It has been announced that JK Rowling will be writing a “storycard” for the “What’s Your Story?” auction on June 10th. The money raised will go to the English PEN and Dyslexia Action charities.

It has also been  announced that the stories (by 13 authors) will go on sale to the public later in the summer. They will be in a book of postcards and proceeds will also be given to the charities above.

Thanks Mugglenet!

J.K. Rowling, received the Author of the Year Award at the first annual Children’s Choice Book Awards at a gala in New York City.

Congratulations JK Rowling!!!!!!!!!

Tim Wu, a Columbia Law Professor, led a panel May 1st at OnCopyright 2008.  The panel talked a lot about the JKR vs RDR Books lawsuit. .Here is some information from a summary on the conference at EContent Magazine:

He planted the seeds for his group’s discussion by familiarizing the conference audience with the story of Steve Vander Ark, the creator of The Harry Potter Lexicon, an online encyclopedia that is a companion to the Harry Potter children’s book series. The Lexicon gained widespread news coverage in recent months when Potter author J. K. Rowling took Vander Ark to court for copyright infringement over a proposed published edition of the Lexicon. Wu played an official Harry Potter podcast in which other members of the Harry Potter fan community ostracized and effectively banished Vander Ark from their ranks. Wu’s question to the panel was, “Why are Harry Potter fans disowning Vander Ark?” The panel’s answer was that the fan community needs to disassociate itself from anyone who goes to far in appropriating creative content for fear that their own access to that content might dry up. The panel also noted that Vander Ark’s attempt to turn his online Lexicon into an ink-and-paper book was his ultimate undoing.

J.K. Rowling has been inducted into Mommy Hall of Fame in honor of Mothers Day in the US! Chief Parenting has compiled a list of 10 Successful Women and Exemplary Mothers.  Only American mothers are eligible, so Rowling has been included as an honorary ‘global’ inductee.

J.K. Rowling (Global Honoree) – Unemployed, suffering from depression and solely raising her infant daughter on state benefits, Rowling wrote a little book titled Harry Potter.

Thanks SnitchSeeker

If you recall, last year, a court battle where J.K. Rowling lost the privacy rights case involving her son. The case was about the publication of long-lens photographs taken of her son when he was 18 months old in 2004.  She appealed the case and won the today.  JKR and husband, Dr. Neil Murray, released the following statement:

We understand and accept that with the success of Harry Potter there will be a measure of legitimate media and public interest in Jo’s professional activities and appearances.

However, we have striven to give our children a normal family life outside the media spotlight.

We are immensely grateful to the court for giving our children protection from covert, unauthorised photography; this ruling will make an immediate and material difference to their lives. 

Thanks HPANA!

The New Yorker has a new article out where they discuss the JK Rowling vs. RDR books and Steve Vander Ark case.

“It’s the same thing as if a family member were to go and break the law, and do something horrible,” John Noe, the site’s[TLC] creative director, said. “There is no room for sympathy.”

I have to totally agree with John on this one.  I really think that Steve made a big mistake with his decision. I fully support JK Rowling and I hope the judge decides in her favor.  So please show your support for her, this is a very hard time for her.

The ruling for the case should come sometime after May 9th, which is this Friday.