Come on in. Aberforth’s pouring, and drinks are on the house. Welcome to The Hog’s Head, the Inn that served as a place for many key plot events in the Harry Potter series: Trelawney’s prophecy, Hagrid’s winning the dragon egg, the organization of Dumbledore’s Army, and the rally point for the good guys in the Battle of Hogwarts. The place might be a bit dingy, but we’re gathering here for discussion in the form of essays, news and commentary, and podcasts, continuing the conversation about Potter and letting that lead us to more great literature. This site is run by the Blogengamot, and here they are:

Travis Prinzi, Chief Warlock of the Blogengamot M.A., Theological Studies, Northeastern Seminary B.A., Religion, Houghton College Degree Expected 2009: M.S., Secondary English Education and Special Ed, Warner Graduate School of Education at University of Rochester

I live in Rochester, NY with my beautiful wife, Tricia, and our beautiful baby girl Sophia. Presently employed as a freelance writer (Suite101.com), author (Zossima Press), researcher (Docent Research Group), and cardiovascular technician (a what?), I am currently working on my second graduate degree, an M.S.Ed in Secondary English. I also blog at restless reformer (personal/theological blog), and Boar’s Head Tavern (a group blog). I’ve recently added a blog dedicated to our new baby girl, Sophia. I’m a member of The Mythopoeic Society.  

I am also, of course, Chief Warlock of the Blogengamot. I created the Blogengamot in Summer ‘07 when Zossima Press agreed to publish me and I realized I’d need to set aside my blogging time for writing the book instead. Here they are:

The Blogengamot

Matthew Boyd (Korg20000bc), Moderator - Age: 35 Nationality: Australian Married to Amy, 3 Daughters- River, Lily & Charlotte. Currently self employed as a remedial masseur and self-defence instructor. Interests: Music- very elcectic taste ranging from sea shanties and other folk music to Curtis Mayfield, Alan Parson’s Project, Air, Beastie Boys, Beck, Neville Brothers. Sci-Fi/Fantasy and adventure stories- Tolkien, Lewis, Christopher Stasheff, HP Lovecraft, Frank Herbert, Raphael Sabatini, AC Doyle, Heinlein, John Wyndham

Ben S, Tech-Elf -Age: 15 Location: Alabama Occupation: High School sophomore Interests: Music: anything except country. My iPod is pretty random; I have everything from U2 (my favorite artist), Ray Charles, Josh Groban, RHCP, etc. Books: I don’t have a HUGE range of books I like, but I like HP (obviously), Chronicles of Narnia, Tom Clancy, and others. Movies: I like a lot of movies, but, my favorites would have to be, Ocean’s 11, any Shyamalan movie, the Simpson’s Movie, and many others. I can never remember all the movies I like at one time. Other: I am a Cross Country and track runner, and soccer player. I am a HUGE fan of all sports at Georgia Tech. My parents are both bloggers at Fattriplets.com and Chewymom.com. My dad taught me web design when I was pretty young (elementary school I think). I want to go to Georgia Tech and major in Mechanical Engineering.

Dave, the Longwinded, Writer - BA in English and Philosophy in 2001 from Morehead State University MA in English in 2003 from dear old MSU I was born and raised in Southeastern Kentucky, then moved to Western Kentucky after school to teach college writing and the occasional literature class. My wife, Jamie, is a huge Harry Potter fan (she got me into it) and an inveterate reader/listener of Sword of Gryffindor who gets to teach Harry Potter to her high school seniors this year. We live close to the Ohio River with our five cats, watch a lot of movies, and play a few videogames. Hopefully, my posts won’t bore you to death…

Johnny (Behold a Phoenix), Writer - Age: 25 Location: New York City
My first experience reading Harry Potter was in a cubicle in Rosenthal Library at my college. I was aware of its popularity and the religious opposition to the series, and I wanted to see what the fuss was all about. Reading the first words, I was transported into a world that was different yet similar. So started my love for these books. Last year, I started Behold a Phoenix, a blog exploring the virtues of Harry Potter and answering some of the objections to the series. My other interests include reading fantasy novels (Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings especially), classics, and history.

Michael Politakis, The Hog’s Head Artist - Age: 21 Nationality: Australian Young up and coming artist. I especially loves the art of comics and hopes to create my own one day (in the mean time I’d settle for working for some of the bigger Comic companies.) My influences are time Sale, Buzz, Neal Adams and so many other fantastic artists. Being a big Harry Potter has really helped me to really appreciate Noir, and other fantasy stories. I especially enjoy the works of Jim Butcher, Philip Reeve and Angie Sage. When I’m not at trying to complete my final year at Uni or otherwise drawing, you will either see me on a tennis court, or hanging out in pub/bar with mates.

Jonathan Lane, Tech-Elf - Jon is a human being of the male variety who had no childhood, because he was born at the age of 25. He is a music snob who understands that most good music comes from England, and that most of that stopped in 1974. In addition to HP, he loves the Chronicles of Narnia, Foundation, and the Odyssey series.