The Apple Seed

By land or sea, telephone or classroom hallway, the messages in this episode successfully get delivered.

Messenger to Maftan by Odds Bodkin (1:55)

Mammadee cannot tell a lie. When the chief of his village finds out, he tries to trick Mammadee into telling a lie by sending him to deliver an untrue message. Learn more about Odds Bodkin by visiting: www.oddsbodkin.net

The Teacher's Lounge by Bill Harley (16:45)

In 2nd grade, one of Bill’s classmates gets hurt he and his classmate Emily journey to the teacher's lounge to find their instructor but in doing so they discover what really goes on in the teacher’s lounge. Learn more about Bill Harley by visiting: www.billharley.com

Cuban Jokes and Pregones by Antonio Sacre (42:26)

Antonio tells some Cuban jokes and then describes a typical phone conversation with his aging father. Learn more about Antonio Sacre by visiting: www.antoniosacre.com

“Maybe you've had grand plans before, but stopped yourself, thinking, ‘That's impossible,’ or ‘That costs too much,’ or ‘That won't benefit me.’ For better or worse, we kids aren't hampered as much when it comes to thinking about reasons why not to do things. Kids can be full of inspiring aspirations and hopeful thinking...It shouldn't be a teacher at the head of the class, telling students, ‘Do this, do that.’ The students should teach their teachers. Learning between grown-ups and kids should be reciprocal.” -Adora Svitak

You can hear more of Adora's thoughts by listening to her TED Talk here: www.ted.com/talks/adora_svitak

Grownups Are Strange by Bill Harley (3:55)

Bill Harley sings about the weird things grownups do, and his personal struggle with becoming one. Learn more about Bill Harley by visiting: www.billharley.com

My Childhood Life Jacket by Beth Horner (7:28)

Young Beth finds out that the life jacket that her parents made her wear was too old to float, and she learned to swim with it dragging her down. Learn more about Beth Horner by visiting: bethhorner.com

Secret Fighter by Sam Payne (10:53)

Sam misunderstands his son’s request for the Eency Weency Spider, and writes the Secret Fighter Song instead. Learn more about Sam Payne by visiting: www.sampayne.com

The Kids Tell All (15:03)

Interviews with kids about their adults.

Wall Come Down Right Now by Bil Lepp \[Live] (23:05)

Bil’s friend Wally demands that the teacher recognise Wallace and Fortuna as a country. The teacher refuses, and chaos breaks loose as Wally flips the status quo. Learn more about Bil Lepp by visiting: www.leppstorytelling.com

Stories and snippets that we've adored from the week of July 30, 2018 to August 3, 2018.

Diane Wolkstein's rendition of The Emperor's New Clothes (00:57) as well as The Uglified Ducky (10:26) by Willy Claflin's--or should we say Maynard Moose--were both part of our episode "True to Yourself" where we also shared work from Heather Forest, Dianne Ferlatte, The Storycrafters, and Laura Simms.

Our episode Role Reversal had several tales about people, for one reason or another, trying to embody the role typically filled by someone else. We thoroughly enjoyed the story of "The Well at the End of the World" (20:37) from Adam Booth's latest album "Well, Well!" where a spoiled stepsister tries to reap the same reward her kind sister brings home after a long journey.

Aunt Marguerite is the beloved fictional great aunt of Andy Offutt Irwin and our episode Sister True was dedicated entirely to her. We're only sharing a small part (44:14) of the story with you in this round up so be sure to go back and listen to the rest of it.

Andy Offutt Irwin’s long form “Sister True,” a story about love, community, and acceptance, live from the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival.

Stories about people switching places.

First Day of School by Dolores Hydock (2:07)

Dolores’ first day of school is just like her elderly mother’s first day at the senior center. Learn more about Dolores Hydock by visiting: www.storypower.org

Why Kids Sing to Their Parents by Bill Harley (11:55)

In the town around the bend, the kids tuck their parents into bed and sing them songs. Learn more about Bill Harley by visiting: www.billharley.com

The Well at the End of the World by Adam Booth (22:52)

An evil stepmother sends her good stepdaughter to the well at the end of the world, hoping to get rid of her, but she inadvertently sends her on a journey that leads her to find the well at the end of the world. Learn more about Adam Booth by visiting: www.adam-booth.com

“Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you." -Dr.Seuss

The Black Prince by Laura Simms (2:17)

Boy falls in love with a princess, changes who he is in an attempt to win her hand. Learn more about Laura Simms by visiting: www.laurasimms.com

Big Bullfrog by The Storycrafters (19:02)

Big Bullfrog wanted everyone to love him so he tries to be the biggest animal. Learn more about The Storycrafters by visiting: www.storycrafters.com

The Emperor's New Clothes by Diane Wolkstein (26:20)

An emperor is obsessed with his clothing. Swindler seamstresses come through and the emperor gives them money to make him clothes. Learn more about the late Diane Wolkstein by visiting: www.nytimes.com

The Sad Story of Owl by Heather Forest (36:01)

Song-story about an owl who goes on a date with a bird but is embarrassed by his face, so he wears his hat low. She snatches the hat and then he flies away embarassed. Learn more about Heather Forest by visiting: www.heatherforest.com

The Uglified Ducky by Willy Claflin (41:14)

A baby moose thinks he is a duckling and feels horrible that he can’t do what the ducks do. Learn more about Willy Claflin by visiting: www.willyclaflin.com

Donkey & The Lion Skin by Dianne Ferlatte (49:47)

A donkey who wears the skin of a lion and scares people for fun, becomes embarrassed when he tried to roar and he-hawes instead. The teller compares it to her son’s mixed-race life. Learn more about Dianne Ferlatte by visiting: www.dianeferlatte.com

Stories and snippets that we've adored from the week of July 23, 2018 to July 27, 2018

These first three stories are from our episode "Coping Mechanisms":

Sy Saliba and Yvette Saliba 1:43

Sy's wife and Yvette's mother, Pat, stayed optimistic when she was dying of cancer by looking forward to the little things. You can listen to more stories on Storycorps by visiting:www.storycorps.org

Shasti O'Leary-Soudant and Jethro Soudant 4:20

Shasti talks about "the happiest and worst day" of her life. You can listen to more stories from Storycorps by visiting: www.storycorps.org

Letting the Ashes Go by Fran Yardley 7:07

Fran and her mother and siblings rely on each other in order to literally and metaphorically let go of their father. 

From our episode "Faith, Food, and Fear":

Funderburk Piece 24:30

The story of the Funderburks, a family who relied on their faith to move to Jonesborough Tennessee and open a sweet shop. Learn more about "Downtown Sweet" by visiting: www.downtownsweet.com

From "Dreadful Dates":

The Date by Leeny Del Seamonds 44:27

A young couple on a date run into some trouble when they come across an escaped felon. Learn more about Leeny Del Seamonds by visiting: www.leenydelseamonds.com

On this episode, we share stories from the terrific West Virginia Storyteller and music scholar Adam Booth, Florida Storyteller Madeline Pots, and we introduce you to the proprietors of Downtown Sweet, a delightful Main Street Sweet Shop in Historic Jonesborough, the oldest town in Tennessee. We’ll also bring you a favorite Japanese Ghost story from Motoko. It all fits together, we promise.

Ghostly tales of love and horror.

The Kissing Tree by Davis and Watts Ashton (1:19)

A man meets a beautiful young woman at a dance. When he returns to her home the next day, he finds out that she's been dead for years. In addition to being a storyteller, Cassie Ashton is also a life and relationship coach. Learn more about her by visiting her website: www.fullcircleconnections.com

The Blood Drawing Ghost by David Holt (11:47)

A creepy old man tries to trick young women into becoming the brides of his dead friends. Learn more about David Holt by visiting: www.davidholt.com

The Date by Leeny Del Seamonds (26:23)

A young couple on a date run into some trouble when they come across an escaped felon. Learn more about Leeny Del Seamonds by visiting: www.leenydelseamonds.com

The Janitor's Closet by Megan Hicks (42:20)

Students begin disappearing mysteriously during prom season. Learn more about Megan Hicks by visiting: www.meganhicks.com

Stories about the different ways that people deal with tragedy, loss, and fear.

Storycorps: Sy Saliba and Yvette Saliba (1:11)

Sy's wife and Yvette's mother, Pat, stayed optimistic when she was dying of cancer by looking forward to the little things. You can listen to more stories on Storycorps by visiting: www.storycorps.org

Storycorps: Shasti O'Leary-Soudant and Jethro Soudant (4:09)

Shasti talks about "the happiest and worst day" of her life. You can listen to more stories from Storycorps by visiting: www.storycorps.org

Facelift by Dolores Hydock (6:32)

Dolores learns to cope with aging. Learn more about Dolores Hydock by visiting: www.storypower.org

Heck No, We Didn't Bury my Mother! (9:50(../../../episode/152a6b6f-e48b-408d-a497-28af09841cf2/the-apple-seed-coping-mechanisms?playhead=590&autoplay=true link))

Lona and her siblings use humor to cope with the death of their mother. Learn more about Lona Bartlett by visiting: www.lonabartlett.com

Letting the Ashes Go by Fran Yardley (19:01)

Fran and her mother and siblings rely on each other in order to literally and metaphorically let go of their father. 

Fear by Kevin Kling (36:33)

Kevin's friend tries to escape military service by escaping to Canada, an act of fear that Kevin parallels to an experience they had in elementary school with a bully. Learn more about Kevin Kling by visiting: www.kevinkling.com/

The Little Woman Who Laughed by Stephanie Beneteau (43:52)

A little woman laughs at everything that happens to her, whether it's good or bad. Learn more about Stephanie Beneteau by visiting: www.stephaniebeneteau.com