Saturday, May 19, 2007
7:00 p.m. — midnight
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel: 500 Canal Street
Audubon Aquarium of the Americas: 1 Canal Street, for Transformation: From Fan to Fandom only

Sponsored by: FictionAlley

During Artists and Authors Night, our Saturday night event, Phoenix Rising will showcase the creativity and camaraderie of the online fan community surrounding the Harry Potter series. The conference on this evening will feature participants in the fandom — those enthusiasts that have shaped a welcoming, wildly innovative online community — demonstrating and discussing their fanfiction, their fanart, their websites, and the myriad ways they celebrate the boy wizard.

Artists and Authors Night presents a variety of opportunities for both those in the fandom and those who are new to the online fan community. The entire evening in New Orleans will highlight the fandom, and provide a friendly environment for those uninvolved in the fan community to explore its offerings — and for those in the community to discover new corners, new collaborators and new ideas. Several featured events, including a keynote presentation on founding an online fan community and a podcast by a prominent Harry Potter archive, will take place, but the bulk of the evening is comprised of smaller, more intimate explorations of craft, context and community.

Artists and Authors Night is wholly participatory. Attendees submitted their fanfiction, their fanart and programming topics related to their fandom activities, from archiving to website design to writing roundtables. Booths focused on creativity — writing, drawing, editing and critique — will have participants to staff them. Fandom groups, websites, 'ships and more are encouraged to contact Phoenix Rising about staffing a table in our Wireless Web Network, which is provided complimentary to any fandom group sponsoring Phoenix Rising in any way. If you are interested in a table at our Wireless Web Network, please e-mail us at help@thephoenixrises.org.

The following programming will be open to all attendees during Artists and Authors Night.

Booths: Artists, authors, art critiquers, and editors will staff a series of booths, for an hour at a time, and offer their services to attendees. Get a very short piece of fiction written to your request at the drabble booth, or have a bit of line art added to your name badge at the sketch booth. At the beta booth, have an editor become your second set of eyes for previously written fiction, and don't forget to stop by the art critique booth too for feedback on your fanart.

Drabble Night: Fanfiction author Starrysummer will host Drabble Night, where writers of all levels will meet the challenge: In exactly 100 words... With only fifteen minutes and 100 words to evoke a mood, set a scene, or tell a story, can it still be done? Attending writers will frantically attempt to scribble their short, short, short stories before time is up.

Drawble Night: Fanartist Jessica (_odella_) will host Drawble Night, a sketch-in for artists of all persuasions. Jessica (_odella_) will issue a series of challenges, from comedy to drama, for artists to draw within a limited amount of time.

Fanfiction Readings: Authors selected for participation may read from a single work, or a number of works, and discuss the creative process with the audience. The current list of works can be found here.

Favorite Things: It's open-mike night for those who love the Harry Potter books. Attendees can choose their favorite quote, paragraph, or page, and share it with others whose love of reading equals their own. Be sure to bring your books along!

Keynote Presentation: Join us as world-renowned fandom and media studies scholar Henry Jenkins and several founders of the Harry Potter fandom — including Melissa Anelli of The Leaky Cauldron, Simon Branford formerly of FictionAlley, Jennie Levine (Zsenya) of The SugarQuill — discuss and debate how a fan community is formed from both an academic and an historical perspective. Please note that this presentation is an additional-cost event. Each ticket costs $55, and includes admission to the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and a unique "walking dinner" prior to the presentation. Tickets may be purchased through the registration system.

Meet the Author: Published authors whose works relate to fan studies, fantasy, science fiction, young adult literature, the Harry Potter series and more will be on hand to read from and sign their books. Participating authors include George Beahm, Gina Burkart, Rachel Caine, Valerie Frankel, Henry Jenkins, and Mathilde Madden.

Paintbrush and Quill Society Meetup: The first one hundred registrants who add the Paintbrush and Quill Society to their registration are being matched up as teams of one artist and one author. These teams will turn in an illustrated work of fiction prior to Phoenix Rising, and their works will be on display as part of the gallery for all attendees to read and enjoy. At the meetup, the artists and authors will come together to meet in person and to discuss the collaborative process, including the challenges and rewards of working together online. The Paintbrush and Quill Society has filled its spaces for authors, but still seeks artists interested in collaborating on an illustrated story.

SpellCast: Sit in on a recording of FictionAlley's official podcast from Phoenix Rising. SpellCast features fanfic reviews, fandom news, tips and thoughts for artists, a Writer's Corner, and a new type of creativity - from knitting to vidding to conference organization - on each episode, and is working on something special for Phoenix Rising. .

Wireless Web Network: Online archives and fan sites, communities, ships, and other groups will receive a complimentary table during Artists and Authors Night with any Phoenix Rising sponsorship. Use your table to promote your website or group, hand out trinkets, or conduct challenges. Offer attendees a chance to meet the staff, learn more about your online resources, and take part in whatever activities you choose to plan.

If you have any questions regarding Artists and Authors Night, please e-mail us at programming@thephoenixrises.org.

Artists and Authors Night at Phoenix Rising is made possible by the generous sponsorship of FictionAlley, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and online website hosting fanfiction, fanart, discussions and essays on Harry Potter series, writing resources, and more.