This week, Vanessa and Casper explore the theme of Mercy in Chapter 36 of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix! They discuss Dumbledore’s grand return, Lupin’s gentle explanation, and Bellatrix’s punishment! Throughout the episode we consider the question: what distinguishes mercy from things like compassion or care? Thank you to Eva for this week’s voicemail! Next week we're reading Chapter 37, The Lost Prophecy, through the theme of Control with special guest Micaela Blei! -- It’s two sickles to join S.P.E.W., and only two dollars to join our Patreon for extra bloopers every week! Plea ..read more

This week, Vanessa and Matt explore the theme of Desire in Chapter 35 of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix! They discuss the Deatheaters’ true desires, the prophecy, and the Ministry’s denial.  Throughout the episode we consider the question: what underlies our surface desires? Thank you to Yvette for this week’s voicemail! Next week we're reading Chapter 36, The Only One He Ever Feared, through the theme of Mercy with Casper ter Kuile! -- It’s two sickles to join S.P.E.W., and only two dollars to join our Patreon for extra bloopers every week! Please consider helping us fill ou ..read more

This week, Vanessa and Matt are joined by special guest Neil J. Young as they explore the theme of Anger in Chapter 33 of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix! They discuss Grawp’s big feelings, Harry’s outburst, and the Centaurs’ generational anger! Throughout the episode we consider the question: how does our anger guide us? Thank you to Brittany for this week’s voicemail! Next week we're reading Chapter 34, The Department of Mysteries, through the theme of Success with Jolie Doggett! Check out Neil’s upcoming book, “Coming Out Republican: A History of the Gay Right,” and more of his ..read more

This week, Vanessa and Casper explore the theme of Isolation in Chapter 32 of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix! They discuss Umbridge’s leadership, Hermione’s master plan, and Snape’s code! Throughout the episode we consider the question: how can we get creative to combat isolation? Thank you to Annalisa for this week’s voicemail! Next week we're reading Chapter 33, Fight and Flight, through the theme of Anger with Matt Potts! -- It’s two sickles to join S.P.E.W., and only two dollars to join our Patreon for extra bloopers every week! Please consider helping us fill our Gringotts vau ..read more

This week, Vanessa and Matt explore the theme of Naivete in Chapter 31 of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix! They discuss Hagrid’s arrest, Harry’s big plan, and the end of Occlumency lessons! Throughout the episode we consider the question: how does naivete leave us more vulnerable? Thank you to Alex for this week’s voicemail! Next week we're reading Chapter 32, Out of the Fire, through the theme of Isolation with Casper ter Kuile! -- It’s two sickles to join S.P.E.W., and only two dollars to join our Patreon for extra bloopers every week! Please consider helping us fill our Gringott ..read more

This week, Vanessa and special guest Jackson Bird explore the theme of Determination in Chapter 30 of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix! They discuss the titular Grawp, Peeves’ newfound determination, and times the word actually comes up in the text! Throughout the episode we consider the question: how are sacrifice and determination intertwined? Thank you to Grace for this week’s voicemail! Next week we're reading Chapter 31, O.W.L.s, through the theme of Naivete with Matt Potts! -- It’s two sickles to join S.P.E.W., and only two dollars to join our Patreon for extra bloopers every ..read more

This week, Vanessa and Matt are joined by Delphene Mooney of On The Rise as they explore the theme of Community in Chapter 29 of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix! They discuss Fred & George’s departure, Draco’s (lack of) community, and the various sub-communities of Hogwarts. Throughout the episode we consider the question: what does it mean to be a good community? Thank you to Janie for this week’s voicemail! Next week we're reading Chapter 30, Grawp, through the theme of determination with Jackson Bird! You can learn more about On The Rise and their Empty Bowls fundraiser by g ..read more

We're still in the middle of our March fundraiser for On The Rise, but thanks to you all, we've already reached our initial 10k goal! As a special thanks to our listeners for helping us reach this point, Matt and Vanessa have recorded this bonus conversation discussing their favorite spring recipes. We've extended our goal to 15k, visit https://notsorryworks.com/ to learn more about the fundraiser and donate to help us raise even more to support On The Rise's work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information ..read more

This week, Vanessa and Casper explore the theme of Kindness in Chapter 28 of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix! They discuss James and Snape and Lily, oh my!  Throughout the episode we consider the question: where can we attempt to employ more kindness? Thank you to Shruti for this week’s voicemail! Next week we're reading Chapter 29, Careers Advice, through the theme of Community with Matt Potts and Delphene Mooney from On the Rise. Visit www.notsorryworks.com to learn about our annual fundraiser and www.ontherise.org to learn more about the work that they do! -- It’s two sickl ..read more

We're currently in the middle of our March fundraiser for On The Rise, a great organization that supports people experiencing homelessness. As a special thanks to our listeners for helping us get halfway to our fundraising goal of 10k this month, Matt and Vanessa have recorded this special bonus conversation discussing which baby animals they would assign as patronuses to Hogwarts professors. Visit https://notsorryworks.com/ to learn more about the fundraiser and donate to help us meet our goal! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information ..read more