The Apple Seed

THe Second Shepherd's Play is a famous medieval mystery play that depicts of Christ's coming to Earth in a creative way. Dr. Zina Petersen of Brigham Young University joined us to talk about the origin of the medieval story and the rich symbolism of the text, as well as Suzanne Christensen, friend of the Apple Seed who often contributes to our wealth of literary knowledge. We've paired the academic conversation of medieval Christmas traditions with some of our favorite contemporary performances of Christmas stories. Included in this episode:

Interview with Zina Petersen and Suzanne Christensen

Zina Petersen teaches courses in early British literature and language. She received her graduate degrees from The Catholic University of America in 1992 and 1997. Her research interests include the literary history of Christianity, mysticism, women's religious and spiritual writings, Chaucer, Malory and King Arthur traditions. Suzanne Christensen is the director of The Acting Company, where she exposes actors and audiences of all ages to accessible performances of classic Shakespeare plays.

The Chess Game

A fable in verse about the story of the world written by Morgan Ashton and performed by the great Ed Stivender. To learn more about Ed visit edstivender.com

A Gift

Thoughtful insights about Christmastime, gift giving, wise men and pageantry. To learn more about Kevin visit www.kevinkling.com

Don't Kill Santa

Fervent children seek to help Santa out on his Big Day. To learn more about Donald visit www.ddavisstoryteller.com

There are many stories that stick with us, long after we've left the theatre or closed the book. There are people who fall in love with stories and devote their time to making those stories come alive in new ways. This episode is dedicated to the superfans of popular media who take their devotion further by making art inspired by their favorite franchises. Stories included in this episode:

At the Movies with The Raiders Guys

In 1982, in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, Chris Strompolos, eleven, and Eric Zala, twelve, proceeded to make a shot-for-shot remake of the Indiana Jones movies, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Every shot, every line of dialogue, every stunt. They borrowed and collected costumes, convinced neighborhood kids to wear grass skirts and play natives, cast a fifteen-year-old as Indys love interest, rounded up seven thousand snakes (sort of), built the Ark, the Idol, the huge boulder, found a desert in Mississippi, and melted the bad guys faces off. Chris Strompolos and Eric Zala have garnered legions of fans around the world, received worldwide press and praise from the film industry for remaking Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, a 20 million dollar Hollywood classic for a mere $5,000 when they were teenagers. Their fan film is now considered a cult classic. Learn more by visiting www.raidersguys.com

The Wizarding World with Makena, Deidrene, and Harry & the Potters

Makena and Deidrene are unabashely passionate Harry Potter fans, and were excited to have the chance to go to a Wizard Rock concert in November at the Orem Public Library. The very first folks to produce what is now called “Wizard Rock” were two brothers named Joe and Paul DeGeorge. They are the primary members of Harry & the Potters, a musical project in which thye both perform and write songs in the persona of Harry Potter. Since 2002, these guys have released full-length albums, EPs, singles and have toured the nation and the globe sharing wizard rock with enthusiastic fans, have been the subject of two documentaries, and co-founded the charity organization The Harry Potter Alliance (which uses real love and charity inspired by fictional characters to promote literacy and make activism accessible through the power of story.) Their music is catchy, literary, and has a distinctly do it yourself attitude. To learn more about Harry & the Potters visit harryandthepotters.com

Galaxies Far and Near with Janine Spendlove

Janine K. Spendlove is a KC-130 pilot in the United States Marine Corps. In the writing world she is an award winning author primarily known for her War of the Seasons fantasy series. She has several short stories published in various speculative fiction anthologies, to include the Star Wars tie-in story “Inbrief.” Janine is also a member of Women in Aerospace (WIA), BroadUniverse (BU), Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), and is a co-founder of GeekGirlsRun (GGR), a community for geek girls (and guys) who just want to run, share, have fun, and encourage each other. A graduate of Brigham Young University, Janine loves pugs, enjoys knitting, making costumes, playing Beatles tunes on her guitar, and spending time with her family. Learn more about this fan turned creator at www.ailionora.com

Selected Shorts is the weekly public radio show produced by Symphony Space in New York City that brings fiction to an audience of about 300,000 listeners. Each Selected Shorts episode and performance includes several stories surrounding a central theme, performed by great actors from stage, screen and television who lend their talents to bring classic and new fiction to life. Evenings are often co-hosted by writers, literary producers, and other interesting characters. Recently, Selected Shorts visited Brigham Young University where audiences enjoyed a show hosted by author Shannon Hale, featuring performances by talents such as Rene Auberjonois (Benson, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle), and Zach Grenier (The Good Wife, 24).

This episode features a performance by Jane Kaczmarek reading 'The Princess Who Stood on Her Own Two Feet' by Jeanne Desy and the evening's full Selected Shorts Cast reading the Margaret Atwood story 'There Was Once.' Also included in this hour is a performance from The Apple Seed's own in-house reader's theatre company featuring Suzanne Christensen, Noah Kershisnik, Leah Kershisnik, and Sam Payne and a rendition of Beauty and the Beast.

Selected Shorts is the weekly public radio show produced by Symphony Space in New York City that brings fiction to an audience of about 300,000 listeners. Each Selected Shorts episode and performance includes several stories surrounding a central theme, performed by great actors from stage, screen and television who lend their talents to bring classic and new fiction to life. Evenings are often co-hosted by writers, literary producers, and other interesting characters.

Recently, Selected Shorts visited Brigham Young University where audiences enjoyed a show hosted by author Shannon Hale, featuring performances by talents such as Rene Auberjonois (Benson, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle), and Zach Grenier (The Good Wife, 24). Today's episode is shared with permission and features the 1953 short story by science-fiction author Philip K. Dick "The King of the Elves" read by Rene Auberjonois.

Jasmin Cardenas is a storyteller whose many achievements include being the recipient of a Race Bridges Studio Fellowship. The Race Bridges Studio organization seeks to facilitate vital conversations about race relations through sharing stories and listening to each other, giving talented artists time to develop ne stories about inclusion and racial justice. Find more about the Race Bridges Fellowship at www.racebridgesstudio.com. Jasmin uses stories in her work with children and adults to teach about community and conflict, by helping people tell their own true stories, often to each other and across cultural, racial, and economic divides. You can find out about Jasmin Cardenas and her work as a storyteller, actor, and educator at www.jasmincardenas.com

Stories included in this episode:

Interview with Jasmin

Jasmin Cardenas joins Sam Payne in conversation about her career as a storyteller and her aim to bridge cultural, racial and social divides within her community.

My Brother's Keeper

A piece about Jasmin and her awakening as a young activist as she and her friends sought to tell the true story of accused death-row inmate Manuel Salazar, advocating for his release.

Cuban Jokes and Pregones (Antonio Sacre)

In his conversations with Jasmin, Sam Payne found out that they shared a mutual admiration for storyteller Antonio Sacre. Find more of Antonio's work at www.antoniosacre.com

Kim Weitkamp is a prolific storyteller and a talented musician. Recorded live at the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, Kim was joined by fellow musicians such as Ryan Schupe and our very own Sam Payne to share some of her music with an enthusiastic audience. Throughout this hour, enjoy stories, songs, and conversations from the stage with Kim and her friends. To learn more about the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival visit timpfest.org. To learn more about Kim's work and listen to her stories & songs, visit www.kimweitkamp.com

When we’re children, we have a strong sense of wonder that helps us turn our inherent potential into experience and eventually wisdom. Being so small in a world can be scar, but it can also be exhilarating: when you’re a kid, the whole world can feel like it’s all yours and you want to soak up as much of it as you can. There’s courage in curiosity, so today’s episode is dedicated to the precocious children, odd offspring, and clever tots who remind us of all the things we forget when we get too big for the kid’s table. Stories included in this episode:

The Curious Girl

From a collection of Irish stories called "The Brewery of Eggshells and Other Irish Stories" from Nuala Hayes and Kate Corkery, this tale reminds us all to never stop asking questions. To learn more about Nuala Hayes and Kate Corkery visit Nuala's page on www.storytellersofireland.orgp

The Elephant's Child

The ultimate story about inquisitiveness and nosiness. This version of the classic Rudyard Kipling Just-So Story is performed by Jim Weiss. To learn more about Jim Weiss visit www.jimweiss.com

Ananse, Ahso and their Six Clever Children

You might know Anansi from the folklore that surrounds the spidery trickster from the Asante people of Ghana. But did you know that Anansi, a character known to us through the power of the oral tradition, is the husband and father to a wife and children who are just as clever? Find more of Jenni Cargill-Strong's work by visiting www.storytree.com.au

Purgy-tory

This story from from Leeny Del Seamonds is a testament to how kids do, or do not, test the boundaries of their knowledge. Find more of her work here leenydelseamonds.com

There are certain animals that get a bad rap in the human world: mice, rats, snakes, moles, and more are often represented as less loveable than some other popular animals. Often, we designate small animals into two categories: cute or creepy. We are applying some equal-opportunity animal loving to the creatures among us that are a little less popular among us homo sapiens. Stories featured in this episode:

A Mouse is A Mouse is A Mouse

A story about some rodents that get the best of their two-legged opponents. To learn more about Sheila Starks Phillips visit www.sheilaphillips.com

Mole in the Ground

A song with finer musical insights into flora and fauna. To learn more about David Holt visit www.davidholt.com

Rattlesnakin' Papa (song), Snake and the Egg

A little bluegrass ditty with a naturalist tone about snakes, and a story from enthusiastic naturalist Doug Elliott about rats, snakes, and eggs. To learn more about Doug Elliott visit www.dougelliott.com

Billy Boy

A tale about the perpetual need about grandmothers and the perpetual need for a family pet. To learn more about Laura Pershin Raynor visit www.lpraynor.com

The Skunk Whisperer

Our last story comes from Alaskan-based storyteller, Pete Griffin, whose experience as a park ranger has gotten into some tricky situations such as this one. To learn more about Pete Griffin visit www.thestorytellingranger.com

Like many storytellers, Sam Payne spends quite some time on the road, traveling to perform and teach in many different places. Have you ever wondered what stories a storyteller listens to? Stories included in this episode:

Hamlet

A modern retelling of a classic Shakespearean tale by Ed Stivender. To learn more about Ed's work visit edstivender.com

A Wailing on the Wind

A Wailing on the Wind is a storytelling collaboration with words written by Liz Weir, music written by composer Ian Stephens, and performed by musical group The Mavron Quartet. The story collaboration was nominated for an Outstanding Multi-Arts Performance award from the British Awards for Storytelling Excellence in 2013.

The Children of Lear

One last Irish tale from Liz Weir to round out our hour of stories.

We had the pleasure of seeing Linda Gorham at the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival in Orem, Utah and at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennesee and were happy to talk to her about her illustrious career. For the past twenty-five years, Linda has been engaging audiences with her "Sophisticated Attitude" and has released two award-winning CDs, "Jumping on Grandma's Plastic Covered Couch" and "Common Sense and Uncommon Fun." Learn more about Linda as Sam Payne speaks with her, storyteller to storyteller, about the power of narrative. Stories featured in this episode: I Am Somebody, It's in The Book, Juno, Not My Dog.