At this point, it is a cliche to say that I am unsurprised by the actions and ideology of J.K. Rowling when it comes to trans individuals and their identities. I have lost much of my hope regarding whether or not she will come to see us as we see ourselves, and not as the […]
Thoughts about Order of the Phoenix and Media in the Wizarding and Muggle Worlds Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix used to be my least favorite book in the Harry Potter series, but as I have grown older, it has wiggled its way up to the top of the list. This book is […]
I’ve loved the Harry Potter books for nearly all my remembered life. Getting lost in the Chamber of Secrets my solace and my fortitude on that wet night in September 2005 when I stayed at a friend’s house because a flood had destroyed our apartment. Harry’s scream of primal rage in Order of the Phoenix […]
Last Friday night I was invited to participate in what ended up being a great Twitter Chat organized by Black Girls Create to discuss critical fandom as part of their month-long #BlackWizardHistory campaign. I really enjoyed the discussion, but I realized afterward that because it was such a great back and forth, the cohesiveness of […]
Joel Christensen is one of my favorite people on this planet, and I am incredibly lucky and privileged to know him and learn from him. His words here about Harry Potter and the relationship between author, text, and reader resonate deeply within me, and I appreciate the personal perspective he lends to the discussion of […]
Is leaving an offering of chocolate to Loki because UPG tells me it’s his favorite really all that different from my headcanon that Percy Weasley and Oliver Wood had an intense and passionate love affair? This post was born in conversation with Annie, who writes on Escape Velocities. She has a post in the works […]
I underestimated how much time working full time takes out of my life. Making space outside of that for personal projects is still something that I am adjusting to, but there is time for that. Is this what being a real adult is like? Finding only small moments to write, be it on a bus […]
Writing this review was a struggle, because Sorted was a very personal read for me. (I’m pretty sure I cried at least twice.) Sorted: Growing Up, Coming Out, and Finding My Place is a memoir written by Jackson Bird about his experiences growing up that led directly to his inevitable transition from the gender he […]
This is a short exploratory paper I wrote for my English class in my senior year of High School, arguing for the need to read and study fiction. It has been slightly edited for clarity and punctuation, but for the most part the content is identical to what I turned in to my teacher on […]
I’ve been getting into Tarot cards lately, and I’ve always been into Harry Potter, so it is only natural that eventually I was going to combine the two. The first thing you need to understand is that when I decide to pick up a new hobby, I commit. So when I decided to take up […]
“The people you love will CHANGE you, the things you have learned will GUIDE YOU, and nothing on Earth can silence the quiet voice still INSIDE YOU.” — I Am Moana I’m at the Granger Leadership Academy this weekend, and I’m looking forward to all that I’ve got ahead of me. More to come on […]
It’s remarkably easy to get distracted. Look at me, right now, writing a blog post instead of reading Spivak. The issue isn’t that I don’t want to read Spivak. The issue is that I’ll be reading Spivak, and all of a sudden she’ll mention something about myth and then next thing you know I’m thinking […]
Talia got concussed again and She Is. Not. Amused. This time it was only a mild concussion, sparked by a few tumbles and burst into being by someone on the commuter rail who was carrying a duffel bag big enough to hide a body and, from the sensation Talia felt when it made contact with […]
No matter how many times I have to write a paper for class, there is always a point at which I sit in front of my computer, stare at my screen, watch that little line blink and wonder “how do I write a paper again?” Cue the reviewing my notes from that semester, looking over […]
The great thing about an independent study is that I get to focus on what most interests me about a given topic, and time and time again it seems that I am finding myself drawn to Harry Potter. I’ve often joked that given six degrees I can connect anything to the series thematically, and my […]