Have you ever tried to write a song? Within our lives, we come across many things that move us to create music, be it your first crush, the view from the top of a mountain, or the idea of a super cool secret fighter. In today’s story, we’ll hear about Sam and the many memories of times throughout his life when he or those around him have been inspired to write songs - some of the songs beautiful and inspired... some of the other songs, not so much. We’ll also be thrilled to hear stories from Judy Lubin, Stephanie Beneteau, Willy Claflin, and Sheila Arnold.

On today’s episode, enjoy the following:

“Lu Helps a Dragon” - Judy Lubin (12:57)

Even though her stories are endlessly enjoyable, Judy Lubin will tell anyone that she shares stories, not as entertainment, but as a way of healing her listeners “inner life.” Listen carefully to the story she administers today called, “Lu Helps a Dragon” where a young man must find a way to return home with honor, and see what spiritual medicine you might ingest along the way. This tale comes to us from a collection of stories called Dragons of the Sea: Tales from China.

“Secret Fighter” - Sam Payne (13:30)

Sam Payne is more than a radio show host; he’s a singer, writer, songwriter, and arts educator.  All those different elements combine in the story he shares with us today called “Secret Fighter” about the many different songs he’s gathered throughout his life. This tale comes to us from a collection of stories called Sam Payne: Stories and Songs, LIVE.

“The Wood Maiden” - Stephanie Beneteau (10:14)

Stephanie Beneteau has performed in more than 1,000 shows everywhere from Quebec to Germany. But this story, “The Wood Maiden” comes to us from Eastern Europe where a young girl named Batuska encounters a mysterious woman in the forest. “The Wood Maiden” is from a collection of stories called Dreaming Tall: Stories for Growing Girls.

"The Uglified Ducky" - Willy Claflin (9:20)

Willy Claflin has been known from time to time to share fractured fairytales. And to help him present these stories in his own - and very silly - style, he frequently enlists the help of his storytelling companion, Maynard Moose, who has his own unique way of speaking. 

“The Story of the Deluge” - Sheila Arnold (5:06)

Sheila Arnold has been a full-time storyteller since 2003 with one of her most admirable abilities being the way she can easily slip in and out of different characters. We’ll get to see lots of that talent in this story which tells us about way-back-when during a time that the animals had their own governments. Yet, as tensions among the animals rise, they decided to hold a convention to settle their differences. This tale, called “The Story of the Deluge”, comes to us from a collection titled Mini, Many, Minnie tales.