The Fredonia Shakespeare Club met recently for its twelfth regular meeting of the 2014-2015 season, hosted by Harriet Tower. President Florence McClelland presided at the meeting.

In accordance with the general theme for the year, “Women of Achievement,” Nicki Schoenl’s paper about J. K. Rowling was presented. The paper is summarized as follows:

J.K. Rowling is one of the most celebrated children’s authors in the world. She is credited with creating the bestselling book series of all time about a young orphaned boy who, on his eleventh birthday, learns he is a wizard. The boy’s name is Harry Potter. In 2013, it was estimated that over 450 million copies of the Harry Potter books had been sold. This series has been translated into 73 languages; only the Bible has more translations.

The books were made into an eight-part film series and became the highest grossing film franchise of all time. The movies took in over eight billion dollars and were nominated for 12 academy awards. Because of the success of the books and films, Harry Potter-themed areas, known as “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” were created at the Universal Orlando resorts in Orlando, Florida. Countless games, toys, dolls, and collectibles have been created based on the books. In 2013, the United States Postal Service released a commemorative series of twenty stamps based on the characters in this series.

J.K. Rowling became the first billionaire female writer but her journey, prior to this spellbinding success, was a very difficult one. Her “rags to riches” tale was summarized in her commencement address at Harvard University in 2008. She stated that a mere seven years after her college graduation she had failed on an epic scale. An exceptionally short-lived marriage had imploded, she was jobless, a lone parent, and as poor as possible in Britain, without being homeless. During this period in her life, she was diagnosed with clinical depression, contemplated suicide, and spent nine months in counseling. J.K. explains that realizing that she had hit rock bottom had set her free because she had nowhere else to go but up.

For as long as she can remember, J.K. Rowling wanted to be a writer. In 1987, she graduated from Exeter University and began working as a researcher for Amnesty International in London. In 1990, on what was normally a 40-minute train ride from Manchester to London, a four-hour delay provided enough time for Rowling to dream up the story that would change her life. She visualized a scrawny black-haired boy with glasses and a scar on his head who did not know he was a wizard. J.K. explains that the ideas came fully formed in her mind and she knew from the beginning that the story would be told not in one book but seven.

It wasn’t until six years later, in 1996, that J.K. felt that her manuscript “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” was ready to be published. Her manuscript was rejected by many agents and by about a dozen publishers before it was bought by a small publishing company, in London, for around $2,355. It was published in the United Kingdom in 1997.

About three months later, the rights to publish the book in the United States was purchased by Scholastic Books for a record $105,000. This was an unheard of amount of money for a children’s book. The title of the first book was changed to “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” The book reached best seller status in about three months. J.K. Rowling went on to write six more books in the Harry Potter series. The seventh and final book “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” was published in 2007. It entered USA Today’s list of bestselling books at number one, selling 8.3 million books in just twenty-four hours in the U.S.A. alone. J.K. Rowling had written the bestselling book of all time. After completion of the Harry Potter books, she went on to write three adult novels, “The Casual Vacancy,” “The Cuckoo’s Calling,” and “The Silkworm.”

J.K. Rowling is a notable philanthropist and humanitarian. Among the foundations that she strongly supports or chairs are those linked to poverty, women’s issues, children’s welfare, illiteracy, and multiple sclerosis.

Her major contribution to society, in Schoenl’s opinion, is giving children a reason to read and giving them the freedom to use their imaginations. The Harry Potter phenomenon suggests that all it takes to get a child interested in reading is the right book – the one he or she will take to bed with a flashlight. J.K. Rowling changed the face of reading. An article in The Wall Street Journal titled “How Harry Potter Saved Reading” said what Ms. Rowling achieved was a “children-led read-in” that crossed all age barriers, uniting families in a primal fireside act of sharing an unfolding story, page by page. J.K. Rowling has inspired a generation of readers and writers through the adventures of a young, orphaned, wizard named Harry who teaches that love is the greatest power and that those who love will always persevere. She reminds us that we should never forget that we all have the gift of magic inside of us.

After the presentation, Harriet Tower called the group to tea, at which she was assisted by Mrs. William Larson.

The next meeting will be hosted by Schoenl during which Harriett Tower will present her paper about Margaret Fuller.