“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 talks about the upcoming Potter play, the latest Pottermore updates, various arcana from the Book of Spells, and sources which may or may not be canon. Then he finally tackles the complexities of the seventh book and explains why, for the entire series to make sense, the Hallows are essential and Harry's final confrontation with Voldemort absolutely cannot be violent. Read More🎙️ Episode 13: "The budding new baby hero!"• Podcast Episode
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 understand book seven. Show links: The… Read More🎙️ Episode 12: "Why weren't we told about this sooner?"• Podcast Episode
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. Read More🎙️ Episode 11: "What happened to the whimsy?!"• Podcast Episode
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. Read More🎙️ Episode 10: "This gap is where it all changed ..."• Podcast Episode
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. Read More🎙️ Episode 9: "The Dark Arts ... are you TRYING to be bad?"• Podcast Episode
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. Read More🎙️ Episode 8: "And then book 3 came along ... a bolt of lightning!"• Podcast Episode
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. Read More🎙️ Episode 5: "In front of me was a signpost that said 'Burrow'..."• Podcast Episode
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:… Read More🎙️ Episode 4: "Boom! There comes Neville!"• Podcast Episode
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. Read More🎙️ Episode 3: "There's an Elf head hanging outside the window!"• Podcast Episode
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. Read More🎙️ Episode 2: "Oh wait a minute, who was that?"• Podcast Episode
The Daily Prophet newslettersSteve 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. Read More🎙️ Episode 1: "Did Dumbledore walk around with it in his pockets?"• Podcast Episode
Welcome to the Harry Potter Lexicon Podcast, in this first episode:
Steve introduces the podcast
thanks a few people
reminiscing about visiting the graveyard in Godric's Hollow
the missing twenty-four hours
the mystery of Quirrell
and a few other oddities. Read More
What it’s all about …
🎙️ Episode 14: "It's the Mirror all over again."
• Podcast Episode
🎙️ Episode 13: "The budding new baby hero!"
• Podcast Episode
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 understand book seven. Show links: The… Read More
🎙️ Episode 5: "In front of me was a signpost that said 'Burrow'..."
• Podcast Episode