Today on The Apple Seed, you'll hear a story from Sheila Arnold – a story called “Simon and Susannah” about true love, and about how the Blue Ridge Mountains came to be. You'll also hear a story from the great musical storyteller Odds Bodkin – it’s just a tiny little part of homer's the Odyssey the epic tale from more than 2,700 years ago of Odysseus’ return to Greece after the Trojan War. The part you'll hear today is just a little bit of that enormous story: just the part about the Trojan horse (Odds Bodkin calls it “The Belly of the Horse”).  You'll also hear a story from Noa Baum: a story called “The Hunchback Brothers;” No, it's not a band name, it's a story, and you'll love it. You'll also hear an entry in the Radio Family Journal about robot wars imagined by Sam's little brother on family walks when they were kids. It's all this hour on The Apple Seed!

 

On today’s episode, enjoy the following:

Story Kickoff: “Simon & Susannah” by Sheila Arnold

Story Spotlight: “Belly of the Horse” by Odds Bodkin

Story Time: “The Hunchback Brothers” by Noa Baum

Radio Family Journal: Robot Wars 

 

Storyteller Spotlight: Odds Bodkin

Since 1982, professional storyteller Odds Bodkin has combined dramatic voices, vocal effects, narrative and live music to create imaginative experiences for audiences. During those decades he has created hundreds of tales that range from a four hour version of The Odyssey to children’s musicals. Using only 12-string guitars, Celtic harp and folk instruments without electronic effects, he transforms his voice into heroes, giants, villains and animals while playing live music to create vivid, cinematic soundscapes. He also creates realistic effects with his voice––water droplets, wind, galloping hoofs, crashing waves––to add imagery to his tales.

A published children’s author and award-winning recording artist, he has toured Great Britain, performed twice at The White House, been called “a consummate storyteller” by The New York Times for his Off-Broadway shows at Lincoln Center and been a Featured Teller at the National Storytelling Festival. He is often asked to tell at schools, from groups of K-3 children to University students. Museums like the Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston hire him to tell stories about works in their collections, while companies and organizations like IBM and Target commission original performances and voice-overs for outreach and educational media. His recordings and books have won Parents’ Choice, Indie, Golden Headset, Storytelling World, Pick of the Lists, Editors’ Choice and Dove awards.

 

Odds Bodkin’s unique storytelling audio and music recordings, as well as his epic novel in verse, The Water Mage’s Daughter, are all available on his website. We are grateful to welcome him back to the Apple Seed.