Material Girls

In this episode, we begin Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows! We cannot believe we're already at the start of Book 7, but honestly, we're so excited to finally get into it! We decided to go back to the start and revisit 'Chosen One narratives' which we discussed in Season 1, Episode 1 of the reboot. We pull on Northrop Frye's Anatomy of Criticism and Joseph Campbell's work about "monomyth." But, you know us, we hate letting boring old white guys go unchecked, so we also review works by Alise M. Wisniewski and Na’amen Gobert Tilahun who unpack the function of “chosen one” narratives in popular culture. Tune in for a conversation about Harry's journey as a "chosen one" and the ways the book adheres to and subverts our expectations of this western literary tradition. Start this season off right and join our Patreon! You can become a Patreon Supporter at any tier for more perks and bonus content include episodes, interviews, bloopers, comics, merch and more. If becoming a paying subscriber isn't in the cards right now, no stress! Please leave us a review instead — it truly helps sustain the show. Of course, you can always follow us on Instagram or Twitter @ohwitchplease to stay connected. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're still on a break and gearing up for our seventh season all about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Of course, we didn't want to leave you with nothing to listen to so please enjoy this unlocked Patreon perk: Witch, Please Tell Me! We do Q&A episodes every month for our $10+ tiers. They're goofy and meandering and very fun to record. You can submit a question to our Q&A through this google form. Be sure to follow us on social @ohwitchplease to stay totally up to date on all things Witch, Please. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're in between seasons and thrilled to bring you a one-off bonus conversation with beloved podcasters Lark Malakai Gray and Jessie Blount. You may know them from Hashtag Ruthless, a podcast network that "creates hilarious chapter-by-chapter media analysis podcasts with a queer and trans focus." Lark and Jessie are the minds behind The Gayly Prophet, Esgaype from Reality, The Gay Pirate Podcast, and We are the Gayers. In this episode, they join Hannah and Marcelle to talk about their work with Fandom Forward, a rad nonprofit that brings activism to fan communities with free toolkits and activities.Like us at Witch, Please, Lark and Jessie (along with the whole team at Fandom Forward) are committed to ethically and intentionally engaging with fandoms. If you're someone whose ever thought about how fan spaces can be empowering, hurtful and everything in between, then this episode is for you! Tune in and find out more about Fandom Forward.Learn all about Lark and Jessie here! Read more about "Firing JKR" here. Get involved with Fandom Forward here! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we wrap up Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and thus Season Six of Witch, Please. We talk Hermione in Granger Danger and fashion in Lewk Book, and of course we round out the episode with Marcelle's Devastating Fun Facts TM. Tune in for this goofy episode that gathers some loose threads but mostly just contains chatter about moments in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince that we were particularly tickled by.As always, you can become a Patreon Supporter for more perks and bonus content. If becoming a paying subscriber isn't in the cards right now, no stress! Please leave us a review instead — it truly helps sustain the show. For access to our transcripts, visit ohwitchplease.ca. To become a Patreon supporter head to Patreon.com/ohwitchplease. To stay in touch, follow us everywhere @ohwitchplease. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we discuss Life Writing. We begin with a review of the monomyth and Structuralism, followed by a deep dive into the work of Sidonie Smith and Julia Watson. Using their book Reading Autobiography: A Guide for Interpreting Life Narratives, we consider the Pensieve in the Harry Potter series. How can we read the memories that go into it as life writing? What do we know from the texts about the 'credibility' or 'truthfulness' of each character's recollections? How does the unreliability of the Pensieve memories drive Harry's desire for honesty from the people around him?For access to our transcripts, visit ohwitchplease.ca. To become a Patreon supporter head to Patreon.com/ohwitchplease. To stay in touch, follow us everywhere @ohwitchplease. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we dig into Marginalia! After a brief revision of our episodes on Print Culture and Fan Studies, we take a look at the it's long histoy using Heather Jackson’s book, Marginalia: Readers Writing in Books (2001). Marcelle begrudgingly leads us through the contribution of the Romantics (specifically Samuel Taylor Coleridge) and we ultimately get to take a long hard look at Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Not just the book! We actually get to think through Harry Potter and his relationship to the Half-Blood Prince! How can the history and study of marginalia help us think through young Snape's notes? Why are the annotations in Harry's Potions textbook so enticing? For access to our transcripts, visit ohwitchplease.ca. To become a Patreon supporter head to Patreon.com/ohwitchplease. To stay in touch, follow us everywhere @ohwitchplease. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we are joined by Matt Potts, co-host of Harry Potter and the Sacred Text. Matt is a reverend and a professor at Harvard specializing in literature, literary theory and Christian theology. He joins us for an episode all about "the soul" in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. You'll hear that we can barely contain our excitement in this episode as we dig into theology for the first time, all while pulling on some theory and frameworks from our episodes on Hauntology and Critical Race Studies. Thanks to everyone who helped us reach our goal of having 1000 patrons by Hannah's birthday on May 25th. We re-scheduled our LIVE Witch Please Tell Me Q&A for this coming weekend, June 4th at 1 pm Pacific so you can still become a Patron this week if you want to join our live show! Just visit Patreon.com/ohwitchplease. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we get into Security Theatre — and what a timely topic it is! We go over what we learned from Book 3, Episode 6 with Mercedes Eng who walked us through the carceral logics of the Wizarding World. And we review Book 4, Episode 2 about the nation state and the way Benedict Anderson theorized nations as “imagined communities” that are imagined as limited, sovereign, and in need of protection. Then we play a game Cloaks or Hoax! A goofy opportunity for Hannah to make Marcelle laugh before deciding which security measures from the Ministry are performative and which ones might actually keep people safe. Followed by a breakdown of Security Theatre as understood by Bruce Schneier in his 2003 book Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly About Security in an Uncertain World. This episode is a great listen for those of you trying to make sense of the "safety measures" put into place after 9/11 that we still encounter two decades later (not to mention how those persist in stark contrast to the rapidly lifted mask mandates).As a reminder, we need your help to reach 1000 Patreon supporters before Hannah's birthday on May 25th! Reaching 1000 supporters would be a financial game-changer for us and we're promising you a LIVE Witch, Please Q&A if we reach the goal — we're only about 70 supporters away! You can become a Patreon Supporter at any tier for more perks and bonus content. If becoming a paying subscriber isn't in the cards right now, no stress! Tell a friend about the show or leave us a review on Apple Podcasts — everything helps keep our boat afloat. And be sure to follow us on Instagram or Twitter @ohwitchplease to stay connected. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we're talking about Masculinity Studies with our special guest, Aspen!We begin with a brief review of our episodes on Feminist Theory, Celebrity Studies, Trans Studies and Chosen One Narratives (just to name a few) before getting into a discussion about masculinity in the Wizarding World. Aspen offers us a brief historical overview of the roots of Masculinity Studies, as well as an analysis of the field's shortcomings and ever-evolving scope. We learn a bit about Gayle Rubin's work, Rae Wyn Connell’s groundbreaking book Masculinities, Dana D. Nelson's National Manhood, and other contributors to the growing field. Tune in for an episode that digs into Harry and Draco's respective indoctrinations, and takes a closer look at the way masculinity is defined, created and policed in the series. To get in touch with Aspen you can email [email protected] us hit 1000 Patreon supporters before May 20th! Reaching 1000 supporters would be a financial game-changer for us and we're promising you a LIVE Witch, Please Q&A if we reach the goal! You can become a Patreon Supporter at any tier for more perks and bonus content. If becoming a paying subscriber isn't in the cards right now, no stress! Tell a friend about the show or leave us a review on Apple Podcasts — everything helps keep our boat afloat. And be sure to follow us on Instagram or Twitter @ohwitchplease to stay connected. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey friends! Please skip this episode if that feels right for you. We'll be back in two weeks and we want you to take care of yourselves first!In this episode, we discuss Rape Culture. We begin with a brief review of our episodes about discourse, queer theory and classism before diving into the pervasiveness of rape culture in our daily lives and in the Harry Potter series. We'll dig into what it means that Ron feels entitled to be angry at Hermione's interest in other men, how Harry comes to understand he has a crush on Ginny, the role of love potions in the Half-Blood Prince (and in Voldemort's family history), and so much more.Note: In this episode we quote from a New Statesmen article by Laurie Penny. While Penny's article is a useful source in unpacking rape culture in the west, our citations are not endorsements for either the author or the publication.And a heads up! If you join our Patreon at the Prefect tier before May 1st, you'll receive our forthcoming enamel pin in the mail! You'll also help us inch closer to our goal of having 1000 Patreon supporters before Hannah's birthday in late May! Reaching 1000 supporters would be a financial game-changer for us and we're promising you a LIVE Witch, Please Q&A if we reach the goal! You can become a Patreon Supporter at any tier for more perks and bonus content. If becoming a paying subscriber isn't in the cards right now, no stress! Please leave us a review instead — it truly helps sustain the show. Of course, you can always follow us on Instagram or Twitter @ohwitchplease to stay connected. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we are talking ghosts! Tune in for a conversation with our guest, Lydia, as we consider Hauntology as an analytical tool for better understanding the Harry Potter series — specifically the Half-Blood Prince. Lydia guides us through a revisitation of Jacques Derrida and an introduction to Avery Gordon (among others) who ask us to consider the meaning of absences in narratives, histories, and our own imaginations. What haunts Harry? What haunts the Wizarding World in the aftermath of a war? What haunts the Harry Potter series in 2022? Tune in for a truly epic conversation that leans on our episodes about the Gothic, Critical Race Studies, Disability Studies, Trauma and others to establish an exciting new framework for us to explore.And a heads up! If you join our Patreon at the Prefect tier before April 15th, you'll receive our forthcoming enamel pin in the mail! As always, you can become a Patreon Supporter at any tier for more perks and bonus content. If becoming a paying subscriber isn't in the cards right now, no stress! Please leave us a review instead — it truly helps sustain the show. Of course, you can always follow us on Instagram or Twitter @ohwitchplease to stay connected. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we begin Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by revisiting pedagogy! If you've enjoyed our past episodes about the professors at Hogwarts then you will love this episode digging into Horace Slughorn, Severus Snape, and (if you believe it) Albus Dumbledore! Tune in for a conversation based around the article “Collectors, Nightlights, and Allies, Oh My: White Mentors in the Academy,” by Dr. Martinez-Cola, an assistant professor of sociology at Morehouse College. Martinez-Cola's research largely focuses on the critical comparative study of race, class, and gender as it relates to culture, social movements, and comparative/historical sociology — which is all very helpful when trying to understand the way professors in this series are helpful, hurtful, or both to their students.And a heads up! If you join our Patreon at the Prefect tier before April 1st, you'll receive our forthcoming enamel pin in the mail! As always, you can become a Patreon Supporter at any tier for more perks and bonus content. If becoming a paying subscriber isn't in the cards right now, no stress! Please leave us a review instead — it truly helps sustain the show. Of course, you can always follow us on Instagram or Twitter @ohwitchplease to stay connected. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we’re releasing some insider Patreon bonus content instead of a regular episode! Please enjoy this #WitchPleaseTellMe Q&A from May 2021. It’s a goofy little episode where we talk about our favorite lipsticks, where to store “eating chocolate,” and books that changed us! Join at the $10 USD/month tier (Wizarding World Feminist Utopia) to gain access to over a year of bonus episodes, unedited episodes from our original run, and #WitchPleaseTellMe Q&As. Hot Tip: If you choose to pay annually, you’ll get 10% off. If becoming a paying subscriber isn't in the cards right now, no stress! Please leave us a review instead — it truly helps sustain the show. Of course, you can always follow us on Instagram or Twitter @ohwitchplease to stay connected. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support!We’ll be back with a new episode on March 22nd all about Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we wrap up The Order of the Phoenix, and thus Season Five of Witch, Please. We talk Hermione in Granger Danger and fashion in Lewk Book. We make a list of what we want to keep our eyes on in the coming book and round out the episode with Marcelle's Devastating Fun Facts TM (all of which make Hannah cry). Tune in for this wild episode that gathers some loose threads but mostly just contains chatter about moments in The Order of the Phoenix that we were particularly tickled by.Heads up, in two weeks we will be putting out content usually reserved for our Patreon subscribers! So stay tuned and be sure to follow the show so you're notified when we release that extra special episode. As always, you can become a Patreon Supporter for more perks and bonus content. If becoming a paying subscriber isn't in the cards right now, no stress! Please leave us a review instead — it truly helps sustain the show. Of course, you can always follow us on Instagram or Twitter @ohwitchplease to stay connected. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we're joined by Aisha Wilks (she/her) for a dive into Mad Studies. Pulling on past episodes about Disability Studies, Critical Race Theory, Lycanthropy as Metaphor, PTSD and The Prison Industrial Complex, we take a look at St. Mungo's, the Longbottoms, Luna Lovegood and other representations of madness throughout Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Aisha guides us through a review of the social and medical models of disability — and helps us understand the "good" and "bad" mad characters who exist within the series. If Order of the Phoenix isn't your favorite book because of Harry's attitude and general dismay, then this episode is for you! Not only are you in good company (Aisha is not a fan of this particular book), but you may also walk away with some more insight as to why it doesn't work for you!Content Warning: We just want to give you a heads up that we discuss mental illness, suicide, forced incarceration — and trauma more generally. Of course do what's best for you and skip this episode if that feels right!Become a Patreon Supporter today and watch the footage of our Live Witch, Please Tell Me Q&A from last month! If becoming a paying subscriber isn't in the cards right now, no stress! Please leave us a review instead — it truly helps sustain the show. Of course, you can always follow us on Instagram or Twitter @ohwitchplease to stay connected. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Marcelle leads us through an overview of famous Edmontonian and Media Studies scholar, Marshall McLuhan! We tackle McLuhan's “Tetrad of Media Effects” (a chart!) and use it to think through the DA's gold coins, Umbridge's Educational Decrees, The Daily Prophet, and other forms of communication that flood Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. We also draw on previous episodes about ideology, class, magical capital, books and archives.We're pretty sure this is the most fun two people have ever had with McLuhan's work but maybe you'll listen and have even MORE fun. Let us know by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your shows!And don't forget, if you become a Patreon Supporter TODAY you can join our LIVE Witch, Please Tell Me Q&A on Saturday, January 29th, at 1 pm Pacific. Patrons at every tier are invited to attend this Zoom Webinar where we'll be answering your questions in real time! If you can't attend, don't fret! We will release the video footage through Patreon afterwards! Follow us on Instagram or Twitter @ohwitchplease to stay connected. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we are joined by jaye simpson to talk about centaurs! jaye is an Oji-Cree Saulteaux Indigiqueer from the Sapotaweyak Cree Nation. They are a writer, advocate and activist published in several magazines including Poetry Is Dead, This Magazine, PRISM international, SAD Magazine: Green, GUTS Magazine, SubTerrain, Grain and Room. They are in two anthologies: Hustling Verse (2019) and Love After the End (2020). jaye joins us to discuss Firenze and the characterization of centaurs in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.You can follow jaye on Twitter @fka_jayesimpson and support their GoFundMe for gender affirming care, here. They're the best and deserve all the love — which will be obvious when you listen to this fun and engaging episode!***Shoutout to everyone who helped us reach our $5000 USD/month goal by becoming Patrons or upgrading their Patreon Tier. Everyone who joined our Patreon, no matter the tier, is invited to attend a LIVE recording of #WitchPleaseTellMe (our Q&A series) on January 29th. Join Patreon today at $2/month (or $5, $10, $13, or $30) to attend the Zoom!Stay connected and follow Witch, Please on Twitter and Instagram @ohwitchplease and let us know what you think of the show through a review on Apple Podcasts. Your support keeps Witch, Please running! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey Witches! We’re dropping this Bonus Episode into your feed as a little end-of-year thank you for everything you’ve done to make the Witch, Please reboot such a success. You’ve listened to the show, shared it with family and friends, and joined our Patreon. Instead of making resolutions for the New Year, give yourself the gift of bonus content from Witch, Please by joining at the $2, $5, $10, $13, or $30 tier! We are releasing the Zoom footage from our recording on our Patreon — so you can listen to this bonus episode as a podcast, but if you become a Patron, you can WATCH us chaotically record it with a crying, barfing baby-screwt. If you pay annually, you’ll get 10% off and if you join before January 1st, you’ll help us unlock a Live Witch, Please Tell Me Q&A for all patrons. We're hoping to $5000/month and we're just inches away!If becoming a patron is currently not in the financial cards — we get it! You can support our work by continuing to share the show with your hot friends, rich crushes and fun cousins. By far the best part of making Witch, Please is getting to know you, our listeners, who share unique interests and expertise with us on social, via Patreon, and in our Apple Reviews. Thank you for listening and happy (almost) New Year. We'll be back in two weeks with a new episode about The Order of the Phoenix.***Stay connected and follow Witch, Please on Twitter and Instagram @ohwitchplease and let us know what you think of the episode through a review on Apple Podcasts. Your support keeps this show running! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we take a closer look at the range of shapeshifters we meet in the Harry Potter series. Between Animagi, Werewolves, Metamorphmagi, Veelas, and Boggarts there is a lot to cover— and we need the Greeks, scholar Llewelyn Negrin, a history of Calvinism, and, of course, Judith Butler, to do it!Join us for a discussion on shapeshifting, as we apply what we've learned from our episodes on lycanthropy, female monstrosity and animal studies, to take a closer look at Nymphadora Tonks, in particular. Let's get to know one of the most beloved queer icons from the Wizarding World a bit better, shall we?Note: The sound on this episode is a little funky because we recorded it in-person! Just know that any hiccups you hear (other than the ones caused by Baby Blast-Ended Screwt) are the price we paid to enjoy one another's company during an in-person recording for the first time in two years!***We are running a Holiday Patreon Drive! If we earn $5000 USD/month from our Patreon by January 1st, 2022, we are going to host a LIVE Witch, Please Tell Me (*Our q&a bonus content!*) for all Patrons at every tier! Join today at a monthly rate that works for you and you'll bring us one step closer to our goal! Our tiers range from $2-$13 and we're just $300 away from hitting our goal!Stay connected and follow Witch, Please on Twitter and Instagram @ohwitchplease and let us know what you think of the episode through a review on Apple Podcasts. Your support keeps this show running! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Well Witches, we finally did it — we recorded an episode about fan studies and fan-fiction. And our wonderful guest, Amanda K. Allen (she/her), made it possible! Amanda is a professor of Children’s Literature at Eastern Michigan University who she came onto the show to discuss fan fiction conventions and genre at the intersection of power, adolescence, and the early days of the internet. Join us as we explore the rich history and legacy of fan-fiction through Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Content Warning: We discuss the taboo nature of some fan fiction "ships" (i.e. Snape/Hermione and Hermione/McGonagall), as well as some tropes and conventions of non-consent, coercion and forced marriage and reproduction. For listeners interested in understanding the ethics surrounding fan fiction writers' tendency to include graphic and disturbing elements within fan fiction (rape, non-consensual situations, torture, etc.), an excellent and helpful text is Kristina Busse's Framing Fan Fiction: Literary and Social Practices in Fan Fiction Communities. In particular, listeners might be interested in the tenth chapter, "Fictional Consents and the Ethical Enjoyment of Dark Desires." [Busse, Kristina. Framing Fan Fiction: Literary and Social Practices in Fan Fiction Communities. U of Iowa P., 2017.]***Don't forget, we are running a Holiday Patreon Drive! If we earn $5000 USD/month from our Patreon by January 1st, 2022, we are going to host a LIVE Witch, Please Tell Me (*Our q&a bonus content!*) for all Patrons at every tier! Join today at a monthly rate that works for you and you'll bring us one step closer to our goal! Our tiers range from $2-$13.Stay connected and follow Witch, Please on Twitter and Instagram @ohwitchplease and let us know what you think of the episode through a review on Apple Podcasts. Your support keeps this show running! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we dig into publics! The Order of the Phoenix is absolutely brimming with secret, self-organized clubs and we're taking some time to consider how they're formed, what makes them powerful and why we see similarities between the Order, the Death Eaters and Dumbledore's Army. Join us as we defamiliarize the very idea of organizing through Michael Warner's definition of publics, building on what we already know about ideology and discourse. It's a good one folks!Stay connected and follow Witch, Please on Twitter and Instagram @ohwitchplease and let us know what you think of the episode through a review on Apple Podcasts. As always, you can join our Patreon for exclusive content including bonus interviews, Q&As, Watch Alongs and more — our tiers range from $2-$13! For Witch, Please merch visit our TeePublic shop. Your support keeps this show running! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we are joined by the wonderful Dr. Addie Merians. Addie (she/her) is a postdoc in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. She has her PhD in counseling psychology from the University of Minnesota and her research focuses on trauma and resilience, especially in relation to systemic oppression. In Season One of our reboot, we spoke with Lucia M. Lorenzi, PhD, to unpack trauma theory and to explore gaps, inconsistencies, and unreliable narration as sites where trauma lives in the Harry Potter books. Now, as we think about The Order of the Phoenix, Addie helps us make sense of Harry's behavior in the aftermath of Cedric Diggory's death, the culture of PTSD and silence within The Order itself, and so much more.Content Warning: We speak explicitly about PTSD as a diagnosis, different types of trauma, and specific symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety. Please take care of yourselves and skip this episode if you need — and feel free to check out some helpful resources of support from our guest, Addie, below:Suicide Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255 (Dial 1 if you are a veteran for the Veteran's Crisis Line)RAINN is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization and leading authority on sexual violence. Call 800-656-HOPE for the National Sexual Assault Hotline.For more information on PTSD click here. The National Center for PTSD has information about PTSD for everyone, not just veterans. People can learn more about what PTSD is, different treatments, and find information for friends and family members of people with PTSD.PTSD Coach offers crisis resources, help finding local care, information about PTSD, symptom assessments, and a variety of tools to help manage symptoms.COVID Coach was developed to help folks with pandemic stressors and includes tools to manage stress and symptoms, information about a variety of topics related to mental health, assessments to track anxiety/depression/PTSD/well-being, and resources.***Stay connected and follow Witch, Please on Twitter and Instagram @ohwitchplease and let us know what you think of the episode through a review on Apple Podcasts. As always, you can join our Patreon for exclusive content including bonus interviews, Q&As, Watch Alongs and more — our tiers range from $2-$13! For Witch, Please merch visit our TeePublic shop! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's time for Season 5! You know what that means, Witches? It means we have a whole season coming your way about Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.This week, we kick it off with Critical Archival Studies: the study of archives (how they're built, sustained and naturalized) at the intersection of race, class, gender, sexuality, and ability. We'll discuss the interrelated (and at times competing) archives of the Wizarding World including The Hall of Prophecy, Dumbledore's Pensieve, the ever-unveiling bylaws of the Ministry of Magic, and even the collection of portraits lining the halls of Hogwarts.Stay connected and follow Witch, Please on Twitter and Instagram @ohwitchplease and let us know what you think of the episode through a review on Apple Podcasts. As always, you can join our Patreon for exclusive content including bonus interviews, Q&As, Watch Alongs and more — our tiers range from $2-$13! Note: If you join at the $10 or $13 tier before October 30th, you can attend our Halloween Watch Along of Hocus Pocus. Get on the discord and join in on the fun for an afternoon spent with the Witch, Please community! For Witch, Please merch visit our TeePublic shop! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey Witches! We're dropping into your feed today with a special bonus episode featuring guest Ella McLeod. Ella joined Hannah and Marcelle in June for a Patreon-only episode to discuss policing of magic in the Wizarding World. It's a great chat originally released to Witch, Please patrons in our $5, $10 and $13 tiers — and we thought, you know what, as we get ready to launch into season 5, why not give our general audience a taste of what we get up to on our Patreon? In this conversation, we talk artificial scarcity, the arbitrary delineation of squibs, the "domestication" of cats, the power of wand access and so much more.If you'd like to hear our full backlog of Patreon bonus content, you can become a patron today! And if you join at the $10 or $13 tier you'll be just in time to join us on Discord for our Hocus Pocus Watch Along on October 30th. Of course, if becoming a paid subscriber is just not in the budget right now, we understand! It's just as helpful to tell your friends and family about the show, to leave us a review, and to follow us on Instagram or Twitter @ohwitchplease. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's hard to believe, but we are at the end of season four and thus at the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire! In this wrap-up episode, we discuss the transformation of Hermione into an object of desire via her relationship with Viktor Krum, the demarcation of class and gendering through clothing, the Riddle of the Sphinx, Hagrid's personal journey as a teacher, and so much more. Tune in for this playful episode that gathers some loose threads but mostly just contains chatter about moments in The Goblet of Fire we were particularly tickled by.Heads up, next week we will be putting out content usually reserved for our Patreon patrons! So stay tuned and be sure to subscribe so you're notified when we release that extra special episode.Follow Witch, Please on Twitter and Instagram @ohwitchplease and let us know what you think of the episode through a review on Apple Podcasts. As always, you can join our Patreon for exclusive content including bonus interviews, Q&As, Watch Alongs and more — our tiers range from $2-$13! Note: If you join at the $10 or $13 tier before October 30th, you can attend our Halloween Watch Along of Hocus Pocus. Get on the discord and join in on the fun for an afternoon spent with the Witch, Please community! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we return to a question that has challenged us since the beginning of this podcast: what’s the deal with the Weasleys’ class status? Are they working class, impoverished gentry, or something else altogether? To answer that question, we add some new critical tools to our discussion of the way class operates at Hogwarts and the Wizarding World at large by exploring magical capital. As in our previous episodes, we draw on the work of revolutionary Marxist Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor and consider what access to magic (through education, buying of wands, "innate" talent, family bloodlines, magical cultural capital, etc) tells us about the class stratification of both beloved and despised characters who populate this series.Be sure to follow us on Twitter @ohwitchplease and let us know what you think of the episode! And check us out on Instagram for pics of Marcelle's new baby, Witch, Please fan art, and random polls and questions we ask to help influence future episodes and Patreon content! Join our Patreon for exclusive bonus content including bonus interviews, Q&As, Watch Alongs and more —our tiers range from $2-$13! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we are joined by author Jess Zimmerman (she/they) to discuss the history of monstrous representation in cultural texts across history. Jess, who recently published a wonderful book, Women and Other Monsters, offers her vast knowledge about Greek mythology and metaphor to our investigation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. We ask questions like: what makes monsters monstrous? How do representations of femininity get used to characterize monstrous threats to "the hero" of our journey? Why is Fleur's "Veela blood" both monstrous and eroticized, while Madame Maxine's "Giant blood" only the former? And how do Molly Weasley's fits of anger fit into this feminist reading?Tune in for a powerful new way to read some of the series' most beloved and interesting women characters.Follow Jess Zimmerman on Twitter @j_zimms and scoop her book at any local bookstore or online! And be sure to follow Witch, Please on Twitter @ohwitchplease and Instagram and let us know what you think of the episode. Join our Patreon for exclusive content including bonus interviews, Q&As, Watch Alongs and more — our tiers range from $2-$13! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're revisiting pedagogy, Witches!We first tackled this topic to kick off Season Three by defining the term and considering the teaching methods of various Hogwarts professors (using a D&D Alignment Chart, of course). In this episode, however, we get a bit more granular and look closely at the teaching style of Barty Crouch Jr. and his impersonation of Professor Moody. Ultimately, we get to ask the question: Is Professor Moody AKA Barty Crouch Jr. a great teacher? Can he be one despite his obvious flaws (like...being a Death Eater)? With a little help from Jane Gallop's book, PEDAGOGY: The Question of Impersonation, we dig into the man, the myth, the Moody: Barty Crouch Jr. Tune in for what might be the most lively discussion about pedagogy ever caught on tape.Content Warning: In this episode, we briefly discuss child abuse and grooming as it pertains to Barty Crouch Jr.'s teaching style.Be sure to follow Witch, Please on Twitter and Instagram @ohwitchplease and let us know what you think of the episode through a review on Apple Podcasts. As always, you can join our Patreon for exclusive content including bonus interviews, Q&As, Watch Alongs and more — our tiers range from $2-$13! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a must-listen, Witches!Guest Taylor Allgeier-Follet joins Hannah and Marcelle for a conversation on Trans Studies and The Goblet of Fire. Taylor (they/them) is a PhD candidate at University College Dublin who brings their expertise as both an academic and a person who has read the Harry Potter series over forty times. In this episode, Taylor, Hannah and Marcelle dive into transcoding and transphobia as it relates to the characterization of Rita Skeeter. If you're interested in the evolution of Trans Studies and Trans Theory, then you'll love this episode that stems from the work of Susan Stryker, Grace Lavery, Patricia Elliot and Lawrence Lyons — just to name a few.Be sure to follow Witch, Please on Twitter and Instagram @ohwitchplease and let us know what you think of the episode through a review on Apple Podcasts. As always, you can join our Patreon for exclusive content including bonus interviews, Q&As, Watch Alongs and more — our tiers range from $2-$13! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when Marcelle asks Hannah to do an episode on gay whimsy? We get an episode on post-critique! Dive into this theory with Hannah and Marcelle as they discuss what post-critique offers readers and its downfalls in a world where critique has real, material value. In other words, come for the theory and stay for the discussion about Blast-Ended Screwts. Ron's love of Viktor Krum, and the Prefect's bathroom (all whimsical, pleasurable details of The Goblet of Fire!). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You don't want to miss this episode, Witches!Guest K. Alexandra joins Hannah and Marcelle for a conversation about Critical Race Theory and The Goblet of Fire. Noted by some as a Harry Potter trivia queen, K. Alex is also an educator, activist and member of communities such as Black Girls Create, Black Hotties at Hogwarts, Fandom Forward, and Wizards in Space Literary Magazine. She's basically a badass who swooped in to catch us up on this academic discipline and how we can use it to think through the characterization of beloved characters like Angelina Johnson, Lee Jordan, Parvati and Padma Patil — and Hermione, just to name a few.Be sure to follow Witch, Please on Twitter and Instagram @ohwitchplease and let us know what you think of the episode through a review on Apple Podcasts. As always, you can join our Patreon for exclusive content including bonus interviews, Q&As, Watch Alongs and more — our tiers range from $2-$13! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Imagine this... imagined communities! In this episode, Hannah and Marcelle talk all about the Triwizard Tournament and the Goblet of Fire's relationship to nation states and nationalism.If you've read this book and thought, "Huh... why are they all rooting for Ireland?" you may finally find yourself with some answers. And if you've just celebrated Canada Day or the Fourth of July or you're just thinking about borders and patriotism (as one does), you won't be disappointed – Hannah and Marcelle talk all about the formation of communities (imagined or not) in and outside of the Harry Potter world through a thorough overview of scholar Benedict Anderson's work and some light bullying of him as well, (of course).Note: In this episode we refer to Uganda as the only African nation mentioned in the series, but we talk about Egypt a bit earlier on! Our mistake!Be sure to follow Witch, Please on Twitter and Instagram @ohwitchplease and let us know what you think of the episode through a review on Apple Podcasts. As always, you can join our Patreon for exclusive content including bonus interviews, Q&As, Watch Alongs and more — our tiers range from $2-$13! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guess what Witches, it's time to jump on the Hogwarts Express because we're back with our fourth season — all about Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire!In this episode we get down and dirty with the structuralists. You may be thinking, aren't those a bunch of old white guys who thought everything could be reduced to the same component parts? To which we say, yes kind of. But as we begin a book that's all about tasks, quests, and our "hero's journey" towards victory in the Triwizard Tournament, we need some tools to help us think about plot! Tune in for this brain-bending overview of structuralism and post-structuralism through the ideas of Barthes, Foucault and Borges — and Hannah and Marcelle, of course. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Well Witches, it’s time to hop on the back of the nearest hippogriff and fly into the sunset, because we’re officially wrapping up Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Oh how time flies when you’re examining disability, metaphor, and the prison industrial complex! It's almost as if time is... a construct? (Kidding, kidding, physicists please don't come for us.)We spend this episode sorting Harry Potter characters into Dungeons and Dragons classes, interrogating the magic of boggarts, and bracing ourselves for another round of Marcelle's Devastating Fun Facts. Be sure to follow Witch, Please on Twitter and Instagram @ohwitchplease and let us know what you think of the episode through a review on Apple Podcasts. As always, you can join our Patreon for exclusive content including bonus interviews, Q&As, Watch Alongs and more — our tiers range from $2-$13! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Special guest, poet and educator Mercedes Eng, joins us to take a closer look at Azkaban, the carceral logic of the wizard world, and how it reflects our own ideas about monstrosity, punishment, and innocence. We take a look at restorative and transformative ideas of justice and debate whether the nightmarish portrayal of Azkaban is a radical call for prison abolition or an insidious device meant to make our own prison system look reasonable. Content warning: this episode discusses trauma linked to incarceration, settler colonialism, racism, police brutality and sexual assault.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Witches!Our last two episode on Animal Studies and Disability Studies laid the groundwork for this week's episode all about how to read Remus Lupin and his Lycanthropy. In an ebook released on Pottermore, J.K. Rowling stated that she meant Lupin's werewolf condition to be a metaphor for AIDS. This week we look at the way that metaphors of illness circulate ideologies about those who are ill - implying certain truths about their worthiness, deviance, and threat to society. We discuss specifically the history of AIDS and its metaphors, and examine how reading Lupin as a character with AIDS reinforces rather than challenges dangerous narratives about queer and disabled folks.Be sure to follow Witch, Please on Twitter and Instagram @ohwitchplease and let us know what you think of the episode through a review on Apple Podcasts. As always, you can join our Patreon for exclusive content including bonus interviews, Q&As, Watch Alongs and more — our tiers range from $2-$13!Resources:How She Read by Chantal Gibson Illness as Metaphor + AIDS and its Metaphors by Susan Sontag Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Witches!In this episode, we're once again applying a disability studies lens to the wizarding world. This time, we're looking at questions of access, accommodation, and community support for characters we might read as disabled in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. We're joined by disabled poet and visual artist, Tea Gerbeza, who is an MFA in Writing candidate at the University of Saskatchewan. With Tea, we dive deep into the interpretation of Remus Lupin as a disabled character whose existence and bodily difference as a werewolf marks him in sharp contrast to normative wizarding society. We explore alternate futures for Lupin where, instead of social isolation and mistreatment, Lupin is met with the resources and accommodation he needs. We discuss the vital importance of community support for disabled people that goes beyond the limitations of formal institutions. For Tea, to read Lupin as disabled is to resist the failure of this text to meaningfully include disabled perspectives, and we invite you to join us in this expansive, resistant reading!Be sure to follow Witch, Please on Twitter and Instagram @ohwitchplease and let us know what you think of the episode through a review on Apple Podcasts. As always, you can join our Patreon for exclusive content including bonus interviews, Q&As, Watch Alongs and more — our tiers range from $2-$13! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Witches, meet us at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.We're returning to the rich territory of animal studies to understand the limitations of human vs. animal hierarchies. We'll spend some time with marginal figures in the wizarding world who cross the human/animal divide, challenge social and political norms, and invite us into new ways of being. In particular, we'll be spending quite some time with Remus Lupin and his fellow marauders. We'll also discuss how systemic dehumanization, or the rendering of certain people as animalistic or less than human, is a tool of state violence.Content note: Throughout this episode, there are references to historical and contemporary instances of racism, violence, and dehumanization as enacted upon Black people and Indigenous people.Be sure to follow Witch, Please on Twitter and Instagram @ohwitchplease and let us know what you think of the episode through a review on Apple Podcasts. As always, you can join our Patreon for exclusive content including bonus interviews, Q&As, Watch Alongs and more — our tiers range from $2-$13! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Witches!As always, we're eternally grateful for the time you spend listening with us. In this episode, we're unpacking the mechanics of time and time-travel as they play out in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. We identify the connections between western time-travel narratives and the industrial revolution and the infinitely insidious force of capitalism. We plunge into the philosophical implications of this book's particular kind of time-travel narrative, which desires to predict the future and to change the past. How fixed is our reality? How much agency do we have over our fates? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Attention, class!This is the episode all of you superbly studious witches have been waiting for! We draw upon our own expertise as longtime students and educators to discuss the, frankly, wild and unpredictable pedagogical approaches of Hogwarts faculty. Have any Hogwarts faculty managed to create affirming and generative learning environments, even within a school that routinely places students in dangerous circumstances, wields discipline unevenly, and lacks student support services of any kind? How can looking at Hogwarts help us to understand our own educational institutions and our place within them (or outside of them)? Ready your quills and refer to your books, witches, because we've got a lot to say on this topic!Be sure to follow Witch, Please on Twitter and Instagram @ohwitchplease and let us know what you think of the episode through a review on Apple Podcasts. As always, you can join our Patreon for exclusive content including bonus interviews, Q&As, Watch Alongs and more — our tiers range from $2-$13! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Witches!We’re excited to bring you a special something from our partners at Not Sorry Productions. The Real Question is a new podcast from Vanessa Zoltan and Casper ter Kuile, the magical minds behind Harry Potter and the Sacred Text. Like us, they’re two friends who like to put their heads together and pour over their favorite texts as they navigate life’s questions. In every episode of The Real Question, Vanessa and Casper will investigate one of their own questions through the lenses of two texts. They'll reach far and wide, across the broad spectrum of media that's touched them—using shared dialog to uncover new meaning. We hope you'll listen along side us! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Well, Witches, we've reached the end of another book together. We spend this episode, among other things, revisiting the tragic squandering of Hermione's talent and expertise as part of the adventure squad, detailing Gilderoy Lockharts' luscious wardrobe and its implications, tearing up at another round of Marcelle's Devastating Fun Facts from the Harry Potter World, and digging deeper into the Weasley's class status and other lingering questions we have about the series.Be sure to follow Witch, Please on Twitter and Instagram @ohwitchplease and let us know what you think of the episode through a review on Apple Podcasts. As always, you can join our Patreon for exclusive content including bonus interviews, Q&As, Watch Alongs and more — our tiers range from $2-$13! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beloved bookish witches, join us for a discussion of print culture as it appears in the wizarding world. We'll unpack our own biases and beliefs about the significance of books as physical objects and how capitalism and commodification created the sentimental, coveted idea of the book many of us hold in our hearts. We will page through Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in search of printed matter and the ways it circulates in wizarding society, how it intersects with notions of class and ideas of good and evil, and how it governs access to knowledge.Be sure to follow Witch, Please on Twitter and Instagram @ohwitchplease and let us know what you think of the episode through a review on Apple Podcasts. As always, you can join our Patreon for exclusive content including bonus interviews, Q&As, Watch Alongs and more — our tiers range from $2-$13! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we've brought together the Who's Who of the Wizarding World for the event of the season you won't want to miss – an episode on Celebrity Studies! Notable guests include the winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award (five times in a row!) and Poor Famous Harry Potter, who can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page. With a little help from Colin Creevey's camera, we focus our critical lens on how celebrity is constructed in the Wizarding World and our own, what it means to be a 'reluctant celebrity', and how the fame of a certain Author Who Shall Not Be Named gives her license to publish utter nonsense and get away with it.NB: You may notice that mid-way through this episode, Marcelle's voice starts to sound different. Unfortunately, her microphone failed while recording and we couldn't find the right spell to fix it!Be sure to follow Witch, Please on Twitter and Instagram @ohwitchplease and let us know what you think of the episode through a review on Apple Podcasts. As always, you can join our Patreon for exclusive content including bonus interviews, Q&As, Watch Alongs and more — our tiers range from $2-$13!---Citations: Trevor Parry-Giles (2011) Harry Potter and the paradoxical critique of celebrity culture, Celebrity Studies, 2:3, 305-319, DOI: 10.1080/19392397.2011.609338Susan K. Martin & Kylie Mirmohamadi (2014) Harry Potter’s Secret: The Rise of Publishing Sensations from Mary Braddon to J. K. Rowling, English Studies, 95:2, 131-148, DOI: 10.1080/0013838X.2014.882126Su Holmes & Sean Redmond (2010) A journal in Celebrity Studies, Celebrity Studies, 1:1, 1-10, DOI: 10.1080/19392390903519016 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Special guest, Jes Battis PhD, joins us to unpack the history of disability studies and help us understand both the characters in Harry Potter and the world they inhabit as affected by ableism.As mentioned in the episode, Jes wrote a book on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and chosen family! You can check it out here.Be sure to follow Witch, Please on Twitter and Instagram @ohwitchplease and let us know what you think of the episode through a review on Apple Podcasts. As always, you can join our Patreon for exclusive content including bonus interviews, Q&As, Watch Alongs and more — our tiers range from $2-$13! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beware, Witches! Deep in the belly of a dark and chilly castle lurks an abundance of secrets! In case you hadn't noticed, the Harry Potter books are chocked full of Gothic literary devices. Unraveling the mysteries of the Hogwarts castle and the cast of characters inside reveals new insights about the concepts of monstrosity, disgust, and the boundaries of social acceptability.Be sure to follow Witch, Please on Twitter and Instagram @ohwitchplease and let us know what you think of the episode through a review on Apple Podcasts. As always, you can join our Patreon for exclusive content including bonus interviews, Q&As, Watch Alongs and more — our tiers range from $2-$13! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Season's Greetings Witches!In this most magical of seasons, we are bringing you a bright star from our archives—a holiday special featuring Neale Barnholden! We hope this fun, slightly chaotic episode brings some warmth and joy to your hearts. As this episode comes from an earlier era of Witch Please, there are some things you should know:1. Recorded back in 2015, this episode is a goofy mix of genuine and deeply ironic commentary. For example, our remarks about The Fellowship of the Ring being racist are all genuine; our remarks that a woman riding a horse unaccompanied by a man is unrealistic and lewd are DEEPLY ironic. 2. There are a number of references to and discussion of drinking (we were drinking when we recorded this episode).3. Some of our language is more ableist than we would use today (e.g. "crazy," "dumb," "blind").4. I (Marcelle) refer to baby hippogriff using the pronoun "he," which is incorrect. Eliot uses she/her pronouns.Be sure to follow Witch, Please on Twitter and Instagram @ohwitchplease and let us know what you think of the episode through a review on Apple Podcasts. As always, you can join our Patreon for exclusive content including bonus interviews, Q&As, Watch Alongs and more — our tiers range from $2-$13! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have an episode for you that, in our professional opinion, is very gay. And by gay we mean inviting expansively, radically, resistantly queer readings of a text that is trying very very hard to perform heterosexuality and binary gender! We breeze by the obvious details—like Lockhart's character flaws as coded within his failure to correctly perform masculinity or Harry & Draco's flagrant obsession with each other—and into some of this text's more subversive queer potentials.This episode acknowledges the existence of sex, so use discretion if in the company of young ears! This episode also discusses the continued abuse of Harry by the Dursleys, so take care of yourselves.Be sure to follow Witch, Please on Twitter and Instagram @ohwitchplease and let us know what you think of the episode through a review on Apple Podcasts. As always, you can join our Patreon for exclusive content including bonus interviews, Q&As, Watch Alongs and more — our tiers range from $2-$13! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings Witches! We're so excited to be moving on to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets with you! Break out your feminist reading glasses, because we're approaching this text with the tried and true (but also ever evolving) principles of feminist theory. We're returning to the origins of Witch Please and pulling from feminism's foundational texts to guide us through this second Harry Potter installment (which, by the way, contains several issues—including: parental neglect and abuse, starvation, gendered violence, violence against animals, violation of bodily autonomy, and death—so please take care of yourselves).Also, a note about feminism, women, and girls: In this episode, we'll be talking about the experiences of characters this text presents as women and girls. But when we talk about women and girls we want to make very clear that we at Witch Please have an expansive definition of what that means and are working, in our own vocabulary to find ways of talking about feminist issues without automatically centering cis women. Trans women are women. People of marginalized genders across a variety of experiences may resonate with characters presented in this text as women and girls, and we support those readings. We've received some very generous feedback from listeners as to how we can use more inclusive and affirming language around gender, and we always welcome these critiques!Be sure to follow Witch, Please on Twitter and Instagram @ohwitchplease and let us know what you think of the episode through a review on Apple Podcasts. As always, you can join our Patreon for exclusive content including bonus interviews, Q&As, Watch Alongs and more — our tiers range from $2-$13! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've arrived at the end of our journey though Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, but before we dig into the Chamber of Secrets, we have a few loose ends to tie up! This episode is full of some brand new segments that help us work through questions, concerns, musings, and future directions for discussion. We bring back a much beloved segment: Granger Danger (!!!!!!!!) in order to give some airtime to the greatest witch of her age. We spend some time unpacking a metaphorical suitcase full of wizarding fashions and Marcelle presents us with a handful of FUN!FACTS! that may or may not be true of the wizarding world. And there's more. There's always more.Thank you for sticking with us as we renewed the Witch Please spirit and found new ways of viewing this book. We look forward to having you with us as we explore book two!Be sure to follow Witch, Please on Twitter and Instagram @ohwitchplease and let us know what you think of the episode through a review on Apple Podcasts. As always, you can join our Patreon for exclusive content including bonus interviews, Q&As, Watch Alongs and more — our tiers range from $2-$13! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.