
Alt txt: Image of our guests, Emma Brandel and Dr. Julye Bidmead, as well as three of our cohosts: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Stanley Ng, and Rev. Dr. Chris Porter. Carrying on in our series on Disability & Theology, we turn to think critically about the representation of disabilities in popular culture. In particular, we’re…

In this episode we talk about forgiveness with Rev. Dr. Matthew Ichihashi Potts, who is Plummer Professor of Christian Morals at Harvard Divinity School, an ordained episcopal priest serving as the minister at the Memorial Church at Harvard, a co-host of the podcast, Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, and the author of the book…

Since today is Harry Potter’s birthday (#HBDHP) I thought that I’d invite you all to consider joining us in October for the annual academic Harry Potter Conference at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia. Due to COVID-19, the conference will be held virtually this year. This is a genuine bummer because there are so many fun…

Recently I co-wrote a chapter with Dr. Neil Shortland in a volume on the Harry Potter series dedicated to culture, politics, and international relations, called Cultural Politics in Harry Potter: Life, Death and the Politics of Fear (London: Routledge, 2019). The chapter we wrote is about how Voldemort’s strategy for immortality is much like how…

Last week we celebrated Christmas, and later this week we’ll be celebrating Epiphany. Although you wouldn’t know it from the way that Christmas is typically celebrated in America – beginning sometime in November and culminating on December 25th – Christmas is a 12 day celebration (hence the famous song). Christmas (in the West) officially ends…

Recently Harry Potter fans celebrated the arrival of the “nineteen years later” day from the epilogue on September 1st, 2017. Here’s an interesting write-up about this momentous occasion. In case you don’t know, this is the day that Harry and Ginny sent their son Albus Severus off to Hogwarts, which can be found in the…

Okay, so I have not had nearly enough conversations about The Cursed Child. I really really need to vent about this story but I’ve just not had any opportunities. So instead of bottling it all up, I need to get a few more things off my chest about this story. A few weeks ago I…

So yesterday I read through “the eighth story” of the Harry Potter series: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Since it has not been out for very long I will refrain from posting any considerable spoilers. Considering that this story is the script for a play that has been performed in London for several weeks…

[If you haven’t read Harry Potter, don’t read this post. Exit out of it and buy the first book here]. This week was the anniversary of when Harry Potter and his friends entered the department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic (in Order of the Phoenix). It is by far my favorite scene in the…

At long last the edited volume from the Harry Potter conference held at the University of St Andrews in 2012 is now in print and you can get your copy of Ravenclaw Reader here! The conference was a complete success, being one of the most enjoyable and stimulating academic settings I’ve ever been in. It…