'HARRY POTTER' NOT JUST FOR KIDS.Byline: Bettie Rencoret Special to the Daily News LANCASTER - Kids don't have a monopoly on J.K. Rowling's ``Harry Potter'' book series anymore. Kathryn Barry, 27, is one of the volunteers putting together a ``Harry Potter'' symposium July 17-20 at Walt Disney World Noun 1. Walt Disney World - a large amusement park established in 1971 to the southwest of Orlando Orlando - a city in central Florida; site of Walt Disney World catering to the ``Harry Potter''-for-adults crowd. ``Publishers and agents still seem somewhat unwilling to admit that the'over the hill gang' is a viable market source for the 'H.P.' series,'' Barry said. ``They still have it in their heads that these are strictly children's stories. We adult fans know that simply isn't so. Most of us think they will be recognized historically among the classics. They,like all the others, appeal to the child in every adult.'' ``Nimbus - 2003: A Harry Potter Symposium'' has been arranged entirely over the Internet by fans from all over the world. ``The woman who is actually in charge of all the volunteers teaches English in China,'' said Barry, an Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley native and graduate of Paraclete High School Paraclete High School is a Catholic High School in Lancaster, CA operated independently of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. 186 seniors graduated in the 2006-2007 school year. , who graduated in 1999 from the University of California, Los Angeles UCLA comprises the College of Letters and Science (the primary undergraduate college), seven professional schools, and five professional Health Science schools. Since 2001, UCLA has enrolled over 33,000 total students, and that number is steadily rising. , summa cum laude sum·ma cum lau·de adv. & adj. With the greatest honor. Used to express the highest academic distinction: graduated summa cum laude; a summa cum laude graduate. with a degree in English. ``Another of the organizers, an Internet lawyer now on maternity leave maternity leave n → baja por maternidad maternity leave maternity n → congé m de maternité maternity leave maternity n , lives in Florida. Everything has been put in motion through our Internet contacts.'' Barry, who works in a local law office, has been involved as a volunteer in public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most and publicity programming. She plans to attend. She empathizes with Harry Potter, the books' orphaned star. With the death of her mother a few years ago, she herself is half an orphan. ``Anyone who has experienced the demise of a loving parent can understand the devastation Harry feels. I still have a wonderful dad who has become one of H.P.'s senior fans, so I'm luckier than Harry,'' she said. ``Since Harry's parents died, he has been raised mostly in an unloving atmosphere, and it's easy to imagine his immersion into the unreal realm of the school of wizardry wiz·ard·ry n. pl. wiz·ard·ries 1. The art, skill, or practice of a wizard; sorcery. 2. a. A power or effect that appears magical by its capacity to transform: . It's a welcome escape for him.'' The books so far are: ``Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,'' ``Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,'' ``Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' and ``Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.'' The fifth book, ``Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,'' is due out June 21. Barry, a devout Christian, points out that the books have critics, especially among conservative religious organizations. ``The problem is,'' she said, ``that they all seem to apply real-world standards to the books. They don't seem to remember that almost all ofthe children's classics are fantasies. Take Lewis Carroll's 'Alice in Wonderland,' for instance. Or Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings.' How about' Gulliver's Travels' and 'The Wizard of Oz'? What would we do withoutall of those?'' ``King Arthur's court had Merlin, the good wizard, and then you have all the fairy tales This is a list of fairy tales, the dates of their earliest known printed version, the author and, if known, the collection of tales in which it was published. It should be noted, however, that not all stories listed below would be categorized as fairy tales by a strict definition with their gnomes Gnomes The 15-year pass-through securities offered under Freddie Mac's cash program. Notes: Investors sell their mortgages through Freddie Mac's cash program. The 15-year mortgages sold to Freddie Mac form the pool of mortgages that back the securities referred to as , elves and ogres. Shakespeare mentioned sprites Noun 1. sprites - atmospheric electricity (lasting 10 msec) appearing as globular flashes of red (pink to blood-red) light rising to heights of 60 miles (sometimes seen together with elves) red sprites . Even Santa Claus is a 'jolly old elf,''' she continued. ``All are simply a part of our literary culture that is enchanting and fun. We all know that they are devoid of realism.'' The ``Harry Potter'' series is so much in the public eye, she noted, that numerous books are dedicated to its analysis. Connie Neal, a Christian author, wrote ``The Gospel According to Harry Potter,'' with the subtitle ``Spirituality in the Stories of the World's Most Famous Seeker.'' Julia Eccleshare wrote ``A Guide to the Harry Potter Novels'' andPhilip Nel has done a reader's guide to the books. J.K. Rowling herself, under different pseudonyms, has added ``Quidditch Through the Ages'' and ``Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them.'' To tap in to more information about ``Nimbus - 2003,'' go to the Web site: www.hp2003.org. or contact Barry at The5Barrys(at)aol.com. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Kathryn Barry, with one of the books that delve into the ``Harry Potter'' series, is an organizer of an adults-only symposium next month in Florida for fans of the boy wizard. Bettie Rencoret/Special to the Daily News |
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