It's Sapphic Spring, Babyyyy!
Welcome back to The Monthly Hoot: Witch, Please Productions' Newsletter!
A Message from Coach
Thank you to everyone who participated in our April Patreon Push by upgrading their tier or joining our Patreon for the first time as a paying supporter. While we didn’t hit our goal, we saw a huge surge of support. We really appreciate it.
As you know, our show went weekly just over one month ago and I’m here to report that we’re having the time of our lives! Or rather, I am! Our Material Concerns episodes continue to be bonkers, featuring new and revisited segments. We’re ahead on our recordings which means we’re basically all scheduled through July. And that means I can tease what’s coming by linking to one of my fav fan artists. :)
A reminder that it’s always a good time to support independent artists/creators and if you are ready to make the leap to Patreon, we’d love to have you! Scroll down to get access to an unlocked perk for a taste of what you’re missing.
Big, sweaty, sapphic, spring hugs,
Coach
First, it’s the Severance episode!! We give you all the tools you need to confidently and appropriately use the term Kafkaesque the next time Severance comes up in conversation. The best news? By the end of the episode, you earn a MUSIC DANCE EXPERIENCE! Not really, (because we're a podcast), but we do end the episode with Hannah's thesis about state power, repression of grief, corporate culture and entertainment — and in a way, isn't that just as "elite" and "coveted AF?"
Next up, we throw it back to 2003 with an episode about the beloved swashbuckler hit, Pirates of the Caribbean. Hannah and Marcelle start with a review of the political climate in the early aughts, with a particular focus on 9/11, George W. Bush's presidency and the illegitimate "War on Terror." Marcelle offers some details about the Disneyland ride that inspired the franchise, the film's production challenges, and the film's eventual success. Together, Hannah and Marcelle consider Pirates of the Caribbean's unexpected box office success in relation to American Exceptionalism and the United States' invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq.
Finally, Hannah and Marcelle delve into the word "sapphic" and consider the rising popularity of the term's use as it relates to the legacy of radical feminism and lesbian feminism. They begin by talking about their own feelings around labels, sexuality, and the limits of using words to define ourselves. Marcelle offers a guess at what (and how) "sapphic" means in 2025, and Hannah gives an overview of its current colloquial use as a complement, an alternative, and a reaction, in particular, to the term "lesbian." And then it's history time baby! Hannah gets into the the radical feminist movement of the 60s and the various modern feminisms that emerged simultaneously and in the decades following. She then offers a thesis that frames queer feminism's complicated relationship to its own history as one part of sapphic's entrance into the zeitgeist, all while suggesting we take a more nuanced look at the past and resist the temptation to reduce previous movements to their most imperfect parts.
We’ve also got two new episodes of Material Concerns because we’re a weekly podcast now, remember?? You can get Part II of these deeply chaotic conversations over on Patreon. Get in there!!
New Perk Open to ALL Paid Tiers
Last month, we brought back Witch, Please Tell Me — our Q&A perk from yore. But with a new title: Mailbag Bonus (feel free to suggest a new/different name). Every month, Patreon supporters at all paid tiers get a bonus recording from Hannah and Marcelle answering all your pressing questions about their lives, the episodes, the culture, etc.
Because you’re here, reading our Substack, we’ve unlocked April’s Mailbag Bonus so you get a taste of what’s over on the Patreon. Happy listening!
NOTE! They record May’s bonus tonight! Submit your questions here.
Gender Playground is Coming Soon
You are probably thinking, yeah, yeah, sure, right. But it’s true! Gender Playground Season Two is almost wrapped and our episodes will begin releasing in June! Stay tuned and catch up on Season One by clicking the button below!
It’s the spring of playing music on repeat, a new thing I just made up! Enjoy this short and sweet little playlist featuring a truly WILD arrangement of tunes we’re listening to on repeat. Get it on Spotify here and Apple Music here.
Have a topic you want us to tackle? Feel free to submit to this form!
Something else you want us to know? You can always email us at ohwitchplease@gmail.com.
Want to talk to us all the time? Join our $30 Patreon tier and find us on Slack, where we live.
Want to sponsor an episode of Gender Playground? Learn more here!
Have a strongly worded comment about this newsletter? You can now reply right on Substack and we’ll be able to see it and even reply! Just be nice to us.
You can also leave us a review for Material Girls or Gender Playground on Apple Podcasts! We love that. They make us happy.