Episode 22: Transfiguring Adoption

You do not want to miss this compelling, poignant episode about the power of reading (and reading Harry Potter in particular) in our emotional lives. Harry Potter helps adoptive and foster families deal with trauma, questions of identity, and family relationships. In this episode, Katy and her co-host Emily Strand investigate the use of Harry Potter as “bibliotherapy,” especially for adoptive and foster families. Margie Fink, co-founder of Transfiguring Adoption (transfiguringadoption.com), explains to us how she was inspired to create resources for adoptive and foster families - parents as well as children - from the Harry Potter books but also other young adult literature and media. Louise Freeman (Mary Baldwin University) and Lana Whited (Ferrum College) join us in discussing the value of literature for encouraging empathy, dealing with trauma and PTSD, and coping with issues of family and identity.