There are two Harry Potter conferences for serious readers that Potter Pundits are obliged to be aware of and to attend at least once. The one you may know already — maybe we met there? — is the ‘Harry Potter Academic Conference’ thrown annually at Chestnut Hill College. It is three days of solid presentations, keynote and short talks, from fans of all ages, academics, and independent scholars. Other Potter festivals with serious reader components, I think immediately of those in Roanoke and Staunton, Virginia, are excellent but, at least at present, lack Chestnut Hill’s history, depth, and breadth.

The second Potter annual meeting every Potter Pundit should know about is the Southwest Popular/American Culture Association (SWPACA) conference held every February in Albuquerque, NM. This year the gathering is 20-23 February, Wednesday to Saturday, in the Hyatt Regency Hotel and Conference Center. You can register for it at reduced rates at this SWPACA webpage if you sign on before 5 January.

Before you do, though, you need to know that SWPACA is nothing like Chestnut Hill (or Staunton or Roanoke) excepting, of course, that if you go you will hear “professional academics” talk about the Hogwarts Saga. Here, after the jump, are the seven differences you should be aware of and a list of the talks you can hear if you do go. Enjoy! [Read more…]

Surprise and delight your friends and loved ones this Christmas with the #HarryPotter Stamp Collection. https://t.co/seXBOKwrdT pic.twitter.com/rCq7JcPhQM

— Royal Mail Stamps (@RoyalMailStamps) December 15, 2018