Summer reading to me screams Harry Potter but this summer, without a new book to read, I’m left reading all the Harry Potter fan sites, which I actually really like. There’s all sorts of great plot speculations and preview photos of the films and fan fiction to tie me over.
One of the things I’m looking forward to reading about is Lumos, the Harry Potter conference taking place in Las Vegas July 27 – 30, 2006.
I know about Lumos from Heidi at http://www.FictionAlley.org
There are lots of great sites but I want to highlight FictionAlley.org for a second.
In 2005, a teenage fan fiction writer Katie O’Brien lost her battle with leukemia. At the time FAWC, the non-profit educational arm of FictionAlley.org created three scholarships for young, talented creators, in her memory.
The winners of the 2006-2007 Katie O’Brien Memorial scholarship are:
* Ashley Yutzy, of the Maryland Institute College of Art
* Michelle A., who will be attending Florida State University this fall
* Rachel W. of Colorado’s Naropa University
Each received an award of $500.
I’m mentioning them now because examples of their works will be on display in the FictionAlley.org booth at Lumos.
You can also see some of the work online:
Ashley’s portfolio
A selection from Michelle’s winning submission for the Community Service scholarship.
A selection from Rachel’s winning submission for the Writing scholarship
So if you’re looking for a Harry Potter fix, check out http://www.fictionalley.org