Episodes

  • A Lake and Shed Reading of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Textbook)

    A Lake and Shed Reading of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Textbook)
    Jul 28 2025

    We’re in the home stretch of the 60th Birthday Blitz at Hogwarts Professor! On the first of the last four days of July, Nick and John return to the books at a reader’s suggestion in order to give a Lake and Shed reading of the original Newt Scamander textbook, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Nick relays everything you need to know about the genesis of this work and John talks about Rowling’s comments to Stephen Fry in a 2022 interview about “archetypal” animals and the importance of understanding them because human beings are story-telling animals. Her discussion of the Lethifold and Niffler are especially challenging and illuminating. Enjoy!

    New to the Lake and Shed Kanreki Birthday series? Here’s what we’re doing:

    On 31 July 2025, Joanne Murray, aka J. K. Rowling and Robert Galbraith, will be celebrating her 60th birthday. This celebration is considered a ‘second birth’ in Japan or Kanreki because it is the completion of the oriental astrological cycle. To mark JKR’s Kanreki, Dr John Granger and Nick Jeffery, both Nipponophiles, are reading through Rowling’s twenty-one published works and reviewing them in light of the author’s writing process, her ‘Lake and Shed’ metaphor. The ‘Lake’ is the biographical source of her inspiration; the ‘Shed’ is the alocal place of her intentional artistry, in which garage she transforms the biographical stuff provided by her subconscious mind into the archetypal stories that have made her the most important author of her age. You can hear Nick and John discuss this process and their birthday project at the first entry in this series of posts: Happy Birthday, JKR! A Lake and Shed Celebration of her Life and Work.

    Tomorrow? John and Nick act on the reader suggestion that we give a Lake and Shed reading of Tales of Beedle the Bard. Nick tells the ‘Three Year Summer’ background of the Wizarding World’s Fairy Tale collection and John talks about ‘The Hairy Heart.’ Stay tuned!

    Links to posts mentioned in today’s Lake and Shed conversation for further reading:

    The J. K. Rowling 2022 Interview with Stephen Fry about the ‘Archetypes’ of Fantastic Beast — and Why We Love Story

    * Etymology of ‘Bejesus’

    * Stephen Fry’s Views on Religion

    Liminal Women: Mermaids and Swan Maidens in Galbraith’s Strike Novels (Beatrice Groves)

    Troubled Blood: A Jungian Reading



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    57 mins
  • A Lake and Yurt-Shed Conversation about Rowling's Ring Writing

    A Lake and Yurt-Shed Conversation about Rowling's Ring Writing
    Jul 27 2025
    Let’s talk about Rowling’s use of traditional chiastic structure, what anthropologist Mary Douglas called ‘Ring Composition.’ John travels to his backyard Mongolian ger, the archetypal circular architectural form, to deliver a firehose introduction to the four essentials of ring writing. He uses slides to depict the structure of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone as his brief ‘for instance’ of how Rowling chooses to organize her stories and he provides a list of links (below!) for further reading. Enjoy!New to the Lake and Shed Kanreki Birthday series? Here’s what we’re doing:On 31 July 2025, Joanne Murray, aka J. K. Rowling and Robert Galbraith, will be celebrating her 60th birthday. This celebration is considered a ‘second birth’ in Japan or Kanreki because it is the completion of the oriental astrological cycle. To mark JKR’s Kanreki, Dr John Granger and Nick Jeffery, both Nipponophiles, are reading through Rowling’s twenty-one published works and reviewing them in light of the author’s writing process, her ‘Lake and Shed’ metaphor. The ‘Lake’ is the biographical source of her inspiration; the ‘Shed’ is the alocal place of her intentional artistry, in which garage she transforms the biographical stuff provided by her subconscious mind into the archetypal stories that have made her the most important author of her age. You can hear Nick and John discuss this process and their birthday project at the first entry in this series of posts: Happy Birthday, JKR! A Lake and Shed Celebration of her Life and Work.Tomorrow? John and Nick act on the reader suggestion that we give a Lake and Shed reading of Tales of Beedle the Bard. Can the Hogwarts textbook, Fantastic Beasts, be far behind? Stay tuned!Links to posts mentioned in today’s Lake and Shed conversation for further reading:* The Hogwarts Professor Ring Composition Pillar Post* The Ring Inside the Ring of Order of the Phoenix: The Department of Mysteries Gauntlet* Harry Potter as Ring Composition and Ring Cycle (Lulu.com)* J. K. Rowling’s ‘G-Spot’ and ‘Triple Play:’ The Lake & Shed Secret of Her SuccessThe Running Grave’s Structure: A Master Class in Ring Composition* Running Grave: Ring Reading Index* Reading 'Running Grave' as the End of the Strike Series (A)* Reading 'Running Grave' as the End of the Strike Series (B)* Reading 'Running Grave' as the End of the Strike Series (C) Get full access to Hogwarts Professor at hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe
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    44 mins
  • A Lake and Shed Look at the Golden Threads in the Work of J. K. Rowling (B)

    A Lake and Shed Look at the Golden Threads in the Work of J. K. Rowling (B)
    Jul 26 2025
    Welcome back! John and Nick finish their back-and-forth challenge to come up with three examples of the ‘Fourteen Golden Threads’ in the work of J. K. Rowling, the plot points and story features that run through everything she writes.In this second overview of the Golden Threads, Nick and John talk about Kanreki red caps and tackle three Threads each. Nick gives at least three examples for Evil Government, Occult tropes, and the Embedded Author. John responds with three or more ’for instances’ of the Search for the Real, Embedded Texts, and Shadow Doppelgangers. Enjoy!New to the Lake and Shed Kanreki Birthday series? Here’s what we’re doing:On 31 July 2025, Joanne Murray, aka J. K. Rowling and Robert Galbraith, will be celebrating her 60th birthday. This celebration is considered a ‘second birth’ in Japan or Kanreki because it is the completion of the oriental astrological cycle. To mark JKR’s Kanreki, Dr John Granger and Nick Jeffery, both Nipponophiles, are reading through Rowling’s twenty-one published works and reviewing them in light of the author’s writing process, her ‘Lake and Shed’ metaphor. The ‘Lake’ is the biographical source of her inspiration; the ‘Shed’ is the alocal place of her intentional artistry, in which garage she transforms the biographical stuff provided by her subconscious mind into the archetypal stories that have made her the most important author of her age. You can hear Nick and John discuss this process and their birthday project at the first entry in this series of posts: Happy Birthday, JKR! A Lake and Shed Celebration of her Life and Work.Tomorrow? John and Nick respond to two readers’ requests for a brief introduction to Ring Composition. John reviews the four essential elements in a proper story ring and uses Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone as his example. He shifts from his Shed (garage) to the backyard ger (‘yurt’) to deliver his message about the ‘meaning in the middle.’ Stay tuned!Links to posts mentioned in today’s Lake and Shed conversation for further reading:* David Martin reveals the Role of Books in the Hogwarts Saga* When in Doubt, Go to the Library: The Books Within the Books (David Martin Podcast)* Troubled Blood: Every Tarot Card Spread* Rowling Talks Tarot on 60 Minutes (1999)* Harry Potter and The Hanged Man: Part 1 Rowling’s Most Loaded Tarot Reference* Harry Potter and The Hanged Man: Part 2 The Historical and Occult Interpretations* Harry Potter and The Hanged Man: Part 3 Its Meaning in Rowling’s Written Work* Troubled Blood: A Jungian Reading Get full access to Hogwarts Professor at hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe
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    1 hr and 37 mins
  • A Lake and Shed Look at the Golden Threads in the Work of J. K. Rowling (A)

    A Lake and Shed Look at the Golden Threads in the Work of J. K. Rowling (A)
    Jul 25 2025
    Welcome back! John and Nick, having finished their Lake and Shed review of the seven Harry Potter novels, the first seven Strike-Ellacott adventures, the three Fantastic Beasts screenplays, and the three stand-alone stories Cursed Child, Casual Vacancy, and Christmas Pig, are open to suggestions about how to fill the remaining week of daily conversations until Rowling’s birthday on July 31st. The first request we received was one asking for more on the ‘Twelve Golden Threads’ in the work of J. K. Rowling, the plot points and story features that run through everything she writes.In this first overview of the Golden Threads, Nick and John go back and fourth with four Threads each. Nick gives at least three examples for Bad Dad, Writing about Writing, Violence against Women, and the Evils of Fleet Street. John responds with three or more ’for instances’ of Mother Love, Ghosts, Pregnancy Traps, and the Lost Child with Grieving Steward. Enjoy!New to the Lake and Shed Kanreki Birthday series? Here’s what we’re doing:On 31 July 2025, Joanne Murray, aka J. K. Rowling and Robert Galbraith, will be celebrating her 60th birthday. This celebration is considered a ‘second birth’ in Japan or Kanreki because it is the completion of the oriental astrological cycle. To mark JKR’s Kanreki, Dr John Granger and Nick Jeffery, both Nipponophiles, are reading through Rowling’s twenty-one published works and reviewing them in light of the author’s writing process, her ‘Lake and Shed’ metaphor. The ‘Lake’ is the biographical source of her inspiration; the ‘Shed’ is the alocal place of her intentional artistry, in which garage she transforms the biographical stuff provided by her subconscious mind into the archetypal stories that have made her the most important author of her age. You can hear Nick and John discuss this process and their birthday project at the first entry in this series of posts: Happy Birthday, JKR! A Lake and Shed Celebration of her Life and Work.Tomorrow? John and Nick talk about the six remaining Golden Threads, namely, Bad Government, Occult Tokens, the Search for the Real, Embedded Texts, the Embedded Author, and Shadow Doppelgangers. Stay tuned!Links to posts mentioned in today’s Lake and Shed conversation for further reading:'Pregnancy Traps' in the Works of J. K. Rowling: A Rowling Studies Podcast* The Golden Thread of Coercive Love that Runs Through Everything She has WrittenThe seven Hogwarts Professor weblog posts that John and Nick reference in that conversation can be found here:Rowling Pregnancy Traps: Merope GauntRowling Pregnancy Traps: Casual Vacancy’s Krystal Weedon, Kay BawdenRowling’s Pregnancy Traps: Bellatrix Lestrange and the Cursed Child DelphiniRowling’s Pregnancy Traps: Leda StrikeRowling’s Pregnancy Traps: Four StrikesRowling’s Pregnancy Traps: Last StrikesRowling’s Pregnancy Traps: Fantastic Beasts, The Ickabog, The Christmas Pig Get full access to Hogwarts Professor at hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • A Lake and Shed Reading of The Running Grave

    A Lake and Shed Reading of The Running Grave
    Jul 24 2025
    Today’s Lake and Shed framed conversation focuses in on the remarkable Strike-Ellacott novel, The Running Grave, the last book in our review of every work of fiction with either of Mrs Murray’s pseudonyms on the cover. Nick confesses to feeling stumped about what to say as his ‘Lake’ contribution to the discussion — before his epiphany on a long walk with Addie that almost every buoy or pillar in Rowling’s metaphorical place of inspiration finds its reflection in the seventh Galbraith mystery. John refuses to go into any detail about the work’s ‘wheels within wheels within wheels’ ring structure but shares instead the symbolic depth of Mama Mazu’s mother of pearl fish pendant. New to the Lake and Shed Kanreki Birthday series? Here’s what we’re doing:On 31 July 2025, Joanne Murray, aka J. K. Rowling and Robert Galbraith, will be celebrating her 60th birthday. This celebration is considered a ‘second birth’ in Japan or Kanreki because it is the completion of the oriental astrological cycle. To mark JKR’s Kanreki, Dr John Granger and Nick Jeffery, both Nipponophiles, are reading through Rowling’s twenty-one published works and reviewing them in light of the author’s writing process, her ‘Lake and Shed’ metaphor. The ‘Lake’ is the biographical source of her inspiration; the ‘Shed’ is the alocal place of her intentional artistry, in which garage she transforms the biographical stuff provided by her subconscious mind into the archetypal stories that have made her the most important author of her age. You can hear Nick and John discuss this process and their birthday project at the first entry in this series of posts: Happy Birthday, JKR! A Lake and Shed Celebration of her Life and Work.Tomorrow? We move into uncharted territory with an overview of the Lake material via John interviewing Nick about the various pillars and pertinent examples. Stay tuned!Links to posts mentioned in today’s Lake and Shed conversation for further reading:The Running Grave’s Structure: A Master Class in Ring Composition* Running Grave: Ring Reading Index* Reading 'Running Grave' as the End of the Strike Series (A)* Reading 'Running Grave' as the End of the Strike Series (B)* Reading 'Running Grave' as the End of the Strike Series (C)Hogwarts Professors’ Reviews of The Running Grave* Nick Jeffery* Elizabeth Baird-Hardy* Evan WillisThe Christian Symbolism of Mama Mazu’s Mother of Pearl Fish Pendant* The Meaning of Robin Ellacott’s fight with Mama Mazu in Part 9 of Running Grave* The Beloved Caravaggio Painting In Which Rowling Encountered the ‘Christian Fish’ Symbolism* The Symbolism of the Pearl in Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games series Get full access to Hogwarts Professor at hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe
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    57 mins
  • A Lake and Shed Reading of The Ink Black Heart

    A Lake and Shed Reading of The Ink Black Heart
    Jul 23 2025
    Welcome back! After learning the Snakewood Secrets of Dumbledore — that’s right, it’s Rowling the Wood Snake having a private Lake moment — we return to real books, Ink Black Heart to be specific, a novel written entirely by Mrs Murray, aka Robert Galbraith. Nick covers the front and the back of making Lake readings of Strike6 without a lot of circumspection and John talks about the eerie feeling he had while reading this book that the author was ‘having a go’ at him. Enjoy!New to the Lake and Shed Kanreki Birthday series? Here’s what we’re doing:On 31 July 2025, Joanne Murray, aka J. K. Rowling and Robert Galbraith, will be celebrating her 60th birthday. This celebration is considered a ‘second birth’ in Japan or Kanreki because it is the completion of the oriental astrological cycle. To mark JKR’s Kanreki, Dr John Granger and Nick Jeffery, both Nipponophiles, are reading through Rowling’s twenty-one published works and reviewing them in light of the author’s writing process, her ‘Lake and Shed’ metaphor. The ‘Lake’ is the biographical source of her inspiration; the ‘Shed’ is the alocal place of her intentional artistry, in which garage she transforms the biographical stuff provided by her subconscious mind into the archetypal stories that have made her the most important author of her age. You can hear Nick and John discuss this process and their birthday project at the first entry in this series of posts: Happy Birthday, JKR! A Lake and Shed Celebration of her Life and Work.Tomorrow? Running Grave! John is not a big fan but Nick is all-in so stand-by for some real back-and-forth about the merits and deficiencies of Strike7. Stay tuned!Links to posts mentioned in today’s Lake and Shed conversation for further reading:* Hogwarts Professor Ink Black Heart Search Results Pages* The JKR Live Barmy Army Q&A: A Review* Gilderoy Gleenings* Intro to Epigraphs 101 Aurora Leigh* Rowling and Fandoms* The Mythic Backdrop* Strike as Zeus to Robin’s Leda and Cupid to Mads’ Psyche* The Gaffes* Ink Black Heart and Deathly Hallows: The Heart is Not About Emotions and Affection but the Human Spiritual Center Get full access to Hogwarts Professor at hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • A Lake and Shed Reading of Secrets of Dumbledore (Screenplay)

    A Lake and Shed Reading of Secrets of Dumbledore (Screenplay)
    Jul 22 2025

    Today’s Lake and Shed framed conversation is all about the Steve Kloves screenplay, The Secrets of Dumbledore, which is “based on a screenplay by J. K. Rowling.” Nick lays out the drama surrounding the third Fantastic Beasts franchise film and his favorite part of the movie (hint: it’s about “confusion”). John reveals why Jacob gets a Snakewood wand and one without a core as well as why he thinks Kowalski is the embedded author in this series.

    New to the Lake and Shed Kanreki Birthday series? Here’s what we’re doing:

    On 31 July 2025, Joanne Murray, aka J. K. Rowling and Robert Galbraith, will be celebrating her 60th birthday. This celebration is considered a ‘second birth’ in Japan or Kanreki because it is the completion of the oriental astrological cycle. To mark JKR’s Kanreki, Dr John Granger and Nick Jeffery, both Nipponophiles, are reading through Rowling’s twenty-one published works and reviewing them in light of the author’s writing process, her ‘Lake and Shed’ metaphor. The ‘Lake’ is the biographical source of her inspiration; the ‘Shed’ is the alocal place of her intentional artistry, in which garage she transforms the biographical stuff provided by her subconscious mind into the archetypal stories that have made her the most important author of her age. You can hear Nick and John discuss this process and their birthday project at the first entry in this series of posts: Happy Birthday, JKR! A Lake and Shed Celebration of her Life and Work.

    Tomorrow? It’s back to real books, a novel written entirely by Mrs Murray, aka Robert Galbraith. We’ll be discussing Ink Black Heart with Nick covering the front and the back of making Lake readings of Strike6 without a lot of circumspection and John talking about the eerie feeling he had while reading this book that the author was ‘having a go’ at him. Stay tuned!

    Links to posts mentioned in today’s Lake and Shed conversation for further reading:

    * Snakewood: The Rarest and Most Beautiful Exotic Wood

    * Snakewood as a Wand Material

    * Wild ‘Secrets of Dumbledore’ Theory: Rowling Puts Pro-Trump Message in Script that Kloves Didn’t See or Remove

    * MsMojo: Secrets of Dumbledore’s Answered and Unanswered Questions

    * Secrets of Dumbledore: Predictions Fulfilled and Promise for the Future Elizabeth Baird Hardy

    * Beatrice Groves – Secrets of Dumbledore: First Thoughts

    * Fantastic Beasts: Secrets of Dumbledore The Rowling Library Review Is Up

    * The Secrets of Grindelwald Screenplay: Three Quick Notes about its Publication

    * YouTube Link to Film



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    1 hr and 7 mins
  • A Lake and Shed Reading of The Christmas Pig (B)

    A Lake and Shed Reading of The Christmas Pig (B)
    Jul 21 2025
    Today’s Lake and Shed framed conversation is once again about The Christmas Pig. Nick by the Lake shares the history of the Murray Family and their beanie pig toys as well as a likely source for the defenestration of DP (in Esquire magazine, no less). John talks about the promise and the limits of reading literature through a biographical lens and then explains the anagogical meaning of the Power palace kangaroo court trial of CP and Jack. Both share their reasons for thinking that The Christmas Pig is the perfect distillation of everything Rowling is doing as a writer, to include the relationship of her Lake inspiration to her final Shed product.New to the Lake and Shed Kanreki Birthday series? Here’s what we’re doing:On 31 July 2025, Joanne Murray, aka J. K. Rowling and Robert Galbraith, will be celebrating her 60th birthday. This celebration is considered a ‘second birth’ in Japan or Kanreki because it is the completion of the oriental astrological cycle. To mark JKR’s Kanreki, Dr John Granger and Nick Jeffery, both Nipponophiles, are reading through Rowling’s twenty-one published works and reviewing them in light of the author’s writing process, her ‘Lake and Shed’ metaphor. The ‘Lake’ is the biographical source of her inspiration; the ‘Shed’ is the alocal place of her intentional artistry, in which garage she transforms the biographical stuff provided by her subconscious mind into the archetypal stories that have made her the most important author of her age. You can hear Nick and John discuss this process and their birthday project at the first entry in this series of posts: Happy Birthday, JKR! A Lake and Shed Celebration of her Life and Work.Tomorrow? Our look at the Steve Kloves “complete screenplay” Secrets of Dumbledore, one based on an “original story” by J. K. Rowling. Stay tuned!Links to posts mentioned in today’s Lake and Shed conversation for further reading:* The Christmas Pig and Old Rabbit (Nick Jeffery)* The Quadrigal Reading of Christmas Pig (John Granger)* The Velveteen Rabbit and Christmas Pig (Beatrice Groves, pp 17-18)* The Faerie Queene and The Christmas Pig (Elizabeth Baird-Hardy)* The Rowling Studies podcast dedicated to Christmas Pig subjects* Warner Bros Adapting ‘Christmas Pig:’ Will It Become Rowling’s Best Loved Book? A Second ‘Christmas Carol’?The Perennialist Reading of Christmas Pig Series of HogwartsProfessor posts:* Part 1: John, Peter, and Jack Jones* Part 2: Dante, Sacred Art, and the Symbolism of the Tree and Its Angels12/22: Whence Holly’s Hatred in Christmas Pig? The Symbolism of the ‘Broken Angel’* Part 3: The Quadrigal Reading* Part 4: The Magic In Things1/5: Rowling on Love, Hope, Happiness 2018* Part 5: The Blue Bunny1/15 Rowling, Ring Writing, and Maternal Love* Part 6: The Ring CompositionPost Publication Christmas Pig HogwartsProfessor Pieces:10/4: The Christmas Pig – The First Reviews10/10: Beatrice Groves: Unlocking Clues to The Christmas Pig10/13: “For the Straightforward Path Was Lost”: A Few Starting Notes on The Christmas Pig (Evan Willis)10/13: The Christmas Pig and Old Rabbit10/17: Alexandra Palace, JKR, Christmas Pig10/18: J. K. Rowling’s Christmas Pig Interviews12/14: Rowling Talks About ‘Christmas Pig’12/17: The Original Christmas Pig was Blind Pig12/26: The Faerie Queene and The Christmas Pig12/27: The Christmas Pig: Amateur AudioBook12/28: Christmas Pig’s Chapter Thirteen1/2: Does Anyone “Really” Die in Stories? Get full access to Hogwarts Professor at hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe
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    56 mins