Saturday Stories

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Improve your English language skills with a story the whole family can enjoy!

Juggling work, family, and studying for English language tests is exhausting.

When you get home from work, you're torn between:

a) Spending time with your family (important)

b) Studying for the exams that will help you give your family a better life (also important).

Now you can have your cake and eat it too!

In this episode of Saturday Stories, you'll meet Rumpelstiltskin (a sneaky guy that can spin straw into gold) in a story appropriate for the whole family.

Listen to this episode, and you'll have something to talk about besides work and depressing news stories!

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Get resources each week that will help you take your English language skills to the next level.

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Welcome to Season 4!

I've selected 13 stories in a variety of genres and styles and look forward to sharing them with you in the coming weeks.

I invite you to join the Saturday Stories Club™. You'll be the first to know about Saturday Stories events and have instant access to resources that will help you improve your English language skills.

About this episode:

In this episode, you'll hear a modern parable written by an anonymous author. The story offers a reminder that although life may turn out different than you had hoped, you may end up impacting others in ways you never imagined.

[Replay] In this episode of Wordplay Wednesday, Marina Gabor will be looking at three words from Oscar Wilde's short story, "The Selfish Giant." See how the words are used to enhance the story and how you can use them in your daily life.

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About this episode:

Although Oscar Wilde wrote this story to be read to children, it’s a great reminder of the consequences of selfishness and the hope found in redemption.  

I hope you’ll be encouraged by the theme of redemption in this story.

Use the show as a way to improve your reading comprehension, build your vocabulary, and develop your writing skills.

When you join the Saturday Stories Club™, you'll get:

• A full copy of each week's story.

PLUS, you'll be the first to know about live streams and webinars to help you take your writing to the next level.

Click here to join the Saturday Stories Club™.

This story is one of the early speculative science fiction mysteries.  Published in the Astounding Stories of Super-Science: February 1930.

Personally, I’m not a huge fan of science fiction - however, I enjoyed seeing how the mystery was solved using well… I won’t tell you exactly how it’s solved - that would give it away. But… the scientific idea is interesting and… if possible, in real life, it would make crimes a lot harder to solve. 

Now for parents who need a break … the technology used in this story would come in handy… have you ever just wanted 5 minutes to yourself? Problem solved… but until these machines are readily available, it looks like hiding in the bathroom is still the best option. 

Use the show as a way to improve your reading comprehension, build your vocabulary, and develop your writing skills.

When you join the Saturday Stories Club™, you'll get:

• A full copy of each week's story.

PLUS, you'll be the first to know about live streams and webinars to help you take your writing to the next level.

Click here to join Saturday Stories Club!

About this episode:

In the story "The Lady or the Tiger," Frank Stockton weaves themes of barbarism vs. civilization, justice, power, and human nature. The story culminates in a choice that brings all those themes together. 

The princess falls in love with someone below her station. As soon as her father finds out, he has her lover thrown in jail and prepares for justice to be served. He'll either be dinner for a tiger or marry a lady chosen by the king (NOT the princess.)

The princess finds out what's behind each door and directs her lover to the door of her choice. 

In a minute, we'll be diving into this story that will have you anxiously awaiting the outcome and leave you questioning your own thoughts on barbarism vs. civilization, justice, power, and human nature. 

Extend the value of the Saturday Stories podcast and join the

Saturday Stories Club™.

When you join the Saturday Stories Club™, you'll get:

• A full copy of each week's story.

Click here to join the Saturday Stories Club™.

Have you ever thought that someone is lucky? Everything they do, whether intentional or not, turns out to be in their favor.  If you’ve known a person like that, you’ll appreciate the humor in this story. Perhaps as the situations unfold, you’ll recall someone who has the same kind of luck as the antagonist in this story.  

Throughout the story, you’ll laugh and rage your way through the unfairness of luck. But, I guess that’s why it’s called luck… and some people just seem to have it - fair or not!

Extend the value of the Saturday Stories podcast and join the Saturday Stories Club™.

When you join the Saturday Stories Club™, you'll get:

• A full copy of each week's story.

Click here to join the Saturday Stories Club™.

Story Summary

At the beginning of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story, "The Antique Ring," we’ll see Edward proposing to Clara. However, before she accepts the ring, she requests a story that outlines the ring's history. Edward, being quite a prolific wordsmith, is happy to oblige and fabricates a Legend for the antique ring. What is the legend of the antique ring? Will Clara accept his proposal?

Listen to the episode to find out!

Resources for this episode:

Wordplay Wednesday (10-minute podcast) - Listen here.

Seven-Sentence Story Workshop (30-minute webinar) - Register here.

Close Reading Guide (free printable download) - Get your copy here.

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