MISTI-Con 2019: Full Schedule

2:00pm EDT

Costuming Workshop for First Years

Costumes are fun to wear, and can be easy to make. Learn some of the basics to make a robe, or any outfit that you want to wear for cosplay or conventions.

Speakers

James Snape

James has been costuming since 2004, and made his Snape outfit in 2007 after reading all the HP books. He's been on costuming panels at other conventions, as well being the Masquerade Director at Arisia for their Masquerade, a costume showcase.

Thursday July 18, 2019 2:00pm - 2:45pm EDT
Salon 4 Doubletree by Hilton at Tarrytown

Creative

Host Organization MISTI-Con
18+ No
Audience No

3:00pm EDT

Tattoo Tales & Talk

What makes tattoos so special? It’s all about self-expression. Join this round table to show off your tattoos (fandomy or not), or share your stories behind each. Talk about your studio experiences or ideas for your next tattoo. Don’t have a tattoo yet, but want one? Come anyway! This is your chance to pick the brains of tattoo veterans and learn some tips when it comes to getting your first tattoo.

Speakers

Kristina Moy

Kristina Moy is an email marketing guru in the day & an illustrator/tea blender whenever she has free time. 12+ years of making art & 5+ years in tea blending has let Kristina spread fandom love through her artwork and fandom teas. She is also an avid tattoo collector who enjoys yoga... Read More →

Thursday July 18, 2019 3:00pm - 3:45pm EDT
Salon 4 Doubletree by Hilton at Tarrytown

Fandom

Host Organization MISTI-Con
18+ No
Audience No

4:00pm EDT

Five More Scenes We Didn’t See

In the HP novels there are some important events which we know happened but we didn’t see them. Let’s try to imagine five of those events: 1. The Dursleys upon finding the baby Harry on their doorstep. 2. The conversation between Dumbledore and Fudge after the battle at the Ministry. 3. The Dursleys in hiding with the wizards. 4. The disposal of Tom Riddle's body. 5. The wedding of Ron and Hermione.

Speakers

David Martin

David Martin is a husband, father, and grandfather. He is a retired computer programmer. He has been following Harry Potter since 1999 and has made presentations at several conventions. He is proud to be a Hufflepuff and wishes that Hermione had ended up with him rather than with... Read More →

Thursday July 18, 2019 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
Salon 4 Doubletree by Hilton at Tarrytown

Fandom

Host Organization MISTI-Con
18+ No
Audience No

9:30pm EDT

Author Reading and Q&A: Cecilia Tan 18+

Cecilia Tan, author of The Siren & the Sword, Daron's Guitar Chronicles, and The Prince's Boy will read selections from her current or upcoming books and will answer questions from the audience.

Speakers

Cecilia Tan

Cecilia Tan is the award-winning author of over 25 novels including the Magic University series, and the editor of over 100 anthologies of short stories. Her fiction has appeared in Asimov's, Ms. Magazine, Strange Horizons, and many other places. Keep up with her at ceciliatan.com... Read More →

Thursday July 18, 2019 9:30pm - 10:00pm EDT
Salon 4 Doubletree by Hilton at Tarrytown

Lit

Host Organization MISTI-Con
18+ Yes
Audience Yes

10:15pm EDT

After Hours, In The Restricted Section: The Adults-Only Fanfic Meet-up 18+

For connoisseurs and authors of “mature” fanfiction, this meet-up is a judgment-free zone. Join other fanfic writers and enthusiasts as we discuss how we engage with transformative works of the explicit variety. We’ll play a game of erotic Mad Libs to create our own fanfic drabble. Then, prepare to be delighted by a rousing live reading of selected works, read by the stimulating authors of the MISTI-Con 2019 Fanfiction Collection. Mature adults (18+) are welcome.

Speakers

Stacy Pisani

As Fanfiction Coordinator, Stacy Pisani brings together a love of transformative fan works and an enthusiasm for building a creative community.

Thursday July 18, 2019 10:15pm - 11:00pm EDT
Salon 4 Doubletree by Hilton at Tarrytown

Meet-Ups

Host Organization MISTI-Con
18+ Yes
Audience Yes

11:15pm EDT

Why Maidens Misbehave: The Importance of Intersectional Feminism in Folk Music * 18+

Well behaved women rarely make history, and The Misbehavin’ Maidens continue that tradition by singing music about sex positivity and women’s rights to change the narrative involving adult folk and filk music. They sing on a variety of topics, with education and feminism being key points; right alongside sex, violence, and Sci Fi. This panel will be focusing on why they do what they do, and why it’s important for women to get up on stage and sing about orgasms, Dr Who, and murder. This panel will also feature a Q and A. 18+ Recommended. (The Misbehavin' Maidens)

Speakers

Misbehavin' Maidens

Thursday July 18, 2019 11:15pm - Friday July 19, 2019 12:00am EDT
Salon 4 Doubletree by Hilton at Tarrytown

Fandom

Host Organization MISTI-Con
18+ Yes
Audience Yes

9:00am EDT

Discussing HP in 2019: Engaging with Fandom despite the Furor, Failures, and False Controversies

When “the eighth story” and a new film franchise were announced for the Wizarding World, it appeared the fandom was in for a renaissance. However, several years past 2016, that’s not the case. The, ahem, divisive reception to the expanding Wizarding World™ has thrown a wrench into our favorite pastime of HP analysis. Join the authors of books about Dumbledore and about Snape to discuss engaging with HP in this fraught new era of fandom.

Speakers

Irvin Khaytman

Irvin (“hpboy13” online) has been a prolific member of HP fandom since 2003, and identifies as Ravenpuff. He is the author of The Life and Lies of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. He is MuggleNet’s controversial columnist, over at The Three Broomsticks. He is the Dark... Read More →

Lorrie Kim

Lorrie Kim is the author of Snape: A Definitive Reading. She lives in Philadelphia, PA with her clever, grumpy, magical spouse and their geeky offspring, one born between Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince and one in gestation during the publication of Deathly Hallows.

Friday July 19, 2019 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Salon 4 Doubletree by Hilton at Tarrytown

Academic

Host Organization MISTI-Con
18+ No
Audience No

10:00am EDT

Hogwarts BSU

While there are only a handful of Black characters in the Wizarding World, Black Potterheads have found home in Hogwarts the same way others have. At Black Girls Create we started a project called Hogwarts BSU, which allows Black Potterheads to create fanfiction, fanart, and more in order to imagine life as a Black Hogwarts student. In this panel we will discuss race in the Wizarding World, our favorite Black witches and wizards, as well as the importance of writing yourself into the spaces you wouldn’t be seen in otherwise.

Speakers

Black Girls Create

Friday July 19, 2019 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Salon 4 Doubletree by Hilton at Tarrytown

Creative

Host Organization MISTI-Con
18+ No
Audience No

11:00am EDT

They Won’t Hurt You Unless You Attack Them: Animal Familiars in the Wizarding World

J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world is filled with animals that are not Fantastic Beasts, but which appear in witch trials. Cats, toads, rats, and owls, the feared accomplices of witches, become assistants in Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts: Mrs. Norris and Mrs. Figgs’ multiple cats, magical service animals; French tabbies, magical guards; the familiars of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, pets at Hogwarts. This presentation draws on witch trials, folklore, fantasy, and children’s stories as the sources for the animals of Rowling’s universe.

Speakers

Melissa D. Aaron (Moonyprof)

Melissa D. Aaron, aka “Moonyprof,” is a Professor of English at Cal Poly Pomona, where she teaches a Harry Potter course. Her areas are Shakespeare and theatre history. Her Harry Potter specialty is Lupin and werewolves. Her papers include “Newt Scamander and the Uses of Compassion... Read More →

Friday July 19, 2019 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Salon 4 Doubletree by Hilton at Tarrytown

Academic

Host Organization MISTI-Con
18+ No
Audience No

2:00pm EDT

The Foreshadowing of Borgin & Burkes

When Harry accidentally Floos to Borgin & Burkes in Chamber of Secrets, he encounters an array of fascinating Dark artifacts. But nothing in the HP books is ever listed without reason: the wares of Borgin & Burkes keep popping up in the series in several exciting ways. This presentation will go through several patterns and parallels surrounding those objects throughout the HP books, leaving you in further awe of Jo Rowling’s early foreshadowing.

Speakers

Irvin Khaytman

Friday July 19, 2019 2:00pm - 2:45pm EDT
Salon 4 Doubletree by Hilton at Tarrytown

Academic

Host Organization MISTI-Con
18+ No
Audience No

3:00pm EDT

What Americans Get Wrong about Harry Potter

Because the Harry Potter novels are written in English, and because we love them, it is easy for us to forget that the novels are set in a British context. Reading these novels with American eyes, we can misunderstand some points of the story. This presentation begins with details (e.g., Why Ron says that the fifty pence piece is “weird.”) and moves on to what “pure blood” means in a British context.

Speakers

David Martin

Friday July 19, 2019 3:00pm - 3:45pm EDT
Salon 4 Doubletree by Hilton at Tarrytown

Academic

Host Organization MISTI-Con
18+ No
Audience No

4:00pm EDT

"And my soul, Dumbledore?" The Snape-Dumbledore Relationship

"You disgust me." "You have used me." "Severus...please..." Did Dumbledore use Snape or save him? What was his plan for Snape with the Elder Wand? Was he as guilty as Snape when he was young, or even more? Join the author of Snape: A Definitive Reading as we delve into the original series, Cursed Child, and the Fantastic Beasts films to understand the highly charged partnership between Dumbledore and his right-hand man.

Speakers

Lorrie Kim

Friday July 19, 2019 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
Salon 4 Doubletree by Hilton at Tarrytown

Academic

Host Organization MISTI-Con
18+ No
Audience No

9:00am EDT

Credence and Fantastic Beasts: Harry Potter, but Not Safe for Children? (Possible TW)

What if Harry never got his Hogwarts letter? What if instead of inheriting a vault of gold, he’d stayed with the Dursleys? With Credence Barebone, Rowling revisits her themes without the fairy-tale protections that kept Harry’s story safe. In the Fantastic Beasts universe, children kill. Coercion works. These tales are darker, the audience is older, and the magic is honest and raw. Come theorize and speculate as we revel in the excitement of mid-series hiatus.

Speakers

Lorrie Kim

Saturday July 20, 2019 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Salon 4 Doubletree by Hilton at Tarrytown

Academic

Host Organization MISTI-Con
18+ Yes
Audience No

10:00am EDT

You Won’t Need Any Ink: Dolores Umbridge and Pathological Tribalism

Dolores Umbridge believed she was better than others. Assuming the Head of the Muggle-born Registration Commission, she reveled in “pathological tribalism.” This emerges when tribes experience cognitive biases and a polarized environment. It was her job to put “those people” in their proper place: beneath Pure Bloods. What can we learn from Dolores? How do we justify “evil” in our lives to demonize other groups? In what ways do we nurture our own egos to maintain a sense of being “better” than those beneath us? Can we cast a spell of critical thinking to see beyond our own perspectives?

Speakers

LCSW

Brent A. Satterly

Saturday July 20, 2019 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Salon 4 Doubletree by Hilton at Tarrytown

Academic

Host Organization MISTI-Con
18+ No
Audience No

11:00am EDT

Herbology 101

Herbology 101 informs the listener about the importance of herbs in both the Wizarding and Muggle Worlds. It will address the usage of herbs for magickal and medicinal purposes as well as a brief history of Herbology.

Speakers

Susen James

Susen James is an RN, and Professor of various Poetry and Literature courses at Columbia College - Chicago, including a class in Fantasy Literature - Harry Potter. Having studied herbs for many years, she is currently writing a book on the herbs in the Harry Potter septology titled... Read More →

Saturday July 20, 2019 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Salon 4 Doubletree by Hilton at Tarrytown

Academic

Host Organization MISTI-Con
18+ No
Audience No

2:00pm EDT

Weasley is our King

How does Arthurian legend and the monarchy/knights of Europe connect to the noble family of the Weasley's? Come along on the quest to find out how Arthur Weasley is the legend King of the Britons through connections with stories of the past.

Speakers

Cheryl Nelson

Originally from the UK, Cheryl now resides in NYC working with adults with disabilities. A massive Harry Potter fan with a love for all things British, Cheryl loves to research mythological stories that connect to the work of Harry Potter

Jennifer Drucker

Saturday July 20, 2019 2:00pm - 2:45pm EDT
Salon 4 Doubletree by Hilton at Tarrytown

Academic

Host Organization MISTI-Con
18+ No
Audience No

3:00pm EDT

#WizardTeam Live!

#WizardTeam is a weekly Harry Potter podcast for true Potterheads. Each week Bayana Davis and Robyn Jordan do a close reread of the books chapter-by-chapter, discussing anything from our thoughts on the Trio’s Gryffindor behaviors to more obscure facts in the Harry Potter canon, even coming up with some strange and hilarious headcanons of our own. Start from the very beginning or join us in our current book, just beware: there are spoilers.

Speakers

Black Girls Create

Saturday July 20, 2019 3:00pm - 3:45pm EDT
Salon 4 Doubletree by Hilton at Tarrytown

Fandom

Host Organization MISTI-Con
18+ No
Audience No

10:00am EDT

History of Magic in New York

Both NYC itself and its surrounding suburbs are home to all kinds of mystery and magic. We will provide some interesting details about ghosts and mediums, witches and mystics, fairy tales and folklore from the city to the area around this convention.

Speakers

Jonathon Rosenthal

Jon Rosenthal is the Head Organizer of the NYC HP Meetup. He is also one of the co-founders of MISTI-Con and was a member of the org team for many events including Aeternitas and both NYC Wizard Rock Festivals. In his muggle life he is an IT Consultant and cat dad.

dyAnne Irby

dyAnne Irby is an Assistant Organizer for NYC's The Group That Shall Not Be Named. She has studied the psychic and medium arts. She is a certified Angel Card Reader, and a Licensed Massage Therapist. Her favourite colour is purple and she plays the sousaphone.

Margaret Walchak

Margaret Walchak is an assistant Organizer for the NYC HP Meetup. She is also active in a number of peer organizations in her muggle nursing life. A geeky nerd with a love of many fandoms, Margaret is proud to have attended Nimbus 2003, the very first Harry Potter literary fan co... Read More →

and Deanna Kelley

Sunday July 21, 2019 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Salon 4 Doubletree by Hilton at Tarrytown

Academic

Host Organization MISTI-Con
18+ No
Audience No

2:00pm EDT

Herbology: The Darker Side of Herbs

JK Rowling touched on both poisons and protections in the Harry Potter books and films. Learn about herbs as poisons - a history and folklore of poison plants, what they look like and a few diabolical poisonings. We'll discuss the poison garden, who cultivates poisonous plants today and why they are important. In folklore, herbs also have magical protective properties. Hear about them and make your own protective herbal amulet.

Speakers

Lynne Allison

Lynne Allison is a native Kansan currently living in rural Iowa. She has a degree in biology from Kansas State and has worked in pharmacy, veterinary virology and surgical technology. A lifelong gardener, since retiring Lynne has pursued a more in-depth study of herbs and their medicinal... Read More →

Sunday July 21, 2019 2:00pm - 2:45pm EDT
Salon 4 Doubletree by Hilton at Tarrytown

Fandom

Host Organization MISTI-Con
18+ No
Audience No

3:00pm EDT

I'm Only Here for the Butterbeer

The Harry Potter franchise has capitalized off of their wide fan-base, creating merchandise, video games, new book covers, and of course Pottermore and the Extended Canon. Fans disenchanted with the content coming out of the Wizarding World discuss navigating this merchandising Renaissance while staying true to their fandom experience.

Speakers

Abby Ritter

Abby Ritter is a wizard rocker (and a Hufflepuff) from Worcester, MA. She makes nerdy music about Harry Potter and being queer, and her single "It's Intersectional" can be found at wizardrock.bandcamp.com. When she's not at a convention, Abby can be found working as a board-certified... Read More →

Black Girls Create

Sunday July 21, 2019 3:00pm - 3:45pm EDT
Salon 4 Doubletree by Hilton at Tarrytown

Creative

Host Organization MISTI-Con
18+ No
Audience No