Celebration of Harry Potter in January, 2014

On January 24, 25 and 26, Universal Orlando is hosting its second Celebration of Harry Potter at Islands of Adventure - and if fans are lucky, they'll be able to see the London side of Diagon Alley in Universal Studios, too! Universal recently announced that James Phelps (Fred), Oliver Phelps (George) and Evanna Lynch (Luna) will be appearing at a Q&A with fans - who will also learn more about Pottermore, enjoy a wand dueling demonstration, learn about the visual look and feel of the filmed Potterverse and check out costumes and props from the Harry Potter Exhibition. Some will even get Sorted by the Sorting Hat as well.
On January 23 at about 10:30 AM (Eastern US Standard Time); those who've signed up in advance will be able to view a webcast with more information about the Diagon Alley expansion. Will you be watching? If you can't, we'll be sharing the news in FictionAlley Park as soon as we can.

HARRY POTTER, characters, names and related indicia are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Harry Potter Publishing Rights © JKR. (s13) © 2014 Universal Orlando Resort. All rights reserved.

 Heidi from FictionAlley will be attending all three days of the Celebration of Harry Potter; if you're coming too, let us know so we can say hi!. While tickets to the private event in the WWoHP on Saturday night and reserved seats at the Q&As and demonstrations have been sold out for months, nonreserved seats are available to anyone with a Universal Orlando Islands of Adventure theme park ticket on Saturday or Sunday (Jan. 24/25).
ETA: Matthew Lewis (Neville) and Mark Williams (Arthur Weasley (also Brian Williams from Doctor Who)) were just announced as attending the Celebration of Harry Potter as well!

Fantastic News and Where to Squee About It

It's hard to type through the SQUEE we're feeling at the news that J.K. Rowling is partnering with WB to write a series of films based on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the series she wrote for Comic Relief UK back in 2001.

Yes, she's writing films set in the Wizarding World circa 1920, in New York and elsewhere, and here's what the lady herself had to say:

“Although it will be set in the worldwide community of witches and wizards where I was so happy for seventeen years, ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series, but an extension of the wizarding world. The laws and customs of the hidden magical society will be familiar to anyone who has read the Harry Potter books or seen the films, but Newt’s story will start in New York, seventy years before Harry’s gets underway.
It all started when Warner Bros. came to me with the suggestion of turning ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ into a film. I thought it was a fun idea, but the idea of seeing Newt Scamander, the supposed author of ‘Fantastic Beasts,’ realized by another writer was difficult. Having lived for so long in my fictional universe, I feel very protective of it and I already knew a lot about Newt. As hard-core Harry Potter fans will know, I liked him so much that I even married his grandson, Rolf, to one of my favourite characters from the Harry Potter series, Luna Lovegood.
As I considered Warners’ proposal, an idea took shape that I couldn’t dislodge. That is how I ended up pitching my own idea for a film to Warner Bros.
I particularly want to thank Kevin Tsujihara of Warner Bros. for his support in this project, which would not have happened without him. I always said that I would only revisit the wizarding world if I had an idea that I was really excited about and this is it.”

We think the first film says it best:

We at FA have been fans of Fantastic Beasts since it was first published, and if you want to check out some classic fanworks, follow these links:
ArtisticAlley
Fanfic on all four houses
Discussions in FictionAlley Park

We don't have release date (or even casting) information yet, but we feel like we've had far too much Pepper-Up Potion as we contemplate not just the film (and the tie-in novel, and the merchandise, and the gifs!) but also the inspiration that it will be for fanworks of all types.

Always, Harry Potter.

Always.  

Scheduled Downtime and DragonCon

FictionAlley will be down for about an hour starting at midnight Eastern time on August 28, because we need to replace a failing drive. This will impact all fics, reviews, boards and other content, but we'll be back soon!
Remember, FictionAlley's hosting fees are about $200 per month, and we need your support to cover those costs. Learn how to donate to FictionAlley here!

If you're going to be at DragonCon this weekend, join us at the Velocity Bar at the Marriott on Saturday night from 9 PM on for chocolate nachos and fannish conversation. Follow FA's Heidi on Twitter to get exact info about where we'll be - and we hope to see you at the YA track, with Natalia Tena or Lev Grossman, and of course on Sunday night at the Yule Ball, featuring the Blibbering Humdingers!

Two Views of our SDCC Harry Potter Panel

We filled a room with over 800 Harry Potter fans, to celebrate the fandom and its remarkable, ongoing, vibrant creativity. SO many thanks to panelists Lauren Bird (HPA), Joey Richter & Brian Rosenthal (StarKid), Alex Carpenter (Remus Lupins), Harrison Homel (IQA), Mark Oshiro (MarkReads), Leslie Combemale (ArtInsights) and Kazu Kibuishi (new Harry Potter US book covers).

Yes, we hope to do it again in 2014 - but this time, with an afterparty so we can continue to celebrate the magic that is the Harry Potter fandom.
After all this time?

Coming to Comic-Con?

Hello, San Diego!
If you're coming to Comic Con, the Harry Potter fandom has some terrific plans!
The annual Harry Potter Fandom Panel (Still Magic!) takes place on Sunday, July 21 at 4:15 PM in Room 6DE at the Convention Center. Sixteen years after we first went to Hogwarts, fans are still discussing, creating and gathering online and in person to share their love for J. K. Rowling's stories, and for the fandom! Look back, ahead, and into the Mirror of Erised with forever HP fans, including moderator Heidi Tandy (FictionAlley.org), Joey Richter and Brian Rosenthal (Team StarKid/A Very Potter Senior Year), Mark Oshiro (MarkDoesStuff.com), Harrison Homel (International Quidditch Association), Leslie Combemale (ArtInsights), Alex Carpenter (The Remus Lupins), and Lauren Bird (HP Alliance). Comic-Con badges are required for admission to this panel.

FictionAlley's Heidi Tandy is also on a panel on fanfiction with others who've contributed essays to SmartPop Books' FIC!, which is coming out this fall. Fanfiction has recently moved into the spotlight, with fic authors getting impressive book deals and Amazon announcing Kindle Worlds. But there's a lot more to the story than Fifty Shades of Grey. Panelists Amber Benson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Christina Lauren (tby789 and LolaShoes, Beautiful Bastard), Rachel Caine (Morganville Vampires, Weather Wardens), V. Arrow (aimmyarrowshigh, The Panem Companion), and Heidi Tandy (heidi8, Organization for Transformative Works) discuss how fan writing-from missing scenes to remixes and crossovers-and other fanworks re-imagine the boundaries of everything from sexuality and gender to character and authorship. They'll discuss the way fan culture is challenging today's entertainment and publishing industry norms, and consider the value a noncommercial creative space can bring to emerging and even professional writers and artists. Moderated by Anne Jamison (Fic: Why Fanfiction Is Taking Over the World). It's on Friday from 2 - 3 PM in Room 29A; badges are required for this panel, too.
If you're interested in fanfic, please join our friends at the OTW for A Meet-Up Of Our Own. Join Team OTW, MarkDoesStuff and a flock of fandomers, authors and readers who use and enjoy the AO3. There'll be pitchers of margaritas & sodas, as well as snacks like chips and salsa.

We're hosting activities including a few rounds of Cards Against Humanity. You'll also have plenty of chances to meet fellow fans, learn about OTW members' Comic Con panels and share - and get - your own Comic Con tips. And yes, we'll have prizes and giveaways, too!

We'll be at the Tequila Bar at the Marriot Marquis & Marina adjacent to the Convention Center from 8 PM until after 9:30, so we'll overlap with the end of Preview Night. To join us at A Meet-Up Of Our Own, no Comic Con badge (or Preview Night registration) is required; we're just asking for $5 donations. Anonymous donors have underwritten much of the cost of the event, so any surplus will be donated to OTW.

There's a lot of other events and panels for fanfic and fandom fans at Comic Con, including "When Grrls Fall In Love" on Saturday afternoon, TheOneRing.net's preview of The Desolation of Smaug, a Twilight fanfic panel, and a sneak preview of Catching Fire, the next Hunger Games film.

Let us know if you'll be at SDCC, or come and say hi to Heidi at any of her panels - she'll have vintage FictionAlley temporary tattoos for anyone who asks!

Welcome to our 2013 April Fool's Day Flashback!

Welcome to our 2012 April Fools' Day Flashback Cover Fest
Click reload to see another image!