Students gathered at the Iowa Memorial Union Wednesday, December 9, to receive letters written to them by J.K. Rowling. Last year, the University Lecture Committee began a letter-writing campaign to convince Rowling to speak at the University of Iowa.
“We thought about who we could bring to campus who would have a huge draw,” said Carter Bell, chair of the University Lecture Committee. “We decided to shoot for the moon and went for J.K. Rowling.”
Rowling said she would not be able to visit the UI because she was busy working on a new movie, “Fantastical Beasts and Where to Find Them.”
However, the declination did not stop the Lecture Committee form continuing to pursue her.
In addition to the letters, the Lecture Committee filmed video testimonials of students, asking Rowling to speak at campus. The videos will be put into a compilation and then sent to Rowling.
“She said that she was really touched by the letters, but I just think it will take time and persistence to get her here,” Bell said. “She hasn’t publicly spoken since 2008, so it will be a bit of a struggle, but as long as we keep it interesting, I think we’ll be able to get her here.”
Letters will be held by the Lecture Committee until they are picked up.
Photos from the Odyssey and the author.