Great Stories about Great Storytellers

By Randy Overbeck

GREAT STORIES about GREAT STORYTELLERS shares insights into storytellers whose names you no doubt recognize—names like Edgar Allen Poe, Steven Spielberg John Grisham and Walt Disney—but reveals the ba... more

· Arts

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FAQs about Great Stories about Great Storytellers:

How many episodes does Great Stories about Great Storytellers have?

The podcast currently has 55 episodes available.

Great Stories about Great Storytellers episodes:

August 16, 2026Judy Blume, the Groundbreaking Children's and YA author
In this episode, you discover--
How traumatic events in her early life contributed to her honest and frank approach to storytelling, even for children and young adults
How Blume struggled to get recognized by publishers, like many emerging writers
How her novel Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret became the breakthrough bestseller and transformed a genre
How her novels have been the target of book censors for decades
Check out the backstories you never knew about the storytellers you love!
...more
12min
July 18, 2026Sara Paretsky--The Writer Who Broke Through
In this episode, you'll learn--
how Paretsky became one of the first female writers to break into the "hard-boiled detective" genre
how Paretsky has used her bestselling mysteries to highlight important social justice issues
how Paretsky became one of the co-founders of Sisters in Crime

Check out the backstories you never knew about the storytellers you love!
...more
10min
June 13, 2026Thomas Paine--the Father of the American Revolution
In this episode, you'll learn--
the struggles Paine went through before he found "his voice"
the critical way Benjamin Franklin intervened to send Paine to America
how Paine's writings persuaded the common man to the ideas of liberty and freedom
how, despite Paine's tremendous influence on the Revolution, his life ended in absurdity and infamy
Check out the backstories you never knew about the storytellers you love!
...more
12min
May 17, 2026Isaac Asimov--a Father of Modern Science Fiction
In this episode, you'll learn
how Isaac as young man struggled to achieve in academics because of discrimination against Jews
how Isaac, while working in his parents' stores, devoured pulp science fiction magazines to learn his "trade"
how Asimov became one of the most prolific America writers, publishing and editing more 500 books
How Asimov won about every award given out for his genres
How Asimov, the person, was a direct contradiction of Asimov, the writer
Check out the backstories you never knew about the storytellers you love!
...more
13min
April 17, 2026Patricia Cornwell, the Author Who Popularized CSI
In this episode, you'll learn--
how Patricia went from a BA in English to an award-winning journalist in two years
the remarkable learning journey Cornwell took to become schooled in forensics
the long string of awards her writing has amassed as well as the tremendous success of her books with readers
the surprising origin story of Patricia as a writer
Check out the backstories you never knew about the storytellers you love!
...more
12min
March 19, 2026Nevada Barr--the mystery writer who takes readers to national parks
In this 50th episode, you'll learn--
how Nevada Barr began her working career as an actress of moderate success
the unusual way Nevada became interested in the outdoors and specifically the national parks
how Nevada remained committed to writing even though any success was slow in coming
how Nevada Barr broke new ground in the mystery writing genre by moving her sleuth, park ranger Anna Pigeon to a new park for each entry
Check out the backstories you never knew about the storytellers you love!
...more
13min
February 18, 2026Louise Penny--from Alcoholic to the 21st Century Agatha Christie
In thia episode, you'll learn--
how Louise Penny battled loneliness, alcoholism and isolation and turned her experiences into creating great cozy mysteries
how Louise Penny struggled with her writing for years before producing her first novel Still Life\
how Penny's Three Pines series have become one of the most successful and recognized cozy mystery series in the world
Check out the backstories you never knew about the storytellers you love!
...more
12min
January 12, 2026James Cameron--the college dropout who became the pre-eminent director of our day
In this episode, you'll learn--
how James Cameron went from school janitor to movie director
how Cameron struggled and sacrificed to learn the ropes of movie making
how Cameron was willing to do almost anything--even putting his life at risk--to make his movies
how Cameron often gave up personal gain to achieve his storytelling vision and still became one of the richest men in Hollywood
Check out the backstories you never knew about the storytellers you love!
...more
12min
December 18, 2025 The Surprising Genesis of the Literary Journey of Richard Paul Evans
Check out the backstories you never knew about the storytellers you love!
...more
11min
November 19, 2025L. Frank Baum, the creative genius behind the Wizard of Oz and Wicked
In this episode, you'll learn--
how Baum was destined to be a writer from his teens, thanks to gifts from his father
how Baum had feet and success in both the literary and drama world
how his Wizard of Oz series were the top children books of the time
how Baum, in his own writing, predicted several technology inventions
Check out the backstories you never knew about the storytellers you love!
...more
13min

FAQs about Great Stories about Great Storytellers:

How many episodes does Great Stories about Great Storytellers have?

The podcast currently has 55 episodes available.