Potterversity: A Potter Studies Podcast

Far from an offhand or casually constructed story, The Ickabog intentionally continues many of the themes and structures of the Harry Potter books in a fairy tale genre.  In this month’s episode, Katy and John talk with Harry Potter scholars John Pazdziora (University of Tokyo-Komaba) and Lana Whited (Ferrum College) about our first analyses of The Ickabog , which was released in installments from...

Explore the surprising relevance of Beedle the Bard’s first tale - “The Wizard and the Hopping Pot” - in this week’s episode.  “The Wizard and the Hopping Pot” seems like a simple story on the surface, but Katy and Emily with their guest Travis Prinzi ( Harry Potter and Imagination ) uncover the challenging complexities of this tale.  We look at the fairy tale motifs Rowling uses, and also ways th...

Take a closer look at the fierce and fine Ginny Weasley in this bonus episode.  Katy and Emily talk with Louise Freeman (Mary Baldwin University) about Ginny Weasley, examining why some fans dislike her as well as what is admirable about her. We compare book-Ginny with movie-Ginny and consider the effect of scenes left out of the films on our impression of the character. Romantic love is at the he...

Deconstruct Beedle the Bard’s tale “Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump” with us in our latest bonus episode!  Katy and Emily talk with Katherine Sas (University of Pennsylvania) about the wizard fairy tale featuring the wily and witchy Babbitty Rabbitty. We discuss how J.K. Rowling developed the concept and how it connects with the themes of the Harry Potter series. Is this a story about dea...

Take a surprising closer look at Petunia Dursley in this week’s episode.  Harry’s Aunt Petunia is one of the lesser villains of Rowling’s fantasy series, but in this bonus episode, Katy and Emily hear Emma Nicholson’s rereading of Petunia in light of what we find out at the end of the last book. Considering how Petunia was rejected from the wizarding world in her childhood, and other hints of her...

Which of the wizarding world books mentioned in the Harry Potter series would you most like to have on your bookshelf?  Join us in considering the funniest, most important, and most intriguing books within the Harry Potter books in this bonus episode. Emily and Katy talk with Professor Lana Whited (Ferrum College) about the many books J.K. Rowling invented for the wizarding world. Which ones are m...

Graduating seniors connect their experiences this spring to the final Harry Potter book.  In this special episode, Emily, Katy, and Lana Whited (Ferrum College) talk with high school and college seniors who are separated from their friends and schools this spring because of the COVID-19 crisis. Neil Fredericksen (Franklin County High School), Jamie Gilbert (Ferrum College), and Miranda Veal (UNC-C...

Prognostications about the next Cormoran Strike novel, based on the clues so far.  In this bonus episode, John and Katy predict what will happen in the next novel in the Rowling/Galbraith Cormoran Strike series with the help of Elizabeth Baird Hardy ( Milton, Spencer, and the Chronicles of Narnia ) and Beatrice Groves ( Literary Allusion in Harry Potter ). Given the Strike 5 title Troubled Blood ,...

Enjoy a special bonus mini episode of our show about how we’re “ holding on to Harry Potter .”  Katy and Emily talk with MuggleNet’s Laurie Beckoff about how to navigate our love of Harry Potter with new revelations from J.K. Rowling that challenge what we thought we knew. Laurie explains her theory that the wizarding world extends beyond the books and has become a common language for our culture,...

Explore the more-than-magical power of words and rhetoric in the wizarding world.  This month’s episode explores Albus Dumbledore’s wisdom that “Words are our most inexhaustible source of magic.” Mark-Anthony Lewis (Bristol Community College and School on Wheels of Massachusetts) helps Emily and Katy understand how speech and rhetoric operate in the wizarding world. He explains why “ Harry Potter...

Get to the heart of werewolves in the Harry Potter series in this month’s special double episode! In this supersized episode, John and Katy talk with literary scholars and werewolf specialists Dr. Melissa Aaron (California Polytechnic State University) and Dr. Renée Ward (University of Lincoln, UK) to reveal the true nature of beastly transformations in the Harry Potter series. “Everything you kno...

**This episode is dedicated to our friends in Australia, including our fabulous editor Emma Nicholson, who are still dealing with the aftermath of the recent fires. Our hearts are with you.** Whether you love or hate - or love to hate - Draco Malfoy, you will thoroughly enjoy our deep dive into this controversial bad boy of the Harry Potter series. In this month’s episode, John and Katy talk with...

Discover the origins, influence, and magic of medievalist children’s fantasy literature in our conversation with Dr. Maria Sachiko Cecire about her new book Re-Enchanted: The Rise of Children’s Fantasy Literature in the Twentieth Century (University of Minnesota Press). In this episode, Katy and Emily talk with Dr. Maria Cecire (Director of the Center for Experimental Humanities at Bard College) a...

Eavesdrop on our conference conversation recorded at Chestnut Hill College! This episode showcases both the new and enduring trends in Harry Potter scholarship, as seen at the Harry Potter Academic Conference at Chestnut Hill College in October 2019. Katy and Emily talk with a panel of scholars who organized, attended, and/or presented at the conference: Laurie Beckoff, Lauren Camacci, Elise Trude...

Harry Potter empowers us to speak across borders of difference and find our authentic voices. In this month’s episode, Katy and Emily talk with Dr. M’Balia Thomas (University of Kansas) about the border-crossings of students like Harry and Hermione, which M’Balia calls the “ Harry Potter Border-Crossing Analogy” (HPBCA). Wizarding world characters’ experiences of going into a different world, with...

Fandoms and film adaptations of Middle-earth and the Wizarding World in this week’s episode. Katy and John continue the conversation with Dr. Sara Brown and Dr. Amy Sturgis, this time focusing on the fans and the film versions of the iconic fantasy series of J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling. We discuss whether the Rowling and Tolkien fandoms are oppositional or intersecting, and what the newer Rowl...

What does the wizarding world owe to Middle-earth? This month, Katy and John talk about the fantasy worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling with guests Dr. Sara Brown (Rydal Penrhos School and Signum University) and Dr. Amy Sturgis (Lenoir-Rhyne University). Though Rowling has minimized the influence of Tolkien’s saga on her own world-building, readers can spot several connections at the superfi...

J.K. Rowling’s comedy helps us connect with the darker themes of the Harry Potter story. Join us for Part 2 of our discussion of “Humor and Harry Potter ,” where we continue our conversation with Emily Strand (Mount Carmel College of Nursing), Louise Freeman (Mary Baldwin University), and Caitlin Harper (NYDA - Harry Potter Alliance, New York City). Exploring humor theories, we analyze how Rowling...

What are your favorite funny moments in Harry Potter? J.K. Rowling’s deft use of humor is one of the core reasons for the success of the Harry Potter series, yet one which is not much discussed. In this first of a two-part episode, we remedy that lack! Katy talks with Emily Strand (Mount Carmel College of Nursing), Caitlin Harper (NYDA, Harry Potter Alliance—New York City), and Louise Freeman (Mar...

Uncover the literary secrets within Harry Potter , Cormoran Strike , and Fantastic Beasts ! In this episode, Katy and John do a deep dive into the symbolism and transformative power of J.K. Rowling’s work. First, John describes the concept of literary alchemy and how literature can effect an alchemical transformation on readers. Then, special guest Evan Willis (University of Dallas) explains how R...

Explore the many Harry Potter references to King Arthur in this month’s episode!  Three generations of Potter scholars gather to talk about J.K. Rowling’s Arthurian influences. From significant naming of characters to points of plot and theme, Katy and John discuss the many connections between the wizarding world and the medievalism of the King Arthur stories with special guests Laurie Beckoff (Mu...

Whether you love the movies or hate them, this episode will open your eyes to the challenges and artistry of the Harry Potter movies. In this episode, Janet Batchler, screenwriter ( Batman Forever , Pompeii ) and professor at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, helps us understand the Harry Potter movies, what we love about them and why - as well as what bothers us ab...

You do not want to miss this compelling, poignant episode about the power of reading (and reading Harry Potter in particular) in our emotional lives. Harry Potter helps adoptive and foster families deal with trauma, questions of identity, and family relationships. In this episode, Katy and her co-host Emily Strand investigate the use of Harry Potter as “bibliotherapy,” especially for adoptive and...

Who could have predicted this episode? Join us in Divination Class for this episode on tarot, astrology, and games in the Harry Potter series. With the help of guests Eglantine Pillet (Sorbonne, University of Paris) and Beatrice Groves (Oxford University), Katy and John examine the symbols of prediction, destiny, and cosmic interconnection in J.K. Rowling’s universe.

This month join us at alchemist Nicolas Flamel’s house, where we’re searching for answers to the profound questions raised by the second film in the Fantastic Beasts series. Spoilers abound! The Crimes of Grindelwald left a lot of fans and critics scratching their heads. With our guests Elizabeth Baird Hardy (Mayland Community College), Megan Kelly (SpeakBeasty), and Lana Whited (Ferrum College),...