Origin of Harry Potter Conferences

An Interview with One of the Original Creators of the Conventions

Jun 26, 2008

Sheryll Townsend of Harry Potter for Grownups has been involved in Potter conferences since 2004. She and friends of hers wanted the books taken seriously as literature.

In trying to understand the massively successful phenomenon of Harry Potter, including the regular conventions that take place around the world, it's helpful to get into the mind of someone who's been behind the conference idea for several years. Sheryll Townsend from the Harry Potter for GrownUps Yahoo group, which is quickly approaching 28,000 members, was willing to answer a few questions about the conferences.

What is the purpose of a Harry Potter conference?

The purpose varies depending on the expectations of the audience and the intentions of the participants- academic analysis, the sharing of creativity and the sheer fun of sharing a common experience.

How did the idea for a Harry Potter conference originate?

The idea originally came about during an HPforGrownups Sunday chat and several people took the idea and ran with it.

I understand you and some friends wrote a letter to J.K. Rowling proposing the idea of a Harry Potter conference. What inspired this? What did you write to her?

We were tired of what we perceived as great literary achievements being condescended to and treated like a flash in the pan. We wanted to focus scholarly attention as it deserved. Later event planners added substantially more fan activity.

I took a 48 hour Greyhound trip to San Antonio about 3 months post 9/11. While there, Amanda Lewanski and I drove to Houston to visit Penny Linsenmeyer. It was at Penny's that we drafted the letter to JKR. We simply wrote and told her of our vision for an event to provide an academic venue for discussing her work. We wanted to translate the online disussion happening at HPforGrownups into a real-life experience.

[J.K. Rowling did not respond to the letter, but the conferences went ahead; they've been a huge success!]

What Harry Potter conferences have you been involved in creating?

Convention Alley 2004 and 2008 [in Ottawa, ON], though I volunteered at Lumos 2006 and Phoenix Rising 2007 when I attended those events.

What is your favorite aspect of a Harry Potter conference?

The people I meet. I think the whole point of the conferences, to me, is a chance to connect with people who share my passion.

Do you think Harry Potter conferences will last? Will they still be happening 10, 20, 50 years from now?

I think they will be around for a while, the focus is, of necessity, changing from speculative to analytical which causes a fundamental change in the audience and participants.

The copyright of the article Origin of Harry Potter Conferences in Literary Events/Celebrities is owned by Travis Prinzi. Permission to republish Origin of Harry Potter Conferences in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.