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Harry Potter After 2020

Lorrie Kim and JC

How does it feel to read Harry Potter after 2020?

The words on the page don't change.

But times change. We, the readers, change. And that changes the story.

Join podcast hosts Lorrie Kim and JC on a re-read of the series, chapter by chapter. As we delve into the story, we'll remember what the books meant to us when they were first published and analyze what we see differently now.

For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or support the show, and more, visit hpafter2020.com.

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26 episodes
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Avg 1 hr 11 min
English

Episodes 26

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S6 · E21
Wednesday · 1 hr 19 min
6.21: The Unknowable Room
The question that Ron's been asking this entire year feels so current and contemporary: "Anyone we know?" Because that is the risk, right? That's been contemporary life. Okay. In the news, who's being targeted today? Is it trans people again? Is it queers in general? Is it libraries and librarians? Is it legal immigrants? Is it birthright citizens? Is it farmers? Childhood cancer researchers… That's who's being targeted today. Canadians! For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or support the show, and more, visit hpafter2020.com.
S6 · E20
September 9 · 1 hr 34 min
6.20: Lord Voldemort's Request
This curse really hampers a lot of good learning that those students had been entitled to. This is the "think of the children" fight for the soul of education. Do you want to teach people to be strong and defend themselves? Or do you want to keep them ignorant and easy to exploit? For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or support the show, and more, visit hpafter2020.com.
September 2 · 55 min
6.19: Elf Tails
Lorrie: Then we get the line that an entire mammoth AO3 ship lives and dies on. JC: Oh, yes. Yes, we do. "Harry, however, had never been less interested in Quidditch; he was rapidly becoming obsessed with Draco Malfoy." I'm pretty sure people had that tattooed on their bodies at some point. For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or support the show, and more, visit hpafter2020.com.
S6 · E18
August 26 · 1 hr 14 min
6.18: Birthday Surprises
Between the time that this book was first written and now, I've seen consent culture become much more widespread and better understood. That's only a good thing. That's a difference I've seen in our lifetimes, a change in the popular culture. For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or support the show, and more, visit hpafter2020.com.
S6 · E17
August 19 · 1 hr 29 min
6.17: A Sluggish Memory
There's something about Harry approaching Slughorn that will give good, positive reason for Slughorn to be able to overcome his shame and release the true memory, and Dumbledore is not it. For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or support the show, and more, visit hpafter2020.com.
S6 · E16
August 12 · 1 hr 9 min
6.16: A Very Frosty Christmas
Everything about what Lupin has been up to is so fascinating, because he says that he has been living amongst werewolves and they don't trust him because he's obviously human-coded. This is so similar to Snape's espionage post being that he has to go back to the high school where he was bullied. This is pure trigger, right? For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or support the show, and more, visit hpafter2020.com.
S6 · E15
August 5 · 1 hr 37 min
6.15: The Unbreakable Vow
If anybody is marked to be a failure, it's Crabbe and Goyle, so if almost all the teachers have given up on them, you can be in Snape's position as the one person who hasn't given up on them, knowing that there's no guarantee. It may turn out that all your colleagues are looking at you like, "I told you you were wasting your time." Yeah, that might happen, and that's not why you do it, right? You do it because everybody is worth somebody caring that you get a chance. For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or support the show, and more, visit hpafter2020.com.
S6 · E14
July 29 · 56 min
6.14: Felix Felicis
It's a beautiful way to teach Ron that whole lesson of, 'Yes, it's taking place in your head, but that doesn't mean it's not real.' You can learn to do things in life without having to go through them while you are able to think yourself into knowing how to do things. So yeah, this is Harry moving into his baby Dumbledore era. For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or support the show, and more, visit hpafter2020.com.
S6 · E13
July 22 · 1 hr 32 min
6.13: The Secret Riddle
JC: Here is finally an adult who can set a boundary that Tom can't cross, and it makes sense then that later on, people say, "Oh, Dumbledore was the only one he was ever afraid of." I was like, "Well, yeah, he imprinted on that." For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or support the show, and more, visit hpafter2020.com.
July 15 · 57 min
6.12: Silver and Opals
JC: It's an interesting point to think, when you're interacting with the author or the creator of any text, that you are interacting with a past version of them that hadn't yet become the person they are now… LK: And how much can you hold the earlier, younger, more naive persona accountable for things that that person is going to have done in the future? For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or support the show, and more, visit hpafter2020.com.
S6 · E11
July 8 · 56 min
6.11: Hermione's Helping Hand
Quidditch is used as a metaphor in this series for other ongoing struggles… If he's now Quidditch Captain and legitimate and popular and interesting, and all of these people are showing up out of interest, these are who your allies are going to be in the fight. For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or support the show, and more, visit hpafter2020.com.
S6 · E10
July 1 · 1 hr 38 min
6.10: The House of Gaunt
"The house seemed to contain three tiny rooms. Two doors led off the main room, which served as kitchen and living room combined." Where did Merope sleep? For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or support the show, and more, visit hpafter2020.com.
S6 · E9
June 24 · 1 hr 43 min
6.9: The Half-Blood Prince
Is there something in this series that's going to poison people's minds? When we read it, uncritically and with enjoyment before the author revealed what a TERF she is, were we being poisoned without our own awareness? Is it okay to become invested in what a book advises without thoroughly first vetting the author? How can we do that anyway? For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or support the show, and more, visit hpafter2020.com.
S6 · E8
June 17 · 52 min
6.8: Snape Victorious
Snape, you have won yourself a second chance to make decisions about 16-year-old Death Eaters and about whether you give in to the Dark Arts or defend against them. Slughorn back… and every second with Dumbledore could be the last. If you mess up… Oh, you'll have yourself to blame. You get one second chance. This is it. For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or support the show, and more, visit hpafter2020.com.
S6 · E7
June 10 · 58 min
6.7: The Slug Club
JC: Coming from a teacher education perspective, we spend so much time talking about building appropriate relationships with students. That just hits all the wrong buttons for me, but for creepy reasons. Why would you be choosing students? Who are you as an adult that you need that to bolster your -- We tell people, "You have your own life. Go have your own life and set up boundaries." For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or support the show, and more, visit hpafter2020.com.
S6 · E6
June 3 · 1 hr 5 min
6.6: Draco's Detour
Lorrie: Because Voldemort cursed the curriculum... JC: If people can't defend themselves on a very basic level -- people can't do critical thinking or media literacy, or just basically being able to do things without having to turn to AI -- that feels like an intentional long game to do damage to society so that people have to rely on something else. For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or support the show, and more, visit hpafter2020.com.
S6 · E5
May 27 · 1 hr 1 min
6.5: An Excess of Phlegm
Harry and Draco are in that liminal space between being old enough in many ways to be an adult, but still technically young enough so that they're still a bit malleable. There's still a chance to turn back. Is there still time to save Draco? A little bit. This is a moment where, even if it's too late for some things, it's not too late for everything; it's still worth doing. For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or support the show, and more, visit hpafter2020.com.
S6 · E4
May 20 · 58 min
6.4: Horace Slughorn
The thing that Dumbledore wants to force Slughorn to do against Slughorn's will… Dumbledore actually has Slughorn's best interests at heart. That's the greatness of this character: he will go against your will and he'll be right. After he's done with you and you do what he made you do against your will, will you be thankful? Yeah, kind of. For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or support the show, and more, visit hpafter2020.com.
S6 · E3
May 13 · 53 min
6.3: Will and Won't
JC: Dumbledore taking the Dursleys to task. That's the way that he is throughout this chapter, and I remember thinking this feels like fanfic because it felt like such fantasy fulfillment. I had wanted to see somebody tell the Dursleys how badly they treated Harry for so long, and to have Dumbledore come in and do it, I had to keep thinking, 'Really?! Is this really happening?' For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or support the show, and more, visit hpafter2020.com.
S6 · E2
May 6 · 1 hr 33 min
6.2: Spinner's End
This is the closest that Snape ever gets in his life to a wedding. It's not that he's going to be loved, but he is going to be needed. He won't be loved, but he'll have to love. Three times, Narcissa asks him to swear an oath; three times, he says, "I will." He's being called upon as a teacher. He's not a father, he's not just a friend. What is he? He's a teacher. For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or support the show, and more, visit hpafter2020.com.

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