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Jan 13, 2025 | 
mugglenet.com | Laurie Beckoff
On this episode, we examine the relationship between humor and resistance to authoritarianism. Harry Potter scholar and stand-up comedian Mark-Anthony Lewis joins Katy and Emily to talk about what makes something funny. Benign violation theory says that humor is found in something safe – for example, you can laugh at someone falling if they aren’t seriously hurt, and you can tickle someone you know, but not a stranger. It’s all about context.
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Dec 9, 2024 | 
mugglenet.com | Laurie Beckoff
We’re always holding space for Harry Potter, but no one does it quite like the Harry Potter Academic Conference. Our favorite event of the year was back in person at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia in October and full of interesting insights as usual. Katy and Emily talk with Potterversity producer and conference communications coordinator Laurie Beckoff and conference vice chair Lauren Camacci about the range of presentations and the wonderful community of scholar-fans.
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Nov 25, 2024 | 
mugglenet.com | Laurie Beckoff
Harry Potter and the hit Broadway musical Wicked have a number of similarities. They both have wizards, witches, flying broomsticks, and a central theme of friendship. In honor of the release of the film adaptation of Wicked, here are songs from the soundtrack, written by Stephen Schwartz, that match up with the story of Harry Potter.
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Nov 11, 2024 | 
mugglenet.com | Laurie Beckoff
Don’t judge a book by its cover – this episode is about how looks can be deceiving in Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts.
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Oct 14, 2024 | 
mugglenet.com | Laurie Beckoff
In the spirit of the spooky season, this episode is all about spirits and specters in the wizarding world.
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Sep 23, 2024 | 
mugglenet.com | Laurie Beckoff
The journey to the past continues as we delve deeper into the magic of memory in Harry Potter. In the second part of our conversation with Louise Freeman, we continue discussing the ethics of Memory Charms and move on to the memories stored in wizarding portraits and Horcruxes. Magical portraits can carry some of the memories of their subjects, allowing viewers to converse with them after their deaths. New developments in artificial intelligence purport to offer something similar.
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Sep 9, 2024 | 
mugglenet.com | Laurie Beckoff
Explore how memory operates in magical ways in Harry Potter that might be quite unlike the Muggle understanding of memory. Regular contributor Louise Freeman is professor emerita of psychology at Mary Baldwin University and a licensed behavior analyst and service provider for special needs individuals. She considers the implications of being able to store and share memories in a Pensieve.
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Sep 5, 2024 | 
mugglenet.com | Laurie Beckoff |Catherine Lai
The first day of September is always exciting for young wizards returning to Hogwarts, and the Wizarding World franchise took the opportunity to make a whole slew of announcements.
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Sep 1, 2024 | 
mugglenet.com | Laurie Beckoff
The first of September is always an important day for Harry Potter. It’s the day he gets to go back to Hogwarts! While this should be an exciting occasion, considering how he views Hogwarts as his home, his return to school is often full of unexpected twists. Let’s take a look at his most triumphant and terrible trips. 1.
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Aug 12, 2024 | 
mugglenet.com | Laurie Beckoff
What makes a monster, and how do we relate to them, especially when they produce works of art we love? There are plenty of monsters in the wizarding world, but the author has also been charged with being monstrous herself following her comments on transgender people.
