LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Stephanie Shive

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Elizabeth Buckeye

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

James Buckeye

Stephanie Shive

Alyssa Chvala

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Laci Dyer

Grace Quandt

Angel Tellgren

Diane Lewis

Kristen Holmes

Rafael Ufret

Stephanie Zoutenbier

Rubina Kandiah

Chelsea Caballero

Shakira Jones

Kara Brown

Megan Stump

Stephanie Shive

Mary Hosford

MEET THE SLUG CLUB

“If I could bring back any character from the

dead it would be Dobby. He was the

hardest for me to lose because he

was so sweet and caring. I would love to

befriend Dobby and join S.P.E.W with him

and Hermione!”

My favorite Harry

Potter movie is Goblet

of Fire.

I liked the way it was

done and really enjoyed the

integration of the other

wizarding schools and the

celebrations. I would attend a

Yule Ball in a heart beat, no

questions asked.

I prefer Diagon

Alley, I love

the way they

did Knockturn,

and I really

enjoy the

exclusivity of

the area.

Once you are in, you completely

forget it is a part of Universal. I also like the

Ollivander's experience so much more. I

would love to see the expansion of

merchandise to incorporate more of the

other Houses. We aren't all Snakes

and Lions, you know.

Grace Quandt

MEET THE SLUG CLUB

Hello! My name is Laci Dyer! I am

22 years old and from the Space

Coast city of Palm Bay, FL. I am a

recent graduate of

the muggle University of Central

Florida and have two degrees: one

in Event Management and the other

in Hospitality Management with a

specialization in Theme Parks.

At the university ,

I founded The Harry

Potter Club which is

still going strong in my

absence. I currently

work at The Three

Broomsticks so my

friends call me an

“official witch”.

Picture?

While I enjoy my job at the restaurant, I think it

would be cool to work within a

department in the ministry; something with a desk

job where I have to use

the floo network and crazy

elevators to get to my office.

In terms of book and movie I ALWAYS

go with The Half-Blood Prince. I am not shy

about my infatuation with a Tom Felton and this

movie has the most scenes of him. Not only that but I loved

the character transition JKR made with him. The previous

films showed him as a stuck up bully with no logical reason as to why he

hated Harry Potter. During this movie, however, you see Draco struggle

with his obligation to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his parents and

wanting to do the right thing. I was very emotional

watching Draco constantly fight

with his emotions and although he

inevitably chose the dark side he eventually switched back

in the final film and developed a respect with Harry. Laci Dyer

MEET THE SLUG CLUB

While I love Hogsmeade and sitting outside the Hogs

Head, having a beer, staring at the beautiful castle, Diagon

Alley is my favorite. Something about sitting inside

Diagon Alley and finally being fully immersed in the

Wizarding World makes my soul smile. I could spend an

entire day shopping, eating, drinking, playing, watching

shows and completely forget the muggle world

around me. To me... it's home. I would love to see the

Ministry of Magic expansion that's

been rumored. I'd also like

them to expand on Hogwarts.

Add a great hall café or the

Black Lake. But honestly,

I'll take whatever

they'll give us!

I would still be in the medical field in the

Wizarding World.

Probably still a nurse.

Maybe a healer.

I love how they expand on St Mungo's

in the books and you learn about that side

of life as a witch or wizard.

I think it would be an amazing career!

I've never actually attended a Harry Potter

convention, but I'm hoping and praying to attend

the next Misti-con!!!

I did get to attend the Celebration of Harry Potter

this year and it was one of the

most amazing

experiences

of my life.

It's a feeling you

can't really put into

words.

Angel Tellgren

MEET THE SLUG CLUB

Diane Lewis

I was an educator for 30 years, so I’m

sure I would have been a teacher at

Hogwarts. I can’t imagine a more

rewarding and exciting career.

Since my field is

science in the

muggle world, I

would imagine I

would have

taught

Care of Magical

Creatures,

Potions, or Herbology.

I loved so many of the

teachers for many

reasons – but for this

question, I’ll select

Lupin. He was a

gentle and intuitive

teacher, providing hands-on,

practical and exciting lessons. But

above that, he was kind and

nurturing to Neville, believing in

him even in the face of Snapish comments!

He won me over forever when he

chose Neville to lead the class in

banishing boggarts!

It’s hard to choose when one

experience gives you the view of

Hogwarts peeking above the

crooked roofs of Hogsmeade,

and the other is an

overwhelming immersion

with a dragon breathing fire at you!

But, pressed to choose, I prefer

Diagon Alley because it is a more

fully realized world. More streets, more

shops, more shows – and well designed to provide

shade and cover from the elements! As Universal

continues to expand the WWoHP, I look forward to

increasing the immersion. If the rumors of a

Ministry of Magic are true, then I’m excited to see

how they will provide more ways for us to

experience the wizarding world through rides,

shows and interactions. Who knows – maybe they

will let us get some revenge on Umbridge while

we’re there!

Through the Brick Wall

My relationship

with Harry Potter started in a funny way:

Harry Potter was my teenage rebellion. It’s an odd thing to say these

days, when Harry Potter is such a part of pop culture, but many of us

will remember a time when Harry Potter was not so popular. When I

was 11 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was first released in

the United States, quickly followed the next year by Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. At the time, my family attended one of

those dreaded churches that actually burned the books. Needless to

say, when my grandmother sent me copies of the books to read, they

were promptly thrown away. This only increased my interest in the

books.

Fast forward to 2001 and Harry Potter mania gone into full

swing with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone coming out in

theatres. Just before our winter exam period, I managed to convince

a friend from school to loan me her copies of Harry Potter. I could

only manage to convince her to loan me one book at a time “in case I

didn’t like them”. I devoured them. Within three days I had read the

first three books, she had them all back before break even started.

For Christmas, my step-mom and dad bought me my own copies of 1

-4 and ended up giving them to me early so I’d stop borrowing my

friend’s copies. It took me a week to get through Goblet of Fire, but

only because I almost got caught reading the books at night with a

flashlight. From there on out, I had to be extremely careful with my

Harry Potter habit. Until I graduated from high school in 2005, my

step-mom (whom had also by this point become a rabid fan) secretly

acquired me copies for the books, memorabilia, and anything Harry

Potter related. We would quickly read through them, re-read them,

and share our theories and favorite moments. All of this, however,

was done behind the back of my mother and step-father.

Eventually, thanks to a reading program at my little sister’s

elementary school, paired with her shared problem of running out of

books, she began reading Harry Potter in 2004. Being the dutiful

sister, I “read” the books with her. My entire family eventually

watched all the movies, and my mom even eventually started buying

me Harry Potter stuff.

But why stick with the fandom if it had been such a difficult secret to keep? The characters. I was

always the nerdy kid in class, the kid who was always picked on. I was the kid who ran out of books to read in

the school library by the end of grade 4. I was proud of that fact, even if it did mean that friends, real friends,

were few and far between. My parents always taught me to embrace my intelligence, just like Hermione did.

The story of Harry Potter to me was one of not just good versus evil, but of embracing yourself: your strengths,

your weaknesses, and your individuality. Now those taunts of “Hermione” in class weren’t just taunts about

my intelligence, they told me I was strong, smart, brave, and proud. Now I had Harry, Ron, and Hermione; I

had Neville, Fred, George, Ginny, and a host of other friends that I would never get to meet in the real world,

but who would always be there to welcome me home.

By Kristen Holmes

Greetings, my fellow witches and wizards and welcome to

another edition of Herbologistics! In this article, we will talk about an

herb found in most kitchens and used in a variety of culinary creations,

but little is known of its magical/medicinal uses. I’m talking about the

Allium Cepa, known in the Muggle and Magical worlds as simply the

onion.

The story of the

onion and its use by mankind

is older than writing itself.

Remnants of it have been

found in Paleolithic caves in

Eurasia. Onions grew in

Chinese gardens as early as

5000 years ago, and they are

referenced in some of the

oldest Vedic writings from

India. In Egypt, onions can be

traced back to 3500 BCE.

There is evidence that the

Sumerians were growing

onions as early as 2500 BCE. It’s one of the most versatile vegetables

known to man and a great creator of flavors for a variety of dishes. The

genus “Allium” encompasses several plants, all used in culinary: leeks,

garlic, shallots, bear’s garlic and chives. In fact, allium is the original

name for garlic in Classic Latin, which became the name of the genus

for all related plants. Onions may be one of the earliest cultivated crops

because they are less perishable than other foods, were easy to

transport, and could be grown in an array of soils and climates. Plus, the

onion was useful for sustaining life. Onions prevented thirst and could

be dried and preserved for later consumption when food might be

scarce.

Now, let’s talk about its properties. It is proven that onions

have curative powers because:

The particular fiber in an onion MAY LOWER your chances for

stroke, heart attack and heart failure.

When the bulb is crushed, cut, cubed, or sliced two phyto-

chemicals are released and combined, which create allicin. This

combination is believed to have anti-diabetic properties and

protect people from cancer and hypertension.

Helps to reduce inflammation and it’s great for sufferers of vertigo,

bronchitis and neuritis.

It acts as a diuretic and is believed to promote healthy hair,

fingernails and toenails.

Lowers cholesterol

Has anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties

Provides relief from the common cold, flu, bronchitis, insomnia,

bacterial infections, and asthma.

It is high in vitamin B, which prevents osteoporosis

And we can go on, and on, and on! There are many different types of

onions. Some but they are all highly beneficial, whether we consume

them as part of our latest culinary creation or we make a concoction to

treat a cold, or an essence to naturally eliminate grey hair (which I am

trying at the moment!). Onions are your friends!

One last tip, onions should be stored in a cool, dark loca-

tion away from moisture. You can keep them in a refrigerator. However,

they must be used quickly before they reach room temperature

because the change accelerates the spoiling process. If the skin turns

black, time to trash it! But no worries because, as you know, they are

highly inexpensive!

Thank you so much for reading! Until we meet again…

EVANESCO!!!

Herbologistics

Lucius’ corner

Hello everyone, Lucius Malfoy here.

I am finally able to produce Lucius’ Corner again. Pureblood’s rejoice!

This newsletter, I thought we would cover the runes that were depicted in my Azkaban

placard; everything has a meaning and I don’t need to explain how important runes are

to our universe.

As aforementioned, a variety of Elder Futhark runes are depicted on my

Azkaban placard. How unfortunate it was that I was caught at all; but you

must understand that I had to do what was necessary to protect my

family. At least in Azkaban, I was safe and I knew the Dark Lord wouldn’t

dare go after Draco and Narcissa until I was released.

The easily identified runes, found on the top row, are, from left to right:

Othila, which means "inherited property- estate, heritage, group order,

possession, experience" and the like. This ties to the Malfoy family with-

out explanation… unless you’re a mudblood. But even then, have

you seen my estate? My peacocks? Come now… I have many

servants who keep it up to appearances.

Next, Ansuz means "Vision, Leadership, Power of words” and encom-

passes the very best qualities that any Malfoy or Pureblooded witch or

wizard would have.

Next, taking a look at the bottom right line of runes, we find “Teiwaz”

which means “Justice, Authority, Analysis and Rationality”- everything I

believe I stand for and want for my family. Authority and Justice

can be purchased, alongside influence.

Raido is next, standing for “Travel, Relocation and the dance of life”-

doing what I must do for my family with the return of the dark lord is the

perfect example of how life shifts continuously, but we do what must be

done.

Othilla and Ansuz are next and are back- allusions to my mass

wealth, pureblood status, superior personality, and collection of

material possessions, of course.

Next is “Algiz”- but it is inverted. Let us be honest with each other… I am not one to ward off evil, ha! There is no good or evil! Instead, this

inverted Algiz means “Hidden danger, taboo, and warning”- which, if

you have met me, you would know to think twice about trusting me

unless you are of use to me.

Next is a rune from an Danish adaption of the Elder Futhark series of

runes, but it’s meaning does not have a rule binding or fortune tell-

ing connotation associated with it. Fehu is next- “Money,

Success, Happiness”… everything

that makes me proud to be a Malfoy.

Lastly, is Mannaz- “The Self, Human Race, Social Order, and Aware-

ness.” A reflection point of the social order that I work so hard to

keep; wouldn’t want a squib in charge of the Ministry of Magic,

Why not spend some time

taking a look at the Azkaban

Placard of some other

characters? Sirius Black’s

includes allusions to his

position as Harry’s Guardian

and Protector…

By Rubina Kandiah

Hogwarts running club

Accio Books

HP Game Night Wizarding world of beer

Geekycon 2015

Book Club

End of term

Water quidditch

Recipes

What’s in your bookshelf? Sarah Williams

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat It's a nonfiction book by Oliver Sacks, featuring

a collection of fascinating neurological case

studies Sacks had investigated.

Katie Alexis

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

A changeling, named Mackie, is trying to fit into

the normal world until a little girl in his town goes

missing. He goes into the underworld looking for

answers; where he came from and where she

went.

Margaret Lavinghousez

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Ruthfuss

Fantastic Fantasy novel set in a world the where

magic and physics are mixed. It's voice is

amazing and I love the view of magic - and who

doesn't love a magical university!

Celia Goodell

The Conspiracy of Us It's about a girl that finds out she's part of a

family that conspiracy stories are based on. A

family that can shut down stores like Prada for

private shopping or start world wars.

Joseph Honaker

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover.

It's a love story between a guy and a girl who

both have dark pasts, and have to confront some

of the pasts from their childhood.

Rubina Rose

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin.

The sequel to the first A Song of Ice and Fire books, it provides a lot of descriptive details that

the show overlooks.

Angelica Rodriguez

An Abundance of Katherines by John Greene

Though I have to say I'm not super impressed

yet. All his books seem very formulaic.

Leisa Clark

The Retrieval Artist by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.

The easiest way to describe the books would be

"science fiction mysteries." They're really

complex and the story world is Rowling-level.

They primarily take place in domed cities on the

Moon in the future. "Disappeared" is the first

book.

Sarah Ashleigh Bailey

When You Are Engulfed in Flames by

David Sedaris. It's a literary non-fiction book of

short essays based on different experiences in

his life that range from his childhood, people

he's met, conversations he's overheard, and

places he's been. He adds a lot of humor to

these real life situations while at the same time

making them all feel very relatable.

Stephanie Roman

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.

It's about a 1940s nurse (Claire), who is on a

second honeymoon with her Oxford professor

husband (Frank) in Inverness, Scotland. While at

Scotland, she visits the standing stones Craig Na

Dum her and her husband watch Druid

performing a dance, and a day later she goes

back and touches the biggest stones and gets

sent back 200 years to 1740s Scotland, the era

of the Jacobites and Bonnie Prince Charles. Love

this book, I'm already reading the sequel.

Mary Hosford

Kiss Me Like A Stranger by Gene Wilder

An autobiography of comedian and actor

extraordinaire Gene Wilder. Specifically chroni-

cling his experiences with love and relationships

through his career.

Elizabeth Buckeye

The Lunar Chronicles by Melissa Meyer

An interesting retelling of the Grimm

fairytales we all know inside and out. The first

book is titled Cinder but this isn’t just another rip

off of Cinderella, though we do get those lovely

glimpses. It is the beginning of an amazing cur-

rent trilogy, soon to be series of four that thrusts

the reader into the future following the life of

our heroine Cinder a cyborg mechanic with an

interesting past that unfolds throughout the

books

Oyster review

To all my fellow book-

worms, I highly suggest Oyster. The

$10 a month is totally worth it for

avid readers.

I learned to read when I was three years old. My mother was an avid reader and

my father would read me comic books every night before I went to bed. I remem-

ber once in second grade, I was found hiding in the reading nook of our class-

room completely engrossed in a book instead of at recess with the other children.

By Shakira Jones

Geekycon review

What can I say that hasn’t already been said about GeekyCon? I’m not exactly sure, but I suppose the only thing I can say

is my story. I went to my first LeakyCon last year and it was amazing. I couldn’t wait to get back home this year. It’s been a

rough 365 days that left me feeling uninspired and burned out but GeekyCon was just what I needed.

GeekyCon week started off with a Harry and the Potters show in Tampa. It was at this amazing book and record store and

the show was as equally as amazing as the setting. I also got to meet Claudia IRL and hangout with some super amazing

people. Then I got lost on I4 in the middle of the night but eventually got home.

I can’t even begin to explain how off the chain the Harry and the Potters show at GeekyCon was. That entire show

was just the most amazing thing I’ve ever been a part of. Everyone was playing songs I never expected to hear live

and being surrounded by friends made it even more magical. A new episode of Welcome to Night Vale dropped that

night as well, and a group of us listened to it all together. This experience reminded me that while I might usually

listen/consume stories alone, they are still a communal experience and I was so thankful to share that space with

people who love the podcast as much as I do.

Steph Anderson’s panel #YesAllWitches helped reignite my passion for creating, telling stories and not being afraid

to go out and chase them. I’m questioned a lot when I tell people I want to get into the filmmaking business but at

GeekyCon, I felt that community was behind me cheering me on all the way. Even though it’s emotional being home,

I know it’s not goodbye, it is just see you later.

By Kara Brown

Geekycon review

At the end of LeakyCon 2014, there was an announcement

that LeakyCon would stay in Orlando, but would be now

called GeekyCon. I was a little bit skeptical, as seemed

most people were. It really showed in this year's

attendance. Although as a Con-goer, it was nice, I knew the

people in the Marketplace were seeing a definite decline in

sales. Nonetheless, the Con went on. I was able to attend

because I won day tickets through the Slug Club, as well as

doing some writing and tweeting for Orlando United. So, off

I went to the new GeekyCon.

One thing I really liked about LeakyCon, was the Harry Pot-

ter center. Geeky was supposed to keep Potter at the

center, and although it wasn't really noticeable in the

panels, the Opening Ceremonies started off with "Neville

Longbottom's" first year as a professor at Hogwarts. As the

skit continued, more fandoms showed up, such as Star

Wars, Game of Thrones, Doctor Who and

Supernatural. Most of the stars were on stage, including

Anthony Rapp who did a parody of Taylor Swifts' "Bad

Blood" to mock Jar-Jar Binks (Good-I can't stand Jar-Jar)

and my personal favorite, AVByte's Chris Villain. It was a

great way to start off the Con. We immediately had to go

next door to the Marketplace where CFSC's very own

Heather Murphy was playing Quidditch for the Harry Potter

Alliance. My favorite parts of that? Heather hit-

ting some girl in the face with a

ball, and teaching Doctor Who/Torchwood writer James

Moran about Quidditch. Turns out last year when he came

to Leaky, he hadn't even watched any of the Harry Potter

movies! He fixed that-but I still don't think he knows what

Quidditch is...

Cosplay is a big part of cons, and I saw so many awesome

ones. Several Harry Potter ones were there, including a

spot on McGonagall and Snape (who showed up as

Trelawney and Snape as Neville's grandmother one day!)

and an Umbridge that I loved, but hated all at the same

time. There were also a lot of other fandoms represented,

as I saw many tributes from The Hunger Games, about 15

Honey Lemons from Big Hero 6 (regular and superhero),

several other Disney heroes and villains, Gleeks, and the

worst/best cosplay of Augustus Waters from The Fault in

Our Stars. This guy basically ruined everyone's

day on the final day. Not like everyone wasn't al-

ready upset!

I had a lot of fun checking out some of the panels.

Sharknado was a must do for us again this year, and it

didn't disappoint this year either. The Broadway sing-along

is where I was the happiest somehow. Dominic Barnes

(Glee Warbler and Geeky emcee) SLAYED Defying Gravity

from Wicked, Anthony Rapp sang Suddenly Seymour from

Little Shop of Horrors and we all belted Seasons of Love

from Rent together. Plus the one "celeb" YouTube star I

wanted to meet happened to be in the back of the

room. We had been tweeting at each other all day and as

soon as I went over, he saw me and yelled "OMG IT'S

YOU!!" I clearly still haven't gotten over this, he's so nice,

and we had a conversation as people were singing songs I

didn't know. So bonus.

While I was worried about Geeky not being for me, and not

able to keep up to Leaky, I ended up having a great time. I

stopped Melissa Anelli after closing ceremonies and asked

her to tell me one thing about this Con. She said

"It's really a family. A family who

aren't afraid to be themselves and

like what they like." You know what? She's

right. So will I go back to Geeky next year? Sure, if it's in

Orlando. I had a great time, met some fantastic people and

caught up with friends that I made at Leaky last year. I also

hung out with Heather quite a bit, and I'm glad I got to

know her better. It made me even more excited that I have a

group of Potterheads that are just as crazy as I am!

By Megan Stump

LeakyCon vs. GeekyCon: A Novice Congoer’s (limited) Experience

I can sum up my experience with

LeakyCon 2014 in one word:

underwhelming.

I seriously was not that impressed. Don’t get me wrong, I

managed to have a fun time doing group cosplays with my

friends, but aside from that, my expectations fell pretty flat.

I wasn’t interested in most panels, and the panels that I did

have an interest in filled up before I could get there. The

special guests? Never heard of most of them. I knew Not

Literally, Jon Cozart and Potter Puppet Pals, who were all

“YouTube famous”. I’m not a big Starkid fan so all of that

hype washed right over me. Wizard rock? No thanks. The

music is catchy but it just isn’t my scene. The age group

also threw me off a bit. I would estimate that the average

LeakyCon attendee was between the age of 18 and 21, with

75% being under 25. I was 26 at the time, attending with

friends who ages ranged from mine to 33. We felt like the

oldest kids at the high school prom, if you know what I

mean.

But my biggest complaint about LeakyCon 2014 is the fact

that, as a Harry Potter con, there was actually very little

Harry Potter-related guests and activities. It seemed to be a

“fandom” convention, which included other YA series,

Marvel, Disney and pop culture shows like Doctor Who,

Sherlock and Supernatural. Now, I enjoy almost all of these

things, but I still expected a Harry Potter con to be focused

more on Harry Potter.

They announced at the end of LeakyCon that they would be

splitting into two separate cons: LeakyCon and GeekyCon,

with the latter focusing more on multiple fandoms and

Leaky returning to its Harry Potter roots. This made more

sense to me, but I still didn’t have an interest in attending

GeekyCon that much after having such a lackluster experi-

ence with LeakyCon.

Fast forward to July 2015, where the HoH’s were contacted

by a marketing agency offering us free GeekyCon passes to

raffle off to our members through contests. They ended up

providing us with a free pass, good for 2 people each. Since

Melissa and Heather already had purchased their passes, I

had a free pass to attend Geeky on Saturday. I wanted to go

check out the merch anyway.

This year, GeekyCon really impressed me. The age group

issue was still the same, but maybe because I was around

less, I didn’t notice it as much. I recognized a lot more

names. Jon Cozart, The Hillywood Show, Anthony Rapp,

Veronica Roth, Tahereh Mafi, Ransom Riggs, and Marie Lu

were a few that I had the pleasure of interacting with. I also

had a friend who gave me her Lit autograph session

wristband that allowed me to get some novels signed

(thanks Yami!).

I felt like this year was a lot more cosplay heavy. Everyone’s

cosplays looked amazing! There was a lot of Disney and a

lot of Marvel, with a sprinkling of Harry Potter.

I also participated in “RibbonCon 2015” and collected all

the badge ribbons I could find, which was really like an

Easter egg hunt and was just completely fun and exciting on

its own. They had badge ribbons last year at LeakyCon too,

but I didn’t make much of an effort at collecting them as I

did this time around. It was quite enjoyable.

I will say, however, that I did not attend any panels or

scheduled programming at GeekyCon. Not much of it

interested me, and I have been completely spoiled by

MISTI-Con. Let’s just be real for a second: no other

convention can really compare to the content of MISTI-

Con’s programming.

Maybe it was the fact that I lowered my expectations that

made GeekyCon more enjoyable than LeakyCon, or maybe

it was that I had a bit more con experience, but either way I

really feel that GeekyCon was much more entertaining and

fun than LeakyCon. LeakyCon will be held next Fall in Los

Angeles, CA, and GeekyCon will be held next July in Orlando

again, which means it will be going up against Leviosa

which is scheduled for July 7-10 in Las Vegas.

What was your experience like? Let us know by replying to

CFSlugClub@gmail.com and you could be featured on the

blog!

By Stephanie Shive

As many of us know, GeekyCon took

place from July 30th - August 2nd at

the Orange County Convention Center

[OCCC]. While at GeekyCon, I had the

pleasure of volunteering with the Harry

Potter Alliance at their merchandise

booth, and while I was already

supportive and interested in all the

things they are doing and have done--

working that table, with those people,

gave me a newfound fervor for the

organization.

The Harry Potter Alliance [HPA] was

founded in 2005 and has since worked

to build a wonderful organization

dedicated to fan activism. Centered

around Harry Potter (Although Potter

himself attributes the name to his great

-great grandfather noted philanthropist

Harold Potter) and the world JK Rowling

has created, the HPA uses our favorite

stories to relate current-day issues and

create real-world change.

I was aware of the HPA earlier, but was

not actively invested until they

launched their Not in Harry's Name

campaign in 2010--one of their most

notable successes. Not in Harry's

Name was a campaign dedicated to

getting Warner Brothers to stop using

chocolate produced with child labor in

their Chocolate Frogs. After 4 years of

working toward that goal, Warner

Brothers gave us the best Christmas

present ever last December 22nd by

stating, "By the end of 2015, and

sooner when possible, all Harry Potter

chocolate products sold at Warner

Bros. outlets and through our licensed

partners will be 100-percent Utz or

Fairtrade certified."

Since the HPA began, they have

spearheaded many campaigns focused

on equality, literacy, and human rights

among others. Working the booth at

GeekyCon I had the opportunity to

learn more about their current

campaigns straight from the

hippogriff's mouth.

Firstly we have the Fan Works are Fair

Use campaign. I will be honest that I

had seen the hashtag

#FanWorksTaughtMe floating around

the internet and assumed that this was

something only affecting fanfiction and

things of that nature. At that I tuned out

what the campaign was actually

focused on, and I'm upset at myself

that I did. This campaign is so

important to everyone who participates

in the internet lifestyle. Copyright law is

being adjusted for the first time,

roughly, since it was written and the

HPA has kicked off this preemptive

campaign to keep fan works such as

fanfiction from being removed as fair

use under copyright law. The fear is

that the reevaluation of these laws will

hurt fan works and their creators and

this campaign exists to show

lawmakers how important fan works

are to our culture. You can learn more

and sign up for updates at

fanworksarefairuse.org

Their other current campaign is the

Positive Fandom Campaign. At

GeekyCon they had a card detailing the

effort as well as listing five steps that

attendees could complete over the

weekend and return to receive a ribbon

showing their support. This campaign is

focused on creating a more positive

space within any fandom or internet

community, and I think that the guide-

lines are laid out perfectly as a

reminder that creating positivity for

others around you also includes

creating a positive space for yourself.

In this age of the internet, where

almost anyone has an outlet for their

enthusiasm, it's often easy to forget

that we all started somewhere.

Everyone was new to fandom at one

point in their life--I would certainly not

want to deal with my 14 year old text

messenger speaking self, but everyone

deserves compassion. Fandom,

wherever and whatever it is, should

always be an inviting place and this

campaign seeks to facilitate a

movement in that direction. You can

take the Positive Fandom Pledge at

thehpalliance.org/positivefandom

If you were not aware, the Slug Club

has its own chapter of the HPA where

we can get involved with projects right

here in Central Florida. This year we

donated 3,226 books to IMPOWER

through the yearly Accio Books Drive.

Keep an eye out for future Slug Club

SPEW events, and learn more by con-

tacting our SPEW organizers by

emailing cfslugclubspew@gmail.com

What I Learned About the HPA and Why YOU Should Be Involved with SPEW

by mary hosford

Upcoming Events Book Club

September 28th, 7pm

Location: TBA

Join us for our bi-monthly book club! This month we will be re-reading

and discussing the fifth book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and

the Order of the Phoenix! Participate in discussions and trivia with other

members!

Knocking Around

Knockturn Alley

October 25th, 10:30 am

Location: Universal Studios

The plan is to dress up as dark wizards, Aurors or

students (or anything in between) and meet at the

entrance to Knockturn Alley at 10:30. There, we

will take cool photos at lots of locations, and

eventually wind up eating lunch at the Leaky

Cauldron. The mayhem can continue into the

afternoon!

House point competition

Current Champion: Gryffindor

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