Finding Poetry in Potter

As this is being posted, present Talia is at the Midlebury Language Schools. In the meantime, I (Past Talia) shall tell you about one of the projects I did at MISTI-Con. There were lots of awesome panels and people and it was just genuine fun, but one I particularly enjoyed was 'Finding Poetry in Potter' were we were given chapters of Harry Potter books that were separated from the bindings (which was a bit painful to see) and we proceeded to cross out random words so that we could create poems. This has been a tradition for some time, and while it hurt to maul the book in such a way, it was kinda fun too. Both of my poems were from Chapter 22 of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and since I messed up using the sharpie and changed the conjugations of some of the words, I am not going to post the pictures. I have typed up the results though, and so you can enjoy them below.

P.S. 

Is it my fault? Excited,

keeping him uncertain?

Surprised, do'you reckon?

"He's mine," I read and reread,

stepping back from the barrier,

suspicions confirmed

(in his usual fashion)

snarling, staring, clutching.

Forever unhappy.

Dignified Disapproval

It was addessed "Dear."

I hope this finds you

I don't know whether

you're used to hiding.

I won't tell you,

in case this falls

into the wrong hands.

Some doubt the best

I believe they haven't a hope.

There something I

never got around

to telling you.

It was I, who seemed

to think it was worth

the fright.

I had only hoped

to catch a glimpse

before starting

my journey.

But I think the sight

of me closed something.

Send word.

And I will give it all.

Happily.

Feel free to share these with anyone you think would enjoy them, but I would appreciate credit for my creative efforts. 

Cheers,
Talia

Note: Because of an accident in the publishing schedule for this blog, this was posted on tumblr on June 20th, instead of my Bread Loaf Evaluations post.

MISTI-Con 2017 Thoughts

I had an exciting time at MISTI-Con last weekend, these three posts chronicle my time pre, mid and post MISTI-Con 2017.

Pre-MISTI

I'm sitting on a bus, on my way to MISTI-Con, and I am nervous. While I have been to conventions before, both big and small, but this is different. This will be the first year that I am going to a convention alone. The last time I went to MISTI-Con I was only there with a day pass, and I was only there for a few of the daytime hours. This time it's a whole new ball game. I will be there for the entirety of the convention, and I will be going solo. It's no secret that I love Harry Potter. I've got over 90 copies of Harry Potter books, I've got robes and ties and scarves and cauldrons. I listen to wizard rock, and read fanfiction.

Yet I still feel like there is something missing.

I've started blogging for a few reasons, to increase my writing skill, to share my ideas, to 'put my name out there' as it were. The main reason however is that I miss the internet. There was a time when I had podcasts memorized (I could recognize people by voice alone) I was as dialed in like you wouldn't believe. Then I started college, and classes took over pretty much everything. I still loved Harry Potter; but I had to adjust my focus. I still wandered; I've had several classes where my essays have been about Harry Potter, still I feel that I have lost my way with the fandom.

I love the community, but especially since last year I feel like I've come away from it. At the end of spring semester 2016, a little over a year ago, I got a very serious concussion. I've since been re-concussed and I still suffer from a few lingering symptoms, one of which is an aversion to screens. It gets better every day, but it means that at times like these, where I am writing a post on a moving vehicle, I am probably going to have to stop soon so that I don't make myself sick. Due to my injury, I did not finish my coursework for the Spring semester until the beginning of the fall semester. Last winter break was the first time that I went without homework for almost a year, and that was itself a short break.

So now that I am on summer vacation, it feels very strange to not have any work to do. Of course, I say this as I head to a convention, so it isn't like I'm not going to be busy. Between the convention and the translators' conference and my trip abroad and my family vacation and my 7 weeks at Middlebury, I'm going to be very busy. That's part of the issue, though isn't it? I've got almost no free time for the entirety of the summer. Some might think that a bad thing, but I disagree. For me, free time is extraordinarily difficult. I must always keep myself busy, or else I go mad.  (And I don’t even have a box!)

Mid-MISTI

So, this is the winding down of my third day at MISTI. I'm a bit incredulous that I once thought I would be going this alone. The theme of this MISTI is "Coming Home," and that's what this feels like. I'm so comfortable here, and everyone I have met has been a genuine joy to interact with. I'm so glad I came here and that I am spending time with these amazing people, who really do feel like family. I have high levels of anxiety, so the fact that I can feel so at home here is a testament to how welcoming our community really is. I've loved the panels and events that I have been to, and I am currently having the time of my life. I ended up missing the wizard rock shows, which was disappointing, but if there is one thing I have learned from cons it's that I can't do everything. In that respect, it's not that different from classes. If I'm being honest I think we'd all benefit from time-turners.

I've learned so much already, from people running panels and audience alike. Everything from the importance of the paper you use with publishing, to Scorbus head canons, to Harry Potter as Therapy. I've participated in trivia, seen Snape with a guitar, found poetry in on page 434(PoA) and seen examples of Harry Potter as social justice. I marvel at the fact that I am here and that I am so lucky, and I am humbled at the privilege this gives me, to be able to do these things and meet these people and have such a good time in life. I'm happier than I have been in a long time, and I imagine that in the future I will look back and smile.

To cross fandoms on you, I solemnly swear that in this moment I feel infinite.

Post-MISTI

Wow. These past few days have been some of the most awesome I've had in a good long while. The people in this fandom are so genuinely kind and it honestly was a whole other world. Moving my hotel to one on-site really did make an enormous difference. All my time at MISTI was excellent, but being with everyone so closely was a distinct experience, and one for the better. MISTI-Con 2019 is going to be in a new venue, and while I do love the Margate location, I understand. As someone who was both away from and staying with the convention I can confirm that while I loved it all, I was happiest with everyone else. There are so many things I could say about this amazing experience, but I think I'll stick with two words ― Thank You.