Wendy Richardson is a 20 years veteran of secondary education teaching English Literature in Newton, Massachusetts. Her qualifications include graduate degrees from UMass/Boston (Shakespearean studies); Harvard University/Divinity School (Women in the Old Testament); Harvard University/School of Education(Children's Literature). She is a Visiting Instructor at Massachusetts state universities and colleges (World Literature; Creative Writing) and was a presenter at the Popular Culture conferences 2001,2003 and 2005. On Harry Potter, she has this to say:
"My introduction to HARRY POTTER was initiated by a suggestion from my son, Gus, who is an avid reader--and a serious collector of graphic novels. It was the rage and so, he thought I should read it. I bought it like a dutiful mother and placed it on a shelf for a year. The following summer, in a "so what's the big deal about this book" moment I read the first of the series in 3 hours and promptly took some of the grocery money to buy the rest. I have incorporated Rowling's series in all of my classes to the general delight of my students and quizzical stares of my colleagues. My son has yet to read the books. In the US, Rowling's work has gone into the fires of book burnings along with Holden Caufield and Huckleberry and the Thane of Cawdor. So be it. Harry has generated a desire to read from some students who resist reading. For the longest time Stephen King was the go-to guy to spark interest/willingness to read. He scared the hell out of us with inventive storytelling and we loved him for it Rowling's work gives many of us a sense of "yearning" --and we love her for it!"