Griffith University in Queensland, Australia will host Harry Potter Discussion Day on September 6th. Thanks to Anna-Louise for the link!

The Leaky Cauldron would like to wish Rupert Grint a very enthusiastic Happy 15th Birthday!

Kimberly Noles of Oklahoma State University thinks Americanizing the Harry Potter series was a missed opportunity: Most adults know that other countries spell words differently, but children don’t. Seeing the words like colour, favourite and honour spelled differently opens the lines of communication for discussion about other cultures and why they do things differently. Thanks …read more!

Susan King of the L.A. Times offers a short piece on our favorite pony-tailed dad, Jason Issacs.

NPR has an audio clip on Tom Felton’s entry into the Lawrence International Junior Carp Tournament. Thanks to Joya for the link!

From the American Prospect: Although some reviewers have inexplicably branded the books “monoculturalistic” and even “sexist,” Rowling has admitted to being “left wing” personally and hoped that “every reader will bring his own agenda to the book.” Rowling has an enormous audience — and probably more U.S. supporters than any one of the current Democratic …read more!

Thanks go out to Jasen with iharrypotter.net who has just informed us that they have some new photos from the PoA set!

A limited edition boxed set of the first five Harry Potter books is scheduled to go on sale in September. The hardcover boxed set can be purchased at Barnes & Noble. The box is decorated with OotP artwork and comes with a leather, Harry Potter bookmark as well.

The BBC tells us that while more than 100 people emailed the Nobel Prize Committee, no one wrote an actual letter. We also learn that James Downey, the U.S. author behind the drive to have J.K. Rowling nominated for the prize, was also behind a project to get people around the world to point laser …read more!

The San Francisco Bay Guardian offers this essay, comparing Order of the Phoenix to Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones: Rowling’s artistic achievement is as extraordinary as her sales figures. Rather than offer readers a Sebold-style imaginary escape from death’s reality, the Harry Potter books admonish readers to face that reality squarely. Sebold sells adults a …read more!