The Apple Seed

Every family has a canon of stories -- those old standby tales that come out every time the family gets together. Today's hour starts of with one of those old standby stories from Sam's family: a story from Sam's dad, about working at a summer camp when he was a kid. From that story, we'll launch into a favorite: the grammy-winning Bill Harley story, "Joey, Chloe, and the Swamp Monsters." To top it all off, we'll share a conversation we had with Cliff Brackman, the host of Animal Planet's "Finding Bigfoot."All that, and a Sasquatch hunt embarked upon by the Apple Seed team in the canyons north of the studio!

Today’s episode is full of fairy tales and true stories! What’s the difference, anyway? You’ll hear Maynard Moose tell his version of Beauty and the Beast, Odd Bodkins will sing you The Three Little Pigs, Andrew McQuinn will tell you a tale you might not have heard before, Antonio Sacre shares his personal story of what it was like growing up being Cubano, and Michael Reno Harrell tells the story of the time he visited New Jersey and needed a translator! All of this you’ll hear in this episode.

Every family has a canon of stories -- those old standby tales that come out every time the family gets together. Today's hour starts of with one of those old standby stories from Sam's family: a story from Sam's dad, about working at a summer camp when he was a kid. From that story, we'll launch into a favorite: the grammy-winning Bill Harley story, "Joey, Chloe, and the Swamp Monsters." To top it all off, we'll share a conversation we had with Cliff Brackman, the host of Animal Planet's "Finding Bigfoot."All that, and a Sasquatch hunt embarked upon by the Apple Seed team in the canyons north of the studio!

From time to time, we'll post what we call a BITE ("like a normal episode, only shorter!"). We always hope that the stories you listen to on The Apple Seed will spark memories and thoughts that you can share with the ones you love -- perhaps even the people with whom you listen to the show. In a BITE, we'll listen to a single story -- one that we love -- and invite friends to share memories and thoughts that occur to them as they listen to it.

On today's BITE, we'll listen to "Tatton Hall," a story by Geraldine Buckley, who served for a time as the chaplain in the largest men's prison in Maryland. We'll chat about the story with Dr. Jamie Horrocks, a professor of Engligh literature at Brigham Young University, and with Stewart Foster, anglophile and assistant producer of the show.

From time to time, we'll post what we call a BITE ("like a normal episode, only shorter!"). We always hope that the stories you listen to on The Apple Seed will spark memories and thoughts that you can share with the ones you love -- perhaps even the people with whom you listen to the show. In a BITE, we'll listen to a single story -- one that we love -- and invite friends to share memories and thoughts that occur to them as they listen to it.

On today's BITE, we'll listen to "Tatton Hall," a story by Geraldine Buckley, who served for a time as the chaplain in the largest men's prison in Maryland. We'll chat about the story with Dr. Jamie Horrocks, a professor of Engligh literature at Brigham Young University, and with Stewart Foster, anglophile and assistant producer of the show.

The stories on today’s episode will make you laugh and warm your heart. Laura Pershin Raynor will remind you of the importance of storytelling in families. If you’ve ever rolled your eyes at a lie someone told you, you’ll laugh out loud when you hear Bil Lepp, a self-proclaimed liar, tell you about the time he outran dogs on stilts while on fire and rollerblading. You’ll be touched by Antonio Sacre’s story about a man who writes a letter to God. And you’ll love Ed Stivender’s Jack tale. Here's what you'll hear:

“Jack and the Magic Boat” by Ed Stivender

“Fire, Fire, Pants on Liar” by Bil Lepp

“Letter to God” by Antonio Sacre

And more!

The stories on today’s episode will make you laugh and warm your heart. Laura Pershin Raynor will remind you of the importance of storytelling in families. If you’ve ever rolled your eyes at a lie someone told you, you’ll laugh out loud when you hear Bil Lepp, a self-proclaimed liar, tell you about the time he outran dogs on stilts while on fire and rollerblading. You’ll be touched by Antonio Sacre’s story about a man who writes a letter to God. And you’ll love Ed Stivender’s Jack tale. Here's what you'll hear:

“Jack and the Magic Boat” by Ed Stivender

“Fire, Fire, Pants on Liar” by Bil Lepp

“Letter to God” by Antonio Sacre

And more!

From time to time, we'll post what we call a BITE ("like a normal episode, only shorter!"). We always hope that the stories you listen to on The Apple Seed will spark memories and thoughts that you can share with the ones you love -- perhaps even the people with whom you listen to the show. In a BITE, we'll listen to a single story -- one that we love -- and invite friends to share memories and thoughts that occur to them as they listen to it.

On today's BITE, Sam will chat with assistant producer Jenny Goldsberry about the Antonio Sacre story "Papito." In the story, a young Antonio is baffled that people at school would make fun of his Spanish nickname, Papito. The teasing will ultimately drive Antonio to stop speaking Spanish altogether. What happens next? Well, that's the story. "Papito," on today's BITE.

From time to time, we'll post what we call a BITE ("like a normal episode, only shorter!"). We always hope that the stories you listen to on The Apple Seed will spark memories and thoughts that you can share with the ones you love -- perhaps even the people with whom you listen to the show. In a BITE, we'll listen to a single story -- one that we love -- and invite friends to share memories and thoughts that occur to them as they listen to it.

On today's BITE, Sam will chat with assistant producer Jenny Goldsberry about the Antonio Sacre story "Papito." In the story, a young Antonio is baffled that people at school would make fun of his Spanish nickname, Papito. The teasing will ultimately drive Antonio to stop speaking Spanish altogether. What happens next? Well, that's the story. "Papito," on today's BITE.

Do you have a memory of spud guns? Those little plastic guns that you'd stick into a potato to grab a little potato pellet that you'd then fire from the gun across the room? Sam remembers ordering them out out of catalog pages at the back of comic books. If you remember 'em too, you'll be amaed at the spud gun you'll hear about in Donna Ingham's fishing story "Fishing for the Big One." It's just a prelude to a great hour spend with Donna, a tall tale teller from Texas. Donna has trophies on the mantel testifying of her prowess as a world-class liar, and you'll hear some of her tall tales today. Donna is delightful, and you'll enjoy hearing our conversation as much as you enjoy her tales. We'll wrap up the episode with her telling fo Pecos Bill, a tall tale as big as Texas!