eldritchhobbit | Entries tagged with harry potter

I'm delighted to say that my essay "Dark Arts and Secret Histories: Investigating Dark Academia" has just been published in the new academic anthology Potterversity from McFarland.

In the piece I define Dark Academia, distinguish the storytelling genre and its history from the aesthetic, and consider why there is an explosion of new DA storytelling happening now.

(One reason of many, I argue, is that authors such as Sarah Gailey, Naomi Novik, Victoria Lee, and R.F. Kuang, among others, were both inspired by the Harry Potter series and moved to push back against J.K. Rowling's positions through their own works, which offer fresh, diverse perspectives and insightful, timely critiques.)

I'm delighted to announce that I'll be the keynote speaker at the Generic Magic Festival (formerly Roanoke Potter Fest) in Roanoke, VA. I hope to see many of you there. We will have a fantastic time!

Podcasts! I’ve had the good fortune to be on several terrific podcasts in the last few weeks. Here are my latest appearances.

Interviews (My 1st Appearance on Both of these Great Podcasts!)

* I was interviewed on Episode 107 of Unmistakably Star Wars on “What Indigenous Peoples in Star Wars Can Tell Us about Our Real World.” Listen here!

* I was interviewed on Episode 4 of Reading, Writing, Rowling on “Fantasy, Imagination, and Indigenous Futurism.” Listen here!

My “Looking Back on Genre History” on StarShipSofa

* Episode 506 of StarShipSofa includes my Guest Scholar presentation from the recent 4LEP Conference, based on my latest research project: “The Jedi of Middle-earth? Tolkien’s Influence on Today’s Star Wars.” Listen here!

* Episode 510 of StarShipSofa includes my “Looking Back on Genre History” segment on the newly-rediscovered 1956 Hugo Awards ballot. Listen here!

If you listen, I hope you enjoy!

Based on the British Museum Exhibit: Harry Potter, A History of Magic with J.K. Rowling (2017 BBC documentary)

Watch on YouTube

It’s difficult to believe it’s been two decades.

For me personally, it’s also been seven articles published and nearly fifteen years of undergraduate and graduate courses taught about the Wizarding World. What a trip it’s been.

Happy birthday, Harry Potter.

It's time for my annual navel-gazing post, in which I take stock of the year beyond my university teaching for my own information/edification.

So here's my reading, podcasting, and published work this year.

( Below the cut: lists! )

Current Music: "Boy from Tupelo," Emmylou Harris

My latest critical essay, "Hogwarts in America," which focuses on the "History of Magic in North America" and "Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" essays on Pottermore that serve as prologue to Fantastic Beasts, is now on online here at Reason.

(This is the essay to which I referred in my recent interview on the MuggleNet Academia podcast.)

Thanks for letting me share!

A lot has been going on here, but pretty much everything pales beside the specter of the Western North Carolina wildfires. What's happening to the Blue Ridge Mountains and the wildlife there is absolutely tragic, and the heroism of the men and women fighting the flames cannot be overstated. We're currently in what's been classified as a Red Zone for "unhealthy" air quality due to the smoke and ash.

In happier news...

- I was interviewed for this article by Tiffany Gee Lewis of The Deseret News: The Cultural Impacts of Harry Potter on the Next Generation."

- My latest "Looking Back on Genre History" segment, which focuses on the work of Sheri S. Tepper, is up on the new episode of StarShipSofa here. If you listen, I hope you enjoy!

- Here are a few Calls for Papers that may be of interest.
--- Medicine and Mystery: The Dark Side of Science in Victorian Fiction
--- Serenity: Essays on Joss Whedon’s "Big Damn Movie"
--- At the Mercy of Monsters: Essays on the Rise of Supernatural Procedural Dramas

Lastly, on my trip to speak in D.C. a couple of weeks ago, I stopped off at one of my favorite places in the world, The Poe Museum. Here's Poe in the Poe Shrine, with the morning's pennies left by visitors.

I have two items of news today. First, my unabridged narration of Beth Goder's wonderful time-twisting science fiction tale "Murder or a Duck" is up here on Episode 545 of Escape Pod. It's a terrifically entertaining and clever story, and it was great fun to record! If you listen, I hope you enjoy.

Second, my latest critical essay, "Hogwarts in America," is now on newsstands in the December 2016 issue of Reason. (This is the essay to which I referred in my recent interview on the MuggleNet Academia podcast.)

I'll post again when this article goes up online.

Current Music: "Interplanet Janet," Schoolhouse Rock

Recently I was invited to share thoughts related to the controversial question of how J.K. Rowling has addressed Indigenous America in her two recent Pottermore works ("History of Magic in North America" and "Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry") in an extended interview on MuggleNet Academia with hosts Keith Hawk and the Hogwarts Professor himself, John Granger, as well as my fellow scholar, Allison Mills of the University of British Columbia. It meant a lot to me to be a part of this important conversation.

I hope you'll check out MuggleNet Academia Lesson #51: "Harry Potter and the Indian in the Cupboard"! If you listen, I hope you enjoy.

Here's another call for papers that may be of interest: Harry Potter and the Other: Race, Diversity, and Difference in the Wizarding Worlds.

On to the topic of Star Wars documentaries...

While awaiting my copy of the new documentary Elstree 1976 (2015), I got to thinking about other documentaries related to Star Wars -- above and beyond those "making of" documentaries available with various versions of the DVDs, my favorite of which is Empire of Dreams from 2004, or channel-specific televised specials, such as ESPN's recent Star Wars: Evolution of a Lightsaber Duel from 2015, which my students loved -- that I find enjoyable/useful.

Here are a few of the ones I think are best:
* Plastic Galaxy: The Story of Star Wars Toys (2014)
* The People vs. George Lucas (2010)
* A Galaxy Far, Far Away (2001)

I know this isn't a comprehensive list, but I just want to focus on the well-done, "must see" documentaries. Are there other good ones out there that I should add to the list? Thanks for any recommendations!

Recently I was invited to share thoughts related both to Harry Potter and to my essay "His Fordship in the Capitol and Big Brother in the Districts: The Hunger Games and the Modern Dystopian Tradition" in an extended interview on MuggleNet Academia with hosts Keith Hawk and the Hogwarts Professor himself, John Granger, as well as the editor of Critical Insights: The Hunger Games, Lana Whited, and my fellow contributor to the volume, Elizabeth Baird-Hardy. It was great fun to be part of this conversation.

I hope you'll check out MuggleNet Academia Lesson #45: "District 9 3/4: Harry Potter and The Hunger Games: Critical Insights"! If you listen, I hope you enjoy.

Hello, everyone! Happy Friday!

* I'm delighted to be part of the ensemble cast who narrated the amazing "The Four Generations of Chang E" by Zen Cho for the latest episode of The Drabblecast. If you listen, I hope you enjoy!

* Here's a new Call for Papers that may be useful: "Monster Media in their Historical Contexts."

* If you're interested in the updates J.K. Rowling has been making at Pottermore and/or the upcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them films, I recommend checking out Chris Calderon's recent "The Allegory of Fantastic Beasts" guest posts on the Hogwarts Professor blog.

* Last, I'm happy to say that my essay "His Fordship in the Capitol and Big Brother in the Districts: The Hunger Games and the Modern Dystopian Tradition" is now out in the collection Critical Insights: The Hunger Games Trilogy edited by Lana Whited.

There's been a lot of talk surrounding J.K. Rowling's new four-part work on Pottermore, "The History of Magic in North America." I'm in the process of writing an article on it now.

In the meantime, I was interviewed for this article in The Huffington Post about the Native American aspect of Rowling's work.

In addition, the team at the SpeakBeasty podcast (which is dedicated to the forthcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them films) has devoted a thoughtful episode to the first two parts of "The History" here: "Episode 7: Porpentina Ate A Bagel."

What a loss for us all. Rest in peace, Alan Rickman.

Current Music: moment of silence

I was invited to share my interpretations of and opinions on The Force Awakens -- including my five-point rebuttal to the "derivative" objection -- in an extended interview on MuggleNet Academia with hosts Keith Hawk and the Hogwarts Professor himself, John Granger, as well as my fellow Potterphiles Emily Strand and Shannen Michaels.

Check out MuggleNet Academia Lesson #41: "Lightsabers and Wands"! If you listen, I hope you enjoy.

I should mention that some of my comments on "Rey's Theme" from John Williams's score for The Force Awakens were inspired by the insights of the brilliant David W. Collins on Rebel Force Radio's "Oxygen Vol. 25: The Music of The Force Awakens, Part 1." Highly recommended!

Note: I'm still recovering from my recent illness, so I've fallen behind in my replies to comments. I'll be catching up soon!

Some of my friends (who also happen to be former graduate students) have been doing some fantastic things online:

* from Curtis Weyant (on Star Wars and Star Trek): "The Force is not magic."

* from Emily Strand: "Kylo Snape? Is The Force Awakens the Eighth Harry Potter Story?"

* and also from Emily Strand via Mugglenet Academia: "The Second War was Won on the Quidditch Pitch of Hogwarts: Quidditch as a Symbol Set in the Harry Potter Narrative."

And here are a couple more links for your enjoyment:

* from The British Library: "Medieval Star Wars."

* from I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere: "Celebrating Christmas on Baker Street."

As part of the promotion for Harry Potter for Nerds II, I sat down with my friend and editor, Dr. Kathryn N. McDaniel, to discuss a popular theory in Harry Potter fandom: namely, that Lord Voldemort, Severus Snape, and Harry Potter represent the Three Brothers from The Tales of Beedle the Bard, and that Albus Dumbledore represents Death. Our discussion is now online for free access.

On another note, here are two links that I recommend checking out.

* On Kickstarter: Autumn Cthulhu: Tales of Lovecraftian Horror by Mike Davis. I'm a backer, and I can't wait for this collection (but I will)!

* The Prime Sci-Fantasy Humble Bundle offers some excellent science fiction, fantasy, and Lovecraftian goodness (by the likes of Ursula K. Le Guin, Neil Gaiman, Madeleine L'Engle, Caitlín R. Kiernan, and Nancy Kress) to support charity.

Current Music: "Felix Felicis," Swish and Flick

Today marks the official launch of Harry Potter for Nerds II! I'm pleased to say I have an essay in the collection, and so do five of my current and former graduate students. There's lots of news to share!

* The Mugglenet Academia podcast has devoted its latest episode ("Lesson 37") to the book. Listen here.

* Purchase Harry Potter for Nerds II by Halloween and you will receive free extras, including a recorded discussion featuring Yours Truly and the book's co-editor, my dear friend Dr. Kathryn N. McDaniel. Go here for more information.

* You also can enter a Goodreads giveaway here for a chance to win a free copy. Please share the news!

( Here is the Table of Contents )

Current Music: "Feeling Good," Nina Simone

I'm happy to report that two new books of Harry Potter scholarship are now available.

Ravenclaw Reader: Seeking the Meaning and Artistry of J.K. Rowling's Hogwarts Saga, Essays from the St. Andrews University Harry Potter Conference includes my essay "Harry Potter and the Dystopia After Tomorrow."

Harry Potter for Nerds 2: Essays for Fans, Academics, and Lit Geeks includes my essay "Seeking Dumbledore's Mother: Harry Potter in the Native American Context." I'm delighted and proud to say that five of my current and former graduate students -- brilliant, each one of them! -- also contributed essays to this collection.