gwendolyngrace | I'm not dead yet....

And I'm still plugging. Since there are maybe three of you who will not have seen this elsewhere (or who care), it's behind the cut:

HP Education Fanon, Inc. (HPEF), the organization behind Nimbus - 2003, The Witching Hour and Lumos, is currently accepting bids for a symposium for 2007. While the HPEF Board will entertain bids for any host city, its preference at this time is a destination in the mainland United States. The successful bid team will need to submit its proposal for an event preferrably in July or August 2007 by March 31, 2006 in order to have sufficient time for organizing. HPEF does not require that any bid plan for an event in July or August 2007, though those particular summer months offer optimal attendance opportunities for most attendees of past HPEF events. As 2007 is the tenth anniversary of the publication of the first Harry Potter book, HPEF is particularly interested in observing this milestone with a gathering of HP fans and academics equally dedicated to examination and celebration of this landmark book series.

While HPEF is most interested in bids for events in the Midwest (Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Dallas, etc.), so that we can better serve a part of the country that has not previously hosted an HPEF symposium (those locations being Orlando, Salem and Las Vegas), we will consider any bid team proposing to hold an event in a city possessing the following qualities:

* a hotel or convention center able to accommodate 1000-1500 attendees for panels, presentations and/or workshops, including large keynote presentations and movie screenings

* a city near a significant transportation hub (to keep airfare costs down for attendees)

* one or more hotels within a short walk from the presentation space willing to set aside a significant block of rooms at a reasonable rate for 1000-1500 attendees (if the same hotel is not being used for the presentations)

* facilities priced at a level that will allow HPEF to keep the entry fee as low as possible for attendees while still providing quality accommodations and an appropriate atmosphere

Please write to the HPEF Board of Directors for more information about our bid process: hpeducationfanon@gmail.com

HPEF is also prepared to assist bid teams who may not have a "theme" in mind for a symposium; the HPEF board will be posting several possible ideas for symposium themes on the website, which may either be used by bid teams or inspire bid teams to create their own themes. The theme does not need to be in place before the bid is submitted; HPEF is most interested in seeing a dedicated group of individuals who have the capacity and vision to plan an event that would help HPEF in fulfilling its educational goals. We can offer assistance to an accepted bid team when it comes to theme and other aspects of the event, such as acquiring special guests, and do not wish potential teams to feel stymied if they have not worked out all thematic aspects of the bid prior to submitting it.

If you are interested in putting together a bid team but do not know of others who may be similarly interested, there is a special forum that has been created on the Lumos discussion boards, so that you
and others can find each other and begin to plan your bid. Go to:

http://lumos2006.org/messageboard/viewforum.php?f=11

HPEF is a 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in the state of Texas, founded in 2002 to promote and produce educational Harry Potter themed symposia on an international scale. HPEF is committed to producing high-quality events that combine a professional and academic focus with the light-hearted spirit of the Harry Potter series for scholar and fan alike.

In other news, Wizard of Oz is taking up a lot of time and energy. Parents are stupid; kids are a pain in the ass; but other than that, it's going very well, I think.

Work sucks. On the bright side, I think the story anthology I'm helping with is moving along well. I reviewed a bunch of the submissions and I've submitted my own story Officially; now it's just the final selections and working with the authors we do select. Hurrah. My second published editing job, yay.

Dad's in Arizona, awaiting word about working for Carlsbad. Still no word after two months, but he did talk to the guy who told him nothing has happened either way. He definitely has decided that somewhere in that area is where he will eventually pick up again, once he's had his fill of life Kerouac-style.

[Sidenote: Actual conversation with my crazy-ass father:

"By the way, did you ever do anything with that Ryan story you wrote? The Harry Potter one?"

"Do anything such as....?"

"You know, send it to a magazine or something?"

"...." Then: "Well, that would be a good way to get sued, Dad. It's derivative fiction." Oy. I mean, really. For heaven's sake. If you can tell me how to pull all the Potter out of HMSS and make it still work *and* make it not obvious that it *used* to be a Potter fanfic, I'm all pointed ears. Otherwise, you Just Don't Get It. Sure, maybe eventually I'll develop an original plot featuring Ryan, but it hasn't happened yet, and I've known the elf for... going on 20 years at this point. /bitching]

I'm heading to Pittsburgh this weekend for Johan's wake. Yay for a trip to Pittsburgh; boo for the reason. But it will be very good to celebrate his life and to see friends again.

Exciting, no? Well, that's why it takes roughly a month between updates.