The Roundtable

Albany, Ny – There is an amazing burgeoning art community up in Washington County. To promote this resource, several artists including painter Leslie Parke and ceramic artist Brenda McMahon have organized an open studio throughout the county.

www.openstudioswashingtoncounty.com

Albany, NY – Multi-million dollar movies, bestselling record breaking sales and all manner of merchandising have sprung from J.K. Rowling's wizardly franchise. It is easy to forget that this empire started with one 233 page book and "The Boy Who Lived." That book was written for and first experienced by children and young adults, and we've got a few of those in studios today.

Albany, NY – As we follow the adventures of Harry, Hermione, and Ron, it is easy for kids to let words like succulent and grotesque pass them by. But Eric Randall and his nine year old daughter Julia were determined not to let that happen. They've put together a book for every kid who's ever put down her copy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and asked, "Dad, what does that word mean?"

The Pottersaurus: 1,500 Words Harry Potter Readers Need To Know, by Eric and Julia Randall.
Published by Pinewood Press.

Albany, NY – There are tribute bands to the Beatles, Kiss, Aerosmith and Pearl Jam. However, Harry and the Potters may be the first tribute band ever for a book. Harry and the Potters is made up of brothers Joe and Paul DeGeorge who travel the country playing libraries, bookstores and basements, singing about Harry Potter.

Albany, NY – Harry Potter's world of horcruxes, Nimbus 2000s and Blast Ended Skrewts may be fantasy, but the economic effects of the young wizard's multi-media empire are quite real. The release of the latest and final book will be a major event for local, independent booksellers. Scott Meyer of the Merritt Bookstores, which will be hosting its own Potter event, talks to us about the money behind the magic.

www.merrittbooks.com

Albany, NY – Now that we've primed you for some Harry Potter excitement, it would be cruel of us not to provide you with other opportunities for whimsical fun. With this in mind, we've cast a spell on our Roundtable Roulette segment and transformed it into a Harry Potter extravaganza! So, break out your quills and scrolls, and let Andy Clegg and Nell Strizich take you on a magic broom ride through the world of Deathly Hallows release parties.

Albany, NY – Starting this weekend, librarians might notice that their workplaces are unusually full of children. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be released this Saturday to the delight of fans everywhere. We've brought in several school librarians, and one teacher, to give us a little bit of perspective on the literary revolution in pedagogy that we call Harry Potter.

Albany, NY – Jim Dale's is a voice that many Harry Potter enthusiasts recognize It's accompanied them on car trips, airplane rides, and maybe even just relaxing a relaxing afternoon at home. He is the narrator of the Harry Potter audio books.

Albany, NY – Emerson Spartz is the 20 year old man behind the mugglenet.com website, which he started when he was a home-schooled 12 year old. Currently, Spartz is a business major at the University of Notre Dame. In advance of the arrival of the final Book 7, a number of staff members authored the reference book Mugglenet.Com's What Will Happen in Harry Potter 7, a published collection of unofficial predictions.

Albany, NY – From perfume to fashion; clean burning candles to the grease that drove the industrial revolution, much of American culture has been shaped by a single industry: whaling. It is something we don't hear much about these days, but the history of the whaling industry is a fascinating, and often disturbing topic. Eric Jay Dolin is a Fisheries Policy Analyst at the National Marine Fisheries Service and the author of the new book Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America.