, and why do they seem to mean something different to every reader? If we understand that, perhaps we can fully know this masterfully ambiguous character. Come heed Snape’s final command and discover -- using only, and all of, what JK Rowling gave us -- the answers to these questions and more: How did Rowling make the final gaze between Snape and Harry the key to the entire series? Why did Snape want the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, and how does that desire define him? How did Dumbledore secure Snape’s agreement to kill him? How do we reconcile Snape’s courage with his abusive behavior? How does Snape tackle dementors? Did Eileen Prince Snape love her son? And if Snape had a walk in the forest toward death, as Harry did, who would have walked alongside him?

 

Funhouse Mirrors: Fracture and Integration in the Potterverse

PANEL - Jessica Aldis, Elisabeth Carnell, Mara Tesler Stein PsyD

In the Harry Potter series, the psychological, moral, and social dichotomies experienced by the principal characters and institutions are central to their development, from children into adults or from dysfunction to resolution. This panel will study the ideas of fracture and integration in three ways: the first takes examples of mirrors and projections (patronuses, Pensieve memories) to examine the broken or partial images of self which must be understood and integrated to produce a mature adult; the second looks at the Hogwarts house system, which intentionally fractures the student body and through its emphasis on rivalry and privileging of certain character traits, undermines its original purpose; and the third widens the perspective to look at fracture and moral breakdown in wizarding society. Just as the readers recognize their personal dilemmas in those of the characters, so there is resonance between the real and imagined societies. Followed by an open discussion.

 

Hamlet, Harry Potter & Healing (Using Bibliotherapy with Children and Teens)

PRESENTATION - Nancee Lee-Allen

It is said that Shakespeare created the first truly human characters giving the leads complex personalities and flaws. These characters can be used in therapy to help adults and young adults better understand themselves and the human condition. The Harry Potter series when viewed from a clinical prospective has many references to mental health conditions including severe depression (the dementors) and post traumatic stress disorder.  Both can be used to help children and adults heal from trauma and stress. During this time we will explore ways to using bibliotherapy (especially the HP series) to promote wellness.

 

Hagrid, "Stubby," Stan, and Regulus: Under the Umbrella of Injustice

PANEL - Gwendolyn Grace, Heidi Tandy, TBA

A look at the misapplication of justice when it is used to punish the innocent and to perpetuate rumours that do not apply. Hagrid, Sirius, Stan, Regulus, Severus, Harry, and even Dumbledore are at times falsely accused in the series. What does that say about the Wizarding World - and our own assumptions about guilt or innocence?

 

Harry and Tarot: Reflections of the Major Arcana in the Harry Potter Books

PRESENTATION - Barbara Purdom

Summary Pending

 

Harry J. Potter Has Friended You

PRESENTATION - Melissa Anelli

Before it was simple to have a MySpace or even possible to have a Facebook, it was easy to be an online Harry Potter fan. The explosion of Harry Potter from successful book series to blockbuster phenomenon depended largely upon the Internet. In this session, based on research presented in "Harry, A History," come and talk about the ways that Harry Potter has benefitted from our long history of social networking, and how fandoms have since evolved from the days of mimeographed zines and postage stamps to podcasts and video blogs.

 

Harry Potter and the Co-optation of Girl Power

PRESENTATION - Robyn Joffe

“Girl Power,” as it has come to be known today, has little to do with the actual empowering of girls and more to do with the image of the artistically athletic, ultra feminine, girly-girl. The film-version of Hermione Granger is a character who has been diminished in the pursuit of perfection. The strengths she already possessed, as well as the weaknesses that served to make her more real, have been cast aside in favor of the mainstream media's idea of a Girl Power girl. While this result certainly may not have been the filmmakers' intentions, the many examples of Hermione being given inexplicable knowledge, nonsensical superpowers, or the words or actions of another character - not to mention her obvious pink fetish - are decisions that have been made on purpose. While Emma Watson's Hermione may be full of "Girl Power,” JK Rowling's Hermione is a powerful girl.

 

Harry Potter and the Golden Red-Riding Hood Robber in Boots: Fairy Tales and Fanfic

PRESENTATION - Megan MacAlystre

This talk will explore the use of fairy tales in HP fanfics, discussing specific examples from a variety of writers to see how the Big Bad Wolf may step into Remus' shabby robes to hunt his animagus lover in the Enchanted Forest or drip blood from Greyback's teeth to chase helpless students through the halls of Hogwarts, how the Robber Bridegroom kills and eats Muggles in the depths of Malfoy Manor, or how Goldilocks searches for a Gryffindor top that is “just right.” In understanding how these stories are approached and utilized in fan works, we can begin to address just what they mean to us and why we need to keep retelling the same stories, whether it be for familiarity, shared experience, fictional perversion, or perhaps just literal perversion.

 

Harry Potter and the Ivory Tower

PRESENTATION - Susan E. Howard

Summary Pending

 

Harry Potter and the Rise of Nazism

PRESENTATION - Valerie Frankel

From Dumbledore’s climactic battle in 1945 to the Muggle Registration Act, JK Rowling creates startling historical parallels between Harry Potter’s world and that of Nazi Germany. From the Eastern Durmstrang of the 1940’s comes Gellert Grindelwald, a wizard supremacist who preaches a society ruled by wizards all for the Greater Good. “Lesser races” are blamed for society’s ills, with centaurs banished to ghetto-like confines of the forest and werewolves fired from their jobs. How does this bigotry differ from Gypsies, homosexuals, communists, and Jews unemployed and imprisoned for their allotment of “impure blood?” In the 1940’s, Tom Riddle was in Slytherin house, learning about pure-bloods and wizard supremacy. After Grindelwald’s defeat, how young Voldemort must have smoldered, like Hitler’s Germany after their humiliating World War One surrender. “Our cause was noble,” he thought. “The Muggle-borns must have weakened us.” And thus the cycle perpetuates itself, from world history to Hogwarts.

 

Harry Potter and the Sins of the Parents

PANEL - Ray Almand, Jennifer Campbell, Emma Drummond, Sarah Steelman

Harry spent a large part of the series finding father figures to look up to and emulate before becoming disenchanted and growing beyond them. Yet if we look at the series, Harry was hardly the only character to have issues with his parents or parental figures. Other students, such as Ron, Draco, Neville, Snape, Sirius, and Dumbledore, struggled with the influence and legacies of their parents. Some of them constantly lived in the shadow of their parents while others would change their ideas of family as they grew. Some were marked, even scarred, by their parents at a very young age while others learned lessons from them that would save their lives and shape their futures for the better. This panel seeks to analyze the influences and effects that these parents had on their children and determine whether their traits and actions were a result of nurture or nature.

 

Harry Potter and the Unforgivable Curses: Norm-Formation, Inconsistency, and the Rule of Law in the Wizarding World

PRESENTATION - Aaron Schwabach

Harry's world is administered, ineptly, by the Ministry of Magic. The Ministry of Magic's muddling misrule is not quite dictatorship, but it is not fair and just, either. Under the stress of the first war against Voldemort's Death Eaters the Ministry regime, like some Muggle governments in similar circumstances, adopted an ad hoc and inconsistent approach to justice. It imprisons people, and sometimes executes them, without a trial. It keeps careful tabs on law-abiding citizens, but is unable to track down terrorists. It reaches inaccurate results in about half of its criminal trials, in large part because defendants are not represented by counsel. This article attempts to examine the problems with the wizarding word's legal system by focusing on one particular problem: the Unforgivable Curses. The choice to outlaw these three spells, and not others that may be even worse, reflects something about the values of both Harry's world and ours.

Harry Potter in Communities of Color

ROUNDTABLE - TJ Basa

Across the developed world and in parts of the developing world, Harry Potter has infiltrated virtually every form of mass media and has become entrenched in the landscape of popular culture. Despite this near-universality, the stereotype that persists of your "typical" Harry Potter fan is that of a young, white, middle-to-upper-middle-class male or female. Fact or fiction? This roundtable will examine participation of people of color in Harry Potter fandom through social networking, creative outlets, academia, and activism, as well as take into consideration the role and representation of ethnic minorities within the Harry Potter novels. It will call into question the claim that Harry Potter’s appeal cuts across boundaries of race, culture, and class. Ultimately, it will stimulate robust debate and generate creative solutions about how persons of all backgrounds can reap the benefits of Harry Potter as literature, and find greater inclusion within already established Harry Potter communities

 

Harry Potter's Bookshelf: the Great Books Behind the Hogwarts' Adventures

PRESENTATION - John Granger

We all love the Potter novels, but why? What sort of books are they, and why do we have the response we do, individually and collectively, to these stories? The answer, it turns out, is most likely because they are a 'rowling' together of literary genres and great books; the melange means there is something for people of different tastes and a message both transcendent and especially resonant with our concerns as postmoderns.

 

House Crest Button Bracelets

WORKSHOP - Jenn Racek

Wear your house colors with pride and a bit of handmade style! Handmade crafts are very popular today and add personality to any outfit. Found art and retro chic combine in these cute house bracelets made using regular buttons in house colors and a large accent button featuring your chosen house crest. All supplies will be provided, and at the end of the workshop each participant will have completed one bracelet to take home in their choice of house colors. There will be supplies on hand for up to 25 participants.

 

 

How Does a Clabbert Know? Explanations and Implications of a New Theory of Wizarding Genetics

PRESENTATION - Leah Anthony Libresco

There have been several attempts to explore the issues of genetic inheritance of wizarding abilities in Harry Potter, but all have relied on a too simplistic schema for dominance that has obscured the sociological repercussions of wizarding genetics. Previous theories have left no normal route for the creation of squibs, assuming their existence to be due either to mutation or to rampant infidelity by wizarding women. Neither of these scenarios explain the visceral, passionate horror that pure-blooded wizards experience at the prospect of contaminating their bloodlines. My theory, positing a genetic threat that could lurk within even the most pure-blooded line, goes farther in explaining a basis for pure-blooded paranoia and offers some ways for these fears to be addressed.

 

How Half-Bloods Became Pure-bloods

PRESENTATION - Travis Prinzi

The primary social justice issue of the Harry Potter stories is racism. Through the fairy-tale setting involving diverse magical brethren, half-bloods, pure-bloods, and Muggle-borns, JK Rowling reflects and critiques the kinds of racial oppression found in our world. Far from being a simple commentary on the evils of prejudice, Harry Potter contains a complex and nuanced critique of racism, including racist attitudes, unjust laws, well-meaning but misguided attempts to fix the problem, and the true solution found in the process of become a self-sacrificial, loving person. This presentation examines Rowling’s commentary on racism by looking at the oppressive blood-status attitudes, the injustices represented by the fountain of magical brethren, and the overt Nazism of the final book. Comparing and contrasting Hermione’s and Dumbledore’s responses to injustice, and Harry’s transformation into the self-sacrificial hero, we will discover Rowling’s remedy for social injustice.

 

If You've Got Nothing Nice to Say, Should You Say It Anyway?

ROUNDTABLE - furiosity

This roundtable will invite participants to discuss the pros and cons of criticism in fandom's creative subspaces -- criticism not only of fan works, but also of fannish behavior. Did Fandom Wank ruin fandom, or does it help keep fannish absurdities in line? Do you think negative feedback inevitably crushes the spirits of creative fen? Perhaps you're positive that no one ever improves without criticism, or are your thoughts on all of this somewhere in between? If any of these questions get you thinking, please come and participate!

 

Image as Narrative

PRESENTATION - Littleblackbow

Summary Pending

 

Influence and Power of Pure-blood Women

PRESENTATION - Serade Black

Summary Pending

 

JK Rowling and the Splintered Audience

ROUNDTABLE - Barbara Purdom

Summary Pending

 

Justice Post-Hogwarts: What Happened Next?

PRESENTATION - Evy

Harry Potter finally defeated Lord Voldemort at the end of Deathly Hallows, but we should know by now that there is not enough magic in the world to simply right wrongs and put everything back the way they were before Voldemort's return. How did the wizarding world rebuild itself? How was the Slytherin House affected, considering especially their role (or lack of one) in the final chapters of Deathly Hallows? What happened to the remaining Death Eaters? Were the Malfoys absolved of their crimes? Do dementors still guard Azkaban? How do we reconcile the epilogue with the end of Deathly Hallows when we know all the different ways peace after the first war was only temporary? In this roundtable we'll discuss what we believe happened post-Hogwarts, what fallouts and laws could have been created in the aftermath, and how the wizarding world, at last, ensured that all would be well.

 

Law of Fandom

PANEL - Heidi Tandy

Navigating the rocky shoals of fandom can be precipitous, but fandom lawyers can give you a paddle to help you get upstream! We'll discuss the past year or so in fair use, Creative Commons licenses, Terms of Use issues, defamation, and more!

 

Learning From and Through Fandom

Presentation - Henry Jenkins

Summary Pending

 

The Life of Severus Snape

PANEL - Sophia Marquez, Travis Prinzi, Amber Vilate, Elizabeth Wu

Summary Pending

 

The Lord of the Hallows: JRR Tolkien and JK Rowling as Sub-creators of Christian Myth

PRESENTATION - Denise Roper

This presentation will feature an in-depth comparison of two of the greatest fantasy epics of our time: The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. The common themes of sacrifice, free will, good versus evil, death, immortality, love, and friendship will be discussed, along with the similarities between the forging of the One Ring and the making of Horcruxes. This paper will examine Rowling's portrayal of Harry as a Christ figure and Tolkien's depiction of the Messianic trio of Prophet (Gandalf), Priest (Frodo), and King (Aragorn). This presentation will explain Tolkien's notion of "The Long Defeat," Tolkien and Rowling's perspectives on the nature of evil, and the Tolkienian concept of "eucatastrophe" and how it is used in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

 

The Magical World of Harry Potter Toys and Dolls

PRESENTATION - Denise Van Patten

The Magical World of Harry Potter Toys and Dolls will look at Harry Potter toys, dolls, action figures, and games. The presentation will discuss successful (and not so successful) Harry Potter merchandise and what makes a successful product that is sought-after by collectors and fans.

 

Making and Modifying Patterns for Costuming*

WORKSHOP - Fiona Fawkes

Summary Pending

*Will be held in the Project Wizard Room

 

Making the Jump from Fan Writer to Pro

PRESENTATION - Ravenna C. Tan

This talk is aimed at the many writers of fanfic who want to know what it takes to go pro, what skills transfer from fanfic writing to professional writing, and what factors may play into the decision. It is my belief that writing fanfic is a legitimate stepping stone to a professional writing career, and the fan community is an ideal place to develop the skills needed. The history of fans going pro within sci-fi/fantasy is a rich one, and the modern fan community tools we have like LiveJournal only put us at a greater advantage than our forbears. The skills learned in participating in fic fests, gift exchanges, fic-a-thons and such, balancing multiple assignments, and others are as important and useful in "going pro" as the mastery of prose style and narrative that the experimental "practice" writing that fic can be can provide. Ms. Tan will provide a perspective as a professional writer and editor on what skills to develop and how to apply them.

 

Making Money through Fandom

PANEL - Heidi Tandy, TBA

Summary Pending

Mock Trial: Wizengamot V. Potter

PANEL - Christina Rudy, TBA

Summary Pending

Morality, Justice, and Wizarding Law

Presentation - Christina Rudy

Summary Pending

Mother Roles & Harry Potter

PANEL - Megan MacAlystre, TBA

Summary Pending

 

Mothers and Monsters: Victorian Motherhood in the Harry Potter Books

PRESENTATION - Megan MacAlystre

This talk will explore the way that the women in the Potter books are aligned with Victorian roles of motherhood, from Lily Potter, who epitomizes the holy mother by sacrificing herself for her child, to Bellatrix Lestrange, who finds pleasure in the destruction of mothers. It will include a discussion of women who fall along this continuum including Molly Weasley, Narcissa Malfoy, and Dolores Umbridge.

 

MuggleCast's 'How to Podcast 101'

PANEL - Matthew Britton, Andrew Sims, Micah Tannenbaum, Laura Thompson

For over three years, MuggleNet.com’s Harry Potter podcast (unsurprisingly titled “MuggleCast”) has been providing fans with in-depth and entertaining Harry Potter content for all ages. MuggleCast has had a presence at each HPEF since Lumos 2006 in Las Vegas and will be even more involved when attending AZKATRAZ. MuggleCast's “How-To-Podcast" session at AZKATRAZ will teach attendees the basics of creating a successful and unique podcast.

 

Music and Fandom: Filk in All Its Forms

PANEL - Gwendolyn Grace, Patrick E. Fleming, TBA

Wrock is the latest permutation in an age-old practice: Filk. What is filking? What purpose does it serve? Explore the acoustic side of musical responses to text, from before Harry and the Potters to the state of filk in the fandom today. The option to workshop a filk is also available.

 

New Moon, Full Moon, Wolfsbane Potion and Fursploding Boys: Werewolves in the Harry Potter Books and the Twilight Saga

PRESENTATION - Melissa D. Aaron

This presentation examines the different representations of werewolves in Harry Potter and Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight saga. What elements of werewolf lore, literary and historical, do Rowling and Meyer select for inclusion in their works, and why? The presentation will examine werewolf creation—who becomes a werewolf, how, and why—and werewolf pathology—symptoms, physical mutation, and mental and emotional changes. Especially central to this presentation will be the status of “lone wolf” vs. “pack,” marginalization of the individual (Lupin) vs. the concentric isolation of the werewolves in New Moon and Eclipse, and the control and policing, self or otherwise, of werewolf behavior.

 

The “Other" Trio: Ginny, Neville and Luna

PRESENTATION - Yolanda Carroll

It is apparent to me as well as to many other fans that J.K. Rowling has set up Ginny, Neville, and Luna as another trio.  Canon supports this analysis.  They were the only D.A. members to go with Harry, Ron & Hermione, a.k.a. the HRH trio, to the Ministry of Magic in Order of the Phoenix.  Also they were the only D.A. members that fought beside Ron and Hermione in Half-Blood Prince.  Lastly, in Deathly Hallows, the three of them lead the D.A. together thus cementing their status as the “new” or “other” trio.  In my presentation, I will define Ginny, Neville, and Luna, a.k.a. GNL as a trio based on what we know of them both as a group and individually.  I’ll also compare and contrast them to the trio of Harry, Ron and Hermione with some defining of the HRH trio’s roles within their respective group.

 

The Pacing of Death Hallows: the Avada Kedavra to the Book?

PRESENTATION - pir8fancier

Pacing is the drumbeat to a novel. Are readers on the edge of their seats, flipping pages eagerly, dying to get to the next chapter, or reaching for a double espresso to keep their eyes open? Examined will be the pacing of the last Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The two competing storylines—the Horcrux and the Elder wand —necessitated that much of the plot of the last book had its “feet” rooted in the past. Critical to the defeat of Voldemort, the introduction of the Elder Wand concept in the last book served to fulfill the final expectation that Voldemort would be defeated by his own moral failings, but the flip side of this idea was that it firmly rooted much of the potential action of this novel in the distant past, adversely affecting the overall pacing. Indeed, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting on the sidelines watching the “action” unfold nearly as much as we readers were.

 

The People Versus JK Rowling

PRESENTATION - Hilary Justice, PhD

Summary Pending

 

Peter Pettigrew: Misunderstood or Missorted?

ROUNDTABLE - Ray Almand, Jennifer Campbell, Emma Drummond

Much debate surrounds the character of Peter Pettigrew. From his motivations in betraying Lily and James to his sudden self-strangulation, few people have the same views on why Peter did the things he did. Was it cowardice that caused him to betray his friends, leading to their deaths, or something else? Why did he pause in his attack on Harry in Deathly Hallows? There are many things left to discuss about Peter, and this in-depth analysis of his character will provide a more thorough look at one of the most disliked characters in Harry Potter.

 

The Phenomenon of Wizard Rock

ROUNDTABLE - Ray Almand

The Wizard Rock phenomenon has become one of the largest, most vibrant parts of the Harry Potter fandom. In this roundtable discussion, we will discuss the genre as a whole, covering everything from its humble origins to its defining features. Fans and Wrockers alike are invited to participate, but be forewarned that we will not be talking about everyone's favorite bands and songs.

 

Pointers, Pitfalls, and Pratfalls of Writing. Pir8fancier's POV on Improving Your Fanfiction.

PRESENTATION - pir8fancier

Fanfiction is the step-child of someone else's story. It is as if the original storyteller sits in front of an audience, reading their material, and then at the end of a good long while they finally say, "The End..." at which point they snap the book shut (or turn off the television or the camera) and flee the room, leaving a bunch of shocked and distraught people squirming in their seats. One person shouts, "But you didn't tell us what happens six months later." Another person pipes up, "Or three years earlier." A third voice complains, "Or when the door closed, remember?" Until the cacophony reaches such a pitch that everyone screams at once, "You didn't write that part!" We feel compelled to write the white space left by the original author. Although many of the same characteristics that comprise good fiction also comprise good fanfiction, there are subtle differences between the two that can be exploited to enhance a writer's fanfiction. In addition, there are several common pitfalls that fanfiction writers are guilt of committing, partly because we are writing in that white space, and partly because of inherent conflicts between fandom culture and telling the story within the story and telling it well

 

The (Possible) Domestication of House-Elves

PRESENTATION - Yolanda Carroll

In this presentation, I will define and discuss the three possible ways that house-elves might be bound to their wizard family: domesticated, enslaved or neither.  In the case of “neither”, elves willingly bound themselves to wizard families.  In the case of domesticated, a certain kind of helpful elf that craved a symbiotic relationship with wizards were allowed or brought willing into wizards’ homes and chose to stay binding themselves to the wizard family they lived with.  I do believe that house-elves being bound to one family could have been their own doing.  I base this on stories of beings or spirits that have supposedly bound themselves to a particular family.  In the case of house-elf enslavement, house-elves may not have voluntarily bound themselves to wizards.  One argument for enslavement is that house-elves do not have a choice to obey or leave their masters unlike their closest mythological cousins, brownies.

 

The Postmodern Potions Master

PRESENTATION - Travis Prinzi

Is there a political message to the Harry Potter stories? Has Rowling tapped into any underlying political philosophy? The answer to these questions is, “yes,” and this presentation explores the fascinating facts underlying the magical story. Rowling believes, with Plutarch, that “what we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.” Examining the gradualist philosophy Fabian Society, its roots in Christian socialism, the importance of character change, and the surprisingly libertarian elements of the stories, we will discover how JK Rowling has brewed a story with potent political power, teaching us to imagine and to work for a better world.

 

Potter Podcasting in 2009

PANEL - Melissa Anelli, Frank Franco, John Noe, Sue Upton

Summary Pending

 

Queers in the Wizarding World and Ours

PANEL - Slashpervert

One of the most popular forms of Harry Potter fan fiction is “slash” – the pairing of canon characters in homosexual and/or bisexual relationships. While real world queers are fighting for equal rights in everything from employment, marriage, and adoption, stories about Harry Potter and his friends facing the same issues are read by thousands of fans around the world. What is the relationship between the two realms? Are queer-themed fan fiction helping the struggle or is it just voyeurism by mostly straight fans? How do queer fans experience these stories? Do these stories educate or perpetuate myths? How do gay, lesbian, and bisexual fans feel about this aspect of fandom? This panel of queer fans who are also slash writers discuss these questions.

 

Racism & Prejudice: House-Elves, Muggles, and Secret History

Panel - Christina Carnevale, Susan E. Howard, Valerie Frankel, Dr. William Thompson, Travis Prinzi

Summary Pending

 

The Real Hallows: Sex Secrets, Arthurian Artifacts, and Death’s Dominions

PRESENTATION - Valerie Frankel

In Welsh Myth, the Tuatha de Danaan, or fairies, were said to have brought four treasures to Ireland from the Otherworld: The Hallows of Britain. The Elder Wand alone descends from these intact: Harry’s other treasures have been altered to fit his hero’s journey, which follows a far more mystic path than Arthur’s kingship. Little though he knows it, Harry is questing to master death, but unlike Voldemort, he succeeds. Gryffindor’s sword, the stone, the cloak, and even Hermione’s beaded bag blend symbolism from both genders, teaching Harry the spiritual power of intuition as well as the strength of battle. Voldemort quests only for the Elder Wand, the one Hallow devoted only to war and the masculine attributes. Thus, his quest for power without understanding of the gentler magics (like the truth of Lily’s blood protection) causes his destruction. Join us as we explore the Deathly Hallows’ origins and secrets.

 

Remus *hearts* Sirius: The Shoebox Project’s Queer Resignification of Harry Potter

PRESENTATION - April Ledbetter

In championing what is right over what is easy, the Harry Potter novels create a paradox between moral contingency and moral absolutes, especially regarding the foundation for the Wizarding World: the traditional nuclear family. With regard to queer characters, we must ask ourselves: is rightness defined by one’s ability to form families, and is easiness continuing to act on one’s queer impulses? Is rightness following one’s heart, is it easy to cave-in to social pressures? This paper argues that the same values which win the reader’s sympathy against Voldemort, such as the primacy of family and the effacement of sexuality, tend to marginalize characters who do not fit neatly into traditional social arrangements. The Shoebox Project, a fanfiction text about a Marauders'-era romance between Remus and Sirius, illustrates heteronormativity in Harry Potter and how homophobia is vitally-constitutive in the formation of male friendships and the imperative toward heterosexual marriage.

 

Science of Harry Potter

PRESENTATION - George Plitnik

Summary Pending

 

Shut Up and Rewrite: the Author/Beta Ballet

WORKSHOP - Coffeejunkii, Dacro, dracofiend, Fire Elemental, RurouniHime, Saladbats

In this interactive workshop, we deal with the importance of trust and teamwork involved in making the beta/author relationship a successful one. The panel of writers and betas will share a few personal stories about their successes and struggles from both sides of the fence, as well as lead the audience through some fun activities that will hopefully entertain and inform everyone from the first-time writer to the most seasoned author or editor. Join Dacro, Saladbats, RurouniHime, Coffeejunkii and Fire Elemental as they explore the many different types of betas/editors found in fandom and in the world of professional writing, general and technical terms a writer may encounter when they receive their work back from their beta, and how to both give and process constructive criticism.

 

Sirius-ly Celibate? Again - Sexuality and the Adults of Harry Potter

PRESENTATION - Nancee Lee-Allen

Many people find Sirius Black to be the sexiest character in the Harry Potter series, though no one knows if Sirius ever had a date! His love life is never mentioned in the books since there are more compelling things to know about him. A large group of fans believe that we never heard about Sirius’ love life since he was quietly dating Remus! This and the recent “outing” of Dumbledore leaves us with many questions regarding the sexuality of the adults in Harry Potter. During this roundtable, Ms. Lee-Allen will propose a discussion regarding sexuality and the adult characters.

 

Slash as Social Justice

ROUNDTABLE - April Ledbetter

This round-table will focus on whether Slash fanfiction successfully combats homophobia and how Slash is related to contemporary LGBT politics. Questions include: How does fanfiction change the relationship between text and reader?; Does Slash challenge the notion of commonsense readings?; Does slash change the attitudes of readers?; How have authors’ responses to fanfiction and Slash fanfiction changed over time?; Is slash a political statement?; Does slash tie itself to “real gay men”?; Is slash misogynistic?; and Is slash an act of agency for women?

 

Some Eat Their Young: Mother and Son Relationships in Harry Potter

PANEL - Cathy Leogrande, Crystal Ponto

From the aura of Lily Potter to the overindulgence of Petunia Dursley, Harry Potter has known many kinds of mothers. While father-son relationships often emphasize similarities of traits and hopes for the future, maternal characters provide a safe haven for even the most unlovable characters. Many of the central characters are shaped by the presence or absence of biological or situational mothers. These women may provide a sense of security, fierce protection, unconditional love, or their counterparts of eternal displeasure, unmet expectations, or sad neglect. This panel provides an analysis of an assortment of mother-son relationships, including Dead Mother (Marope Riddle), Missing Mother (Fridwulfa), Martyr Mother (Lily, Mrs. Crouch), Smother Mother (Petunia Dursley, Narcissa Malfoy), Stern Mother (Augusta Longbottom), Mean Mother (Walburga Black), and Queen Mother (Molly Weasley). Each of these allows us to delve below the surface of the seven books and watch as characters evolve.

 

State of the Snarry Ship

PANEL - Alisanne, Dementor Delta, meri_oddities

We will be discussing fan fiction involving Severus Snape and Harry Potter now that their stories have been completed by canon. Can we, as readers and writers, still think of ways to tell stories about these two compelling characters?

 

Teaching and Learning with Harry Potter

WORKSHOP - Catherine Belcher, Becky Herr-Stephenson

This highly interactive workshop provides a forum for educators to talk about how they share Harry Potter with their students, a practice extending far beyond pedagogical techniques to teachers' own relationships to the series and popular culture more generally. The goal of the workshop is to share stories about introducing Harry to students--both the successes and the challenges faced. In sharing these, we look to shift the emphasis from how teachers introduce Potter in their classrooms to why they do so.

 

Ten Years On

ROUNDTABLE - Flourish, Heidi Tandy

Ten years ago, Harry Potter for Grown Ups was founded, and the section for Harry Potter fanfiction on fanfiction.net was created. These events marked the beginnings of Harry Potter fandom as we know it today. Join old-time fandomers in sharing your reminiscences, thoughts, and opinions about the past ten years - and your hopes for what the next ten years will bring. Maybe you'll even run into an old friend!

 

Unreal to Reel: Adapting Fantasy to Film - Rowling, Goudge, Funke, and Cooper (and Still Waiting for Ibbotson and Colfer)

PRESENTATION - Roslyn Blyn-LaDrew

This presentation will examine the book-to-movie relationship for young adult fantasy novels and investigate whether faithfulness to original plotlines and characterizations is more or less important when the subject is fantasy as opposed to realistic fiction.  The emphasis will be on the 2008 movie version of The Little White Horse, one of the novels that J. K. Rowling acknowledges as having influenced her.

 

The "Unknown" Mysteries

PRESENTATION - Anneke

Summary Pending.

 

Vengeance, Justice and Reconciliation: Lessons for Harry from the Oresteia

PRESENTATION - Debbie Duncan

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows opens with a quotation from the Libation Bearers, the second of a trilogy of plays written by Greek playwright Aeschylus in the 5th century BCE and commonly known as the Oresteia. JK Rowling’s chosen quotation, which concludes with the exhortation of the Greek chorus to “bless the children, give them triumph now” underscores the parallels between the two stories; however, there are also significant differences between Harry's story and Orestes' story, and especially in the endings. The Oresteia ends with the Furies being reconciled and given a place of honor in the city of Athens. This session will explore wizarding world justice and the culture of vengeance through the lens of the Oresteia, and will consider the implications of Rowling’s failure to reconcile the Slytherins and grant them the place of honor that Athena granted to the Furies to close the door on vengeance permanently.

 

The Weasleys, Dursleys and Malfoys: the Role of Family Values in Harry Potter

ROUNDTABLE - Nancee Lee-Allen

Wikipedia definition of family values: A political/social concept that has been used in various nations to describe a set of moral beliefs in society specifically in response to the perception by social conservatives of declining morality within that nation itself. The concept of "family values" is rooted in each individual culture, thus making the values different for different societies. Would family values vary between the wizarding and Muggle worlds? I propose a look at wizarding family values by comparing two pure-blood families and one Muggle family: the Malfoys, Weasleys, and Dursleys.

 

The Weirdest Sister: Wizard Rock Perspectives on Luna Lovegood

PRESENTATION - Gwendolyn Limbach

"Ah music... A magic beyond all we do here." This magic often trains it eye on quite unlikely subjects, including the largely secondary character of Luna Lovegood. Bands from Ministry of Magic to The Whomping Willows write songs about a character who appears in only three novels, and mostly in the background. As readers we learn precious little about Luna from the time of Order of the Phoenix through Deathly Hallows, yet with this basic information, and through their music, wizard rockers have infused Luna's character with new and varying meanings. In other words, while we learn about her through what is written in canon, we come to fully understand Luna through what is sung about her in fandom. The presentation seeks to explore the variety of perspectives on Luna's character, from a formalist analysis of the text to the knowledge generated by readers through their songs.

 

Welcome to the Wizarding World

presentation: Steve Vander Ark

Summary Pending

 

The Well-Organized Mind: Death and What Comes After

PANEL - Anneke, Garreth Fisher, John Granger, David Gras

Summary Pending

 

When You're Good, Are You Really, Really Good, and When You're Bad, Are You a Slytherin?

PANEL - Bonnie Derksen, Nancee Lee-Allen, Shannon Rooke

What holds us in check? Are we good because we are truly, inherently good? Or perhaps we are only good because we fear the consequences of being evil. What is the driving force that leads characters of the Harry Potter series to their actions? What characters are inherently good but are acting on the side of evil because they are afraid of the consequences of defying their evil leaders? Are they held in check by fear? Should they be punished for their fear? Are there characters that are acting on the side of good, but they themselves are not truly and inherently good? These characters are more dangerous as they are held in check by their fear of the consequences of the evil deeds they are capable of. This theory will be explored with some key characters including Hagrid, Voldemort, Wormtail, and Dumbledore.

 

Why Sirius Black Had to Die: How Ron/Hermione Was Legitimized by Suitor Elimination

ROUNDTABLE - Serade Black

Summary Pending

 

Wizarding Physics, Gamp, and Beyond

PANEL - Michael Johnson, Barbara Moline, Nicholas Moline

Just what makes magic tick? The best ways to find out just how much something can do and to analyze what it can't do. While the Magic in Harry Potter is fantastical, JK Rowling was very careful to make sure that her magical world had limits. Join us as we discuss the physics of the Magical Realm and come to better a better understanding of the miraculous powers that both sides have.

 

Writing Realistic Magic for Harry Potter

WORKSHOP - Evy

Charms and hexes are all well and good, but what happens when our writing takes us into shadier territory? If a person dies within an hour of imbibing the Polyjuice Potion, does he turn back into his real self? If the Trio were able to use charms to disguise themselves, how far can the physical alteration of one's appearance go? And what of the regular principles surrounding magical living? How do wizards travel internationally—by Floo, apparition, portkey or broom? We'll enumerate the various general principles (and, sometimes, inconsistencies) of magic that are mentioned in the series and discuss how our writing can go around or through these loopholes to further the creation of the magical world that Harry Potter left behind.

 

Wrock in the Library of Congress

Presentation - Annette Anderson-Ma, Joy Lambert

How Wrock wound up in the Library of Congress.

 

Wrockin' for Justice: An Introduction to Wizard Rock as the Manifestation, Representation, and Interpretation of Social and Political Values

Presentation - Kelli M. Rohlman

Drawing upon published articles, books, films, and web content, as well as behavioral analyses of collected media, interviews, and participation, this presentation will argue that Wizard Rock (an idiom, drawing on popular rock and pop styles but written on topics based in the Harry Potter mythology) is not simply popular entertainment for Harry Potter fans, but a vital, representational catalyst and tool for sharing an instilling particular social, moral, and political values and ideals – especially those of universal tolerance, generosity, equality, freedom, conservation, and perhaps most importantly, love for ones fellow beings. It will be further suggested that this is accomplished both within the lyric content of the music, the musical style and situations in which it is performed, and through the actions and affiliations of the musicians themselves. As a result, listeners and fans are not only influenced by these strong standpoints, but encouraged to take action to “spread love and fight the Dark Arts in the real world.” (thehpalliance.org)