J.K. Rowling's Blog, page 6

Teachers can now post videos of themselves reading aloud
from the Harry Potter books to children prevented from attending school because
of the Covid-19 virus. This follows J.K. Rowling and her agents The Blair
Partnership relaxing the usual copyright permissions required.

Teachers anywhere in the world are permitted to post videos of themselves reading from Harry Potter books 1-7 onto schools’ secure networks or closed educational platforms from today until the end of the school year (or the end of July in southern hemisphere). A full set of Guidelines for Teachers are downloadable here.

The open licence for teachers is the first of several initiatives being planned to help bring Harry Potter to children at home, which will be announced shortly – watch this space for more details! 

#HarryPotterAtHome

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The special extended edition of BBC Radio 4’s The Museum of Curiosity featuring J.K. Rowling went out over Christmas and is available to listen again as a BBC Comedy of the Week podcast until 30th January 2020. Listen here.

J.K. Rowling was joined by music producer Glyn Johns, comedian Shazia Mirza, curator Bridget Christie and host John Lloyd on the panel of the award-winning radio show.  In this Christmas Special edition of the programme Jo reveals what she would donate to the imaginary museum, and gives a fascinating insight into her creative writing processes.

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Last night, in New York City, J.K. Rowling was honoured with a Ripple of Hope Award from Robert F Kennedy Human Rights. The distinguished award celebrates leaders in their field who demonstrate commitment to social change and reflect Robert Kennedy’s passion for equality, justice, basic human rights, and his belief that each of us can make a difference.  

She was one
of four honorees this year, who also included Speaker of the House of
Representatives Nancy Pelosi. Previous recipients of the Ripple of Hope Award
include Barack Obama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Bono, Hillary Rodham Clinton,
George Clooney, and Harry Belafonte.

In her acceptance
speech J.K. Rowling said: “Robert Kennedy embodied everything I most admire in a human being.
He was morally and physically courageous – and I believe, as Churchill did,
that courage is foremost among virtues, because it secures all the others.”

She went on to say, “He was a man of both empathy and action. He helped bring about real change and he continues to inspire people way beyond the country of his birth. I’m not sure we can ask much more of any politician, or indeed, human being.” 

“I count this one of the highest honours I’ve ever been given,” said Rowling on receiving the award from Robert’s daughter Kerry Kennedy.  J.K. Rowling chose the first name of her crime writing nom-de-plume, Robert Galbraith, in honour of her hero.

More details about the Awards are at www.rfkhumanrights.org

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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child official opened
at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco yesterday, bringing the eighth story to
Harry Potter fans on the West Coast.

The cast and crew from Cursed Child were joined by producers
Sonia Friedman and Colin Callendar, who were thrilled to be there and very
excited about the show opening in the city. “To actually be working here and
have a show in this absolutely amazing place is, for me, one of the highlights
of my life,” said Friedman.

J.K. Rowling, who couldn’t attend the opening delivered a special letter to the San Francisco production which said, “I couldn’t be prouder that the play’s now opening in one of my favourite cities!”

San Francisco is now the fourth production of Harry
Potter and the Cursed Child to open, with Hamburg and Toronto set to open
in 2020. Hamburg will be the first non-English language production.

For more about the opening weekend and latest news about the
production go to WizardingWorld.com
and the Cursed
Child website.

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J.K. Rowling will join comedian Shazia Mirza and music producer Glyn Johns on the panel of a special extended edition of BBC Radio 4’s The Museum of Curiosity this Christmas.  The award-winning radio show, which is hosted by John Lloyd and features guest ‘curator’ Bridget Christie, asks three distinguished guests to donate fascinating exhibits to a vast imaginary Museum.

The programme will air on Monday 23rd December at 6.15pm GMT on BBC Radio 4, and is repeated over the Christmas period.

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J.K. Rowling shares early memories of visiting Europe as a teenager and the lasting impression it made upon her, in a contribution to a new book: A Love Letter to Europe: An Outpouring of Love, Sadness and Hope.

The book features contributions from other writers, thinkers, artists and performers and is published by Coronet.

#LoveLetterToEurope

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J.K. Rowling today helped launch #HelpingNotHelping – a new campaign led by her children’s charity, Lumos, to challenge attitudes towards orphanage tourism and volunteering.

Speaking
in London at One Young World, the global forum for young leaders, J.K. Rowling,
as Founder and President of Lumos, delivered a powerful call to action to end
orphanage tourism and volunteering, which can drive family separation and child
trafficking – highlighting that orphanages are a harmful and outdated system of
‘care’ for children:

“Despite the best of intentions, the sad truth is
that visiting and volunteering in orphanages drives an industry that separates
children from their families and puts them at risk of neglect and abuse. We
want this campaign to highlight the extent of the harm that orphanages cause
and to put an end to orphanage tourism and volunteering for good.

My message to young people today is yes volunteer – but plan carefully and thoughtfully. Your time and energy are precious: use them wisely and they will help change the world.  Do not volunteer in orphanages. Instead, look at what drives children into institutions and dedicate your time to projects that tackle poverty or support communities with vital services.”

J.K. Rowling was joined on stage by Alex Christopoulos (Dep CEO Lumos), Ade Adepitan as well as two One Young World Ambassadors and self-advocates Ruth Wackuka Waithera from Kenya and Eluxon Tassy, from Haiti. As care leavers, Ruth and Eluxon shared their experiences of growing up in orphanages and called for change in the way vulnerable children are cared for around the world.

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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire has been brought to life by award-winning illustrator Jim Kay. This is the fourth book in the Harry Potter series to be illustrated by him and has been published today by Bloomsbury in the UK and Scholastic in the US.

The fiery cover shows Kay’s stunning reimagining of the first task in the Triwizard Tournament when Harry goes head to head with a Hungarian Horntail.

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Today J.K. Rowling’s children’s charity Lumos has launched a new sweepstake
which will give Harry Potter fans a chance to experience the Wizarding World
like never before and at the same time help support Lumos.   

One winner and three friends will embark on the Harry Potter Trip of
a Lifetime, travelling to four cities around
the world for the most exclusive and magical Harry Potter experiences including
tickets to the opening night of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in San
Francisco, visits to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – the Making of Harry
Potter, and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort and
Universal Studios Hollywood. The winners will also have the chance to meet
Harry Potter film stars Bonnie Wright in Los Angeles and Warwick Davis in
London.

Bonnie Wright, a Lumos
ambassador, said: “This really will be a once in a lifetime trip for one
lucky Harry Potter fan, and the best part is that all donations will support
Lumos do their fantastic work to help children around the world to find a
family. I can’t wait to meet the lucky winner when they come to LA – so get
entering today, and it could be you.”

The sweepstake runs from 3 October – 12 November 2019 and is open to UK and US residents only. Find out how to enter: http://bit.ly/2p2mJ4F

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J.K. Rowling has donated £15.3m (inclusive of Gift Aid) to the University of Edinburgh, to help create new facilities and support vital research at the University’s Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic. This donation will help improve outcomes for generations of people with multiple sclerosis.

The Anne Rowling Clinic was founded
with her previous donation in 2010, and is named in memory of her mother who
died of MS, aged 45.   It has established itself as an integrated
care and research facility focusing on MS and neurological conditions.

J.K. Rowling said: “When the Anne Rowling Clinic was first founded, none of us could have predicted the incredible progress that would be made in the field of Regenerative Neurology, with the Clinic leading the charge.

“I am delighted to now support the Clinic into a new phase of discovery and achievement, as it realises its ambition to create a legacy of better outcomes for generations of people with MS and non-MS neurodegenerative diseases.”

Professor Siddharthan Chandran, Clinic Director, said: “This incredibly far-sighted and generous donation will unlock the potential of personalised medicine for people with MS in Scotland and further afield.”

Find out more about the Anne Rowling Clinic here.

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