The Apple Seed

Stories included in this episode: 

Willy Claflin

Story 1: Truck Crash Christmas, 1972

Teller: Willy Claflin

Site: willyclaflin.com

Notes: Willy remembers having to put up a temporary wall in his home during the holidays because a truck came crashing through their living room.

Kevin Kling

Story 2: Minnesota

Teller: Kevin Kling

Site: kevinkling.com

Notes about this story: Kevin pays respect to his beloved home state of Minnesota, the place that is known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes."

Geraldine Buckly

Story 3: Tatton Hall

Teller: Geraldine Buckley

Site: geraldinebuckley.com

Notes: Geraldine's adoration for Nancy Drew mysteries inspired her to go looking for secret passages during a field trip to Tatton Hall, a historical country house.

Anthony Burcher

Story 4: The Junk Yard

Teller: Anthony Burcher

Site: anthonyburcher.com

Notes: Anthony's father worked for NASA and would often bring home "space junk" for his boys to play with. Needless to say, Anthony would get into some serious trouble playing in their junkyard.

We don't normally get to feature stories longer than about 20 minutes on The Apple Seed--we usually prefer to feature a variety of shorter stories so as best to give our audience a variety of tales and tellers. For this episode, though, we broke our rule because we simply had to share two of our favorite stories from Jay O'Callahan.

The first story, "Herman and Marguerite," is about how the world is large and complicated, but anyone can make a change for the better--even a worm and a caterpillar. "Politics," the second tale we're featuring today, is a story about when two neighbor boys sneak out to attend a late-night political rally, and their adventure leads them to becoming friends for life.

You can find more stories by Jay O'Callahan on his website: http://www.ocallahan.com/.

This episode is made up of some of the best stories The Apple Seed's producer Andy Bay has ever heard. The tellers featured in this episode include Joel ben Izzy, Norah Dooley, Heather Forest, David Holt, Milbre Bruche and Gay Ducey.

Joel ben Izzy

Story 1: My Father and Hershel of Ostropol

Teller: Joel ben Izzy

Site: storypage.com

Notes about this story: Joel shares tales of the famous trickster from Ukraine, and about his father, from California.

Norah Dooley

Story 2: Husky, My Bad Bad Dog

Teller: Norah Dooley

Site: norahdooley.com

Notes: Norah's dog Husky was daring, and his escapades caused a lot of commotion in her neighborhood.

Heather Forest

Story 3: The Magic Brocade

Teller: Heather Forest

Site: heatherforest.com

Notes: No brocades are more lovely than the ones the widow weaves to sell at the marketplace. One day she returns home with a beautiful painting and her son suggests that she weave the image into a brocade.

David Holt

Story 4: The Jealous Bones of Aaron Kelly

Teller: David Holt

Site: davidholt.com

Notes: This is the story of Aaron Kelly, or what remained of Aaron Kelly, who didn't want his wife to love anyone else after he died.

Milbre Burch

Story 5: Minding His Mother

Teller: Milbre Burch and Gay Ducey

Site: kindcrone.com

Notes: A mother tries to her best to teach her son how to speak to others with comedic results.

In this episode we're bringing you the story of Joseph Tippets, one of the six passengers whose plane crashed over the Alaskan wilderness in the early 1940's. He faced the ultimate test of survival in the Alaskan mountains with only torn blankets for shoes, limited supplies, and a copy of the Holy Scriptures. This is the story of the 29 days he spent in the snow, told by his son John Tippets live in our studio.

Alaskan Wilderness: Story of Joseph Tippets

John recounts his father's survival with historical accuracy based on interviews, photos and news clippings about the crash that he's collected over the years. All of this research and a more detailed version of Joe Tippet's story can be found in John's book, Hearts of Courage which is available here.

The centerpiece of this episode is an interview with storyteller Charlotte Blake Alston. Ms. Alston's work is a revival of traditional and contemporary African and African American oral and cultural tradition, and her storytelling is often accompanied by traditional  instruments such as djembe mbira, shekere or the 12-stringed kora. In the interview Sam and Charlotte discuss how music and storytelling overlap, her work with various orchestras and opera companies, and the richness of African and African American storytelling. Charlotte's stories "Po' Sandy" and "Anniko" are featured in this episode as well, along with her powerful recitation of Paul Lawrence Dunbar's poem "I Dream a World."

For more information regarding Charlotte and her storytelling visit her website http://www.charlotteblakealston.com/. "Po' Sandy" and other conjure woman tales can be heard on Charlotte's album "Pine Trees and Frog's Legs," and the tale "Anniko" is from her album "The Racoon Story."

It's the storm of the century on The Apple Seed! This episode takes you through every kid's favorite surprise holiday--Snow Day! When the schools close and blizzard conditions turn the neighborhood into a winter wonderland, there's nothing to do but put on your boots and your stocking cap and go sledding with the neighbor kids. These stories follow a full snow day, from the realization that school is cancelled to climbing into bed on a winter night.

Kevin Kling

Story 1: Snow Day

Teller: Kevin Kling

Site: kevinkling.com

Notes: When a young Minnesota boy wakes up to an absolute blizzard, he knows it can only mean one thing--it's hockey time.

Kim Weitkamp

Story 2: The Forbidden Souped Up Sled Ride

Teller: Kim Weitkamp

Site: kimweitkamp.com

Notes about this story: It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Kim's Forbidden Souped-Up Sled Ride!

Bill Harley

Story 3: The Great Sled Race

Teller: Bill Harley

Site: billharley.com

Notes: When Danny and Bill get the same sled for the holidays, it can only lead to one thing--the greatest sled race of all time.

Michael Reno Harrell

Story 4: 13 Quilts

Teller: Michael Reno Harrell

Site: michaelreno.com

Notes: At the end of a cold winter day, it's good to have a few extra quilts and blankets on your bed. Or maybe more than a few.

The series originated in accounts of the astonishing life and activities of Santa, recalled and told by the author, Tim Slover, to his children over the years. It all started with a strictly scientific answer to a child’s classic question: “How does Santa deliver all those toys all over the world in just one night?” That’s the query that unlocked the grand adventure to keep the magic in and the cynicism of the world at bay.

The Christmas Chronicles

Written by: Tim Slover

Narrated by: Tim Slover and Richard Johnstone

Music by: Robert Rowberry

Technical Producer: Jacqueline Tateishi

Producer: Judith Olauson Tourney

Production Assistance: Juan Mijares

Executive Producer: Walter B. Rudolph

The series originated in accounts of the astonishing life and activities of Santa, recalled and told by the author, Tim Slover, to his children over the years. It all started with a strictly scientific answer to a child’s classic question: “How does Santa deliver all those toys all over the world in just one night?” That’s the query that unlocked the grand adventure to keep the magic in and the cynicism of the world at bay.

The Christmas Chronicles

Written by: Tim Slover

Narrated by: Tim Slover and Richard Johnstone

Music by: Robert Rowberry

Technical Producer: Jacqueline Tateishi

Producer: Judith Olauson Tourney

Production Assistance: Juan Mijares

Executive Producer: Walter B. Rudolph

The series originated in accounts of the astonishing life and activities of Santa, recalled and told by the author, Tim Slover, to his children over the years. It all started with a strictly scientific answer to a child’s classic question: “How does Santa deliver all those toys all over the world in just one night?” That’s the query that unlocked the grand adventure to keep the magic in and the cynicism of the world at bay.

Christmas radio drama: The Christmas Chronicles

Written by: Tim Slover

Narrated by: Tim Slover and Richard Johnstone

Music by: Robert Rowberry

Technical Producer: Jacqueline Tateishi

Producer: Judith Olauson Tourney

Production Assistance: Juan Mijares

Executive Producer: Walter B. Rudolph

The series originated in accounts of the astonishing life and activities of Santa, recalled and told by the author, Tim Slover, to his children over the years. It all started with a strictly scientific answer to a child’s classic question: “How does Santa deliver all those toys all over the world in just one night?” That’s the query that unlocked the grand adventure to keep the magic in and the cynicism of the world at bay.

The Christmas Chronicles

Written by: Tim Slover

Narrated by: Tim Slover and Richard Johnstone

Music by: Robert Rowberry

Technical Producer: Jacqueline Tateishi

Producer: Judith Olauson Tourney

Production Assistance: Juan Mijares

Executive Producer: Walter B. Rudolph

Available on-demand, for a limited time, from our sister station Classical 89.