As a podcast all about the zeitgeist, we've wanted to do an episode about James Frey's memoir A Million Little Pieces — and the 2005 controversy around it — for years. So when Traci Thomas (she/her) agreed to join us on Material Girls, we were thrilled to finally have the perfect guest to help us dig in.

Among numerous other accomplishments, Traci Thomas is the creator and host of the critically acclaimed literary podcast, The Stacks, as well as the writer behind the incredible Substack, Unstacked. Through her insights into celebrity book clubs, Oprah's cultural positioning in the early aughts, publishing norms and reader expectations, Hannah and Marcelle make sense of one of the most fascinating scandals of the last 20 years.

Note — if you don't care about the controversy, but you've always wanted to understand the differences between memoir, autobiography and auto-fiction, then you should give this episode a listen. :)

To learn more about Material Girls, head to our Instagram at instagram.com/ohwitchplease! Or check out our website ohwitchplease.ca. We'll be back next week with a Material Concerns episode, but until then, go check out all the other content we have on our Patreon at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease! Patreon is how we produce the show and pay our team! Thanks again to all of you who have already made the leap to join us there!

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Material Girls is a show that makes sense of the zeitgeist through materialist critique* and critical theory! Each episode looks at a unique object of study (something popular now or from back in the day) and over the course of three distinct segments, Hannah and Marcelle apply their academic expertise to the topic at hand.

*Materialist Critique is, at its simplest possible level, a form of cultural critique – that is, scholarly engagement with a cultural text of some kind – that is interested in modes of production, moments of reception, and the historical and ideological contexts for both. Materialist critique is interested in the question of why a particular cultural work or practice emerged at a particular moment.

Music Credits:

“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020

Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a quick and dirty check-in, Hannah, Marcelle and Coach dive into Apocalypse Toolkit (music edition!)! They then jump into a very thorough Make It Make Sense and listen to a Voice Memo Dispatch! Happy listening.

Head to Patreon.com/ohwitchplease to listen to Part II. For as little as $54/year, you'll get ad-free episodes, bloopers, a backlog of content and part two of all Material Concerns episodes! Head to patreon.com/ohwitchplease now to join a tier that works for your budget!

Looking for our Apocalypse Toolkit Playlist? Check it out here!

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Music Credits:

“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020

Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023 and the rise of reality star celebrities.

To learn more about Material Girls, head to our Instagram at instagram.com/ohwitchplease! Or check out our website ohwitchplease.ca. We'll be back in two weeks with a Material Concerns episode, but until then, go check out all the other content we have on our Patreon at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease! Patreon is how we produce the show and pay our team! Thanks again to all of you who have already made the leap to join us there!

***

Material Girls is a show that aims to make sense of the zeitgeist through materialist critique* and critical theory! Each episode looks at a unique object of study (something popular now or from back in the day) and over the course of three distinct segments, Hannah and Marcelle apply their academic expertise to the topic at hand.

*Materialist Critique is, at its simplest possible level, a form of cultural critique – that is, scholarly engagement with a cultural text of some kind – that is interested in modes of production, moments of reception, and the historical and ideological contexts for both. Materialist critique is really interested in the question of why a particular cultural work or practice emerged at a particular moment.

Music Credits:

“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020

Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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!) and Creature Report for part two. 

Head to Patreon.com/ohwitchplease to listen! For as little as $54/year, you'll get ad-free episodes, bloopers, a backlog of content and part two of all Material Concerns episodes! Head to patreon.com/ohwitchplease now to join a tier that works for your budget!

***

Music Credits:

“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020

Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 for a certain kind of success. They then dig into the complexities of authorship and copyright in a rapidly evolving literary landscape — particularly in genres like romance and fantasy (i.e. genres that consistently play with and rely on tropes). To add some much-needed theory to the mix, Hannah draws on Foucault to consider "authorship" and the "the author function."

At the end of the episode, Hannah offers a thesis about authorship, originality and modern publishing that is not to be missed!

If you liked this conversation, be sure to check out these related episodes:

Bridgerton x Reading the Romance

Twilight x Girl Culture

The Night Circus x Reading Ecosystems

To learn more about Material Girls, head to our Instagram at instagram.com/ohwitchplease! Or check out our website ohwitchplease.ca. We'll be back in two weeks with a Material Concerns episode, but until then, go check out all the other content we have on our Patreon at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease! Patreon is how we produce the show and pay our team! Thanks again to all of you who have already made the leap to join us there!

***

Material Girls is a show that aims to make sense of the zeitgeist through materialist critique* and critical theory! Each episode looks at a unique object of study (something popular now or from back in the day) and over the course of three distinct segments, Hannah and Marcelle apply their academic expertise to the topic at hand.

*Materialist Critique is, at its simplest possible level, a form of cultural critique – that is, scholarly engagement with a cultural text of some kind – that is interested in modes of production, moments of reception, and the historical and ideological contexts for both. Materialist critique is really interested in the question of why a particular cultural work or practice emerged at a particular moment.

Music Credits:

“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020

Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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/ohwitchplease to get part two!! For as little as $54/year, you'll get ad-free episodes, bloopers, a backlog of content and part two of all Material Concerns episodes! Head to patreon.com/ohwitchplease now to join a tier that works for your budget!

***

Music Credits:

“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020

Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 overview of its current colloquial use as a complement, an alternative, and a reaction, in particular, to the term "lesbian." And then it's history time baby! Hannah gets into the the radical feminist movement of the 60s and the various modern feminisms that emerged simultaneously and in the decades following. She then offers a thesis that frames queer feminism's complicated relationship to its own history as one part of sapphic's entrance into the zeitgeist, all while suggesting we take a more nuanced look at the past and resist the temptation to reduce previous movements to their most imperfect parts.

To learn more about Material Girls, head to our Instagram at instagram.com/ohwitchplease! Or check out our website ohwitchplease.ca. We'll be back in two weeks with a Material Concerns episode, but until then, go check out all the other content we have on our Patreon at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease! Patreon is how we produce the show and pay our team! Thanks again to all of you who have already made the leap to join us there!

***

Material Girls is a show that aims to make sense of the zeitgeist through materialist critique* and critical theory! Each episode looks at a unique object of study (something popular now or from back in the day) and over the course of three distinct segments, Hannah and Marcelle apply their academic expertise to the topic at hand.

*Materialist Critique is, at its simplest possible level, a form of cultural critique – that is, scholarly engagement with a cultural text of some kind – that is interested in modes of production, moments of reception, and the historical and ideological contexts for both. Materialist critique is really interested in the question of why a particular cultural work or practice emerged at a particular moment.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First things first, we NEED a jingle. Anyone wanna step in? Email us at [email protected], 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 heartburn and the value of supporting creators you love. Head to Patreon.com/ohwitchplease to get part two!

As a reminder, this month, we're running a Patreon push! We need to hit $7k/month to sustain our WEEKLY show and the labor that goes into making it possible! Please consider joining today for as little as $54/year. You'll get ad-free episodes, bloopers, a backlog of content and part two of all Material Concerns episodes! Head to patreon.com/ohwitchplease to join a tier that works for your budget!

***

Music Credits:

“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020

Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 production challenges, and the film's eventual success. Together, Hannah and Marcelle consider Pirates of the Caribbean's unexpected box office success in relation to American Exceptionalism and the United States' invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq.

Join us for a ride as we delve into American imperialism, the allure of piracy, the appeal of Jack Sparrow (the anti-hero) and Will Turner (the good guy gone rogue), and the enduring popularity of this film released over two decades ago!

To learn more about Material Girls, head to our Instagram at instagram.com/ohwitchplease! Or check out our website ohwitchplease.ca. We'll be back in two weeks with a Material Concerns episode, but until then, go check out all the other content we have on our Patreon at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease! Patreon is how we produce the show and pay our team! Thanks again to all of you who have already made the leap to join us there! We're currently doing a Patreon push, so please consider joining today to get all our extra perks, along with the backlog of bonuses!

***

Material Girls is a show that aims to make sense of the zeitgeist through materialist critique* and critical theory! Each episode looks at a unique object of study (something popular now or from back in the day) and over the course of three distinct segments, Hannah and Marcelle apply their academic expertise to the topic at hand.

*Materialist Critique is, at its simplest possible level, a form of cultural critique – that is, scholarly engagement with a cultural text of some kind – that is interested in modes of production, moments of reception, and the historical and ideological contexts for both. Materialist critique is really interested in the question of why a particular cultural work or practice emerged at a particular moment.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 [email protected]. 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 possible! Please consider joining today for as little as $54/year. You'll get ad-free episodes, bloopers, a backlog of content and part two of all Material Concerns episodes! Head to patreon.com/ohwitchplease to join a tier that works for your budget!

***

Music Credits:

“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020

Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.