The Apple Seed

Profound or humorous, exclaimed or left unsaid, last words tell a story that extends far beyond our final moments. Stories and songs included in this episode:

One Last Hershel Tale by Joel Ben Izzy (1:30)

Joel tells the story of Hershel who continues to joke even on his deathbed. Learn more about Joel Ben Izzy by visiting: www.storypage.com

Joe Hill's Last Will by John McCutcheon (5:07)

Joe Hill, a Swedish immigrant and union organizer, was executed by the state of Utah on November 19th, 1915. Accused of murdering two shopkeepers, Joe’s incarceration raised controversy among the working class, whom Joe had rallied together with his popular picket tunes like, “The Preacher and the Slave.” On the eve of his execution, Hill penned his last will and testament, performed here by famous folk singer John McCutcheon. Learn more about John McCutcheon by visiting: www.folkmusic.com

The Old Man and the Drum by Susi Wolf (8:06)

An old man comes to the town square each day, banging on his drum, in order to preserve his identity. Learn more about Susi Wolf by visiting: wolflifecoaching.com

Contagious Stories by Rivka Willick (11:08)

A teacher gets the last word when a student tries to best him. Learn more about Rivka Willick by visiting: www.simplyextraordinarytales.com

The Piper's Revenge (Cold Snap) by Simon Brooks (15:34)

Danny is trapped by a storm one night and plays a mean prank on the family who won’t let him stay. Thinking he’s getting the last laugh, Danny is surprised when a mysterious foot-less stranger comes knocking on his door. Learn more about Simon Brooks by visiting: www.diamondscree.com

The Nightingale by Diane Wolkstein (34:34)

A tale about the bird that delivers some final words to an emperor. (For the story Sam mentions in the episode listen to "The Juniper Tree" by Judith Heineman on our recent "Revenge" episode). Learn more about the late Diane Wolkstein by visiting: wikipedia.org/Diane_Wolkstein

Promises to Keep by Mary Hamilton (49:17)

A young soldier keeps his final promise to his beloved. Learn more about Mary Hamilton by visiting: www.maryhamilton.info

As a king there are a lot of responsibilities placed on your shoulders. From keeping the kingdom safe to finding an appropriate heir your job has a lot of work and struggle associated with it. And in an hommage of Joe Raposo's song for Kermit the Frog, "(It's Not Easy) Bein' Green" we've collected stories that illustrate how it's not easy bein' king either. Stories included in this episode:

The Silver Branch by Yvonne Healy (1:43)

A king is gifted a magical silver branch and in return learns the true meaning of wisdom. Learn more about Yvonne Healy by visiting: www.yhealy.com

The Wise King of Uruk and the Foolish King of Aratta by Judith Heineman and Dan Marcotte (17:43)

Two kings fight over which of their cities a certain goddess protects. Learn more about Judith Heineman and Dan Marcotte by visiting: www.judithanddan.com

The King and His Advisor by Mary Hamilton (33:16)

A King's advisor is constantly giving him the same piece of advice so he throws his advisor in jail and tests the truth of his words. Learn more about Mary Hamilton by visiting: www.maryhamilton.info

King Ruan and the Witch by Jess Smith (37:58)

King Ruan is an unattractive king and decides to search out a witch in order to help him find a wife. Learn more about Jess Smith by visiting: www.jesssmith.co.uk

King for a Year & A Day by Jeff Gere (49:40)

A man floats up on an island and is crowned king. He learns that after a year and a day they throw that man back into the ocean...and he has to decide what his next move is going to be. Learn more about Jeff Gere by visiting: jeffgere.com

We wanted to bring you with us to Rexburg, Idaho, for the first annual Teton Storytelling and Art Festival. It’s always a special thing, when a new storytelling festival is born, and this one came to life under the organizational hand of Jackie Rawlins, Tisha Flora, and Rob Burns. The idea of a storytelling festival came together around the inevitable influx of visitors to Rexburg surrounding the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse: The Great American Eclipse, as people called it. Bringing you stories from that festival and audio recordings of people attending the eclipse, the segments included in this episode are:

Noodling Story by Kim Weitkamp (1:52)

Kim's story about an interesting relative. Learn more about Kim Weitkamp by visiting: www.kimweitkamp.com

Second Segment (29:00)

Start of the second segment wherein Sam talks with several people about their experiences with past eclipses, along with sharing some of the audio he caught from the crowd during the phases of totality.

Omar and Lori Hansen (40:56)

A selkie story they performed at the Teton Storytelling and Art Festival. Learn more about Omar and Lori Hansen by visiting: greatbearfolktheatre.homestead.com

While in the St. Louis area the Apple Seed made a visit to the Challenger Learning Center to explore the facility and to chat with Sherry Norfolk who tells regularly there. Bringing you content from an intersection of science and stories we hope you enjoy the following segments in this episode:

A Conversation with Sherry Norfolk (4:50)

Sherry regularly performs at the St. Louis Challenger Learning Center with stories that are rooted in the wonder of space and science. Learn more about Sherry Norfolk by visiting: www.sherrynorfolk.com

Challenger Learning Center (17:30)

Sam gets a tour of the Learning Center that was built to help make science more accessible to the surrounding community. Learn more about St. Louis Challenger Learning Center by visiting: www.challengerstl.org

Columbia by Sam Payne (32:28)

A song that Sam wrote after the explosion of the space shuttle Columbia. Learn more about Sam Payne by visiting: www.sampayne.com

Fifty Thousand Bees on My Head by Doug Elliott (38:30)

A story from Doug Elliott's numerous nature excursions as well as a song, Sail on Honeybee. Learn more about Doug Elliott by visiting: dougelliott.com

In light of the 2017 Solar Eclipse that spanned much of North America, we gathered some stories together that link the infinite wonder of the celestial sphere to the lives of more earthly bound creatures. We have stories that explain the movement of the moon, highlight odd animal reactions to the sky, and cover the human fascination with touching the stars. Stories included in this episode:

The Rabbit in the Moon by Antonio Sacre (2:00)

A creation story about the sun and the moon and why they both move (or appear to move in the case of the sun). Learn more about Antonio Sacre by visiting: www.antoniosacre.com

Dancing with the Stars by Lani Peterson (9:37)

Lani frames a story about Coyote dancing with the stars with a story about a night that she and her family went to watch a meteor shower. Learn more about Lani Peterson by visiting: lanipeterson.com

The Sky is Fallin'! by Lyn Ford (22:44)

The classic tale of Chicken Little. Learn more about Lyn Ford by visiting: www.storytellerlynford.com

Stars by Susan Reed (38:45)

A young girl wishes on a star and tries to keep the realization of her wish all to herself but realizes that sharing her new treasure is the best thing to do in the end. Learn more about Susan Reed by visiting: www.susanreed.com

Our yearly tribute to the new school year, featuring music and stories by Mustard’s Retreat, Dan Kedding, Fran Yardley, Jay O’Callahan, and Laura Pershin Raynor.

What Laura Couldn't Say by Jay O'Callahan (1:35)

Jay's daughter, Laura suddenly has a hard time going to school and she can't manage to tell her parents the reason why. Learn more about Jay O'Callahan, who is currently running a workshop and performance entitled "Falling for Emily Dickinson", by visiting: ocallahan.com

Homework by Dan Keding (6:09)

A song about the many way homework gets used that thusly prevents us from turning in the assignment on time. Learn more about Dan Keding, who won the 2009 Storytelling World Award, by visiting: www.dankeding.com

Needles, the Adirondack Porcupine by Fran Yardley (9:16)

A man potty trains a porcupine to a very impressive level. Learn more about Fran Yardley, who founded of Creative Healing Connections, by visiting: www.creativehealingconnections.org/fran-yardley

Going Back to School by Mustard's Retreat (17:55)

A song about the seasons changing and the mixture of reluctance and willingness to go back to school. Learn more about Mustard's Retreat by visiting: www.mustardsretreat.com

Favorite Teachers (21:15)

The Apple Seed Team shares memories about some of their favorite teachers.

School of Hard Knocks by Laura Pershin Raynor (31:39)

Laura's personal tale about starting the sixth grade and the unique experiences that went along with it. Learn more about Laura Pershin Raynor, who has been the Teller in Residence at the International Storytelling Center, by visiting: www.lpraynor.com

Stories are passed on and recorded in various ways. And in this episode, with performances by The Acting Company and conversation amongst The Apple Seed team about Bob Dylan's Nobel Laureate lecture, we wanted to examine and celebrate stories that originated as written literature.

The Princess and the Chest (2:30)

A story taken from a collection of fairytales. Learn more about The Acting Company by visiting: www.facebook.com/TACactingcompany

Conversation about Dylan's Lecture (26:14)

The Rivals by Mitch Capel (38:41)

A poem orginially written by Paul Laurence Dunbar about some young men fighting over a girl. Learn more about Mitch Capel by visiting: www.gjbug.com

The Young Visitors Chapter One (45:20)

Performed by The Acting Company this is the first chapter of a book written by a nine year old. The reading is intended to reflect the author's unique spellings.

There are some stories that have been with us for ages but that doesn’t mean every time you hear it, it’s going to be what you expect. On this episode of The Apple Seed we're sharing traditional tellings alongside unconventional interpretations of classic stories from Greek mythology. Stories and songs included in this episode are:

The Perilous Pomegranate by Beatrice Bowles (1:57)

The tale of Persephone, the daughter of the goddess Demeter who gets kidnapped by the god of the underworld, Hades. Learn more about Beatrice Bowles, who won the 2015 World Storytelling Award, by visting: www.beatricebowles.com

Theseus by Barbara McBride-Smith (12:09)

The story of the "hero" who defeated the minotaur. Learn more about Barbara McBride-Smith, who is known for her Western spin on Greek mythology, by visting: timpfest.org

Athena and Poseidon by Susan Reed (34:54)

The myth of a battle of sorts between Athena and Poseidon when they were petitioning to be the patron saint of a newly built temple. The song that follows the story is entitled: Olive Tree. Learn more about Susan Reed, winner of a NAPPA Gold award, by visting: www.susanreed.com

Pegamoose and the Gorgonzola Medusa by Willy Claflin (44:10)

Maynard Moose's creative take on the Greek myth of Pegasus and Medusa. Learn more about Willy Claflin, who is also an award-winning children's author, by visting: www.willyclaflin.com

Have you ever done something even when you knew you shouldn't? Or maybe you've had moments when the truth is staring you right in the face, but you just don’t want to believe it. After those times you may wind up feeling a little guilty. You're not alone. On this episode we’re bringing you true stories and folktales about people who knew better, but choose to do the opposite. It’s a condition that’s referred to in psychology as “cognitive dissonance.” Stories included in this episode:

Little Girl and the Gunny Wolf by Len Cabral (1:52)

A tale from the 10th century wherein a little girl goes to visit her grandma’s house, and refuses to accept what she find’s there. Learn more about Len Cabral by visiting: www.lencabral.com

Different by John McCutcheon (13:53)

This song takes a look at that age old question between parents and their children: “Why do mom and dad get to do that, but I don’t?”. Learn more about John McCutcheon by visiting: www.folkmusic.com

You're in Trouble \[Live] by Bill Harley (17:39)

A song about being caught red handed. Learn more about Bill Harley by visiting: www.billharley.com

Potholders by Kim Weitkamp (23:03)

Kim attempts to sell her homemade potholders by telling her neighbors that she’s raising money to cure her mother’s mysterious illness. Learn more about Kim Weitkamp by visiting: www.kimweitkamp.com

Frog's Mother by Donna Washington (41:04)

A story of how Frog's mother uses a little bit of reverse psychology in order to help her son see things from her point of view. Learn more about Donna Washington by visiting: www.dlwstoryteller.com

Messenger to Maftam by Odds Bodkin (44:55)

A tale from South Africa that echoes the story of Jonah and the Whale. Learn more about Odds Bodkin by visiting: www.oddsbodkin.net

Erik Weihenmayer is an innovator, author, motivational speaker and all around adventurer. He was the first blind man to summit Mount Everest and has inspired thousands of people through various organizations, including his No Barriers initiative. On this episode of The Apple Seed we get to discuss with Erik about his adventures and his work, which you can learn more about at www.touchthetop.com

Conversation with Erik Weihenmayer (2:05)

Discussion about Erik's book No Barriers, which chronicles kayaking in the Grand Canyon, and what lead to its development.

Everest by Sam Payne (21:39)

A song Sam wrote after first hearing about Erik Weihenmayer. Performed by Sam Payne, Ryan Tilby, Steve Lemmon, and Korky Ollerton. 

Conversation with Erik Weihenmayer (26:33)

Sam and Erik talk about some inspirational figures for them, specifically Mandy Harvey, how Erik's adventures have transformed him, and some of his organizational work.

The Healing Sticks by Regina Ress (48:40)

Regina Ress finds healing after 9/11 with an indigenous group in Costa Rica. Learn more about Regina Ress by visiting reginaress.com