Hey Y’all!!! (I actually only just heard my first Y’all since I got here) We are at Portus!!

I am going to try to update this post throughout the day so make sure to keep checking in.

So far Portus is going great and we are having an excellent time. Last night we attended the Opening Feast and like the good Press people that we are, we got some video footage. I know Greg had a good time interviewing the Malfoy family. I overheard Professors Quirrel and Snape talking and got a good laugh.

There was some wizard rock last night- courtesy of the Moaning Myrtles and the MudBloods. I checked them out for a few minutes and they did a great job and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

I moderated my first round table discussion, “Does Dumbledore’s love for Grindelwald Change Canon? ” this morning. Here is the description:

When JK Rowling announced Dumbledore’s homosexuality, many fans were not upset with his sexual preference but rather with the notion that this proclamation changed cannon. When considering the Dumbledore/ Grindelwald relationship, one has to wonder whether Dumbledore was truly attracted to the ideals that Grindelwald espoused or whether it was his infatuation with the man himself that led him to be tempted with the notion of wizard dominance and “the greater good” ideal. Is Harry Potter cannon changed now that there is a possibility that a childhood crush and not a naïve sense of ideology led Albus Dumbledore to a pursuit of power that could have caused not only his moral downfall, but also the downfall of all Muggle/ wizard relations?

It was a lively discussion with a great (large) group of people and I had a great time. Greg video’d it so perhaps we will put it up on the blog.

My next round table, “Voldemort Understands Nothing: Why this Led to His Ultimate Downfall” is later this morning and I will report on that when I finish.

We have hung out with Travis from the Hogs Head a bunch and finally got to meet Leanne and Dave who we have corresponded with for a while. We have also met some other really nice people.

So far, so good. Will report in later.

-Penny

 UPDATE:

Things are still going well.  My second roundtable went really really well. It ended up being standing room only. I am not sure whether that had to do with me, the topic, or the fact that there were a bunch of death eaters who attended because they wanted to defend their Dark Lord. In any event, I was satisfied with how it went.

I attended the lunch Keynote Address by Dr. Henry Jenkins. Dr. Jenkins spoke titled: “Beyond the Borders of the Book: The Transformative Power of Fandom in the Age of Media Convergence.” This was an interesting  lecture and he did a great job dissecting the Harry Potter Fandom.

Travis lectured on: “Christ in the Forest: Aslan and Harry Walk to Their Deaths.” In this lecture, he compared how Rowling, Lewis and Tolkein all used Biblical references when writing the stories of their “Christ-like Heroes.” Travis was not only educating but entertaining as well. He had the room laughing out loud several times.

We are now getting ready for the Podcast Palooza. We look forward to taking part in it. Talk to you soon

Tags: Harry Potter Conference, Portus 2008

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