Paper for Terminus

Okay, I just clicked the "confirm" button to send my idea for a paper to Terminus. And now I'm incredibly nervous. Darn, why do I always have to do things that make me so nervous?!?!?!? *sigh* Anyway, I could really use some feedback!(thanks for your feedback already, [b]STS[/b]!! It helped me decide to send it)

Title: Connecting through Harry Potter

Summary: JK Rowling is an amazing author, and she uses her fantastic writing ability to connect to people all around the world. When most people read Harry Potter, all of their prejudices about people seem to disappear, as is often seen around the fandom. She even manages to connect to the so-called “different” people of the world through Luna and Neville. This presentation explores the way Jo connects to those people and how she has helped so many of us by just writing her amazing books.

Biography: I am a 14 year old high school student from Colorado Springs, Colorado. I have been in love with Harry Potter since Goblet of Fire came out in 2000, but only recently found the magical world of online fandom. I love to write poems and stories, and am currently writing a book about Rwanda. I also love traveling, the ocean, reading, running, swimming, and playing with my cats. Thanks to the HP fandom, I have met some of my best friends and heard some of the most interesting ideas, and I hope for more of that at Terminus.

Abstract: The Harry Potter books reach out to and connect so many people around the world, from so many different cultures, ages, and walks of life. Jo’s incredible writing connects people and makes them forget most of their prejudices or preconceived ideas about people that would otherwise be quite obvious. Even the “eccentric” ones are welcomed into the fandom by having Luna and Neville there with them. I am one of those people who are often seen as eccentric, but the people who read Harry Potter welcomed me like an old friend, without any teasing or big questions. But how is it that Jo manages to connect all these people, just by writing her books? Personally, I think it’s because she uses so many universal ideas about love and jealousy and friendship and death, ones that reach out to people everywhere, no matter what their background is. And by showing readers that Luna and Neville are just as strong and wise as other characters, despite their eccentricities and differences, Jo welcomes those who connect with Luna and Neville into her books and the fandom they helped create. So few books have the amazing ability to connect people all around the world, yet Jo manages to do it so modestly and perfectly. Questions about magic and even the belief in magic (if only in young children) are seen in almost every culture. A fantastic series of books that answers some of those questions and shows that maybe, lurking behind a wall and around a corner, are people who use magic wands and fly around on broomsticks, appeals to people far and wide who ask those questions. Part of the charm of these books, and perhaps the biggest reason they have been so successful, is the fact that they are so universally appealing. The careful way Jo uses her words and presents her ideas through her characters is so subtle, but it’s enough for a worldwide bond and fondness of the Harry Potter books. Granted, there are still plenty of prejudices for some readers, probably, and there will always be those who try to stop the Harry Potter books from being published or read. But there’s something they can’t ignore: these spectacular books have done something so hard—connected people from all continents, religions, and cultures, around something other than a world tragedy. That intense bond between readers of the Harry Potter books is likely to last a very long time—partly because of the universal ideas in the books and partly because of the way Jo uses people from different cultures and with different personalities as her characters. Frankly, I think the way she has managed to connect us all through a book—words, ink, and paper—is incredible, and definitely something not to be ignored or forgotten.