J.K. Rowling at Harvard

I have to say I dig Harvard more and more with each passing day. The Harvard Lampoon launched the careers of many of my favorite comedy writers. Harvard is not being sued by ASCAP because their law school is one of the premier institutes of liberal patent law, and the major record labels want nothing to do with a fair fight. Finally, they book great speakers for commencement. Two years ago, Conan O'Brien returned to his alma mater and gave a great commencement address. This year, Harry Potter's creator, J.K. Rowling, gave the address. You can find the video (which I couldn't watch), mp3, and the text here.

I lucked out at Loyola and had Ted Koppel speak at my commencement. What he said about the media and individual responsibilty stays with me to this day. J.K.'s talk is entitled “The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination,” and it contains many of the hard-earned lessons I've learned since graduating. Failure will never be far from your side, and imagination will always be a gift against the hardships of our world.

Well done, Ms. Rowling!