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), Katy and John investigate the mythic, literary, and alchemical references in this movie to answer key questions and decipher where the series may be headed next.

Katy and her co-host Emily Strand discuss these fan favorites with guests Katherine Sas  (University of Pennsylvania) and Robb McDaniel (Middle Tennessee State University). We take a deep dive into the characterization and group dynamics of Harry’s father’s generation. Are they really “marauders”? Are they bullies? Why did things go so badly for their friendship in the past and what role does this play in the unfolding story in the present?

We pull apart the latest Cormoran Strike novel on this episode of Reading, Writing, Rowling.

Katy and John dissect J.K. Rowling’s most recent crime novel Lethal White with guests Beatrice Groves and Louise Freeman. In a lively, detailed, and wide-ranging conversation, we talk about predictions we got right (like Louise’s accurate guess about the London Olympics), how the relationships in the books are developing, literary allusions, mythic elements, and where the story might be going in future books.

Reading, Writing, Rowling: Imagination and Fiction in the Age of Harry Potter

Episode 17: Harry Potter Festivals Which Must Not Be Named

Host: Katy McDaniel

Guests: Emily Strand, Louise Freeman, Amy Sturgis, Lana Whited, Christen Church

Have you recently attended an unnamed magic festival filled with Harry Potter wonders? In this episode we come to you from Roanoke, Virginia's Generic Magic Festival to discuss Harry Potter in popular culture and the challenges that fan activities pose for copyright and trademark law.

Harry Potter Is The Perfect Mystery! Discover the detective-rings of Harry Potter on this month’s episode. Especially since J.K. Rowling has now transitioned to writing detective crime fiction, in hindsight we can find elements of that genre in the Harry Potter series. 

Join us for an all-out Quidditch-palooza!

Do you skip over the Quidditch scenes in the Harry Potter novels? Katy and Guest Expert Emily Strand talk with author and wizard activist Caitlin Elizabeth Harper about the meaning of Quidditch—the sport from Queerditch Marsh—for the Harry Potter series.

Catch up on the latest Cormoran Strike analysis before the release of the fourth novel in the series September 18!

With guests Dr. Karen Kebarle and Dr. Louise Freeman, Katy and John examine the connections between the Harry Potter series and the first three Cormoran Strike novels.

Fan Worlds Are Colliding!

"Star Wars" fan and "Harry Potter" scholar Emily Strand (Instructor in Comparative Religions at Mount Carmel College of Nursing) joins Katy and John to talk about the connections between these two popular series.