muggle mania

I spent yesterday standing or sitting in Harvard Yard yesterday, waiting to see and hear J.K. Rowling at commencement. The security guards told me they had been working commencement for years and had never seen the kind of excitement and crowds that she drew. There were several kids in costume, including one boy in full Harry Potter dress (several Japanese tourists stopped to get their pictures taken with him), and people came from as far away as Pennsylvania and Texas just to hear her speak. There's an article about her speech here; she was both funny and serious, talking about the importance of both failure and imagination. And there was even a gay wizard joke.

And now, my not-so-great pictures from yesterday (thank goodness for zoom lenses).

Her chair before the afternoon session:



Being introduced by the Harvard president:



And during her speech: