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Get Breaking News on your cellLive from Portus 2008 -- Harry Potter and the Christian Missionairies
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July 2008
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Live from Portus 2008 -- Harry Potter and the Christian Missionairies Live at Portus 2008 -- SpellCasting creativity pushing forward the Harry Potter story Categories
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July 12, 2008
The Portus 2008 conference is a Harry Potter-themed academic/fandom event going on the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas this weekend. Also in the hotel is a conference for Gospel for Asia, a Christian missionary organization that targets, duh, Asia. So what do you get when you take 700 Potterheads, many in full costume, and about 1,000 dedicated missionaries (some of whom have their doubts about these Potter stories)? Well, the Anatole is a biiiig hotel. And the two groups are at opposite ends of the place. But there have been some interactions. Mostly cordial, I'm told, But some not so much. On the one hand, I've been told that some of the missionary types are refusing to get o the elevators with obvious Potterheads -- or closing the elevator doors on 'em. OTOH, there's a group of Potterheads dressed as the villainous Voldemort and his Death Eaters -- black robes, goth-ish makeup. A giant fake snake. And they went over to where the missionaries had set up a church to do photos and be in-your-face. And in character, I guess. But these were minority reports. I've also heard about interested casual conversations between the two cultural worlds.  Comments (0) Leave comment
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Part of what makes "fandom" different from regular fans is the level of creativity brought to the enterprise. Here at Portus 2008, the conference going on this weekend in Dallas, many of the proceedings are academic and intellectual. And some are not. This morning, there's a performance -- a reading -- of a dramatic presentation using characters based on the Harry Potter series. It's set some years after the epilogue of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It's also based very loosely on a British sitcom called "Yes, Minister." And it has echoes of modern politics -- a hint of Kurt Waldheim, a hint of the Iraqi war, a pull between principles and practical needs. Go to the jump for details -- and for how you'll be able to hear it. Comments (0) Leave comment
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