Harry Potter conferences have become an important part of Fandom; folks of all ages who have been communicating online about the series for years are able to come together several times a year to celebrate the stories they love. It's an odd amalgamation of people, and in a very strange way, it works.
Harry Potter Costumes
The conference was filled with costumed wizards and witches. One might think that the most popular costumes would have been the "good guys" like Harry, Dumbledore, Ron, and Hermione. On the contrary, there was a whole contingency of Death Eaters, a masked Voldemort, a Delores Umbridge; the most popular "house" into which conference attendees were sorted was Slytherin.
Jim Dale, the voice of the U.S. editions of the Harry Potter audiobooks, made a poignant observation: the Hilton Anatole, where the conference was held, was almost like a scene out of the Harry Potter books themselves. Cloaked witches and wizards wandered about, while "Muggles" - the hotel patrons who were not part of the conference - walked right past them as if they weren't even there.
Harry Potter and the Academics
Each day of the conference was filled with formal programming, in which academic presentations and roundtable discussions encouraged conference attendees to delve deeper into their understanding of Harry Potter as literature and as a cultural phenomenon.
Dr. James Thomas of Pepperdine University shared reflections on his experience teaching his students to be good re-readers of the stories; Dr. Thomas teaches who courses on the books. Dr. Danielle Tumminio gave a workshop and a presentation, both of which drew on her class at Yale on Harry Potter and theology. Dr. Edmund Kern, professor at Lawrence University and author of The Wisdom of Harry Potter gave two presentations as well. Dr. Karen Kebarle lectured on the relationship of Rowling's commentary on the series to our own interpretation of it.
Popular Potter commentators also presented. Andrew Slack of the Harry Potter Alliance (a group recognized by J.K. Rowling herself), Penny Gershman of Harry Potter Prognostications, and many other website proprietors gave excellent sessions on topics such as social justice, character studies, and various aspects of the Harry Potter fan community.
Jim Dale: The U.S. Voice of Harry Potter
The highlight of the conference was Jim Dale's presentation on the process of recording an audiobook. He spoke in a private press conference as well as in a lengthy lecture about the process behind the recording of audiobooks - including inspiration for many of the character voices. It might surprise some to learn that Mr. Dale does not receive the book in enough time to become familiar with it prior to starting his recording. After receiving his copy of the newest book, he would read about 100 pages a night, then records them in the studio the next day. The audiobooks are recording in only one take.
It might also be surprising to learn that Mr. Dale, who has won two Grammys for his Harry Potter audiobooks, and who holds the world record for the most voices created in one audiobook, had never done an audiobook before Harry Potter. He is now on a mission to record classic children's tales to get kids "away from those video games" (his words) and into great literature.
Harry Potter Education Fanon
Portus 2008 was created by HPEF, an organization that has put on conferences in the past, and has two planned for the future: Azkatran 2009 in San Francisco, and Infinitus 2010 at the Harry Potter Theme Park in Orlando, Florida.
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