John Granger holds honors degrees from Phillips Exeter Academy and the University of Chicago, where he studied classical languages and literature. John was initially resistant to letting the oldest of his seven children read the Harry Potter books but was won over after reading the first book himself one night after work. He is the author of Unlocking Harry Potter: Five Keys for the Serious Reader and has been interviewed on radio stations and television (CNN’s Paula Zahn Now). John uses Harry Potter to teach English literature online at HogwarsProfessor.com and in his 9th grade English classes at the Valley Forge Military Academy. John has been a featured speaker at Lumos 2006 and Nimbus 2003, where his talk on literary alchemy was chosen as “Best Presentation” of the 65 lectures and panels over four days. He, his wife Mary, and their seven children live in Wayne, Pennsylvania.
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Connie Neal was the first Christian author to publicly challenge negative attacks against Harry Potter from some in the Christian community – and endured the resultant backlash. She is the author of What's a Christian to do with Harry Potter? (WaterBrook Press, 2000); The Gospel according to Harry Potter (Westminster John Knox Press, 2002, complete version due in 2008); and Wizards, Wardrobes, and Wookiees: Navigating Good and Evil in Harry Potter, Narnia, & Star Wars (InterVarsity Press, 2007). Some Christian bookstores effectively ban her books, but they continue to sell regardless of vehement opposition. Neal focuses on the intersection of pop culture, parenting, and Christianity. Her book MySpace for Moms and Dads: A Guide to Understanding the Risks and the Rewards (Zondervan, 2007) launches her current MySpace Mom Speaking Tour. She holds a BA in Communication from Pepperdine University, Malibu and is currently working toward her MS in Education in hopes of teaching college. You can visit her website at www.ConnieNeal.com.
Philip Nel is Associate Professor of English and Director of the graduate Program in Children's Literature at Kansas State University. He is author of The Annotated Cat: Under the Hats of Seuss and His Cats (2007); Dr. Seuss: American Icon (2004); The Avant-Garde and American Postmodernity: Small Incisive Shocks (2002), J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter Novels: A Reader's Guide (2001); and Tales for Little Rebels: A Collection of Radical Children's Literature (forthcoming, 2008), co-edited with Julia Mickenberg. His work on Seuss and Rowling has led to appearances on CBS Sunday Morning, NPR's Morning Edition, Weekend Edition, and Talk of the Nation. Currently, Phil is writing a critical biography of Crockett Johnson (author of Harold and the Purple Crayon) and Ruth Krauss (author of A Hole Is to Dig), two children's writers who were married to one another.
Daniel Nexon is an Assistant Professor at Georgetown University with a joint appointment in the Department of Government and the School of Foreign Service. He received his PhD in 2004 from Columbia University and has held research fellowships at Stanford University and Ohio State University. In addition to editing and contributing to Harry Potter and International Relations (Rowman and Littlefield, 2006), he has contributed to the volume To Seek Out New Worlds: Exploring Links Between Science Fiction and World Politics (Palgrave, 2002). His more typical academic work investigates the political dynamics of empires, the role of religious politics in European state formation, and broader questions of power-political competition in world politics. His most recent publication, "What's at Stake in the American Empire Debate," appeared in the American Political Science Review, the flagship journal of political science in the United States.
James Thomas received his doctorate in English from the University of Tennessee and is a professor of literature at Pepperdine University. During his academic career, he has presented several scholarly papers and has written a number of articles and reviews, along with a biography of a Louisiana writer. His main academic interest is twentieth-century American literature, especially the literature of the American South. In the fall of 2006, he taught a first-year seminar on the Harry Potter books—the first such course at Pepperdine. James has three grown children and two grandchildren, and lives with his wife Kanet in Westlake Village, California. In addition to his teaching, James has also worked as a speech writer in mayoral and Congressional campaigns. His daughter Alexi and a fellow professor led him to Harry Potter only four years ago. He hasn't been quite the same since.
Karin E. Westman is Associate Professor of English at Kansas State University, where she teaches courses in modern and contemporary British literature, including a course on Harry Potter. Her areas of interest include narrative studies, gender, children's literature, and technology. She has presented and published most recently on J. K. Rowling and Philip Pullman, among other contemporary British writers. She is currently completing J. K. Rowling's Library: Harry Potter in Context (UP of Mississippi, forthcoming 2008), a book-length study of the series within British literary history.
Description
Friday's keynote luncheon, "Canon: Its Context and Completion," features the world's first panel of scholars to speak on Harry's story from beginning to end. This luncheon will be an unforgettable opportunity to celebrate the ten years we have spent with the novels themselves and to consider their far-reaching literary and cultural impact. Our special guests represent a wide variety of academic disciplines, and each panelist will provide her or his own special perspective on the Harry Potter phenomenon.