Best Lorrie Kim Podcasts (2025)

1
4.28: The Madness of Mr. Crouch 57:58

6d ago57:58

57:58

Maybe, if we show how upset we are, she'll understand how angry and desperate she's made people. The thing is, that doesn't work because strangely, recipients of hate mail don't take that lesson away from it. When your defenses and alarm shoot way up because somebody is threatening you and sending hatred your way, your first response is not sympath…

1
4.27: Padfoot Returns 1:02:42

13d ago1:02:42

1:02:42

He says to Harry, "I'll breathe freely again when this tournament's over, and that's not until June." To me, this is the proof. Yeah, Sirius is a parent, godfather. He and Molly Weasley have an argument in the next volume about whether he's really the same as a father. Yeah, this qualifies to me. For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact th…

1
4.26: The Second Task 59:34

20d ago59:34

59:34

She was the mother of a three-month-old, kicked out of the house with her baby still inside. That's something that happened to this author, and I can't help but remember that when I look at the passage of Fleur going crazy because she was physically unable to go rescue her sister. I'm not going to read literature separated from details of the biogr…

1
4.25: The Egg and the Eye 1:00:25

27d ago1:00:25

1:00:25

Whether or not you change on the inside, there are choices you've made in your past that you cannot run away from, and there are people who remember that commitment you made and were in it, too. You can't disavow this. Snape seizes his left forearm as if "something on it had hurt him," and that's one of those rare moments when we get to see the rea…

1
4.24: RIta Skeeter's Scoop 52:03

1M ago52:03

52:03

"Boys, keep back! They prefer the woman's touch... Girls to the front…" This is a de facto magical gender test, right? If you're a kid who might not fall neatly into the gender binary, then you have to wonder, “How is this magical creature going to respond to me?” You might be able to pass by human standards or wizard standards. What is a unicorn g…

1
8.4 Bess Carnan of WZRD and Geoff Hutton, aka Dream Quaffle 1:01:29

1M ago1:01:29

1:01:29

“I know people who've come out within the last few years as trans or non-binary because of the book series. It is the perfect metaphor for being gay, for being trans, and that's the community that makes up the heart of, at least, the Wizard Rock portion of the fandom. Regardless of what she says, her books make a difference to little queer kids eve…

1
4.23: The Yule Ball 1:00:37

1M ago1:00:37

1:00:37

"Hermione, for once, gets to be the main character." For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or support the show, and more, visit hpafter2020.com.

1
4.22: The Unexpected Task 38:43

2M ago38:43

38:43

My friend Lokifan wrote a meta about how Rowling writes friendship as romance and romance as mystery, because we don't know at this point who Hermione is going with. When friends are separated, their misery is how we consider romance difficulties to feel, and when friends are happy together, that's the great fulfillment that you get in a romance fr…

1
4.21: The House-Elf Liberation Front 45:35

2M ago45:35

45:35

Oh, Winky. She's nothing but pain, but I love her so much. She has, for me, some of the greatest pain of any character in this series, because she has all of the anxiety and burden of being a caretaker but none of the power. She can't stop caring; she's not even with the family anymore, but she genuinely cared and she can't stop. For full show note…

1
4.20: The First Task 58:03

2M ago58:03

58:03

Not all of your strengths have to be in being academic, right? And that's really true for Harry. He's got a lot of things that he's good at, but that idea of playing to your strengths and having someone remind you, "What are you good at? What are you bringing to this that no one else is?" That’s powerful, right? -JC For full show notes, transcripts…

1
8.3: Lily Reevaluating HP After 2020 44:29

2M ago44:29

44:29

I've been a fan of the Harry Potter series for a long time, and have been reevaluating my relationship with it as a trans woman over the last few years. I think that despite herself, J.K. Rowling created a world that made me feel like I could be whatever I wanted. For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or support the show, and …

1
4.19: The Hungarian Horntail 53:00

2M ago53:00

53:00

The Invisibility Cloak felt like such a symbol of escape and safety in this way that Harry was able to put it on and briefly escape from all the awfulness that's coming his way. And it was such a relief for me as a reader, too. You can think of it as being able to go into a safe space or a place where you know that, "Here, I can do whatever I want,…

1
4.18: The Weighing of the Wands 50:00

3M ago50:00

50:00

The thing about Voldemort is that he doesn't connect with people, except that there's this wand that makes it possible that somebody else has. All of this about second chances and the Christian symbolic wood and core in Harry's wand… No matter how badly Voldemort has damaged his soul, if he connects with Harry, there is a chance that his soul could…

1
4.17: The Four Champions 36:26

3M ago36:26

36:26

All right, JC, let's hear it! JC: "Did you put your name into the Goblet of Fire, Harry?" Lorrie: "He asked calmly." For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or support the show, and more, visit hpafter2020.com.

1
4.16: The Goblet of Fire 50:40

3M ago50:40

50:40

Mad-Eye Moody shows up and says, "Yeah, that's Harry Potter," and the color drains from Karkaroff's face. "A terrible look of mingled fury and fear came over him. ‘You!’" This shows why Merlin took infant Arthur away and hid him. If we see Karkaroff looking at Harry and then *gasps* being checkmated by the sight of this person who scares him, 'Oh, …

1
4.15: Beauxbatons and Durmstrang 44:35

3M ago44:35

44:35

Hagrid as kind of a second-class citizen in the British wizarding world he's not really part of is because of what happened when he was younger and his wand got snapped, but Madame Maxime shows you if all that stuff hadn't happened, would he be a fully qualified wizard? Would he have the same respect? Could he have risen to the same kind of station…

1
4.14: The Unforgivable Curses 1:27:44

3M ago1:27:44

1:27:44

If you're the person who was a victim of one of these crimes, you do not owe the criminal your forgiveness. If somebody has tried to mind-control you, torture you, or kill you, it's not your job to forgive them. It's not your job to restore their human dignity, to tell them it was okay. They may need that; that's on them. They have to go find whate…

1
4.13: Mad-Eye Moody 1:01:36

4M ago1:01:36

1:01:36

This fake Moody seizes an opportunity to get on Harry's good side. Knowing the relationship or even just observing the relationship right there between Harry and Draco, to just jump in and go so over the top taking Draco out of the equation -- is absolutely the best thing that he could have done to get Harry and Ron to like him. -JC For full show n…

1
4.12: The Triwizard Tournament 45:34

4M ago45:34

45:34

The lake is rising and Dennis Creevey falls in, and then it hit me: these kids are never going to have a normal year at Hogwarts. This is the crew that will never know what it was like. Not that any of them have really had a normal year, but compared to what's coming this year and the next year… We know what's happening and then it gets worse for t…

1
4.11: Aboard the Hogwarts Express 33:41

4M ago33:41

33:41

Lorrie: I don't know if this is an unpopular opinion or not, but I think that Lucius and Narcissa have by far the most functional marriage in this whole series. JC: I can't think of a couple that seems to be more of a team. Lorrie: They discussed their disagreement and they compromised. Oh, my God. For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact …

1
4.10: Mayhem at the Ministry 48:20

4M ago48:20

48:20

Since I've read this book last, the whole fake news thing has arisen and we have so much disinformation online, and the way that news spreads has changed. It just hit me that I'm going to read Rita Skeeter differently this time than I have in the past because of what's happened in the last decade. For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact t…

1
8.2: Dr. Brent Satterly, aka Clitoris Umbridge 1:19:55

5M ago1:19:55

1:19:55

The transphobic messages communicate to especially trans youth -- but also queer and non-binary youth, LGBTQIA+ youth -- "you're broken"; "you are a danger, you're a threat." I think one of the things that is tough is that you can't not ingest toxic messages from that. It gets inside you and it's part of you, and the challenge is it's not just comi…

1
4.9: The Dark Mark 1:22:49

5M ago1:22:49

1:22:49

"This is the first time we have genuinely seen the intense fear that Voldemort stirs up in the adults who lived in that era. We've seen people shuddering when they say the name, but it almost becomes a joke at some point. And this is genuine panic." For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or support the show, and more, visit hpa…

1
4.8: The Quidditch World Cup 51:15

5M ago51:15

51:15

I love Viktor Krum. I love how he is graceful in some contexts and inept in others, and as we will see later in this volume, I love understanding him in context as an athlete who is from a minority, and because of his high skill is vulnerable to government exploitation. For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or support the show…

1
4.7: Bagman and Crouch 35:44

5M ago35:44

35:44

JC: How does Harry know what a slide rule is? But also, how would you even use a slide rule to trim a mustache? It makes no sense. Lorrie: But it does call up a certain kind of old-fashioned fussiness. JC: Yeah, and a certain 1950s, 1960s style of nerd with the pocket protector and the horn-rimmed glasses. For full show notes, transcripts, ways to …

1
4.6: The Portkey 43:25

5M ago43:25

43:25

I don't think, pre-2016, I would've thought about it so much: how much the wizarding world is a metaphor for any group of people that has to live outside of the power structure or parallel to it, or with an eye on it at all times to make sure that they're not catching the attention of the wrong people. -JC For full show notes, transcripts, ways to …

1
4.5: Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes 33:05

6M ago33:05

33:05

I don't think, pre-2016, I would've thought about it so much: how much the wizarding world is a metaphor for any group of people that has to live outside of the power structure or parallel to it, or with an eye on it at all times to make sure that they're not catching the attention of the wrong people. -JC For full show notes, transcripts, ways to …

1
4.4: Back to the Burrow 35:08

6M ago35:08

35:08

The awful thing that happens to Dudley, this body-horror thing of his tongue turning into something terrifying: that's the first announcement of one of the major themes in this volume that puberty is a time of monstrous, uncontrollable body changes. However your body changes on the outside, at all times you're going to have to somehow square it, co…

1
4.3: The Invitation 21:44

6M ago21:44

21:44

When he first gets the letter, Harry knows that it's the Weasleys asking permission, so at the very beginning of that scene he is not going to say or do anything to upset Uncle Vernon. And by the end of the scene, Harry is not at all worried about pissing off Uncle Vernon, and Uncle Vernon's the one who's scared of Harry. It's really wild to watch …

1
4.2: The Scar 44:48

6M ago44:48

44:48

How is anyone ever going to know how Tom Riddle, the child, feels? Well, if he can brand his followers with a Dark Mark, then there will always be people who know how he feels. It's the closest thing to having friends. When he's angry, and he wants to punish the rest of the world for how much he's hurting, then he has these built-in victims that ha…

1
4.1: The Riddle House 1:05:10

6M ago1:05:10

1:05:10

Crucio, Avada Kedavra, and Imperio were invented by infants who desperately need to control the behavior of others to keep them alive, and are terrified and enraged when that is endangered. That's why when you see out-of-control tyrants -- when things don't go their way -- exhibit appalling, punitive behavior, that's why they seem like babies. For …

1
8.1: Cecilia Tan 1:37:32

7M ago1:37:32

1:37:32

"A not-insignificant number of people discovered their trans identities through Harry Potter roleplay and Harry Potter cosplay, because Harry Potter was so big and such a big part of our lives. I was trying to make a list of the people I knew on LiveJournal who went through transition, and it was so long that I gave up. It's a demographic, not just…

1
3.22: Owl Post Again 1:41:56

7M ago1:41:56

1:41:56

Giving Harry back the cloak and the Marauder's Map, Lupin so distinctly crosses over from being a teacher to being a pure agent of chaos. He has zero compunction about this, but that's his actual true nature. He is a very edgy character, and that's something that I want to advocate for in portrayals of Lupin in fanfiction. He is a mollifying person…

1
3.21: Hermione's Secret 1:25:56

7M ago1:25:56

1:25:56

Whenever time travel and Time-Turners are used in Potterverse, I read it as this metaphor for how you can go back into trauma, into the past, with a different perspective and change not what happened, but change your view of the innocence and guilt of yourself, as well as other people, and understand where strength in yourself came from that you di…

1
3.20: The Dementor's Kiss 52:55

7M ago52:55

52:55

The appearance of this Patronus made me think, 'This is the love that had strengthened him from his father.' This is so much more coalesced now in him. He's gotten to know the bonds between James and James' friends. He's connected with these friends, and he's been told that he's like James; flying, the most Harry thing, is connected to James. We ha…

1
3.19: The Servant of Lord Voldemort 1:04:37

7M ago1:04:37

1:04:37

This is the one character that every person, every character in this series, is unanimous about. There is nobody else where every single character on every side has the same reaction, but everybody loathes Peter Pettigrew. Have you and I talked about the name of J.K. Rowling's father? First, middle, and last. I'm going to sit here while you Google.…

1
3.18: Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs 1:16:28

8M ago1:16:28

1:16:28

Sirius has re-entered relationships. Until this moment, he had nobody but himself, so what did it matter if he killed Peter now or five minutes from now? Now Lupin is saying, "I don't know the story. These children don't, and James's kid doesn't know." Suddenly, Sirius has relationships that he's responsible to, and that brings life; that brings mo…

1
3.17: Cat, Rat, and Dog 1:25:46

8M ago1:25:46

1:25:46

'Don't kill. Get the full story. You might think what you want is revenge or anger or hatred or murder, but what you really want -- what's really going to satisfy you -- is knowing the full story.' Expelliarmus, disarmament, enables the story to be told. Oh, Sirius... His voice is all rough because he hasn't had anyone to listen to him for so long.…

1
3.16: Professor Trelawney's Prediction 1:16:40

8M ago1:16:40

1:16:40

In this series that is overtly skeptical about a lot of new age or mystical things, we see something that is obviously meant to be genuine divination. It's powerful and it's undeniable, so do we suspend our belief or not? This series has simultaneously disbelieved and believed. It's fun, and the fact that Trelawney doesn't know about it somehow mak…

1
3.15: The Quidditch Final 46:03

8M ago46:03

46:03

JC: For Harry, this is one thing that he has that is really his own. I think about the students I've worked with. How important it is for a kid to have a thing that they are good at and that they know they're good at. To have an identity as, "I am a person who is capable of something." For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or …

1
3.14: Snape's Grudge 1:14:14

9M ago1:14:14

1:14:14

LK: To me, this chapter is a masterpiece. People have secret agendas, everything is working on at least three layers at once, and everybody in this chapter is right and wrong about everything. JC: It's a common refrain online for people who really dislike the author, for extremely legitimate reasons, who will often say, "Oh, the books are mediocre.…

1
3.13: Gryffindor Versus Ravenclaw 35:19

9M ago35:19

35:19

JC: “How cool would it have been to be one of the teachers in that school, to be sitting in that game and to watch Harry Potter shoot off a fully formed Patronus? Everybody else knows what Harry's Patronus looks like now, except for Harry. Lupin knows. Lupin is the only person in that space who knows what that stag means.” For full show notes, tran…

1
3.12: The Patronus 55:53

9M ago55:53

55:53

You can't tell Harry Potter, "Don't continue to integrate your memories. Don't continue to uncover who you are and to be yourself." These are his memories; they belong to him. These are his parents that were taken from him, but he can't remember them without this agony. Okay, Lupin is here to try to give whatever advice Lupin can about how to stren…

1
3.11: The Firebolt 1:08:37

9M ago1:08:37

1:08:37

Why is there this broom? Why is it so suspicious, even though it turns out to be fine? What passions have all come together in this wildly ostentatious, inappropriate, mysterious, dangerous gift replacing a gift that was already in itself inappropriate and ostentatious from two years ago? This child of destiny with the only two people in the world …

1
3.10: The Marauder’s Map 1:13:03

10M ago1:13:03

1:13:03

"Harry gets to ask Lupin, somebody who knows what this is like, "Why is this happening to me?" and Lupin gets to tell him straight out, "There are horrors in your past that the others don't have." This is a really good thing that Dumbledore did, to bring Lupin in. The larger theme of this book being time travel and being haunted by the past, this i…

1
3.9: Grim Defeat 1:16:25

10M ago1:16:25

1:16:25

What we're seeing is the origin of Harry's 'saving people thing’; this is what Voldemort did to him to change him from being a baby to somebody who is scarred for life. This tiny baby felt he had to help his mother. And yet, Harry having this flashback… it's also restoring some of his own story and his own mother to him -- which makes it so conflic…

1
3.8: The Flight of the Fat Lady 1:00:23

10M ago1:00:23

1:00:23

For Snape to walk in, look at this kid and Lupin, be wary, deposit this tricky potion and then back out… We're not imagining that the author wrote secrets into that scene -- secrets in history and suspicion, and everybody having agendas that nobody else knows about. Also, how very wrong every character is about something in the end, and they don't …

1
3.7: The Boggart in the Wardrobe 1:50:24

10M ago1:50:24

1:50:24

JC: If you think about Neville in this chapter… We get two lessons in a row on how to bully people. Snape has just given a masterclass on how to be cruel to a person who is powerless, and then Lupin gives a class on how to respond to that with more bullying. The kids are learning that here's how adults do it. For full show notes, transcripts, ways …

1
3.6: Talons and Tea Leaves 53:50

10M ago53:50

53:50

"These divination methods are real subjects. There are things that you and I as Muggles know about, like scrying and tea reading and tarot cards. These are things with a human history and meaning, and even learning what they are and what they have meant to people over the ages, that is a thing that is worth studying; she can provide that even if sh…

1
3.5: The Dementor 38:56

11M ago38:56

38:56

We know what it is, how draining it is because of dementors, to be reminded of the worst memories of your life, and that, I think, does give kid readers a boost in understanding what trauma flashbacks are: that the memory you relive during a flashback is experienced by your body and mind as happening again for real in real time. full show notes, tr…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Lorrie Kim Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide