Episode 35: Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

hello, everyone! We’re excited to bring you this episode about The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black, the final installment of the Folk of the Air series (after The Cruel Prince and The Wicked King– which we discuss in episode 8 and episode 16, respectively). In the novel, we finally get to find out what happens […]

hello, everyone! We’re excited to bring you this episode about The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black, the final installment of the Folk of the Air series (after The Cruel Prince and The Wicked King– which we discuss in episode 8 and episode 16, respectively). In the novel, we finally get to find out what happens to Jude and Cardan, and we see everything that unfolds after Jude was banished to the mortal world. In the episode, J & K somehow both forget that Cardan turns into a giant snake. hope you enjoy (and add to) the conversation!

*Call to action*

J and K have feelings about our podcast name and the common association with she-who-shall-not-be-named (ahem, the author of one of our favorite series, Harry Potter). JKR is a TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist’) and that is unacceptable. Consult this helpful series of posts on the JKR/TERF issues.
Let’s all commit to making a consistent practice of dismantling the transphobia we learn from cis-normative societies.
Something to donate $ to: The Okra Project, a collective that provides home-cooked meals and resources to Black Trans/gender non-conforming (GNC) people experiencing food insecurity.

**This isn’t an exhaustive list! Please do research for your local area and share with us any resources you find in your journey. We will share those on Instagram and Twitter. We are often posting resources on social media as well, so check that out, too!

Transcript below (or access the pdf version)

ONWARD to the show notes!

Grima and Madoc are redcaps. Redcaps, a type of goblin, come from Scottish/English folklore. They are associated with a region called the Borders, the site of numerous violent clashes between the Scottish and English. Learn more on the villains fandom wiki.
video (3 min): “is the pandemic messing with how we perceive time?” the tl;dr is YES, bitch! I (K) learned that both anxiety and trauma are huge factors….so that’s…cool….
A debrief of sexism in the Game of Thrones series finales from The Mary Sue.
Jessie speaks about tokenization of POC in the form of Heather, especially considering how the character is written using (outdated) AAVE.
Why existing as a non-Black person in proximity to Blackness (i.e., as the partner/parent/friend of a Black person) doesn’t make someone “not-racist,” much less anti-racist. Here’s an article for you on why.
RENT = SCAM. Let’s just CANCEL RENT (more on why rent cancellation crucial, especially given the COVID-19 pandemic)

J recommends the Patriot Act episode on Rent Forgiveness
K mentions the episode about rent strikes on the podcast Rebel Steps

At one point, J describes how she imagines Locke as a “Wall Street Frat Bro Faerie” (à la Leonardo DiCaprio’s character in The Wolf of Wall Street) . Now whenever I (K) remember this, can’t stop laughing or get the image out of my head.

HIGHLY recommend this excellent post “away with the faeries: the changeling dilemma” (on the blog Melusinian Musings) about changelings and their associations with ableism, autism, infanticide, and other myriad violences.
Oh, did we hear you say you wanted #jurdan fics? Archive of Our Own (aka AO3) is ur friend <3. go forth and use that search feature!

As always, we’d love to be in discussion with you, magical folx. Post or tweet about the show using #criticallyreading. Let us know what you think of the episode, anything we missed, or anything else you want us to know by dropping a line in the comments or reaching out to us on twitter or Instagram (@thelibrarycoven), or via email ([email protected]). You can also check out the show notes on our website, jkmagicpod.com.

We really appreciate ratings and reviews on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or any other platforms. Help us share the magic by spreading the word about the podcast!

Please support our labor by leaving us a one-time tip on Ko-fi or purchasing books from our Bookshop! Even better yet, become a monthly patron via Patreon and you can unlock a bunch of exclusive perks like mini-sodes, bonus episodes, and access to our community of reader-listeners on Discord.

The podcast theme song is “Unermerry Academy of Magics” by Augustin C from the album “Fantasy Music”, which you can download on FreeMusicArchive.com.

JK, it’s magic is recorded and produced on stolen indigenous land: Arapahoe, Cheyenne, and Ute (Kelly) and Chickasha, Kaskaskia, Kickapoo, Mascoutin, Miami, Mesquaki, Odawa, Ojibwe, Peankashaw, Peoria, Potawatomi, Sauk, and Wea (Jessie)

You can support Indigenous communities by donating to Mitakuye Foundation, Native Women’s Wilderness, or the Navajo Water Project. These suggested places came from @lilnativeboy