Portus 2008, Day 2

Today was an excellent day at Portus 2008!  I attended two roundtable discussions led by Penny of HP Progs, and they were both stellar.  Well done, Penny!  David Gras of Harry Potter Fan Zone led a discussion on the way both Lewis and Rowling include pagan elements in their stories in a way that “bridges the gap” between two different worldviews – Christian and pagan.  It’s a fascinating topic, and some good discussion took place.  In trying to get to my room in plenty of time, I ended up seeing part of another presentation that I had really wanted to see: “Unlocking the Secrets of the Hallows” by Denise Roper; I do wish I had heard it all!  She’s done her research.

If I were allowed to choose best presentation of the conference, I’d already have it decided, and there’s still another day to go: James Thomas’s “Repotting Harry Potter” was superb.  Dr. Thomas is a 30+ year literature scholar, and his approach to re-reading the series in his college classroom (he teaches two classes on Potter at Pepperdine) is both serious, enjoyable, and eye-opening.

My presentation, “Christ in the Forest,” went really, really well, I thought.  I was pleased with it.  Jeffrey Weiss of the Dallas Morning News was there and he reported my talk, including a liveblog of some of my main points.  We were able to chat for a bit afterward.  I really appreciate Mr. Weiss’s coverage of Portus; I met a woman today who had no idea the conference was happening until he reported about it two days ago. He’s been covering the event from the Texas Pages blog, which you can go to for more info on Portus.

Tonight’s podcasting panel and my time with HP Progs at the Palooza was a blast.

Tomorrow morning, all members of the press (including me) get in for a special meet and interview time with Jim Dale, then it’s breakfast and his keynote presentation.  Then I’ll give “Hogwarts, A (Haunted) History.”  Later in the day, I’ll be attending talks by Edmund Kern (“King’s Cross”), Danielle Tumminio (“Greeting Avada Kedavra with Open Arms”), and Valerie Frankel (“Redefinition of the Hero’s Journey”).  Karen Kebarle is also giving her talk, “Is Dumbledore Gay,” an earlier version of which I heard at Convention Alley; for those at Portus who haven’t heard her speak on this yet, I recommend it!

Time to clean up tomorrow’s presentation and head to bed!

Tagged as: Portus 2008