J.K. Rowling delivered the 2008 commencement address at Harvard University.
She spoke at Harvard’s 2008 Commencement ceremony and received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree. Her address was titled “The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination,” reflecting on her experiences before and after the success of Harry Potter.
Rowling described failure as a stripping away of inessential elements and discussed how imagination can help people understand lives different from their own. The speech later appeared in an illustrated book published by Harvard University Press.
The address is often associated with Harvard’s graduation traditions and is not a Harry Potter lecture. Rowling’s honorary degree was conferred by the university, while her undergraduate degree came from the University of Exeter.