The Apple Seed

Stories and interviews included in this episode:

Christopher Leebrick

Story 1: Big Lake Sasquatch

Teller: Christopher Leebrick

Site: www.allgoodstories.com

Notes: A young Chris Leebrick swears he and another scout saw Sasquatch one night.

Cliff Barackman

Interview 1: Cliff Barackman

Site: www.cliffbarackman.com

Notes: Sam Payne spoke with Cliff, the host of Animal Planet's hit TV series Finding Bigfoot, about some of the research surrounding Sasquatch lore.

Mitch Waite

Interview 2: Mitch Waite

Site: www.mogollonmonster.com

Notes: Mitch talks to Sam Payne about being changed from a Bigfoot sceptic to a believer.

The Apple Seed

Story 2: Squatchin'

Site: www.byuradio.org/appleseed

Notes: This episode features audio from The Apple Seed team's adventure in Provo Canyon, an area that is notorious for Bigfoot sightings. Our studio sits in the valley below Provo Canyon where there have been many alleged Bigfoot sightings. We sent The Apple Seed team up the windy canyon to do some squatchin' and this episode features audio from their adventure.

Stories and interviews included in this episode:

Andy Offutt Irwin

Introduction: NYSS Torch Bearer Ceremony

Teller: Andy Offutt Irwin

Site: http://andyirwin.com/

Notes: Along with hosting workshops and performing, Andy Offutt Irwin acted as the master of ceremonies for the Youth Storytelling Showcase at the Timpanogos Storytelling Conference in Provo, UT. You'll hear him introducing the youth tellers throughout the episode. 

Sumi Rajalaxmi Srikanth

Story 1: The Tiger, The Brahman, and the Jackal

Teller: Sumi Rajalaxmi Srikanth

Notes: A Brahman will become a tiger's dinner if he can't prove that kindness should never be repaid with cruelty.

Noah Huges

Story 2: "What it Was, Was Football" by Andy Griffith

Teller: Noah Huges

Notes: A man becomes confused when he stumbles upon an unusually competitive event.

The Apple Seed

Story 3: The Mysterious Disappearance of Humpty Stevenson Dumpty

Tellers: Jacqueline Rose Davis & Madelyn McCrary

Notes: A fractured fairytale told in tandem.

The Apple Seed

Story 4: The Power of the Baby Elephant's Nose

Teller: Marianne Liu

Notes: A baby elephant terrorizes the other animals in a forest. Can his friends teach him how to be kind?

McKinley Gardner

Story 5: Summertime Trouble

Teller: McKinley Gardner

Notes: McKinley and her little sister get into trouble after sneaking into an abandoned house.

Caleb Walker

Story 6: Pink Frosted Cookies

Teller: Caleb Walker

Notes: Caleb shares his thoughts on entering middle school and some of the valuable lessons he's learned there.

Caleb Walker

Interview 1: Caleb Walker, 2014 NYSS Torch Bearer

Notes: Caleb talks to Sam Payne about his experience at the Tim

Stories and interviews included in this episode:

Kevin Kling

Story 1: The Ballad of Run Huber

Teller: Kevin Kling

Site: http://www.kevinkling.com/

Notes: A battle between two giants: Ron Huber, a fisherman with dreams of a big catch, and Thor, a fish with a wild reputation.

Bil Lepp

Story 2: There Stands a Bridge

Teller: Bil Lepp

Site: http://leppstorytelling.com/

Notes: Bil Lepp, a tall tale master and winner five time winner of the West Virginia Liar's Contest, attempts to fish for his missing tire with mixed results.

Jeremy Wade

Interview 1: Jeremy Wade, Host of Animal Planet's hit show River Monsters

Site: http://www.animalplanet.com/

Notes: Jeremy Wade has caught bigger and more dangerous fish than just about anybody. Sam Payne spoke with him about some memorable experiences he’s had on the rivers of the world, catching terrifying and monstrous creatures.

Kevin Kling

Story 3: Wonderlure

Teller: Kevin Kling

Site: http://www.kevinkling.com/

Notes: Kevin's description of the best fishing lure in the world.

Jill Lamède

Story 4: The Blue Fish

Teller: Jill Lamède

Site: http://www.lamede.com/

Notes: A variation on a folk tale that recounts one of the luckiest catches of all time.

Stories included in this episode:

Mitch Capel

Story 1: The Spelling Bee

Teller: Mitch Capel

Site: www.gjbug.com

Notes: Mitch Capel's telling of the classic Paul Laurence Dunbar poem.

Leeny Del Seamonds

Story 2: El Desafio (The Dare)

Teller: Leeny Del Seamonds

Site: www.leenydelseamonds.com

Notes: A story about how fear and peer-pressure make for a horrible combination.

Bob Reiser

Story 3: Ishtar

Teller: Bob Reiser

Site: www.bobtales.com

Notes: The Princess Ishtar saves humanity by calling off her wedding. 

Beth Horner

Story 4: The Mousedeer and the Buffalo Chip

Teller: Beth Horner

Site: www.bethhorner.com

Notes: A mousedeer outsmarts a tiger with his quick thinking.

Bonnie Greenberg

Story 5: The Wonder Child

Teller: Bonnie Greenberg

Site: www.bonniegreenberg.net

Notes: A beautiful, talented girl becomes the envy of a queen and a prince finds his true love.

In this episode Sam Payne interviews Sheila Starks Phillips, a professional storyteller and native Texan whose tales are full of wit and wisdom. This episode also includes Sheila's stories "Amarillo Sandies/Football Champions," "Dog Outsmarts the Leopard," "Jobs I Have Had" and "The Bagpiper."

For more of Sheila's stories visit her website: www.sheilaphillips.com.

photo © storytree.com.au

Michael Reno Harrell is a native of North Carolina and flavors his stories and songs with sights and sounds of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. A veteran storyteller and entertainer, Michael Reno Harrell has traveled the world with his "Appalachian grit and wit" and his storytelling in print, song and spoken word has earned him praise from many facets. We love the humor, wit, and emotional depth of Michael's stories and songs, and we hope you will, too. In this episode, you will hear an interview with Mr. Harrell as well as the stories "Southern Suggestions", "Cell Phone", "Salvation Army Shoes", "Jesus When You Get the Time."

To find more of Mark's work and to learn more about him, visit his website: www.michaelreno.com.

Stories included in this episode:

Joel ben Izzy

Stories 1-2: "Be Polite" & "The Pickpocket"

Teller: Joel ben Izzy

Site: www.storypage.com

Notes: In the first story, a woman tries her teach her child manners in utero, and in the second story, a couple learns that their child is a talented thief.

Laura Pershin Raynor

Story 3: The Basement

Teller: Laura Pershin Raynor

Site: www.lpraynor.com

Notes: Laura's father plays a prank on the college students who walk past Laura's window.

Simon Brooks

Story 4: The Fly

Teller: Simon Brooks

Site: www.diamondscree.com

Notes: A dishonest creditor tries to collect his money, and his plan is thwarted by the clever son of the debtors. 

Priscilla Howe

Story 5: The Small-Tooth Dog

Teller: Priscilla Howe

Site: www.priscillahowe.com

Notes: The daughter of an unlucky man is taken by a beast.

Jill Lamede

Story 6: The Blue Feather

Teller: Jill Lamede

Site: www.lamede.com

Notes: An orphan's wishes are granted by a magical feather.

Interviews included in this episode:

The Apple Seed

Interview 1: Catherine Edwards

Notes: Catherine is a caring, savvy English and history teacher from New York City. Sam Payne and Catherine discuss how she became interested in teaching, what being a middle school teacher is like, and how she's been able to help students through the subject she teaches. 

Johanna Hancock

Interview 2: Johanna Hancock

Notes: The Apple Seed's producer Andy Bay interviewed Johanna, a high school teacher in the San Francisco Bay area. She shares her experience with teaching a 5th period class that was so tough to crack, it took an act of God.   

The Apple Seed

Interview 3: Steve Williams

Notes: Steve Williams is a teacher at a K-8th charter school in Park City, UT. Steve spoke with Andy Bay about his commitment to the idea of a school as a community and some of the fears he had as a young teacher. 

Sam Bennion

Interview 4: Sam Bennion and the Rebecchis

Notes: Sam Bennion, a student producer with The Apple Seed, reconnected with his beloved 3rd grade teachers, Margaret and Larry Rebecchis, and they swap memories from Sam's time in their classroom.

Tellers featured in this episode include Willy Claflin, Donna Washington, Simon Brooks, Christopher Leebrick, Joel ben Izzy and child teller Gwen Niven.

Kevin Kling

This episode includes Sam Payne's interview with Kevin and Kevin's recorded stories "Harvest" and "Dad's Day 04'." The episode also includes The Apple Seed's original recordings of Kevin gathered at the 2014 Timpanogos Storytelling Conference.

To find out more about Kevin visit his website - www.kevinkling.com.