Phoenix Rising's programming comprises submissions by scholars, students, professionals, fans, and others with an interest in the Harry Potter series. This same diverse group makes up the audience for critical thought on the novels, films, related items and the overall phenomenon. To assist potential presenters with preparation for submission, we offered the following examples of presentation structure, and though the submissions period is over for Phoenix Rising, we are happy to provide the original information for reference.

Papers, Lectures, and Presentations

Scholarly papers may be read or presented as lectures. Most paper presentations are followed by a brief question-and-answer period. Individuals may choose 25, 50, 85, and 110-minute blocks of time for a presentation and any audience discussion or questions.

Pre-empaneled Papers

A set of related papers may be submitted as a panel to ensure that they are scheduled together. The initial submitter will be asked for a summary of the entire presentation, and each individual presenter may enter a separate abstract. Our submissions system offers 50, 85, and 110-minute options for your readings or lectures and any discussion period.

Panel Discussions

Panels, led by a moderator, generally discuss a topic before an audience, and may or may not take questions during or after the discussion. Our submissions system offers 25, 50, 85, and 110-minute options for your panel discussion and any audience question-and-answer period.

Workshops

Workshop sessions are led by an instructor and focus on the application and practice of craft. Generally, an attendee could expect to gain or expand upon a particular skill at a workshop, and opportunity for participation marks this style of presentation. Workshop leaders may request 25, 50, 85, or 110-minute blocks of time.

Roundtables

Roundtable discussions are limited to a smaller audience — typically one that reflects the discussion section that would be paired with a college lecture course — and depend on audience participation. The most successful discussions are facilitated by a moderator who seeks to explore open-ended questions with the audience and who encourages all in attendance to take part. To encourage this format, a potential moderator may either present either an abstract or a list of sample discussion questions at the time of submission. Submitters may request 25, 50, 85, or 110-minute time blocks; however, the 50-minute blocks are highly recommended.

Combination Presentations

This list is not meant to limit the styles of presentation brought to our vetting boards for consideration; instead, we hope that it will inspire creativity as well as help submitters make decisions about how to structure potential presentations. We know that a lecture could lead into a roundtable discussion, or a panel could precede a workshop. The combination option in the submission system allows for a full description of any such presentation. Time increments of 25, 50, 85, and 110 minutes may be requested.

Collaboration in all areas is encouraged, and we are pleased to offer those seeking co-presenters or a place to brainstorm a dedicated forum on our message boards.

At the time of submission, we require an abstract of 300-500 words for each separate presentation, a 50-100 word summary, and a short presenter biography. Those wishing to submit a proposal for a roundtable discussion may submit a brief explanation of a topic and a list of 10-15 sample discussion questions in lieu of a formal abstract.

When planning a submission, we recommend that you consider requests for audio-visual needs carefully. Typically, a microphone is provided for a paper or workshop, and several microphones for a panel. Amplification and other audio-visual materials are not provided for roundtable discussions. LCD projection is available on a very limited basis for inherently visual presentations, such as those that address film or art, and on an as-available basis for other types of presentations. We recommend that presenters consider handouts, posters, and other visual aids as an alternative.

Presentations are scheduled on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the conference according to various factors, including similarity of topics, audio-visual availability, space conflicts and the physical constraints of the space in relation to a presentation's format.

All presenters must be registered and paid by February 1, 2007. Presenters who have not registered by that date will be removed from our programming schedule, and no registration or presentation space will be held for them.

If you have questions not answered here, please e-mail programming@thephoenixrises.org.