Leviosa Recap: Day 3 and Day 4

I recently came back from Las Vegas and I am sharing my experience at Leviosa. For those who don't know what Leviosa is, Leviosa is Harry Potter and YA Lit convention that took place earlier this month. I shared my recap for Day 1 and Day 2  a couple of days ago. Check out the second half of my journey below.

Day 3

The second day of full programming was chock full of fun activities. I ended up skipping my first panel of the day because I wanted to sleep in for a little bit. My first panel of the day was Teaching Harry Potter in the College Classrom. Gareth, who is a good friend of David and Alyse, led the panel and he delved into his curriculum for his course, "Fantasy and Social Values," which he taught to undergraduate honor students this past semester. Not only was the panel fascinating but I loved how Gareth gave each attendee a copy of his curriculum. He has some good pointers about how to incorporate Harry Potter and other fantasy stories into a class curriculum.

I spent a couple few hours wandering the Vendor Room, catching up with friends in the Common Room, eating lunch and also playing some Harry Potter games such as Harry Potter Guess Who. I stayed for part of the MISTI-Con meet up before wandering back to the room to rest for a bit. I also donated about eight books to those who are in need within the Nevada area.

MISTI-Con postcard

At 4:00 I attended Has the Sorting Hat Been Wrong which was a very interesting panel. The presenters discuses multiple characters and whether they should have been sorted into another house. This panel was open to the audience to discuss what they thought about the sorting and whether certain characters were properly sorted. It was a very in depth discussion about whether the hat really chooses the best house for the witch or wizard or does it pick the house the person sees themselves in. I plan to recap this event at a later time in more detail.

Afterwards, I attended Snape and Sirius in Canon which is a reading by Lorrie Kim. I also was able to get by Snape: A Definitive Reading by Lorrie Kim signed! She's pretty amazing and I love her personalizations. I see Lorrie all the time at Harry Potter conventions and it was lovely to see her every day at Leviosa. Her insightful discussions about Snape is something I look forward to at every convention.

Snape is currently at the pool! 😃 Thanks Lorrie for signing my book!!!! #LorrieKim #SnapeADefinitiveReading #Snape #SeverusSnape #NicoleAtLeviosa

A photo posted by Nicole Moy (@nicolecmoy) on Jul 10, 2016 at 4:05pm PDT

I visited the the Craft Faire which is small but there were a lot of amazing artists. Kaci sold bracelets and bookmarks. I eventually bought a bookmark from her on Sunday. Davina of Popsiclesticks sold handmade cards and wonderfully smelling candles. I ended up buying a few candles in the following scents: Dumbledore, Knight Bus and Voldemort. Davina's special touches with the twine and charms are perfect.

Harry Potter Book Cake

I went back to the East Tower to meet up with Kristina for dinner. We ended up meeting up with Kaci and Danielle for a bit and then got ready for the ball. The Magical Ball had a cash bar with some Harry Potter specialty drinks. I got a Ravenclaw Tower but unfortunately, mine was made too strong and I couldn't finish the rest of it. However, the ball was a great event to see wonderful outfits and to meet new people. The decorative Harry Potter book cake was a must see as well!

Day 4

Sunday was a half day for most people. Programming and events ended around 2:00 p.m. and most people were spending the rest of the vacation with old and new friends before they depart for the Muggle world. Unfortunately, this was my last day in Vegas before going home.

My first panel of the day was at 9:00. I have attended many panels by David Martin in the past. This year, he had a panel called Material Culture in the Wizarding World. He opened up the panel with observing objects in the Muggle world to make sure we feel comfortable. He then brought up why the Wizarding World is very old fashioned. Objects play a big part of the setting for Harry Potter. I might recap the panel at a later date as well. I found the subject fascinating.

Inspired by Potter was a must go to panel with Natalie Simpson, Victoria Aveyard, Alexandra Bracken, Lindsay Cummings, Stephanie Diaz and Tobie Easton. It's always fun to hear about how authors are influenced by another author's book. Not only did I find out about all the authors' houses but I got to hear what they thought about Harry Potter. They discussed what they learned from Harry Potter and how Harry Potter helped shape their writing. I love how the authors who attended Leviosa are huge Potterheads. This panel will definitely be recapped at a later date.

I ended up skipping two panels that I was planning to attend on the Sunday but I ended up catching up with Sidney from the House of Wormwood. Not only was I able to purchase amazing soappes from her but it was interesting to learn the millinery process and also about her lines of soappes and how she decided to expand her Harry Potter soappe collection. Since I already missed a couple of panels, I decided to purchase a few gifts for friends.

I had a lot of time before my flight departed so I took advantage of relaxing in the framed rectangle lounges. Kristina and I agreed that they were so comfy. Look how amazing these lounges are! They are perfect to kick back and relax. Grab a drink or a book and soak up the view while staying cool in the shade!

After relaxing near the pool, I ended up back in my room to pack my bags for my red eye flight. Since my flight got delayed, I ended up hanging out with Leviosa staff and we went to Primarily Prime Rib for some of the best prime rib that I have ever tasted. It was so juicy and the flavor was fantastic! They also served sourdough bread with butter when we got there. I had a delicious spinach salad with peaches, dried cranberries and candied pecans in a fruity vinaigrette. My sour cream & chive potato was the perfect side to my prime rib. I was fortunate to be able to join such a lovely group of people for dinner before departing to the airport. Of course, my flight was delayed again but got home safely!

Even though Leviosa is over, I cannot wait until my next venture to a Harry Potter convention. I am not sure when I will be able to visit Las Vegas but I had an amazing unforgettable time and I am glad I made memories that will last a life time.

I know a lot of people have read Harry Potter books and watched the films but attending a Harry Potter convention is a different experience that you do not want to miss. You will find your people at a Harry Potter convention. Unite with all the Potterheads! 

If you are planning to attend a Harry Potter convention in the future, I highly suggest attending Leviosa or MISTI-Con. 

Thank you for reading about my adventures with Harry Potter and YA literature. You can also check some of the Instagram photos and tweets under the hashtag #NicoleAtLeviosa.

Leviosa Recap: Day 1 and Day 2

I took a late flight on Wednesday, July 6th to fly out from Boston to Las Vegas for Leviosa, which is a Harry Potter and a YA lit convention like no other. Despite the late arrival to the Green Valley Ranch Resort at 1:00 am PST on Thursday morning, I was so happy to be in Nevada. Green Valley Ranch Resort is located on the outskirts of Las Vegas in Henderson. The rooms are huge and the bathroom is very spacious as well. I pretty much dragged my bags from the front desk across the pool area to the East Tower. A shower was in need and I went to bed to wake up early for my first day in Vegas!

The view of East Tower at 1:00 am at Green Valley Ranch Resort

Day 1

Las Vegas is blazing hot. Coming from Boston, I have only experienced mild and humid summers. Never have I felt the wrath of the dry heat. The first day was very low key. I had nothing planned besides browsing the vendor hall at 4:00 and attending the Welcome Feast at 7:00. Because I was rooming with two con staff members and a first time Harry Potter convention goer, I was roped into volunteering with putting together badges and manning the hall that leads to the vendor hall area. I seriously felt like I was manning the third-floor corridor. I even got a Harry Potter security sash.

Selfie time during security duty

Krissie did a very good job with the vendor hall booth selection and of course, Alexandra did a fabulous job running registration. There was never an instance of chaos or line con. The con was a success in every way! Also, I love my other roommate, Kristina. I couldn't ask for better roommates. I felt like I've known them for years even though I've seen one a couple of cons before and I met two of them for the first time at Leviosa.

I spent a good hour or so browsing the vendor booths for gift ideas for people. From wands to pins to soaps to teas to Butterbeer concentrate, there is something for everyone. Check this list for vendors who've attended Leviosa.

The Welcome Feast  had an amazing array of wonderful appetizers, main dishes and desserts. I was stuffed after the feast. Of course, I sat at the Ravenclaw table and I was able to reconnect with my friends David and Alyse. Gareth was there, Krista and my roommate Kristina. I also met someone named Davina who is a local.

Day 2 

The first full day of the convention was crazy. It was my busiest day and I even had to skip some of the programming because I was so tired. A rule of thumb is the 5-2-1 rule at any convention or conference. I highly suggest people have at least 5 hours of sleep, 2 full meals and at least 1 shower per day. Of course you can sleep more, have more meals and take more showers but 5-2-1 is a must!

My first panel of the day was a YA lit one. Pantsing vs. Plotting: How To Novel was a fantastic panel. Alexa Donne moderated and the following authors joined the discussion: Kamilla Benko, Roshani Chokski, Susan Dennard, Lindsay Riber, Robyn Schneider and Michelle Schusterman. I will go more into detail about the panel at a later date in July or August with a full panel recap.

Pantsing vs. Plotting Panel

The next panel I attended is a Harry Potter one. "Hallows, not Horcruxes”: Notes on “The Tale of the Three Brothers” and the Presence of Fairy Tales in the Harry Potter series was a very interesting panel that was a nice segway to the next panel that occurred in the same room.  

Sorcerer's Stone: 7 Obstacles for 7 Books was lead by Irvin and whoa was this one of my favorite panels during Leviosa. Not only did Irvin bring props to show us but he created a wonderful table for his attendees to fill out with notes. Thanks Irvin for thinking about the Ravenclaws! 

His mind blowing analysis about the books and how certain objects from the Sorcerer's Stone mirrors certain books or scenes in the books is fantastic. He shows how J.K. Rowling foreshadows everything from book one all the way to book seven. Symbolism is very important. I might have to use these notes for my next re-read of the series. I plan to do a recap of this panel in the near future as well.

Message board

I decided to take a break for lunch and also skipped a panel I wanted to go to because I was reuniting with some of my Harry Potter friends in the Common Room. Can I say that the message board there is hilarious!

After lunch I attended Same Story, Different Skin - Remixing Retellings in Multicultural Fantasy with Roshani Chokshi and Thao Le. It was fascinating to hear them talk about their favorite fairytales and what retellings they would like to see in the near future. I liked how they spoke about how to make a retelling your own and not just a mere imitation. This panel also had a lot of the audience involved which was fantastic!

I was so pumped to attend Psychology of the Marauders which Janina Scarlet, the director of Serverus Snape and the Marauders and part of the cast of Severus Snape and the Marauders (Kevin Allen, Mick Ignis, Dani Jae, Paul Stanko and Justin Zagri). I loved how we got to talk about each Marauder and a bit about the fan film. I am a huge fan of the Marauders so there was no question that I was definitely attending this panel.

Roshani and I

After the panel, I attended an author signing with Lindsay Riber, Michelle Schusterman, Susan Dennard, Roshani Chokshi and Alexandra Bracken. I was so excited to chat with all the authors about the Pantsing vs. Plotting panel and I chatted with Susan about being a Ravenclaw and about Pottermore. I finally got to meet Roshani and she is amazing! I loved all the outfits she wore during the convention and I was able to get a photo with her! I can't wait to see her again at the Boston Teen Author Festival. Alexandra is super sweet and I was able to get a couple of my books signed. 

After the book signing, which literally only took 20 minutes for me from lining up to meeting everyone and getting things signed, I headed back to my hotel room to change since the robe and the sweater was getting quite hot. I changed into a Marauders dress for the rest of the evening.

Kristina and I went to get dinner before we attended to VIP cocktail hour which of course had to be outside. Thank goodness I changed my outfit since it was blazing outside at 7:00. It was probably still in the 90s during that time. It was nice to chat with the attendees and the special guests. For most of the time I was in Vegas, it was about 106 degrees. The cocktail hour wasn't that bad at all but I wish it was inside since it was super dry and hot outside.

Green Valley Ranch Resort's palm trees

However, I was able to capture a picture of Peeves with three drinks and the view was immaculate! Palm trees in the sunset is postcard perfect! 

Peeves and three drinks

Chris Rankin opening up karaoke

Kristina and I decided to venture to the room before heading toward Karaoke hosted by Chris Rankin, aka Percy Weasley. Not only did we have a good time but Chris was awesome. He is super nice and he loves attending Harry Potter conventions as a fan. He is down to earth and loves the fandom so much. In fact he even wrote his thesis on fandom. I have met Chris a couple times at Ascendio and at MISTI-Con but at more of an academic keynote or panel environment. It's nice to see him in a more casual element. 

I ended the night attending a pajama party at the Common Room totally by accident. I love wandering the halls at night and found some friends to hang out with past midnight. The first couple of days were fantastic and I couldn't believe how I almost decided to not attend Leviosa. Check out Tuesday for a recap for the last two days of my Leviosa adventures.

I will be discussing more about the Harry Potter and YA Lit panels I attended during the last couple of days. You can also check some of the Instagram photos and tweets under the hashtag #NicoleAtLeviosa.