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 ( Read more... )

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 ( Read more... )

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 ( Read more... )

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 ( Read more... )

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, ( Read more... )

Three things today that are awesome:

1. H.P. Lovecraft’s copy of the famous novel Moby Dick has been found.

2. There's a new Harry Potter movie coming out, and Snape fans will love it.

3. And last but not least, one of my graduate students, Mark Lachniet, made this film on "The 'Real' Science of Lovecraft's 'The Colour Out of Space'"! Woohoo!

Click to view

Just a quick fly-by post to share these Calls for Papers:

- Into the Pensieve: The Harry Potter Generation in Retrospect
- Artificial Humans in Children’s Literature
- Portable Prose: The Novel and the Everyday

Wow! The first weekend of my two-weekend "The Dystopian Tradition: What Worlds Gone Wrong Can Teach Us" event was spectacular, with amazing students and fascinating discussions. I'm very much looking forward to the second half of the event. Thanks to everyone who participated ( Read more... )

Curtis Weyant, who is both an all-around terrific guy and my former graduate student, addresses Michael Moorcock's (in)famous "Epic Pooh" essay and its assertions about J.R.R. Tolkien's work in his latest blog post.

And now, here are the most important film scenes about Severus Snape - in chronological order. Watch this. For reasons.

Click to view

* Here are some Calls for Papers that may be of interest:
1. Ambivalent Ambiguities: Depictions of Race in Young Adult Dystopian and Science Fiction
2. The Once and Future Antiquity: Classical Traditions in Science Fiction and Fantasy
3. Alchemy in Harry Potter

In other news...

* From Tor.com: "This is Why Obi-Wan Lied to Luke Skywalker About ( Read more... )