From utkari02 at utkari02.yahoo.invalid Fri Aug 1 04:47:32 2008 From: utkari02 at utkari02.yahoo.invalid (Kari) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 04:47:32 -0000 Subject: Azkatraz 2009 Message-ID: For Immediate Release (July 31, 2008) HP Education Fanon, Inc. (HPEF ) proudly announces Azkatraz! The event formerly known as "Level Two" has undergone an extreme makeover and is now Azkatraz. New city; new dates; new ideas; new team: One incredible event! Azkatraz will be held July 18-21, 2009, in San Francisco, California. Details including hotel, registration rates, and schedule to follow. The team of organizers brings together our twin populations of academics and fans in perhaps our most exciting matchup yet. Formal Programming is headed by Emma Grant, NQ Donne, and Flourish, who among them have years of fandom experience, academic credentials, and writing credit. Our theme, "The Choice Between What is Right and What is Easy," brings the backdrop of Alcatraz / Azkaban to the forefront of the real issues of social justice, gender equality, tolerance, and due process, as they are reflected in the Harry Potter books and the larger contexts of fandom and the world around us. There will also be programming focused on the analysis and integration to canon of the forthcoming "Tales of Beedle the Bard" collections from Scholastic, Bloomsbury, and Amazon. New to the 2009 HPEF symposium will be a one-day MPA program ? "Master of Potter Administration" ? which will focus on the ways in which Harry Potter has impacted business and industry, including marketing, online ordering, special effects, and more. The track will run alongside our regular programming, but will feature breakfast, a special luncheon speaker, and a brief networking reception at the end of the day. As with all our educational programming, HPEF will endeavor to make continuing education credit or certification available to anyone who attends. Our Informal Programming plans, as implemented by Lauren Johnson, Jodie Baird, and their excellent team, promise to provide endlessly diverting ways to understand and interpret Harry Potter's world and the world of fandom. Proposed events include a History of Wizarding Fashion Show, a ghost tour and Death Eaters' reception on Alcatraz (no Dark Mark required!), a pre-event Mixer/Mingler on Friday night before our official start, the return of the highly successful Fandom Swap Meet, Common Room programming, and a special concert to "Wrock the Rock". Also returning next year will be our continued Young Adult Authors' Readings series, Quidditch, the Ball, Podcasts, the Art Gallery and auction, cosplay, Cinema Alley, "Diagon" Alley and of course, the chance to see and hang out with all your fan friends. We still have many staff positions available, including everything from Decorations to Registration to Common Room. All positions are volunteer only, with modest perks. For more information or to volunteer, please join our Yahoo Group or our Live Journal . You can also see our MySpace , Facebook , InsaneJournal , and Journalfen accounts, and view the official Azkatraz website at http://www.hp2009.org. See our official Press Release here ! [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] From heidi at heiditandy.yahoo.invalid Sun Aug 24 15:31:16 2008 From: heidi at heiditandy.yahoo.invalid (heiditandy) Date: Sun, 24 Aug 2008 15:31:16 -0000 Subject: Updates from Azkatraz Message-ID: Hi from Team Azkatraz. Our Call for Proposals is now up at http://www.hp2009.org/?q=node/6 - we're going to shake things up with discussions, panels, insight, debates, fan-creativity, wizard rock, and more! The programming focus of Azkatraz explores the themes of justice and the choice between what is right and what is easy, bringing the backdrop of Alcatraz / Azkaban to the forefront of the real issues of social justice, gender equality, tolerance, and due process, as they are reflected in the Harry Potter books and the larger contexts of fandom and the world around us. We seek proposals for papers, panels, roundtable discussions, and workshops that relate to these themes, as well as proposals pertaining to other areas of interest to the Harry Potter fan community. We just posted some "job openings" for positions on Team Azkatraz on our forum - http://www.hpef.net/forums/showthread.php?p=6221#post6221 - as well as on our livejournal (azkatraz.livejournal.com) and Facebook ( http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=11207479955 ). If you're interested in any of those positions, please send your resume along with your email address and an instant messaging username on AOL, Yahoo and/or Google, if you have one, to volunteerteam at ... - and include the position title in the subject line. You can also email volunteerteam at ... with any questions, or ask in the forums. We've also changed the dates of the event a bit - we're now officially beginning on July 17, 2009, so we can incorporate our plan for a group viewing of Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince at the nearby IMAX theater at midnight on the 17th. Our hotel information is also now out. Click here - http://www.hp2009.org/?q=node/4 - to learn about the Parc 55 in downtown San Francisco. See you in San Francisco next summer! Heidi Team Azkatraz http://www.hp2009.org Kickin' Azkatraz from July 17 - 21, 2009 From elanor.isolda at elanor_isolda.yahoo.invalid Wed Aug 27 16:34:22 2008 From: elanor.isolda at elanor_isolda.yahoo.invalid (elanor_isolda) Date: Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:34:22 -0000 Subject: Announcing Aetherica: a new UK fantasy convention Message-ID: We are proud to announce Aetherica, a new fantasy convention to take place in Chester, England on the weekend of June 19th ? 21st, 2009. Organised by some of the same people who brought you Sectus 2007, with additional talent from Accio 2005, the Tolkien Society and the British SF community, Aetherica will cover Harry Potter, Tolkien and everything from traditional fairy tales to modern fantasy epics. The Crowne Plaza Hotel in the medieval city of Chester will play host to a weekend of diverse fantasy-themed programming, ranging from presentations and panels to craft workshops and team building activities. Just as fantasy ranges from fairy tales to complex epics, So Aetherica will offer everything from in-depth literary analysis to whimsical games. Guests of honour include Peter Beagle, a superb author best known for his novel, The Last Unicorn who has been described as "America's greatest living fantasist," and Joe Abercrombie, a critically acclaimed new talent whose books have been labelled as "edgy", "humorous" and "compelling, with a gritty, real-life feel." Join us at midsummer 2009, and spend a weekend celebrating all that is magical. Current membership rates are: Adults: ?35 (until November 16th 2008) Juniors (5-18): ?25 Infants (under 5): ?5 Please see our website (www.aetherica.org/faq) for more details on the rates and price rises. For more information about the convention, to join or to book a hotel room, see www.aetherica.org or drop us a line. Elanor