Christmas Ghost Stories

Guest: Leslee Thorne-Murphy, Associate Dean, College of Humanities, and Associate Professor, English, Brigham Young University 

Christmas gatherings in Victorian England looked a little different than they do today. Along with the dancing, singing, and eating, these parties also consisted of an annual spooky story swap. 

Bing Crosby: A Complicated Man

Guest: Gary Giddins, critic, author, and biographer, "Bing Crosby: Swinging On a Star - the War Years, 1940-1946"

The star of the classic “White Christmas” was more than an entertainment legend—he had an emotional depth that was haunted by what he saw during WWII.

(Fairly) True Stories

Guest: Liesl Shurtliff, author, "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstiltskin" and other children’s novels

It’s a big world out there and it’s changed a lot since the Brothers Grimm first recorded their fairy tales. Liesl Shurtliff adapts these well-told stories to modern audiences and their problems.

Storytelling Secrets

Guest: Sam Payne, Host, The Apple Seed, BYUradio

A storytelling challenge. How to make fairy tales real to kids today. 

A Fierce Ermine Teaches Lessons of Love

Sy Montgomery, "How to Be a Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals"

One Christmas Day, naturalist Sy Montgomery lost a beloved chicken, but she was inspired to forgive her mother. All thanks to a determined ermine. 

Trials of the Season

Guest: Tim Slover, Professor, Theatre, University of Utah

An original poem that will inspire you if Christmas leaves you feeling jaded and exhausted.