The HP Lexicon Podcast

Episode 13: “The budding new baby hero!”

steve — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 22:39:23 +0000

Steve digs into the interview archives, discussing Rowling’s control of her story and her characters, then explores the murky challenge of finding name sources, discovers the not-so-murky Grimmauld Place in London, and discusses the essential elements of book six which allow us to truly understanding book seven.

Show links:

The Lexicon on Kindle and Nook
Accio Quote
“Potter’s magic school first appeared in 1950′s classic” (The Independent, September 22, 2000)
Lonsdale Square (Wikipedia)

Episode 12: “Why weren’t we told about this sooner?”

steve — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 17:23:17 +0000

Steve chats about Rowling’s take on “official” Harry Potter, then discusses different modes of storytelling in book five, fan recommendations for best re-reads, how Sectumsepra just might be necessary, and how Molly Weasley rocks long before her showdown with Bellatrix.

Show links:

Accio Quote
J.K. Rowling: A Year in a Life on YouTube
Lexicon: Molly Weasley
MuggleNet’s Alohomora podcast

Episode 11: “What happened to the whimsy?!”

steve — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 21:58:03 +0000

Steve marvels at the levels of the soundscapes on Pottermore, then bemoans expensive canon and Rowling’s lost website, reads a wonderful insight from a fan about the magic of books, then finds book five to be “really jarring on a number of levels” … and yet his favorite book of the series.

Show links:

Episode 10: “This gap is where it all changed …”

steve — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 19:54:59 +0000

Steve starts “season two” of the podcast by reviewing the past nine episodes, then discusses new things on Pottermore, discovering Diagon Alley in London, how the world of Harry Potter changed during the gap between books four and five, and why that gap left many fans unprepared for book five when it came.

Show links:

essay index from the Lexicon
Quidditch Through the Ages
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
the Famous Wizard Cards
MuggleNet’s Alohomora! podcast
HP Lexicon facebook page

Episode 9: “The Dark Arts … are you TRYING to be bad?”

steve — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 04:02:16 +0000

Steve wonders about the numbers 1531 and 4157, then talks about December in the Harry Potter universe, what makes the Dark Arts dark (and where Crouch Jr. could have learned them), mixes up the spelling of a spell and forgets the order of Priori Incantatem, then recalls experiences with anti-Potter book-banners.

Alternate titles:

“There are connections everywhere! Oh, no, I guess there aren’t.”
“It’s all fun and games until someone gets their fake magical eye knocked out.”
“Over the course of a year, you MIGHT start to wonder …”

Show links:

Calendars: PS, CS, PA, GF, OP, HBP, DH
Hogwarts academics, classes
Dark Arts
Goblet of Fire on the Lexicon
Ennervate (spelled correctly, regardless of how I spelled it in the show …)
Facebook fan page
Google+ page
Kindle: Reader’s Guide to PS
Nook: Reader’s Guide to PS
email: steve.lexicon@gmail.com

Episode 8: “And then book 3 came along … a bolt of lightning!”

steve — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 02:01:12 +0000

Steve raves about Pottermore, then talks about dragon breeds, interviews from the misty past, offensive spells, Rowling’s trickery, missing the whole point, and other odds and ends of Harry Potter lore.

Show links:

Episode 7: “There’s a door … a black door with no handle …”

steve — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 21:50:52 +0000

Steve wanders down Charing Cross Road, then talks about hidden pubs, anti-magical roads, questions in book two and answers in books six, floating kitchenware, hanging animals, and other bits of Potter lore.

Show links:

Episode 6: “Only two people are known to have done it … and they’re both dead!”

steve — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 05:44:40 +0000

Steve discusses McGonagall and Walpurga and their friends, wobbly bridges, mutant chickens, Bertie Botts Shots, who can and can’t fly, a fateful decision to retrieve a forgotten diary, and other odds and ends of Harry Potter canon.

Show links:

Episode 5: “In front of me was a signpost that said ‘Burrow’…”

steve — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 23:13:52 +0000

Steve explains how choices were made about Lexicon content ten years ago, then discovers the Burrow among the hedgerows, an intriguing list from Rowing’s notebooks, and two Harrys over the course of the saga.

Pictures of the Burrow farm and a Devon country lane:

Show links:

Episode 4: “Boom! There comes Neville!”

steve — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 05:21:22 +0000

Steve lists things he liked and didn’t like about Deathly Hallows part 2 (SPOILERS), and discusses the warm and cozy Great Hall, the Famous Wizard cards, prejudice through the ages, what Dobby knew and how, and other Harry Potter odds and ends.

NOTE: There are spoilers for the Deathly Hallows part 2 film in this episode. Also, everyone didn’t hang around in the common room at the end of the Battle of Hogwarts, they hung around in the Great Hall. I do know that, I just said it wrong. It happens.

Show links:

Facebook fan page (includes poll questions and trivia)
Famous Wizard Cards
Timelines
History of Magic
History of the Ministry of Magic
Essay: “…over a thousand years ago…” Britain at the founding of Hogwarts by E.D. Blanning

Episode 3: “There’s an Elf head hanging outside the window!”

steve — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 02:28:12 +0000

Steve talks about Harry Potter canon levels, Rowling skipping the ‘t’, teaching styles of Snape vs. Flitwick for First Years, wandering around Grimmauld Place, and other random Potter things.

Show links:

Episode 2: “Oh wait a minute, who was that?”

steve — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 19:41:07 +0000

Steve talks about Pottermore misconceptions, how Rowling changed the online world once before, cool and interesting sources of canon information, Galleons changing the world, the late Quidditch match in book one, and other bits of Potter lore.

Links:

The Daily Prophet newsletters

Episode 1: “Did Dumbledore walk around with it in his pockets?”

steve — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 04:44:38 +0000

Steve introduces the podcast, thanks a few people, then chats about visiting the graveyard
in Godric’s Hollow, the missing twenty-four hours, the mystery of Quirrell, and a few other oddities.

Links: The Harry Potter Lexicon, Facebook page

Here’s a view of the graveyard in that little North Devon town.

Welcome to the HP Lexicon Podcast

steve — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 04:24:36 +0000

“And unless Harry’s ears were deceiving him, the old radio next to the sink had just announced that coming up was …”
– Chamber of Secrets, chapter 3

What it’s all about …

I’ve had some amazing adventures in over a decade as a Harry Potter fan — reading and researching the books, visiting the sets of the film, enjoying Wizard Rock concerts, speaking at conventions, traveling throughout Britain discovering Harry Potter’s world, and writing two books. One of the best parts has been sharing my love for Potter with fans in my presentations in libraries, conventions, and bookstores. I’ve often been asked for those presentations to be recorded and available somewhere like YouTube. Those requests are the impetus behind this podcast project.

The HP Lexicon podcast will give me a chance to talk about things that I discuss in my presentations. I’ll talk about canon sources (those wonderful Daily Prophet newsletters, for example), about the way the books work together to tell one glorious tale, and about my experiences wandering through Britain in search of Harry Potter’s magical world. I’ll talk about the books mostly, although I am a huge fan of the films and I won’t be able to keep myself from chatting about them as well.

This page will be the home base for show notes, comments, and links. Each new episode will be available here as soon as I get it ready to post. You can use the contact links on this page to make comments on the show, ask questions, or make suggestions.

I hope you all enjoy the podcast and find it interesting and engaging.

Steve Vander Ark
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