New-York Historical Society Announces Harry Potter Events

NEW YORK — Did your Hogwarts letter get lost in the mail? If so, this fall, the New-York Historical Society will offer muggles a chance to immerse themselves in the wizarding world of Harry Potter.

The museum, which is presenting the exhibition “Harry Potter: A History of Magic,” is offering a series of workshops, book clubs, meetups, talks, classes and other events to accompany the exhibition. These events are part of a yearlong celebration of the 20th anniversary of the publication in the United States of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”

Jim Dale, whose memorable voice can be heard on all seven Harry Potter audiobooks, will give a talk Jan. 9 about his experience developing voices for the more than 200 characters in the books. And artists Mary GrandPré and Brian Selznick will discuss their approaches to illustrating the books. Other talks will examine the series’ effect on popular culture, the process for translating the books from British English into U.S. English and the history of children’s literature.

An event called “Growing Up With Harry Potter,” on Jan. 7, will give fans who grew up with the books a chance to talk about their personal experience and relationship with the world of Harry Potter, while Halloween activities will take place Oct. 30, with magical crafting.

The exhibition, which debuted in London, will feature materials from J.K. Rowling’s personal archives.

Event tickets go on sale Tuesday at noon. Those and exhibition tickets are available at harrypotter.nyhistory.org.