The Apple Seed

The stories we’re sharing in this episode showcase the humorous, embarrassing, and sometimes dangerous consequences of words getting lost in translation.

America, Land of Miracles by Noa Baum (2:18)

Noa moves to the US from Jerusalem in the 5th grade. She knows how to say her name in English but not much else so when her class runs out of the room after some verbal instruction and Noa is left behind and literally gets lost. Learn more about Noa Baum by visiting: noabaum.com

Soap Soap by Bill Harley (11:59)

A boy goes to buy soap for his mom and sings a song to help him remember. Along the way he runs into a lot of people who tell him to say something different so he forgets what he supposed to buy. Learn more about Bill Harley by visiting: www.billharley.com

The Name of the Tree by Odds Bodkin (23:31)

There is a drought in the Savanna and all of the animals are hungry and thirsty. A magical tree in the forest bears fresh fruit, but the only way they can get the fruit from it is if they say its name. Several animals learn the tree’s name, but by the time they get to it, they have forgotten it. Only the tortoise, who repeats the tree’s name over and over, remembers it and is able to harvest the fruit. Learn more about Odds Bodkin by visiting: www.oddsbodkin.net

Fortune Cookies by Bil Lepp (37:16)

A Chinese man from Boston moves to Bil’s town and opens up a Chinese restaurant. People mistake his Boston accent for Chinese and assume he doesn’t speak English. He uses this to his advantage, by listening to the town gossip and creating personalized fortunes that he slips in people’s fortune cookies. Learn more about Bil Lepp by visiting: www.leppstorytelling.com

Stories and snippets that we've adored from the week of June 11, 2018 to June 15, 2018.

Story Crossroads Festival Highlight (00:58)

This is just a small sampler of some of the conversations and performances we got to hear at the festival, so be sure to look at the entire episode to hear more about the Mountain Man petting zoo and performances by Dan and Annie Reed, Brian Fox Ellis and Denise Valentine.

The Third Little Piggy by Willy Claflin (12:22)

Sometimes seeking your own fortune is too frightening so you move back in with your mom. And this Maynard Moose rendition of the Three Little Pigs lets you know that is OK. Learn more about Willy Claflin by visiting: www.willyclaflin.com

The Firebird by Susan Strauss (18:40)

Another story from the Fleetwood Mac inspired episode, Go Your Own Way, this Russian folktale follows young Ivan as he makes mistakes along a mystical journey. Learn more about Susan Strauss by visiting: www.straussstoryteller.com

Blonde, Beautiful, and Bubbly by Martha Reed Johnson (34:09)

Martha hasn't always had the loveliest relationship with her sister but when life hits her hard it's her sister who helps her out and heals her heart. Learn more about Martha Reed Johnson by visiting: www.marthareedjohnson.com

Mom and the Radio by Bill Harley (46:45)

This piece is featured in the Are We There Yet? episode and is a story and a song about the dynamic of family car rides and the grand issue of who gets to control the radio. Learn more about Bill Harley by visiting: www.billharley.com

In an episode all about memorable road trips we'll bring you a set of stories from Donald Davis about a time he and his friends convinced his mother to allow them to drive the family car to Myrtle Beach with only David's grandma as the chaperone. In addition to that collection we'll bring you a story from Martha Reed Johnson entitled "Blonde, Beautiful, and Bubbly" (34:17) about the importance of never leaving your family behind on the journey of life. The final piece you'll hear is from Bill Harley called "Mom and the Radio" (46:04).

Stories inspired by Fleetwood Mac's song "Go Your Own Way" about going off into the world and finding your own path.

The Prince and the Gryphon or the Truth About Boredom by Sondra Singer (2:20)

An overprotected prince and an ancient and unexcited gryphon change places for a day opening each others eyes to whole new vistas. Learn more about Sondra Singer by visiting: www.sondrasinger.com

The Firebird by Susan Strauss (34:27)

The youngest of three brothers gets a firebird, a magical horse, and a beautiful girl, with the help of a magical wolf but not without making some mistakes along the way. Learn more about Susan Strauss by visiting: www.straussstoryteller.com

The Third Little Piggy by Willy Claflin (51:34)

Maynard Moose's unique spin on the classic fairytale, The Three Little Pigs. Learn more about Willy Claflin and his storytelling sidekick Maynard Moose by visiting: www.willyclaflin.com

In this episode, the Apple Seed Team visits the 3rd annual Story Crossroads festival. We chat with festival organizer Rachel Hedman, run our hands over skunk and wolf pelts with Karl Behling, and share stories, songs, and chants from Brian Fox Ellis, Denise Valentine, Dale Boam, Cooper Braun-Enos, Dan and Annie Eastmond, and John A. Adams. To learn more about one of the area's fastest-growing storytelling festivals, visit them online at www.storycrossroads.com.

Each Saturday, The Apple Seed features highlights from the week's episodes. This episode, produced by Assistant Producer Whitney Snow, features stories from Antonio Sacre, Bob Reiser, Motoko, Kevin Kling, and more.

Tales from Japan...plus one from North America.

The Spider Weaver by Alton Chung (1:03)

A farmer saves a spider from a snake and is repaid in a very unexpected way. Learn more about Alton Chung by visiting: www.altonchung.com

Meiji No Onna (The Woman of the Meiji Era) by Motoko (11:39)

Motoko tells a story of her aunt and the struggles she faced as a single mother in an era where that circumstance was highly frowned upon. Learn more about Motoko by visiting: motoko.folktales.net

What Buddha Sees by Motoko (38:20)

A person learns what it takes to see with the same perspective as Buddha.

The Invisible Boy by Stephanie Beneteau (43:43)

Though not from Japan this story is a wonderful folktale about an invisible boy whose sister and future bride are the only people who can see him. Learn more about Stephanie Beneteau by visiting: www.stephaniebeneteau.com

An episode inspired by the 1971 musical adaptation of Roald Dahl's book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory—or at the very least the particular song "Pure Imagination".

Catherine Taylor (2:32)

While doing field work for her PhD in Rome, Catherine explores catacombs full of early Christian art and is transported to an imaginary world, hearkening back to her childhood days when she read “A Little Princess".

Thankful for Reading by Suzanne Christensen (13:27)

Suzanne shares her experience about struggling to read as a child and the moment when that all shifted.

The Things Willy Wumperbill Saw by Brett Dillingham (22:12)

A young boy sees things no one else can, making for an eventful day. Learn more about Brett Dillingham by visiting: www.brettdillingham.com

Emma May's Magical Day by Nathalie Vachon (30:01)

Thanks to Emma's marvelous perspective she gets to view insects do a myriad of impossible things. Learn more about Nathalie Vachon by visiting: www.nathalievachon.com

So Long My Mom by Bill Harley (35:08)

A song about traveling to various destinations—in your mind. Learn more about Bill Harley by visiting: www.billharley.com

The Story Tree by Bob Reiser (39:30)

A community of creators do everything except tell stories. They can’t tell stories and they don’t have dreams until one family changes it all after they meet the Story Tree. Learn more about Bob Reiser by visiting: www.bobtales.com

Assistant Producer Naomi Campbell shares some of her favorite stories.

Papito by Antonio Sacre (00:48)

Antonio shares the story of his childhood nickname and how it eventually spurred him to lose his Spanish speaking abilities, only to regain them with the help of his grandmother later on in life. Learn more about Antonio Sacre by visiting: www.antoniosacre.com

Chili's Con Cafe by Rick Huddle (10:00)

A story about language immersion and great spanish-language poets—including Rick's attempt to be one himself. Learn more about Rick Huddle by visiting: www.rickhuddle.com

Joseph the Knight written by Andy McQuinn (18:24)

This story was penned by a BYU Broadcasting employee and recited by the long time voice of "Rabbit" from Winnie the Pooh. A tale about a knight who has to decide where he will focus his energies.

She-Goat by Laura Simms (32:52)

A young girl relies on her friend the She-Goat to lift her up after her mother dies and her father remarries a selfish woman. Learn more about Laura Simms by visiting: www.laurasimms.com

A Gourd of Palm Wine by The Storycrafters (41:09)

An entire village learns a lesson when their ruler asks each member to bring a gourd of palm wine to a feast. Learn more about The Storycrafters by visiting: www.storycrafters.com

Ode to A Krispy Kreme by John McCutcheon (53:50)

A song about fine dining. Learn more about John McCutcheon by visiting: www.folkmusic.com

Stories and snippets that we've adored from the week of May 28th, 2018 to June 1, 2018.

From our episode "Magic Fish" we're bringing you an extraordinary tale about Alan Hoal's pet catfish, Whiskers. His story is called Why I Don't Fish Anymore by Alan Hoal (1:09) and you can find more of his work at his website: www.thehoalstory.com.

During the week we had the pleasure of conversing with a great figure of the storytelling movement who has participated in the National Storytelling Conference since 1973. Connie Regan-Blake (19:48) talks about her material and the many places she's presented it. You can learn more about Connie at: storywindow.com and you can hear the complete version of her interview along with some of her stories in the rest of the episode here.

The last story we wanted to highlight comes from an episode dedicated to disguises and false presentations of one's identity. It's called "Fake Names and Facades" and this story involves a hedgehog and a tortoise doing things that not used to in order to avoid getting eaten by a young jaguar. The story is entitled The Beginning of the Armadillos (34:07) and if you want to find more stories told by Jim Weiss you can find them at his website: www.jimweiss.com