Novelist and journalist Lev Grossman explored the world of Harry Potter fan fiction with his Time magazine piece, “The Boy Who Lived Forever.” Grossman debunked stereotypes about fan fiction writers and highlighted some famous examples.

Here’s more from the article: “If anything, anecdotal evidence suggests that most fan fiction is written by women. (They’re also not all writers. They draw and paint and make videos and stage musicals. Darren Criss, currently a regular on Glee, made his mark in the fan production A Very Potter Musical, which is findable, and quite watchable, on YouTube.) It’s also an intensely social, communal activity. Like punk rock, fan fiction is inherently inclusive, and people spend as much time hanging out talking to one another about it as they do reading and writing it.”

Why not read some fan fiction to celebrate the release of Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part 2? There are nearly 420,000 Harry Potter stories archived at FanFiction.net. Author J.K. Rowling encourages fan fiction–perhaps her new Pottermore website will support these writers?