The Apple Seed

Settle in for these stories from Donald Davis & Bil Lepp.  

Stories included in this episode:

Donald Davis

Story: The Time Machine

Teller:  Donald Davis

Site: ddavisstoryteller.com

Notes: Donald Davis was born in a Southern Appalachian mountain world rich in stories. "I didn't learn stories, I just absorbed them," he says as he recounts tales and more tales learned from a family of traditional storytellers who have lived on the same Western North Carolina land since 1781. Davis grew up hearing gentle fairy tales, simple and silly Jack tales, scary mountain lore, ancient Welsh and Scottish folktales, and-most importantly-nourishing true-to-life stories of his own neighbors and kin.

Bil Lepp

Story: Egg Babies

Teller:  Bil Lepp

Site: leppstorytelling.com

Notes: Bil’s humorous, family friendly tall-tales and stories have earned the appreciation of listeners of all ages and from all walks of life. Though a champion liar, his stories often contain morsels of truth which present universal themes in clever and witty ways. Audiences all across the countr have been delighted by Bil’s mirthful tales and delightful insights into everyday life.

Like the ingredients of a good jambalaya, these stories are great together or on their own. Stories included in this episode:

Brian 'Fox' Ellis

Story: The Pooka & The Penny Whistle

Teller:  Brian 'Fox' Ellis

Site: foxtalesint.com

Notes: A penny whistle player learns a valuable lesson.

Tim Lowry

Story: Toilet Paper and a Troubled Teenager

Teller:  Tim Lowry

Site: www.storytellertimlowry.com

Notes: Tim shares a story from his time as an eighth grade English teacher.

Danielle Bellone

Story: Indian Princesses

Teller:  Danielle Bellone

Site: www.pocketmousetells.com

Notes: Danielle and her father bond through a father-daughter program. 

Donna Washington

Story: The Wise King, the Cook, and the Farmer

Teller:  Donna Washington

Site: www.donnawashington.com

Notes: A wise king uses his senses to reconcile an argument. 

Mark Binder

Story: Jack and the Beanstalk

Teller:  Mark Binder

Site: markbinder.com

Notes: The quintessential Jack tale .

Stories and songs included in this episode:

Donna Washington

Story: Brer Possum & Snake

Teller:  Donna Washington

Site: www.donnawashington.com

Notes: Brother Snake is smooth and sly. 

Tim Lowry

Story: Buh Gator Meets Trouble

Teller:  Tim Lowry

Site: www.storytellertimlowry.com

Notes: A brer story told in Gullah.

Diane Ferlatte

Story: The Big Race

Teller:  Diane Ferlatte

Site: www.dianeferlatte.com

Notes: A classic tale with rhythms and beats from Diane Ferlatte.

Lyn Ford

Story: John the Rabbit/Wolf's Garden

Teller:  Lyn Ford

Site: www.storytellerlynford.com

Notes: Brer Rabbit has gone by many names including John the Rabbit. 

Mustard's Retreat

Story: Sandy Raccoon

Teller:  Michael McCarty

Site: www.mustardsretreat.com

Notes: Brer Rabbit and Brer Raccoon find themselves working together. 

Lyn Ford

Story: The Happy Place

Teller:  Lyn Ford

Site: www.storytellerlynford.com

Notes: Out of the forest and into the briar patch with Brer Rabbit. 

Doug Elliott

Song: Left Hind Leg of A Rabbit

Teller:  Doug Elliott

Site: www.dougelliott.com

Notes: A happy song.

Stories included in this episode:

Simon Brooks

Story: The Faerie Bride

Teller:  Simon Brooks

Site: www.diamondscree.com

Notes: A man without a story soon finds himself at the center of a fairy tale. 

Donna Washington

Story: The Sugar Incident

Teller:  Donna Washington

Site: www.donnawashington.com

Notes: Experiences from Donna's childhood in a big army family.

Stories and songs included in this episode:

Kevin Carr

Story: Hog Eye

Teller:  Kevin Carr

Site: www.kevincarr.org

Notes: Stories from the world of the legendary logging camp of Tony Beaver. 

Susan Reed

Story: Big Frog Little Frog

Teller:  Susan Reed

Site: www.susanreed.com

Notes: A folk tale about getting in and out of trouble.

Susan Reed

Story: Strawberry Moon

Teller:  Susan Reed

Site: www.susanreed.com

Notes: A song from Susan Reed.

Bill Gordh

Story: Feegbah

Teller:  Bill Gordh

Site: www.billgordh.com

Notes: This West African story involves a great big moody pumpkin. 

Joan Stockbridge

Story: Amaterasu

Teller:  Joan Stockbridge

Site: www.joanstockbridge.com

Notes: A Japanese myth.

Stories and interviews included in this episode:

Michael Reno Harrell

Story: The Red Mule

Teller:  Michael Reno Harrell

Site:www.michaelreno.com

Notes: A story about being as stubborn (and smart) as a mule.

Norah Dooley

Story: Caterina the Wise

Teller:  Norah Dooley

Site: www.norahdooley.com

Notes: A Norah Dooley twist on a classic tale about a wise young woman.

Ken Jennings

Interview:  Ken Jennings\*\*

Site:\*\* www.ken-jennings.com\*\*Notes:\*\* Ken Jennings holds the record for the longest winning streak on the TV show, Jeopardy!

Joel ben Izzy

Story: The Old King and His Daughters

Teller:  Joel ben Izzy

Site: www.storypage.com

Notes: Wisdom is found in in many ways.

Pam Faro

Story: North Wind and Sun

Teller:  Pam Faro

Site: www.storycrossings.com

Notes: A classic Aesop's fable.

David Holt & Bill Mooney

Story: The Bluebook Scam

Teller:  David Holt

Site: www.davidholt.com

Notes: A track from the David Holt & Bill Mooney album, Spiders in the Hairdo, about giving it that old "college try".

photo © Doug Elliott

Doug Elliott is a naturalist, herbalist, storyteller, basket maker, back-country guide, philosopher, and harmonica wizard. For many years made his living as a traveling herbalist, gathering and selling herbs, teas, and remedies. He has spent a great deal of time with traditional country folk and indigenous people, learning their stories, folklore and traditional ways of relating to the natural world. In recent years he has performed and presented programs at festivals, museums, botanical gardens, nature centers and schools from Canada to the Caribbean. He has been a featured storyteller at the National Storytelling Festival. He has lectured and performed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto and conducted workshops for the Smithsonian Institution. He has led ranger training sessions for the National Park Service and guided people on wilderness experiences from down-east Maine to the Florida Everglades. He was named harmonica champion at Fiddler's Grove Festival in Union Grove, N.C. He is the author of five books, many articles in regional and national magazines, has recorded a number of award winning albums of stories and songs, and is occasionally seen on PBS-TV, and the History and National Geographic Channels. In this episode, we feature stories and songs from the master naturalist himself, as well as a conversation between Doug and Sam Payne.

To learn more about Doug and find more of his work, visit his website: http://www.dougelliott.com

In this episode, Regi Carpenter joins Sam Payne to talk a little about her solo show, Snap! which she recently performed at Brigham Young University in accordance with Mental Health Awareness Month.

photo © Regi Carpenter

Regi Carpenter is a solo performance artist, author, and performance coach. An award winning performer, Regi has toured her solo shows and workshops in theaters, festivals and schools, nationally and internationally. Her writings and blogs about storytelling, ancestry and identity have been published in various print and online publications. Regi holds a BFA from Ithaca College where she currently teaches storytelling.

The one woman show, Snap!, written and performed by Regi Carpenter is the true story of a sixteen year old girl’s descent into mental illness, her commitment to a state mental hospital and her journey back to reality and freedom. The show is appropriate for teens and adults.

Carpenter’s short version of Snap! won her the 2012 Boston StorySlam for best of the year. Mental illness is, in many ways, a taboo topic. Personal admission of hospitalization is still covered in secrecy, rarely treated as directly and honestly as in “Snap!” Yet, Carpenter doesn’t think of herself as courageous to share her personal experience of recovery. “My challenge was how to bring this story to others in a way that allowed them to find their own story in mine,” she explains. “The response from family members of institutionalized or deceased children and from people with ongoing depression issues has been incredible.”

The show uses music, gesture, and humor to put audiences into the experience as well as to facilitate a deeper understanding of mental health challenges. As she created the story, Carpenter learned that the past doesn’t control us. “What I can see in my experience now is a deeply troubled teen who could no longer cope and who received love, care, and hope in the darkest place.” Regi recently visited Provo, Utah to conduct a series of workshops and performances. During her visit, Regi performed Snap! at Brigham Young University and we were delighted to have her join us in the studio for a conversation with Sam Payne. Included in this episode is that conversation, a snippet from Snap! entitled "A Night to Remember," and the story "thank you, Mrs. Minnick! or How Librarians Are Making the World a Safer Place." 

To learn more about Regi and find more of her work, visit her website: soaringstories.com

Stories included in this episode:

Brendan NOlan

Story: Mandrake

Teller:  Brendan Nolan

Site: www.brendannolan.ie

Notes: A tale about a time of cinema long gone.

Story: Li Chi Slays the Serpent

Teller:  Beth Horner

Site: bethhorner.com

Notes: A giant serpent keeps a small town in terror until a brave little girl takes action.

Megan Hicks

Story: Groundhog Godmother

Teller:  Megan Hicks

Site: www.meganhicks.com

Notes: A classic fairy tale with a contemporary twist. 

Yvonne Healy

Story: Travelin' Con

Teller:  Yvonne Healy

Site: www.michiganstorytelling.com

Notes: A stubborn grandfather conquers an ocean. 

Michael McCarty

Story: That's My Baby

Teller:  Michael McCarty

Site: www.havemouthwillrunit.com

Notes: A story from a proud father. 

Sean K. Buvala

Story: The Three Brothers

Teller:  Sean K. Buvala

Site: seantells.com

Notes: A Grimm story in all its grimness.

Stories included in this episode:

TELLER NAME

Story: The Winter Cherries

Teller:  Odds Bodkin

Site: www.oddsbodkin.net

Notes:

TELLER NAME

Story: The School of Hard Knocks

Teller:  Laura Pershin Raynor

Site: www.lpraynor.com

Notes: