S.P.E.W. - Serious Potter in an Everyday World

Seth and Justin continue their previous conversation about reconciliation, and discuss what the process may have looked like to begin to heal as a society after Voldermort was defeated.

Seth and Justin are joined by Seth's bestie Sam Scully to answer the question -- Why don't they just kick all the Slytherins out? Diversions include patronuses, sea shanties, and licking eyeballs.

Seth and Justin are joined by their cousin Laura Herbers to discuss the impact of J.K. Rowling's transphobia and how that has changed. their relationship with the Harry Potter universe.

For this episode, Seth and Justin are joined by Jack Rothmund to discuss Justin's favorite HP character and whether or not it makes sense to draw a corollary between werewolves and people who are HIV positive. Jack also offers information about his work, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, ways to get involved, and the Illinois HIV Action Alliance (IHAA).

In this fun bonus edition of SPEW, all three Quam siblings get together (virtually) to pick their ideal Hogwarts staff, with a few added wrinkles! To view the final results AFTER you listen, here's the link to our Google Sheet we were working off of: https://docs.google.com/…/12a4l3sRH__l67U3RAjahZqS9sp…/edit…

Seth and Justin take a deep dive into masculinity in Harry Potter, with a particular focus on the Weasley family! They discuss tropes of masculinity and how male characters in HP exemplify or subvert toxic masculinity.

Brothers Justin and Seth are joined by a SPEW favorite, their sister Cassandra! The three siblings discuss correlations between magical creatures in the Harry Potter world and marginalized communities in our world!

Brothers Seth and Justin discuss Hagrid's pivotal role in the Sorcerer's Stone, colonialism in Harry Potter, and the JK Rowling's recent transphobic tweet.

Seth and Justin discuss the parallels between black feminist activist Assata Shakur and a beloved Harry Potter character, and Seth interviews his friend Justin Brooks about his activism in law school and his trip to Cuba.

Justin and Seth are joined by their good friend Jimmy Rothschild to talk about antisemitism in Harry Potter and the recent news stories regarding Representative Ilhan Omar.

Brothers Seth and Justin are back to discuss two "emergencies" in the news recently, including Trump's attempt to force through construction of the border wall and Senator Dianne Feinstein's patronizing comments to some young activists. Be sure to listen to find out how all this relates to Harry Potter!

In this edition of SPEW, Seth and Justin are joined by Katie Bowers from the Harry Potter alliance to discuss Hermione's evolution as an activist and the HPA's #WizardsProtectDemocracy initiative. Plus, it's the debut of our intro music thanks to Alex Shenkman!

After a brief discussion about how Harry Potter teaches us to speak truth to power, Seth and Justin are joined by incredible author, artist, gender theorist, and Harry Potter fan Kate Bornstein! .

In the aftermath of the Kavanaugh sexual assault hearing, Seth and Justin Quam discuss what insights can be gleaned from Harry Potter in order to prevent sexual violence and cultivate healthy masculinity.

We’re back! After a bit of a break, brothers Seth and Justin Quam discuss an anonymous New York Times Op-Ed about a certain kind of resistance within the Trump administration and the merits of working within a corrupt organization and trying to destroy it from the inside (think Arthur Weasley) vs. fighting from the outside (like Harry Potter).

Nomadic family friend Christina Castelli joins brothers Seth and Justin to discuss what corollaries we can (or cannot) make between the marginalization of goblins in Harry Potter and the continued oppression of minority communities in our world.

In this episode of SPEW, Seth and Justin are once again joined by their beloved sister Cassandra. The three siblings discuss what we can learn from Harry Potter in the debate on gun control, discuss the Muggle-Born Registration Committee, and Seth sidesteps questions about his deep-seated feelings about Professor Vector.

In this episode of SPEW, Seth and Justin are joined by their good friends Johanna and Jimmy to discuss what Harry Potter can teach us about how to practice self-care and sustain activism throughout exhausting times.

Justin and Seth Quam are joined by their Chicago high school teacher friend Julia Davidson to talk about teaching in the era of Trump, Hogwarts pedagogy, and the house sorting system.

In this edition of S.P.E.W., Seth and Justin are joined by their sister Cassandra and the three siblings dive into an examination of the Patronus.

In this edition of S.P.E.W, Seth and Justin are joined by Diane Wiener. Diane is the director of the Disability Cultural Center at Syracuse University, and shares her insight about one of the Quams’ favorite characters, Luna Lovegood.

In the third episode of their podcast, Justin and Seth finally settle on a name, and attempt to settle a long-standing debate about Harry Potter’s most controversial character.

Seth and Justin Quam continue on their podcasting journey by diving into the world of media and journalism, thinking about where to get the news from and how to ignore the Rita Skeeters of the world.

Seth and Justin Quam have started a podcast! This yet to be named production engages with the Harry Potter world and discusses what we muggles can learn from the wizarding world. In the first episode, Seth and Justin consider some of the more covert examples of bigotry in J.K. Rowling’s magical universe.