From s_ings at S_Ings.yahoo.invalid Sun May 4 16:03:51 2008 From: s_ings at S_Ings.yahoo.invalid (Sheryll Townsend) Date: Sun, 04 May 2008 16:03:51 -0000 Subject: Calling all fanfic authors! Message-ID: Are you a fanfic author looking for a new forum for your story? Come and read to a captive audience! Convention Alley 2008 will be hosting an afternoon of fanfic reading and would like your work to be part of our event. Do you have a story to share and aren't able to attend? You can designate someone else to read for you. Or you can ask us to find a reader for you. Yes, we'll even supply the reader if you give us permission to read the fic in your absence! To sign up for reading your fic, to designate another attendee as your reader, or to request a reader for your story, please send us an email to convention_alley at ... Sheryll Townsend http://www.conventionalley2008.org/ From elphabapotter at elphabapotter.yahoo.invalid Sun May 11 21:43:42 2008 From: elphabapotter at elphabapotter.yahoo.invalid (elphabapotter) Date: Sun, 11 May 2008 21:43:42 -0000 Subject: The Portal Mini - Food Edition Message-ID: Letter from the Editor As you might have noticed, our website and forums have been down for the past few weeks. We would like to apologize for this inconvenience and let you know that our tech support elves are working diligently to solve the problem. Until then, you can stay up to date with the latest Portus news by visiting our official LiveJournal page and by joining our Portus fan LJ to chat with other attendees and ask questions. Don't forget! You can still register for Portus and modify your existing registration by visiting our registration page here. In the meantime, please enjoy this special "Yummy Edition" of the Portal, detailing our new edible additions to Portus's programming! Best Regards, Aziza Aba Butain Editor-In-Chief To read the rest of the latest edition of the Portal, visit our LiveJournal page! http://community.livejournal.com/portus_2008 From bekkio at mrsbekkio.yahoo.invalid Thu May 15 14:14:34 2008 From: bekkio at mrsbekkio.yahoo.invalid (Bekki Olivieri) Date: Thu, 15 May 2008 07:14:34 -0700 Subject: A Special Offer and the Portus Website Returns Message-ID: <561bdbfa0805150714y152c8fc7mf5777e613621ed3c@...> The TAXMAN brings you our last discount before Portus! It's May, and owls are flying all over the country dropping off those much desired tax refunds. To celebrate all the extra galleons and sickles being dropped at our doorsteps, we have decided to present you with one last discount before Portus arrives this July! From May 13th through May 31st, enter the code TAXMAN when registering for Portus, and you will receive a 20% discount on full and day registrations. It's the perfect time to give your friend or relative a gift registration for Portus! Act soon before the price freezes at $220.00 for a full registration! To register, please visit http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=998e88c1-ac3c-478f-b9cf-cac38f0d61ef A note from the Minister: And... we're back! The Portus Staff thanks you for your understanding and patience while our technology elves brought our website back from the dead. We were fortunate enough to be able to restore our entire site and the forums from a complete server crash. Please visit our website at http://www.portus2008.org/ The month of May brings exciting news about Portus. We are pleased to announce the addition of a complimentary Deluxe Continental Breakfast on Friday and Saturday mornings to all registered attendees. Do you feel like four days of Wrock just isn't enough? Join Alex of The Remus Lupins, Matt of The Whomping Willows, Christian of Oliver Boyd and the Remembralls, and Jace of Catchlove on the night of Sunday, July 13 for the Post-Portus Wizard Rock Dance party. Admission is just $20 and includes snacks and soft drinks. To join in the fun, please register now, or modify your current registration by clicking here: http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=998e88c1-ac3c-478f-b9cf-cac38f0d61ef Have a burning question? Want to get a head start on the presence of your Portus Pals? Join the Portus Staff and your fellow attendees for our Live Chats Monday May 19th, Thursday June 5th, and Tuesday July 1st from 8 to 10 PM EDT. To participate in the chats, you will need to have yahoo messenger and a username, which you can download for free here: http://messenger.yahoo.com/. To join the chat, send an instant message to PortusPublicRelations requesting access to the chat and you will receive a notification inviting you to the chat. Press "Accept," and you'll be chatting with the rest of us in no time! Finally, don't forget to book your room at the Hilton Anatole by clicking on http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/personalized/dfwanhh_pts/index.jhtml. The fabulous room rate of $155/night is only guaranteed until June 7, 2008. From s_ings at S_Ings.yahoo.invalid Thu May 15 15:53:08 2008 From: s_ings at S_Ings.yahoo.invalid (Sheryll Townsend) Date: Thu, 15 May 2008 15:53:08 -0000 Subject: Convention Alley 2008 Announces Guest Speakers Message-ID: Convention Alley 2008 is delighted to announce its guest speakers for this year's event! John Granger will be presenting "Unlocking Deathly Hallows: Five Keys for a Greater Appreciation of the Last Harry Potter Novel" on Saturday evening. Mr. Granger is the author of a number of books based on the popular Harry Potter series, some of which are used in classrooms across the continent. He has also been a featured speaker at numerous Harry Potter conferences. On Friday evening, Dr. Karen J. Kebarle will offer her keynote presentation: "If Rowling says Dumbledore is Gay, is he Gay?: In other words, what do we do with Rowling's interpretations of her own books?" Dr. Kebarle is presently writing a book called "Is Dumbledore Gay?". Karen has a Ph.D. in English, has taught on the college and university level and has been a presenter at three previous Harry Potter conferences. We invite you to join us for what are going to be some very interesting discussions at Convention Alley 2008. Remember that registration for the event includes both keynote presentations as well the regularly scheduled programming and all meals. We look forward to seeing you next month! Sheryll Townsend For the Convention Alley Planning Committee http://www.conventionalley2008.org/ From s_ings at S_Ings.yahoo.invalid Fri May 23 22:48:12 2008 From: s_ings at S_Ings.yahoo.invalid (Sheryll Townsend) Date: Fri, 23 May 2008 22:48:12 -0000 Subject: Another Keynote Presenter Joins Convention Alley 2008! Message-ID: Convention Alley is pleased to announce the addition of another Keynote presenter! Travis Prinzi will be adding two presentations to our line-up, bringing our total of keynote presentations up to 5. Mr. Prinzi has an M.A. in Theological Studies and is currently working on his M.S.Ed. in Secondary English Education. He presented at Prophecy last summer and will be speaking at Portus later this summer. He's also working on a book and is excited to be joining the world of published Harry Potter analysis. We're very pleased to be able to add Travis to growing schedule of events! The first presentation will be: "Quills, Queries, and Quests: Literacy Learning in the Wizarding World" When the term "literacy" is used in popular discourse, it most frequently refers simply to "the ability to read and write," and in education, it follows that becoming "literate" involves a process of rote repetition in order to get down basic "facts" and "skills" in order to become "literate." Literacy, however, is far more complex than that simple definition, and more than that, all constructions of literacy are inherently political. This presentation examines literacy in the Harry Potter series. Defining literacy as "changing participation" in a sociocultural setting, we will examine Harry and Muggleborns as outsiders to the dominant discourse; the way education is framed by Hogwarts teachers; the "Ministry-approved, theory- centered" curriculum of Delores Umbridge; the student subversion in the form of Dumbledore's Army; and finally, Albus Dumbledore's lessons with Harry as an example of an Apprenticeship model of literacy learning. A second presentation is currently being determined. All keynote presentations and meals are included in when you register for Convention Alley 2008. To register, visit our website: http://www.conventionalley2008.org/ Sheryll Townsend For the Convention Alley 2008 Planning Committee From poppytheelf at erisedstraeh2002.yahoo.invalid Mon May 26 00:20:16 2008 From: poppytheelf at erisedstraeh2002.yahoo.invalid (Phyllis) Date: Mon, 26 May 2008 00:20:16 -0000 Subject: Wizard Rock at Accio 2008! Message-ID: Accio UK is pleased to announce that the Accio 2008 conference will conclude with a wizard rock show on the afternoon of Sunday 27th July. "Accio Wrock" will feature ten bands, including RiddleTM, Split Seven Ways and Shrieking Shack Disco Gang. The concert will be held from 2.00 ? 6.30 p.m. at the Carling Academy, Cowley Road, Oxford. Tickets cost ?5.00 and are available at: www.oxford-academy.co.uk via the 'Buy Tickets' link. For more information on the concert, visit: www.myspace.com/acciowrock2008 . Accio 2008 is a conference to be held at Magdalen College from 25-27 July 2008 that will bring together academics and adult fans to discuss the Harry Potter series in the Hogwarts-like setting of the University of Oxford. The concert is a short ten minute walk from the College. A limited number of registrations for the Accio conference are still available. For more information or to register for the conference, please visit: http://www.accio.org.uk/ . ~Phyllis