Witches in Britches

Witches in Britches

By Katie RobisonTV & FilmArts
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Witches in Britches episodes

  • Episode 2.1: Into the Woods

    Happy full moon, witches! And welcome to season two!

    That’s right. Our whole coven is back to discuss the 2014 film adaptation of the Sondheim musical Into the Woods. The perfect way to kick off a month with a blue moon!

    The first full moon in March is called the Sap Moon or Worm Moon. Other names include the Moon of Winds, the Death Moon, the Chaste Moon, the Fish Moon, the Sleepy Moon, and the Big Famine Moon.

    CW: sexual assault, #MeToo, Larry Nassar, Johnny Depp, infidelity, infertility. See the listening guide below for which sections to skip.

    https://witchesinbritches.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/01-episode-one_-into-the-woods-1.m4a

    Our theme song is “Moon and Spruce” by Sarah Littledrum.

    Here’s a listening guide for the episode. (For a description of our segments, go here.)

    Introduction (0:00 – 3:15)

    Which Craft? (3:30 – 17:10)

    • Adaptation: differences between the stage version and screen version
    • Circular narrative and the four central characters
    • Effect of using and changing familiar stories (and returning to the darker roots of fairy tales)
    • Meryl Streep’s performance
    • Conveying theme through lighting, music, and special effects
    • The baker and his wife as everyman characters

      • “Are You a Bald Head or a Queer Nose?”: Representation + Bodies (17:40 – 1:05:45)

      • The baker and toxic masculinity/ social pressures (+ the importance of having a supportive community in order to change cycles of abuse/ destructive behaviors/ demands of cisheteronormativity)
      • So many dead mothers (separation of child and parent as central theme)
      • Women in diverse stages of life–but no women of color
      • Sexual violence: Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, Larry Nassar, #MeToo, empowering victims of assault (31:14 – 40:26)
      • Jack’s sexual awakening and the princes’ focus on sexual conquest (40:26 – 42:45)
      • The baker’s wife: punishing women for infidelity (43:20 – 49:46) 
      • The witch’s body: can beauty and power co-exist? + healing from assault (49:52 – 55:35)
      • Infertility as a curse (55:41 – 59:49)
      • Blindness, disability, and magical princess tears

        • “Round about the Treguna”: Nature + Spirituality (1:06:06 – 1:22:46)

        • The woods as a psychological, transformative space/ journey
        • Getting what you wish for/ the magic of normalcy
        • Liminal spaces, bridging life and death
        • The spell and its ingredients (transmuted by the cow)
        • The witch’s garden and magic beans

          • Final Spells (1:23:13 – 1:28:20)

          • Typecast Lucy Punch and other versions of Cinderella
          • Other movies/ plays with similar musical themes
          • Learning from and improving on our parents’ example

            • Related Links

            Liz Gilbert on The School of Greatness

            Blooper Reel (1:29:16 – 1:30:06)

            A sort-of photo of the four of us, together again:

            Claire and Jenny’s tablet-laptop contraption:

            Katie’s blue hair:

             

             

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          • Episode 1.8: Season Finale

            Happy full moon, witches! December’s supermoon (kicking off a supermoon trilogy!) is in Gemini and is known in various cultures as the Cold Moon or the Long Night Moon.

            Other names for December’s moon include the Bitter Moon (Chinese), Oak Moon (English), Snow Moon (Cherokee), Peach Moon (Choctaw), and Twelfth Moon (Dakotah Sioux).

            We have reached our eighth episode (a very fortuitous number!) and the end of our first season. In this special episode, we reflect back on the texts we’ve discussed and the witches who have inspired us.

            https://witchesinbritches.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/08-episode-eight_-season-finale.m4a

            Our theme song is “Moon and Spruce” by Sarah Littledrum.

            Listen to hear our answers to the following questions:

            “Which witch…”

            • Inspired you to learn something new or to improve your craft?
            • Helped you to see other people in a new light or to better understand your own position in society?
            • Changed the way you think of your body or the human body in general?
            • Taught you something about the natural world or encouraged you to heal and/or connect with your environment?
            • Encouraged you to create art or foster a spiritual practice?
            • Made you laugh?

              • “What was your favorite/ most magical moment from doing the podcast?”

              “Which witch wins the ‘Witch of the Year’ Award?”

              You can find and listen to all of our previous episodes here.

              If you have comments, feedback, and/or suggestions for Season 2, please do let us know! Thanks again for listening, and we will see you on a forthcoming full moon in 2018!

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            • Episode 1.7: The Girl Who Drank the Moon

              Happy full moon! November’s moon (the most magical!) is in Taurus and known in the pagan tradition as the Tree Moon.

              Here are some of the other names for the November moon: Dark Moon (Celtic), White Moon (Chinese), Snow Moon (English), Beaver Moon (Algonquin), Trading Moon (Cherokee), Sassafras Moon (Choctaw), Moon When Horns Are Broken Off (Dakotah Sioux), and Frost Moon (other Native American peoples). In the southern hemisphere it’s called the Corn Moon, Milk Moon, Flower Moon, and Hare Moon. Read more about November’s moon here.

              In this episode we discuss Newbery medal winner The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill.

              https://witchesinbritches.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/07-episode-seven_-the-girl-who-drank-the-moon1.m4a

              Our theme song is “Moon and Spruce” by Sarah Littledrum.

              Here’s a listening guide for the episode. (For a description of our segments, go here.)

              Introduction (0:00 – 3:33)

              NB: We skipped our formal discussion of craft this time, but our observations about Barnhill’s writing are scattered throughout the episode.

              “Are You a Good Witch or a Bad Witch?” (3:38 – 12:15)

              • Complex, nuanced depictions of female characters (most of the characters are women!)
              • There actually is a good witch and a bad witch in this book! Ignatia vs. Xan
              • The Sisters of the Star (female police force) vs. the Elders (male governing body)
              • Two primary characters, Ethyne and Antain, step away from the established institutions in order to enact change
              • The Elders’ authority is undermined by women’s friendship
              • We end with a brief discussion of race

                • “Bald Heads and Queer Noses” (12:18 – 46:29)

                • Adara’s “madness” and her magic
                • Antain’s scarred face (bodies as text!)
                • Luna’s neurodivergence, dyslexia, and changing body (and how it intersects with her magic)
                • Love beyond physical appearance
                • Systemic problems in U.S. maternity care
                • Hunger as a motivating force

                  • Related Links

                  “Braids, Cornrows, Dreadlocs, & many more and why it’s not ‘just hair’: A thread”

                  “When ‘Fatal’ Foetal Abnormalities Are Not So Fatal”

                  October was Dyslexia Awareness Month. Here are some ideas about how to improve our educational system for dyslexic children.

                  “Round About the Cauldron Go” (46:30 – 1:06:15)

                  • Centrality of nature: the bog, volcano, forest, magical full moon!
                  • Importance of birds
                  • “Good” characters are aligned with nature and “bad” characters work against it
                  • (Magical) significance of trees, wood, and paper as instruments of creation/ art
                  • Stories and memory

                    • “Treguna, Mekoides, Trecorum, Satis, Dee” (1:06:17 – 1:34:13)

                    • Sorrow and self-care in the digital age
                    • The importance of art and hope
                    • More than one way to be an activist
                    • Luna’s visions and the love that binds families (of all stripes) together

                      • Related Links

                      “Mob Shaming: The Pillory at the Center of the Global Village”

                      “‘Our minds can be hijacked’: The tech insiders who fear a smartphone dystopia”

                      Irresistible : The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping us Hooked by Adam Alter

                      Reclaiming the idea of the maiden in the tower: A Tumblr post by star*anise

                      Secret Feminist Agenda episodes 1.11, 1.12, and  1.13 (about mental health, sickness, rest, and activism)

                      Final Spells (1:34:17 – 1:41:05)

                      • The necessity of change
                      • Luna’s father
                      • The things that can be accomplished when women work together

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                        On December 3, we’ll end the year with a special episode reflecting on our first season. See you on the next full moon!

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                      • Episode 1.6: Hocus Pocus

                        Happy harvest moon! In this episode, we dance all night to the classic Halloween flick Hocus Pocus (1993).

                        https://witchesinbritches.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/06-episode-six_-hocus-pocus1.m4a

                        Our theme song is “Moon and Spruce” by Sarah Littledrum.

                        Here’s a listening guide for the episode. (For a description of our segments, go here.)

                        Introduction (0:00 – 3:10)

                        Which Craft? (3:15 – 15:06)

                        • Our nostalgia for the 1990s
                        • Characteristics of 90s movies: likable anti-heroes, high-stakes comedy, frame story
                        • CGI and practical effects
                        • Faux 17th-century accents, time travel, and funny anachronisms
                        • Comedic subversion of horror tropes
                        • Parallels to other stories/ films

                          • “Are You a Good Witch or a Bad Witch?” (15:13 – 29:20)

                          • Lots of awesome, dynamic female characters and only one (or two?) male protagonists
                          • Max’s non-toxic performance of masculinity (especially after the girls teach him to be better)
                          • Sibling relationship as the main focus; trio of heroes working as a team
                          • Max’s transitions as a character
                          • Portrayals of sexuality: Max as virgin/ ingénue, girls are more knowledgeable/ comfortable in their bodies, Sarah’s relationship with her sexuality
                          • Portrayal of the children’s parents

                            • “Bald Heads and Queer Noses” (29:25 – 48:30)

                            • The witches’ bodies as the source for the film’s plot/ conflict and their feelings about their physical appearance
                            • Significance of Billy the Zombie (man silenced by a woman, no blame assigned to Sarah for Billy’s infidelity)
                            • Male characters lose their clothes (or they get torn) while the girls’ clothing remains intact and functional
                            • Bodies as text: the spell book made from human skin (with an eye, possibly sentient);  marking your identity on your body or through your clothing
                            • Mary’s sense of smell

                              • Related Links

                              “What if We Cultivated Our Ugliness? or: The Monstrous Beauty of Medusa”

                              “‘Toddler Grandma Style,’ The Fashion Approach That Will Set You Free”

                              “Round About the Cauldron Go” (48:35 – 1:14:42)

                              • Importance of the New England setting (maple leaves and fall)
                              • Origins of Halloween and the intersection with Salem and colonialism
                              • Binx the cat
                              • The witches’ relationship with nature (plus speculation about the witches’ origins, their mother, and their relationship to immortal figures like Hecate and the devil)
                              • Discussion of symbols and how the meaning of signs is dependent on context
                              • The film’s portrayal of the afterlife and the soul
                              • The witches’ psychosomatic pain
                              • Clash of belief systems: science and technology  vs. magic and nature
                              • Max’s witchcraft and Alison’s witchcraft
                              • The preservation of the Sanderson house as a museum

                                • Related Links

                                History of Halloween

                                Final Spells ( 1:14:46 – 1:20:00)

                                • The title of the film
                                • The witches’ adaptability
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                                • Episode 1.5: Outlander

                                  Happy full moon! In this episode, we dive into Outlander by Diana Gabaldon–and a little bit into the television adaptation as well.

                                  Content warning: rape, sexual assault, domestic abuse, torture, homophobia

                                  https://witchesinbritches.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/05-episode-five_-outlander2.m4a

                                  Our theme song is “Moon and Spruce” by Sarah Littledrum.

                                  Here’s a listening guide for the episode. (For a description of our segments, go here.)

                                  Introduction (0:00 – 2:40)

                                  Which Craft? (3:03 – 18:01)

                                  • First impressions
                                  • Genre expectations and subversions
                                  • Gabaldon’s process
                                  • Writing dialect
                                  • The book’s structure (plus some musings about time travel)
                                  • Foreshadowing and parallel moments

                                    • Related Links

                                    Romance: Genre Expectations and Fantasy Fulfillment (Writing Excuses podcast)

                                    About the Romance Genre (Romance Writers of America)–this is a better definition than the one Katie provides in the episode

                                    Scottish Accents in Outlander (YouTube video)

                                    “Are You a Good Witch or a Bad Witch?” (18:06 – 41:45)

                                    • Traditional gender roles and departures
                                    • Jamie’s performance of masculinity vs. Arthur, Dougal, and other Scotsmen
                                    • Domestic abuse
                                    • Consent in marriage
                                    • The changing concept of race

                                      • Related Links

                                      Scottish People React to Outlander (YouTube video)

                                      Women in Early Modern Scotland

                                      What is Whiteness? (New York Times)

                                      Marble Statues and Whitewashing History (Vice)

                                      “Bald Heads and Queer Noses” (41:49 – 1:08:51)

                                      • Jamie’s rape and the text’s treatment of homosexuality
                                      • Disability and adaptability (Colum, Hugh, Ian, etc.)
                                      • Jamie’s scars and his relationship to his body
                                      • Physical manifestations of emotional trauma (the body as text!)
                                      • Jamie’s hand (and Claire’s)

                                        • Related Links

                                        Twitter Thread about Male Violence

                                        What Do We Mean When We Say “Toxic Masculinity”?

                                        “Treguna, Makoidees, Trecorum, Satis, Dee!” (1:08:55 – 1:19:55)

                                        • Defining witchcraft
                                        • Druids and Mrs. Graham
                                        • Claire as witch
                                        • Geillis as witch
                                        • Different types of knowledge (vs. superstitions)

                                          • “Round About the Cauldron Go” (1:19:58 – 1:34:30)

                                          • Claire’s role as healer and her connection to nature
                                          • Jamie’s connection to nature
                                          • Jamie’s healing process and rebirth

                                            • Related Links

                                            Native Healing and the Medicine Wheel (Native Voices)

                                            Final Spells (1:34-34 – 1:36:43)

                                            • The Loch Ness Monster!?!?

                                              • Blooper Reel (1:37:41 – 1:38:00)

                                              Our next episode will be about Hocus Pocus (1993 film). See you on October 5! (Don’t light the black flame candle!)

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                                            • Minisode 1.1: Salem Witch Museum

                                              Today, to celebrate the new moon and solar eclipse, we’re bringing you a very special minisode about Claire’s visit to the Salem Witch Museum. We also share some thoughts about modern witch hunts (in the forms of racism and xenophobia, especially) and how to foster greater understanding in the face of difference. We at Witches in Britches condemn white supremacy and bigotry in all forms and encourage you to take a stand against intolerance and hate wherever it is found in your communities.

                                              https://witchesinbritches.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/101-minisode-1_-salem-witch-museum.m4a

                                              Our theme song is “Moon and Spruce” by Sarah Littledrum.

                                              Related Links

                                              Salem Witch Museum

                                              Tituba and Your Fear of Witches

                                              Stuff You Should Know: Is a Head Transplant Really a Thing?

                                              Stuff You Should Know: What is Collective Hysteria?

                                              Stuff You Should Know: How Witchcraft Works

                                              Resources for Combatting White Supremacy

                                              NPR: A Reformed White Nationalist Speaks Out on Charlottesville

                                              Life After Hate

                                              Ijemoa Oluo: So You Want to Fight White Supremacy

                                              Katherine Fisher: Facebook Post

                                              Secret Feminist Agenda (Hannah McGregor): Taking Up Space and Feeling Safe Again

                                              Katie’s Blog Post: Don’t Be Complicit

                                              Solar Eclipse Fun

                                              NPR: Rituals to Sprinkle A Little Magic Into Your Eclipse Experience

                                              Stuff to Blow Your Mind: Gazing Into the Eclipse

                                              Our next episode, about Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, will air September 6. See you then!

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                                            • Episode 1.4: Equal Rites

                                              Happy full moon–and lunar eclipse! For our fourth episode, we’re throwing it back to a classic: Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett.

                                              https://witchesinbritches.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/04-episode-four_-equal-rites2.m4a

                                              Our theme song is “Moon and Spruce” by Sarah Littledrum.

                                              Here’s a listening guide for the episode. (For a description of our segments, go here.)

                                              Introduction (0:00 – 3:20)

                                              • Shout out to Hannah McGregor’s new podcast, Secret Feminist Agenda
                                              • Intro to the Discworld series and Terry Pratchett

                                                • Which Craft? (3:20 – 29:35)

                                                • Discworld‘s subversion of fantasy tropes
                                                • Examples of Pratchett’s comedic voice
                                                • Potential allegories in the text (imposter syndrome)
                                                • Semiotics and the production of meaning

                                                  • “Are You a Good Witch or a Bad Witch?” (29:35 – 47:46)

                                                  • Reading magic through gender identity
                                                  • Reading magic as socially assigned labor

                                                    • Related Links

                                                    Traditional Gender Hierarchy*

                                                    Male as Norm

                                                    Gender Master List: A Glossary of Gender Identities

                                                    “Bald Heads and Queer Noses” (47:47 – 1:00:15)

                                                    • Decoding bodies through visual cues, especially clothing (#robegate)
                                                    • Racebending and the benefits and drawbacks of foregoing racial signals

                                                      • “Round About the Cauldron Go” (1:00:15 – 1:18:00)

                                                      • Connection between magic and the natural world (bees!)
                                                      • Real world magic (headology and the power of will)
                                                      • More bees!

                                                        • Final Spells (1:18:10 – 1:24:00)

                                                        • String theory and parallel universes

                                                          • Blooper Reel (1:25:00 – 1:26:50)

                                                          *Relevant quote from source above: “Women have traditionally been associated with the senses in Western culture, and in particular, with the ‘lower’ senses. Women are the forbidden taste, the mysterious smell, the dangerous touch. Men, by contrast, have been associated with reason, as opposed to the senses, or else with sight and hearing as the most ‘rational’ of the senses” (Constance Classen, The Color of Angels: Cosmology, Gender, and the Aesthetic Imagination, 1-2).

                                                          Next month (Sep. 6) we’ll be discussing Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. See you then!

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                                                        • Episode 1.3: Wonder Woman

                                                          For our third episode, we are excited to bring you our discussion of the 2017 film Wonder Woman! There will definitely be spoilers. (There are also spoilers for Captain America: The First Avenger.)

                                                          https://witchesinbritches.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/03-episode-three_-wonder-woman2.m4a

                                                          Here’s a listening guide for the episode. (For a description of our segments, go here.)

                                                          Introduction (0:00 – 7:13)

                                                          • Amazons as witches
                                                          • Brief history of the Amazons
                                                          • Significance of the Wonder Woman film

                                                            • Related Links

                                                            The Amazon Women: Is There Any Truth Behind the Myth? (Smithsonian Magazine)

                                                            Ukraine’s Asgarda: Reinventing the Amazon Warrior Women

                                                            The Strange, Complicated, Feminist History of Wonder Woman’s Origin Story

                                                            Wonder Woman Breaks Records: Biggest Live-Action Box Office Hit by Female Director

                                                            Which Craft? (7:17 – 21:54)

                                                            • Filmography and stylistic choices/ visuals
                                                            • Costumes
                                                            • Score
                                                            • Screenplay and structure
                                                            • Casting

                                                              • NB: One thing we meant to talk about, but didn’t get to, was how much of a role Chris Pine/ Steve Trevor was given, considering he was the love interest/ sidekick. (See McDorman’s review, linked below, for more about how Trevor is centered in the story.*) We also forgot to talk about Robin Wright!!! Nooooo!

                                                              Related Links

                                                              Wonder Woman: Armor vs. Underwear & Why it Matters

                                                              Wonder Woman’s Amazon Origins Detailed in New Movie Art

                                                              Joss Whedon and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Script

                                                              *Is Diana Really the Hero of Wonder Woman? A Review by G.L. McDorman

                                                              “Are You a Good Witch or a Bad Witch?” (21:58 – 39:55)

                                                              • Representation of people of color and minorities
                                                              • Representation of women in the film
                                                              • Female villainy
                                                              • Diana’s characterization

                                                                • Related Links

                                                                My Soul Looks Back and Wonders: A Critical Examination of the Wonder Woman Movie

                                                                Eugene Brave Rock Reveals Chief is a Demi-God Too

                                                                Black Panther Teaser Trailer

                                                                “Bald Heads and Queer Noses” (40:00 – 53:05)

                                                                • Ares (and his hipster mustache)
                                                                • Steve Trevor (and his nudity scene)
                                                                • Amazons (and their non-sexualized skin)
                                                                • Lesbian and bisexual representation
                                                                • Body positivity
                                                                • Working bodies and scars
                                                                • Disability and disfigurement

                                                                  • Related Links

                                                                  How Disfigured Villains like “Wonder Woman’s” Dr. Poison Perpetuate Stigma

                                                                  “Round About the Cauldron Go” (53:10 – 1:03:49)

                                                                  • Dr. Poison as witch figure
                                                                  • Chemical warfare and drugs
                                                                  • Women in science
                                                                  • Ares’s environmental argument

                                                                    • “Treguna, Makoidees, Trecorum, Satis, Dee!” (1:03:55 – 1:16:41)

                                                                    • Creation of the Amazons
                                                                    • Creation of Diana
                                                                    • Diana’s self-discovery and empowerment
                                                                    • Parallels to the Eve and Satan story
                                                                    • Parallels to the Goddess Artemis/ Diana
                                                                    • Love as the central theme

                                                                      • Final Spells (1:16:45 – 1:27:12)

                                                                      • Amazon Queen Hiera
                                                                      • Women’s activism today

                                                                        • Related Links

                                                                        The 11 Biggest Marches and Protests in American History

                                                                        Race and Feminism: Women’s March Recalls the Touchy History

                                                                        Women Warriors: Myths and Legends of Heroic Women

                                                                        Penthesilea (the Amazon who fought at Troy)

                                                                        Wonder Women Have Been Smashing the Patriarchy Since Classical Times

                                                                        Blooper reel (1:27:07 – 1:28:41)

                                                                        • Literally just a minute of us laughing

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                                                                          In August we’re discussing Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett. See you on the next full moon (Aug 7)!

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                                                                        About Witches in Britches

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                                                                        A Lunar Podcast