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JK Rowling Reads

JK Rowling

Harry Potter

I was fortunate enough to attend a reading by J.K. Rowling. It was a great experience, one I will remember for a long time. When I arrived at the show, I couldn't ignore the mood of the crowd. It was electric. As the crowd's excitement filled the arena, I noticed lots of people had come dressed in wizard attire. Feeling a little out of place in my regular clothes, I waited anxiously for the show to start.

The reading began shortly after 7 pm. After a brief introduction J.K. walked on stage. The small attractive blond woman, was greeted by a tremendous wave of applause. She thanked us and immediately began to read from the fourth Harry Potter, The Goblet of Fire. She read part of Chapter 12 "Mad Eye Moody." Rowling did wonderful justice to the voices of Professor Trelawney, Draco Malfoy and Mad Eye Moody. Although she didn't read for as long as I hoped, I was impressed with what she did. After finishing the chapter she accepted questions from the audience - not a small task, there were 4000 of us in attendance. Rowling answered questions for the rest of the show. It was great to hear what she had to say. Here are a few things that she revealed in her answers about herself and Harry.

J.K. stands for Joanne Kathleen, she published Harry Potter under J.K. because her publisher thought Harry Potter would appeal mainly to boys who wouldn't read books written by a woman.

"Chapter 9: The Dark Mark" was the hardest chapter in the Goblet of Fire for her to write. She rewrote it 13 times before moving on to the next one.

Her favorite characters include Professor Snape and the Dursleys. She likes the Dursleys because she likes doing things to them.

The fifth Harry Potter book will be called Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix but unfortunately it won't be out 'till next year.

Rowling has written two more books Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages. They will be available this summer and their proceeds will go to support a British charity called Comic Relief, U.K., which raises money for famine relief.

Of all Rowling's characters, she compares herself most with Hermoine. And she would most like to meet Hagrid in real life.

J.K. Rowling is cool. She is really cool. Prior to hearing her read, I didn't think I would like her as much as I did. People have criticized Rowling in the past for not being a good public speaker, but I thought she was great. My only complaint was that the show was short, only about an hour. When it was over, I couldn't believe how quickly it had gone and I wanted more.