Material Girls

In this episode, Hannah and Marcelle welcome guest Matt Wildcat (he/him) to discuss the hit reality TV show, "The Traitors." Marcelle and Matt begin by offering a quick rundown of the game's mechanics and its charm (TLDR: Alan Cumming). Whether you're a fan, like Marcelle, or you've never watched the show, like Hannah, this episode is for YOU. Tune in for an hour deep dive into the lasting effects...

Enjoy this new Material Concerns episode featuring a classically chaotic check-in that is largely about Coach's fixation on pudding and Marcelle's forthcoming political career. We then jump into Ok, Hear Me Out (menstruation, sticker charts, budgeting!), followed by No Time! (a clip from our Sapphic episode). We wrap Part I of the episode with Apocalypse Toolkit and save Make It Make Sense (Matcha...

There are no book spoilers in this episode! Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (Entangled Publishing) was an undeniable hit in the world of romantasy fiction. But in a saturated market, how did Fourth Wing rise to such fame? To get to the bottom of this book's popularity, resident publishing expert, Hannah explains how Entangled's market-driven approach to publishing and reader engagement set Yarros up...

Here comes another Material Concerns episode containing new and familiar segments! In this episode, Marcelle gets an opportunity to sing her Kreacher Report remix (facilitated by our wonderful sound engineer, Malika) and Coach gives an update on Jodie. Hannah talks about her time in Duncan and Coach wreaks havoc with a new segment that stirs up some drama. Reminder to head to Patreon.com/ohwitchpl...

In this episode, Hannah and Marcelle delve into the word "sapphic" and consider the rising popularity of the term's use as it relates to the legacy of radical feminism and lesbian feminism. They begin by talking about their own feelings around labels, sexuality, and the limits of using words to define ourselves. Marcelle offers a guess at what (and how) "sapphic" means in 2025, and Hannah gives an...

First things first, we NEED a jingle. Anyone wanna step in? Email us at ohwitchplease@gmail.com, if so. :) Otherwise, please enjoy this Material Concerns episode, once again hosted by Hannah, Marcelle and Witch, Please Productions' producer, Coach (aka the other Hannah). Tune in for a goofy chat about about money laundering, the importance of poetry, reasonably priced tofu, the problem with heartb...

We're throwing it back to 2003 with this episode about the beloved swashbuckler hit, Pirates of the Caribbean. Hannah and Marcelle start with a review of the political climate in the early aughts, with a particular focus on 9/11, George W. Bush's presidency and the illegitimate "War on Terror." Marcelle offers some details about the Disneyland ride that inspired the franchise, the film's productio...

On this week's Material Concerns, we revisit some familiar segments and introduce some new ones! We also make an official request for jingles to be emailed our way at ohwitchplease@gmail.com . We sing, we giggle, we give recs, and so much more. Happy listening!  This month, we're running a Patreon push! We need to hit $7k/month to sustain our show and the labor that goes into making it possib...

In this (spoiler-free) episode, we give YOU, the listener, all the tools you need to confidently and appropriately use the term Kafkaesque the next time Severance comes up in conversation. During Why This, Why Now? , Hannah guides Marcelle through some very compelling ideas about the show's popularity (did someone say "pandemic?"). We then move into The Theory We Need where the conversation turns...

We're going weekly, folks! We're so excited to kick off this new schedule with Part I of Material Concerns. In very fun news, Coach is now our third co-host on these episodes which means 33% more chaos, new segments (including recommendations, a creature report, and improv). To listen to Part II, head to our Patreon right now! We're doing a Patreon push during the month of April to hit $7000/month...

In this week's episode, we’re talking about the conspiracy theory that Canadian pop punk icon Avril Lavigne died and was replaced by a body double named Melissa. You heard us right! To help navigate the mess of this theory, we have an esteemed guest, Cristen Conger (she/her), who is deep in conspiracy discourse. Cristen is the cofounder of Unladylike Media, author of the book Unladylike: A Field G...

In this Material Concerns episode, Hannah and Marcelle talk about the 2005 Music Video Awards (and the Gosling/McAdams kiss), Noah as the The Notebook's (unreliable?) narrator, the line between melodrama and camp, and Gosling's undeniable charisma. As a reminder, for just  $5 USD/month you'll get part two, our extensive backlog, ad-free episodes, and oh so much more! *** Music Credits: “Shopp...

She's back! Beloved podcaster and author Vanessa Zoltan (she/her) joins Hannah and Marcelle to dig into one of the most famous "weepies" of the 21st century: The Notebook (2004). If you cry at the line "If you're a bird, I'm a bird," have the phrase "What do you want?" ringing in your head, or regularly view the 2005 MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss, then this episode is for you. Hannah first context...

In this Material Concerns episode, Hannah and Marcelle talk about being emotional support for Americans, fancy linen paper in the 1700s, memes, monoculture and more! As a reminder, for just  $5 USD/month you'll get part two, our extensive backlog, ad-free episodes, and oh so much more! *** Music Credits: “Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020 Used by permission. All rights re...

This week, longtime friend of the pod, Neale Barnholden (he/him), joins Marcelle and Hannah to discuss the materiality of comic books and their influence on modern-day meme culture! They talk reading conventions, colonization, de- and re-contextualization, as well as the raced and classed history of comics. Together, they then dive into Paul Davis's idea of "the culture text" (adaptations, parodie...

As chaotic as the title suggests, this episode features our Witch, Please Productions team on mic! We've got Gaby, Zoe and Coach joining Hannah and Marcelle to discuss Wicked, listener-submitted questions, 2024 Spotify stats and more. As a reminder, for just  $5 USD/month you'll get part two, our extensive backlog, ad-free episodes, and oh so much more! *** Music Credits: “Shopping Mall”: by...

What is more zeitgeist-y than Wicked Part One? Well, arguably, the memes, interviews, and merch ABOUT Wicked Part One! In this episode Hannah and Marcelle are joined by the wonderful author, Youtuber and internet busybody, Leena Norms, to discuss this year's blockbuster— and the paratexts surrounding it. If you've been targeted an Elphaba eyeshadow palette, a Glinda-themed popcorn bucket, or anyth...

Welcome back to Material Concerns! In this episode, Marcelle and Hannah answer your questions. They talk Golden Girls, Friends, All-Inclusive Resorts, and Coach's Birthday! As a reminder, for just $5 USD/month you'll get part two, our extensive backlog, ad-free episodes, and oh so much more! *** Music Credits: “Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020 Used by permission. Al...

Over the course of its seven seasons, The Golden Girls  had 25 million viewers and earned 68 Emmy nominations. Each of the girls, Rue McClanahan (Blanche Devereaux), Bea Arthur (Dorothy Zbornak), Estelle Getty (Sophia Petrillo) and Betty White (Rose Nylund) won Emmy's for their performances and more than three decades later, the show is still in syndication. All to say, the show was popular!...

Welcome back to Material Concerns! In this episode, Marcelle and Hannah answer your questions. They talk phone games, the Witch, Please team as different types of witches, genre conventions and Twin Peaks! As a reminder, for just $5 USD/month you'll get part two, our extensive backlog, ad-free episodes, and oh so much more! *** Music Credits: “Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020...

In honor of spooky season, we bring you an episode about the beloved cult classic, Twin Peaks! This show from Mark Frost and David Lynch, starring Kyle MacLachlan , is widely understood as one of the most influential television series ever! And yet it its original run began April 1990 and ended just fourteen months later in June 1991. In this episode, Marcelle explores why this show, that began as...

Today we’re dropping a bonus conversation into your feed featuring Adrian Angus, a dear friend of Marcelle's who passed away unexpectedly in September. This bonus episode was originally released as a Patreon perk back in March 2021. At the time, our flagship show was Witch, Please, a scholarly podcast about the Harry Potter world and this bonus accompanied our Book three episode about The Prison I...

Thank you for your questions about dopamine, dinosaurs and cats! In part one of this Material Concerns episode, we also launch a new segment called "Make It Make Sense" where Hannah and Marcelle rely on no research to guess why certain things are popular! Thanks for your suggestions via Instagram! As a reminder, for just $5 USD/month you'll get part two, our extensive backlog, ad-free episodes, an...

For this episode, we're joined by Jesse Meadows (they/them) to discuss the most zeitgeist-y neurotransmitter around: dopamine! Have you been targeted Instagram Reels and Tik Toks about increasing your dopamine levels or managing ADHD through pleasure abstinence? Well that may have more to do with tech bros, billionaires and health capitalism than you think! Tune in for a conversation about pseudo-...

You had so many great questions about Hannah's forthcoming book, Clever Girl and our Jurassic Park episode all about spectacle —and we answer a lot of them in part one of this Material Concerns episode! As a reminder, for just $5 USD/month you'll get part two, our extensive backlog, ad-free episodes, and oh so much more! *** Music Credits: “Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020 Us...