Special guest, Lucia M. Lorenzi, PhD, joins us to unpack trauma theory and helps us understand both the characters in Harry Potter and the world they inhabit as affected by traumatic events. We also explore the narrative form of the text itself—its gaps, inconsistencies, and unreliable narration as sites where trauma lives. Content warning: this episode, broadly, discusses various experiences and consequences of trauma throughout. Of particular note are discussions around child abuse and neglect...
Oct 29, 2020•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 5
Dearest Witches, gather round for some lessons in class solidarity! In this episode, we'll discuss the formation of class structure in Western society, the inherent relationship between race and class, and the ways in which the Harry Potter books reach for but don't quite deliver a vision for a cross-class uprising against the powers that be. How do some characters occupy complicated or shifting class positions? What would it take for Harry, or other characters of privilege to be true class trai...
Oct 13, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 4
Snuggle up to your familiars, Witches, because today's episode is all about animals (and critical animal studies!). What distinguishes the "animal" from the "human" and why did Western society come to arrive at that distinction? How does separating humans from their fellow animals work to enforce destructive social, political, and ecological power dynamics? What do we make of the way magical and non-magical creatures (and the humans who care for them, commune with them, or use them) are portraye...
Sep 29, 2020•58 min•Ep. 3
In this episode, we unravel the many layers of Orientalist tropes that permeate the Harry Potter world. How do some not-so-subtle visual and narrative cues--turbans, hooked noses, and mysterious powers from the "East" tell readers who to fear, dislike, and distrust in these books? How can we heighten our awareness of tropes like these and call out these negative portrayals when we see them? Be sure to follow Witch, Please on Twitter and Instagram @ohwitchplease and let us know what you think of ...
Sep 15, 2020•58 min•Ep. 2
It’s FINALLY HERE! In honor of Hogwarts day, September 1st, we present to you the first day of class you’ve always dreamed of from your two favourite lady scholars: Witch, Please | Ep. 1, The Chosen One. Our first episode goes back to the very beginning–to the concept of origin stories themselves–to explore how and why Harry Potter fits into a long tradition of “chosen one” narratives. Harry, we learn, is a very special boy in all the ways English literature tells us special boys ought to be. Ha...
Sep 01, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 1
BIG NEWS, WITCHES! Through a brand new partnership with Not Sorry Productions (the brilliant team behind Harry Potter and the Sacred Text ), we’re coming back! New and better than ever, which is to say, produced by somebody else and not actively losing money. W O W. Speaking of not losing money, if you’d like to support this reboot, check out our new Patreon ! Rewards include unedited audio from the first season, bonus interviews, Q&As, and movie watch-alongs! Enjoy our extremely goofy tease...
Aug 24, 2020•8 min
WE ARE GETTING ROGUER EVERY EPISODE TBQH So this one’s on time, but witches? It is pretty. silly. We sat down, in the same room, with our favourite guy-with-a-film-degree, and we talked about the fan-made prequel film Voldemort: Origins of the Heir . If you don’t mind spoilers, this Telegraph review will set the tone for the episode. This episode contains fewer sound effects than usual because it was too hard to fit them in between all the laughter. It also contains an above average amount of us...
Sep 04, 2018•50 min
OH MY GOLLY WE ARE SO ROGUE IT IS RUUUUDE. But we are ever grateful for your patience and love, dear listeners! This episode comes to you after much travel and celebration and exhaustion and desperately-needed rest on the part of your hosts. It means the world to us that you’re so chill about the lag since S03E01. (Also, time is just a social construct so, like, what even is a fortnight?) This episode contains the audio recoding from Marcelle’s keynote lecture at the 86th Annual ABQLA Conference...
Aug 21, 2018•1 hr 16 min
OKAY IT IS NOT JUNE ANYMORE SO THIS IS LATE but we’re back with a brand new episode for this, the final season of Witch, Please : WITCH, PLEASE GONE ROGUE! We’re coming to you straight from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, except that we didn’t want to bring our recorder into the park and then we were too tired to record a proper episode that night and then we got really busy for a couple of months but LISTEN. It’s a great episode. Just trust us, okay? Mega extra special thanks to Julie Fran...
Jul 02, 2018•1 hr 26 min
image credit: Melbourne Writers Festival Well, witches, it’s that time of year again for the first time (technically the second time): time to say “later witches” and actually mean “see you in a few months.” This is our first ever (intentional) Season Finale, but don’t desair! We’ll be back again next summer BIGGER, BOLDER , and SEXIER THAN EVER! You’re gonna love it. So, until then… later witches xoxo. http://ohwitchplease.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/S02E08_WitchPleaseAndTheMelbourneWritersFe...
Sep 26, 2017•1 hr 18 min
Image of courtesy of Buzzfeed Episode CW: discussion of intimate partner abuse To record this episode, Hannah and Marcelle sat in a bed together for two hours with a singularly chill-less cat and had wildly divergent opinions about a book, sort of at one another, while the cat purred way too loudly. Does that make it sound fun? TRUST US IT IS. If nothing else, we can promise the horniest episode we’ve ever delivered, as we sit down to talk about Rainbow Rowell’s Carry On and hash out the differe...
Sep 11, 2017•1 hr 49 min
photo credit: @wildflowersyeg Good evening witches and magicians and wizards of all ages! Welcome to this evening’s musical performance of Witch, Please! This fornight has Marcelle “in the field” interviewing Konstantine Kurelias and Amanda Brace, two staff members of the Winspear Centre , about the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra’s enchanting production of The Music of Harry Potter! As a special treat, you’ll also hear Marcelle debrief the performance with longtime friend and basically brother Step...
Aug 29, 2017•1 hr 50 min
Hey witches! We’re popping into your feed on a Friday to drop the newest episode of Hannah’s new podcast, Secret Feminist Agenda ! We thought this conversation about witchcraft and embracing your inner Hagrid would be particularly up your alley. Enjoy! This week I’m joined by authors/witches extraordinaire Jaya Saxena and Jess Zimmerman to talk about their forthcoming book Basic Witches ( preorder it here! ). If you’re in the New York area, you can head to the launch at The Astoria Bookshop on A...
Aug 25, 2017•35 min
By popular demand, we sat down and watched A Very Potter Musical and boy did we have some thoughts . Some… thoughts. ANYWAY, if you still like us after this episode and you’d like to chip in to send us to Orlando, you can do that here . If you like the sound of boring self care, check out Hannah Daisy and maybe buy some of her stuff. Don’t forget to listen all the way to the end for our latest #trywitches tournament challenge and the answer to this episode’s #witchpleasetellme question! http://o...
Aug 14, 2017•1 hr 38 min
Queue neatly and check your ticket, because we’re heading back to England for the Warner Bros. Studio Tour with special on-location guest Rachelle Saunders (of Episode Sigma fame). Check out the photos Hannah took on the tour! Don’t forget to listen all the way to the end for our latest #trywitches tournament challenge and the answer to this episode’s #witchpleasetellme question! http://ohwitchplease.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Witch-Please-and-the-Stunning-Studio-Tour.mp3Download this not-ent...
Aug 01, 2017•1 hr 24 min
Howdy partners! Grab yer ten galleon hats and join us as we impose our critical feminism on Calgary, Alberta during the Stamp—er………. that is the Comics and Entertainment Expo that took place this past April. Marcelle hosted a one-witch panel wherein she discussed the rise of fascism in the Harry Potter series. You’ll notice references to slides during the talk; you can view or download them from the links below 🙂 In keeping with our shiny new format, Hannah and Marcelle cap off the episode with...
Jul 18, 2017•1 hr 30 min
Well hello again, witches! Thanks for tuning in for this week’s mega super long but mega super lovely episode featuring the Foggo Family. An under-slept Marcelle joins the Foggos as they discuss what the Harry Potter series and the podcast Witch, Please mean to them as a family and as fans. ***** OH AND MEGA SUPER APOLOGIES FOR THE AUDIO SHENANIGANS IN THIS EPISODE. IT IS 50% TOO LITTLE SLEEP 50% I FORGET HOW TO PODCAST ***** In keeping with our seasonal format, Hannah and Marcelle play catchup ...
Jul 04, 2017•1 hr 44 min
Welcome back, witches! We sure have missed you, and we’re excited to get started on Season 2 (new numbering system TBA). The focus of this season will be the Harry Potter fandom, and Hannah kicked things off by attending Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in London with HP megafan, author, and journalist Anna James . Join us for a conversation about the liveness of theatre, three-piece suits, and harpsichords! After Marcelle and Hannah are done catching up, this episode gets pretty danged spoiler...
Jun 19, 2017•1 hr 19 min
Image from page 375 of “The Haverfordian, Vols. 26-27, 1904-05” (1905) Hey witches! We're dropping back into your feed momentarily to let you know about three upcoming events! On Sunday, April 23, at 1pm UPDATE: 3:30PM , Hannah and previous guest Rachelle Saunders will be hosting a meet-up at the Parcel Yard in King's Cross. Come hang out! On Sunday, April 30, at 1:30pm, Marcelle (and the robot of our hearts!) will be giving a talk at the Calgary Expo on “Harry Potter and Social Justice” in room...
Apr 16, 2017•4 min
Image courtesy of Huffington Post Hold onto your hard drives, witches, because we have an announcement for you! We've been thinking over the past months about ways to make Witch, Please sustainable. After two years of fortnightly episodes, we're worried about fizzling out over the next year. We don't want to fizzle out, dear witches, because hanging out with you is too much fun. And so we have arrived at: A PLAN. Proudly announcing: Witch, Please 2.0 , this time with seasons, and maybe an even m...
Jan 31, 2017•2 min
HAPPY 2017, WITCHES! We don’t believe in resolutions because they are a neoliberal conceit intended to keep you politically docile by convincing you that your very being is a perfectable project. But we do believe in trying to educate yourself every damn day, and in that spirit, this minisode is accompanied by some recommended readings. Enjoy! Content Warning for this episode: discussion of racialized violence and murder. Fantastic Beasts is Not So Fantastic With Diversity Tilda Swinton’s Email ...
Jan 17, 2017•54 min
Image source: Miss Nobody on tumblr Greetings from the Roaring Twenties, witches! In this excitingly lengthy new beast of an episode, Marcelle and Hannah are joined by your favourite Guy with a Film Degree: Neale Barnholden! Your hilarious hosts FINALLY talk about that new venture into the Wizarding World by money machines JK Rowling and Warner Brothers: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them ! Get cozy, because this episode is fantastically long! http://ohwitchplease.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016...
Dec 20, 2016•1 hr 50 min
Image credit: Ashley Hostetter “The Charming Classroom” Welcome back, witches! We are gearing up to tackle Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them ! In this fantastic minisode, Marcelle sits down with Harry Potter marketing wiz and wandmaker-in-training Rachelle Saunders (of Science for the People fame) to talk about branding and Harry Potter. So grab your House Scarf and an official Witch, Please mug of hot cocoa and cozy up for this magical exploration of marketing in the Potterverse! http://o...
Dec 06, 2016•1 hr 9 min
Photo credit: Max Lalanne / The Tufts Daily Howdy, witches! This extended universe not-so-mini minisode comes to you hot off the mics in America! Hannah and Marcelle (and Trevor!) (and the hippogriff baby, too!!) had the pleasure of visiting Tufts University to deliver a workshop on podcasting and to speak on a panel with Tufts Experimental College Professor Lydia XZ Brown about disability, race, and queerness in the Harry Potter series. It was awesome! If you’d like to learn more about Lydia an...
Nov 22, 2016•1 hr 42 min
Image source: Fantastic Beasts “Final Trailer” Welcome to the future, witches! In this episode, Marcelle and Neale tackle the trailers for the first (of FIVE?!?!) movie in the Fabulous Beasts and Their Locations Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film franchise. We honestly cannot believe we are going to do this five more times , but for sure by the second or third movie release we’ll live in the same city as Hannah again so these minisodes will be even more hilarious! HEY! Speaking of bein...
Nov 08, 2016•51 min
Image from page 988 of “Popular electricity magazine in plain English” (1912) (Internet Archive Book Image) This arbitrarily-categorized Extended Universe Episode saw one of your brave hosts venture out of her cozy living room and into stormy Vancouver in search of a real live theatrical BUT TOTALLY COMMUNITY-DRIVEN AND FREE SO IN NO WAY LEGALLY LIABLE reading of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child . Thanks to Laura Fukumoto , Nicole Yukiko , and everyone who took part in this magical event, for l...
Oct 25, 2016•47 min
Image: filmratings.com Gather ’round, witches! We’re back with another minisode! This week, Marcelle asks resident Guy With A Film Degree Neale Barnholden all about trailers and somewhat ironically they talk for an hour! PSA: we had a LOT of unexpected technical difficulties before, during, and after recording, so please think of this episode as a rather rough cut. http://ohwitchplease.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/WitchPlease-20161010-TeasersTrailersAndSpoilersOhMy.mp3Download this re-cut minis...
Oct 11, 2016•50 min
Pull out your rulers, witches, and start measuring your margins, because this episode we’re getting into the nitty and the gritty of book design. Hannah is joined by book designer (and brand new colleague at her brand new job!) Mauve Pagé in a discussion of three different editions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone . We talk about kerning! We talk about x-height! We talk about widows! And as all those exclamation marks indicate, you should be excited! P.S. Things get visual in this one...
Sep 27, 2016•53 min
Welcome back, witches! Today’s episode wraps up our discussion of the second half of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and after this we’ll never speak of it again—at least, not until the next edition of play script gets published with all that sweet, sweet paratext you know we crave…….. Seriously, though, we’re stoked for the re-issuing of the post-production script with, like, photos and shit. But for now we make do with the incomprehensible stage directions and many, many title pages. Enjoy! ...
Sep 13, 2016•1 hr 27 min
Image: Tasha Chawner, flickr Grab your contraband Time Turners, witches, because we’re zipping back in time to episode 15A: the first half of our discussion of the play script for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ! Speaking of time, in this episode Hannah and Marcelle dive into recording from two different timezones! The results are PRETTY GOOD! Dramatic reading background music by Bensound . http://ohwitchplease.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/WitchPlease160829CuriousChild-Hawtfix.mp3Download th...
Aug 30, 2016•1 hr 33 min
