It’s the English class you didn’t know you missed and the meaningful conversations you didn’t know you craved. Join Vanessa Zoltan and Casper ter Kuile as they bring thought, reflection and laughter to Harry Potter; not just as novels, but as instructive and inspirational texts that will teach us about our own lives. Relive the magic chapter by chapter as they explore themes such as commitment, revenge and forgiveness. This podcast creates time in your week to think about life’s big questions. Because reading fiction doesn’t just help us escape the world, it helps us live in it.
We just dropped one of our favorite episodes so far of Let’s Ask Taylor Swift with Vanessa and recent HPST guest host Daniel Schroeder, and since we’re off between seasons of HPST we wanted to share that in the feed with you here! Harry Potter and the Sacred Text is a Not Sorry Production Find…
Read More
Vanessa and Casper wrap up their discussion of The Half-Blood Prince with a look back on the entire book! They discuss Dumbledore’s strengths and weaknesses as a leader, Harry’s final year at Hogwarts, and Hermione’s unique role in this book. We’re off for a few weeks between seasons, but we can’t wait to get into…
Read More
This week, Vanessa and Casper explore the theme of Separation in Chapter 29 of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince! They discuss the relationship dynamics on display in this chapter, Hagrid’s advice, and the end of Harry’s time at Hogwarts! Throughout the episode we consider the question: what causes us to feel separate from…
Read More
In today’s bonus, Vanessa is joined by Casper ter Kuile and Courtney Brown for a special conversation on the role of friendship in our adult lives, and what the characters in Anne of Green Gables can teach us about it! Learn more about joining Casper and Courtney in Prince Edward Island this June as they…
Read More
This week, Vanessa and special guest Hannah McGregor explore the theme of Apocalypse in Chapter 28 of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince! They discuss Snape’s subtle display of care, Hagrid’s hut, and chaos as a liminal space! Throughout the episode we consider the question: how do we continue after an apocalyptic event? Thank…
Read More
This week, Vanessa and special guest Daniel Schroeder explore the theme of Helplessness in Chapter 27 of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince! They discuss Harry’s immobilization, Dumbledore’s master plan, and Draco’s task! Throughout the episode we consider the question: when can a feeling of helplessness actually help force us to act? Thank you…
Read More
This week, Vanessa and Casper explore the theme of Fear in Chapter 26 of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince! They discuss Harry and Dumbledore’s opposite experiences of the cave, fear of the unknown, and Voldemort’s obstacle course! Throughout the episode we consider the question: how do we decide which fears are valid? Thank…
Read More
This week, Vanessa and special guest Jolie Doggett explore the theme of Jealousy in Chapter 25 of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince! They discuss Romilda Vane, the Prince’s gender, and Trelawney’s many admirers! Throughout the episode we consider the question: how can jealousy be useful information? Thank you to Chris for this week’s…
Read More
This week, Vanessa and special guest Courtney Brown explore the theme of Impulsivity in Chapter 24 of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince! They discuss Draco and Harry’s fight, Hermione’s “I told you so” moment, and the big kiss! Throughout the episode we consider the question: when is impulsivity fun and when is it…
Read More
We’ll be back with our regularly scheduled episodes on January 9th, but in the meantime we thought it would be fun to revisit Matt’s first episode as a regular host. Happy Holidays! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Read More