Where Can Readers Find Deborah Harkness Interviews About Her Research?

When I’m hunting for interviews that dig into Deborah Harkness’s research, I go broad and then narrow. My first stop is usually the publisher’s author page and her own website, because those spots collect reputable interviews, event listings, and links to recorded lectures. Publishers often post Q&As and event videos that focus on the scholarly work behind 'A Discovery of Witches' and related titles, which makes it easy to find the research-focused material.

After that I scan podcast platforms and YouTube. There are loads of literary and history podcasts that invite scholars to talk about methods and sources; searching on Spotify or Apple Podcasts for 'Deborah Harkness' plus 'alchemy' or 'history' pulls up interviews that are oriented toward her academic expertise. YouTube and university channels tend to host longer lectures and panel discussions — these are where you’ll hear her cite specific archives and explain how historical documents informed elements of her fiction. I also check big cultural outlets and public radio archives, since they sometimes run feature interviews that bridge scholarly research and popular readership. Between those sources I usually find a handful of thorough, engaging interviews worth re-listening to.

I usually tell friends to think in terms of three buckets: author/publisher hubs, media outlets/podcasts, and institutional recordings. Start at the obvious hubs — Deborah Harkness’s author website and the publisher’s page — because they collect press and event links that point straight to interviews about her research. Then move on to mainstream media and podcast platforms; interviews there often translate academic topics into accessible conversations about primary sources, archives, and historical contexts behind 'A Discovery of Witches'.

Finally, hunt for university or library recordings: many universities archive public lectures and specialist libraries or societies sometimes post panel discussions or colloquia where she discusses her historical methods. Using site-specific searches (for example, restricting Google to YouTube or to a particular news site) is a quick way to surface recordings that otherwise get buried. Personally, finding those longer talks where she walks through her notes and sources is my favorite — they make the research feel alive and unexpectedly thrilling.

If you want a straight path, start with her official channels — I usually begin at the author's own website and the publisher pages. Deborah Harkness keeps a website and her publisher (look up her page on Viking/penguin random house) often posts interviews, Q&As, and event links tied to her research and books. University or faculty profiles are another goldmine: her professional page typically lists public lectures, recorded talks, and media appearances that center on her historical research into early modern science and alchemy. I like that because those listings often include direct video or audio embeds, so you can watch her explain sources and methods in her own voice.

Beyond that, search the big outlets and platforms where long-form author interviews land. Public radio archives like NPR, major newspapers and magazines, and cultural programs (BBC, The new york Times culture pages, Smithsonian-style outlets) frequently host conversations that bridge her scholarship with her fiction in 'a discovery of witches' and the rest of the trilogy. Podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcasts) are great for deep-dive interviews; try searching for her name plus keywords like ‘lecture,’ ‘alchemy,’ or ‘history of science’ to filter to research-focused episodes. YouTube and institutional lecture series (university channels, historical societies, and libraries) often keep recordings of talks and panels, which is where her academic side really shows.

One quick tip from my own digging: use date filters and site-specific searches (e.g., site:youtube.com "Deborah Harkness" or site:nytimes.com "Deborah Harkness") to find older interviews that don’t surface in general web searches. I love finding a recorded talk where she maps archival discoveries to the stories in 'A Discovery of Witches' — it always gives me a fresh layer of appreciation.