Come on in. Aberforth’s pouring, and drinks are on the house. Welcome to The Hog’s Head, the Inn that served as a place for many key plot events in the Harry Potter series: Trelawney’s prophecy, Hagrid’s winning the dragon egg, the organization of Dumbledore’s Army, and the rally point for the good guys in the Battle of Hogwarts. The place might be a bit dingy, but we’re gathering here for discussion in the form of essays, news and commentary, and podcasts, continuing the conversation about Potter and letting that lead us to more great literature. This site is run by the Blogengamot, and here they are:

Travis Prinzi, Chief Warlock of the Blogengamot M.A., Theological Studies, Northeastern Seminary B.A., Religion, Houghton College Degree Expected 2009: M.S., Secondary English Education and Special Ed, Warner Graduate School of Education at University of Rochester

I live in Rochester, NY with my beautiful wife, Tricia, and our beautiful baby girl Sophia. Presently employed as a freelance writer (Suite101.com), author (Zossima Press), researcher (Docent Research Group), and cardiovascular technician (a what?), I am currently working on my second graduate degree, an M.S.Ed in Secondary English. I also blog at restless reformer (personal/theological blog), and Boar’s Head Tavern (a group blog). I’ve recently added a blog dedicated to our new baby girl, Sophia. I’m a member of The Mythopoeic Society.

I am also, of course, Chief Warlock of the Blogengamot. I created the Blogengamot in Summer ‘07 when Zossima Press agreed to publish me and I realized I’d need to set aside my blogging time for writing the book instead. Here they are:

The Blogengamot

Matthew Boyd (Korg20000bc), Moderator - Age: 35 Nationality: Australian Married to Amy, 3 Daughters- River, Lily & Charlotte. Currently self employed as a remedial masseur and self-defence instructor. Interests: Music- very elcectic taste ranging from sea shanties and other folk music to Curtis Mayfield, Alan Parson’s Project, Air, Beastie Boys, Beck, Neville Brothers. Sci-Fi/Fantasy and adventure stories- Tolkien, Lewis, Christopher Stasheff, HP Lovecraft, Frank Herbert, Raphael Sabatini, AC Doyle, Heinlein, John Wyndham

Ben S, Tech-Elf -Age: 16 Location: Alabama Occupation: High School student Interests: Books: Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of The Rings, and some other Sci-Fi/Fantasy books. Music: I like pretty much everything, but U2 is easily my favorite artist. Movies: I like a lot of movies. Some of my favorites are, Harry Potter, LOTR, the Bourne trilogy, and the newer Batman movies. My dad taught me basic web design when I was pretty young, and I have enjoyed doing web design since then.

Dave, the Longwinded, Writer -
BA in English and Philosophy in 2001 from Morehead State University
MA in English in 2003 from dear old MSU
I enter the PhD in Rhetoric and Textual Studies at Old Dominion University in Fall 2008

I was born and raised in Southeastern Kentucky, then moved to Western Kentucky after school to teach college writing and the occasional literature class. My wife, Jamie, is a huge Harry Potter fan (she got me into it) and an inveterate reader/listener of Sword of Gryffindor who gets to teach Harry Potter to her high school seniors this year. We live close to the Ohio River with our five cats, watch a lot of movies, and play a few videogames. I like to examine Harry Potter in light of pop culture. You’ll find posts from me on not just HP, but also comic books, movies, and games.

Johnny (Behold a Phoenix), Writer - Age: 25 Location: New York City
My first experience reading Harry Potter was in a cubicle in Rosenthal Library at my college. I was aware of its popularity and the religious opposition to the series, and I wanted to see what the fuss was all about. Reading the first words, I was transported into a world that was different yet similar. So started my love for these books. Last year, I started Behold a Phoenix, a blog exploring the virtues of Harry Potter and answering some of the objections to the series. My other interests include reading fantasy novels (Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings especially), classics, and history.

Michael Politakis, The Hog’s Head Artist - Age: 21 Nationality: Australian Young up and coming artist. I especially loves the art of comics and hopes to create my own one day (in the mean time I’d settle for working for some of the bigger Comic companies.) My influences are time Sale, Buzz, Neal Adams and so many other fantastic artists. Being a big Harry Potter has really helped me to really appreciate Noir, and other fantasy stories. I especially enjoy the works of Jim Butcher, Philip Reeve and Angie Sage. When I’m not at trying to complete my final year at Uni or otherwise drawing, you will either see me on a tennis court, or hanging out in pub/bar with mates.

Jonathan Lane, Tech-Elf - Jon is a human being of the male variety who had no childhood, because he was born at the age of 26. He is a music snob who understands that most good music comes from England, and that most of that stopped in 1974. In addition to HP, he loves the Chronicles of Narnia, Foundation, and the Odyssey series.