'Harry Potter Lexicon' author and publisher to speak at Grand Valley

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The world-renowned founder of the Harry Potter Lexicon Web site, Steven Vander Ark, and book publisher Roger Rapoport, who are currently involved in a legal battle with author J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros., will speak locally at a free, public event.

Grand Valley State University Department of Writing presents, “Writing, Editing, and Publishing: Steve Vander Ark and the Harry Potter Lexicon,” on Wednesday, December 5, from 7-9 p.m., in Loosemore Auditorium, 401 W. Fulton, on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus.

A longtime West Michigan resident, Vander Ark is founder of hp-lexicon.org, an unofficial fan Web site Potter readers flock to for its encyclopedic entries. Plans for the November 28 publication of the site’s content as a 400-page book, through Muskegon-based RDR Books, are now on hold because of a federal court lawsuit filed by Rowling and Warner Bros. RDR Books has voluntarily delayed the book until the court rules on the plaintiffs’ request for an injunction following a February 6 New York hearing.

The David and Goliath legal battle that this case entails raises fascinating questions about intellectual property rights, Internet publication, and the role of critical reference publications in relation to Web sites and books that have freely promoted literary classics.

The event at Grand Valley, featuring Vander Ark and Rapoport, founder of RDR Books, will provide an opportunity for students and community members to hear about their personal adventures as a writer and a publisher.

For more information, contact Dan Royer at [email protected], or call the Department of Writing at 616-331-3411.