エピソード

  • SEASON FINALE: Getting Storyshaped With SF Said
    2023/07/13

    In this S2 Finale episode, we are delighted to bring you an interview with an author who, we feel, wholly embodies the Storyshaped ethos - the brilliant SF Said. SF's writing is immersive, absorbing, mind-expanding, and thrilling, crafted with care and passion; truly, the best sort of writing, which also happens to be for children (though, as SF says, 'children's literature includes children, but excludes no-one'). We're delighted to get a chance to sit down with SF, whose thoughts on the power and value of children's literature, the importance of making stories available to all children, and the profound impact that stories have on the minds, hearts, and lives of those who consume them, are truly worth hearing - so come and spend an hour with us!


    And a quick housekeeping announcement from your hosts:


    We'll return in a wee while with a special bonus Q&A episode, where we'll answer some brilliant questions sent in by listeners, and after that we'll be taking a hiatus from Storyshaped while we sort out one or two pesky things (like life, family, and work!) But rest assured, Storyshapers: we, like the Terminator, will be back. Thank you all for listening, rating, reviewing, sharing, and sitting down with us over the past two seasons, while we've asked a variety of excellent people: Are you Storyshaped? We can't wait to get back to it, just as soon as we can. While you're waiting for our return: please help yourselves to our back catalogue and any bonus episodes we release, and do continue sharing, rating, and reviewing the show, as it really does help us to keep producing it for you.


    But for now: have some fantastic Storyshaped chat with the brilliant SF Said.


    Books mentioned in this week's episode include SF's own:


    Varjak Paw

    The Outlaw Varjak Paw

    Phoenix

    Tyger (all published by David Fickling Books)


    And the stories which shaped him include:


    The Cat in the Hat, by Dr Seuss


    The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry


    On Liberty, by John Stuart Mill


    The work of William Blake


    Comics, including:


    Marvel

    Asterix

    Tintin

    Peanuts

    Mad Magazine

    Calvin & Hobbes


    Watership Down, by Richard Adams


    The Sandman, by Neil Gaiman and various artists (incl. Dave McKean)


    Cages, written and illustrated by Dave McKean


    A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K Le Guin


    His Dark Materials, by Philip Pullman


    Noughts and Crosses, by Malorie Blackman


    Skellig, by David Almond


    Journey Back to Freedom, by Catherine Johnson


    The Essays of C.S. Lewis


    The Letters of JRR Tolkien


    The work of George MacDonald, including The Princess and the Goblin


    The work of William Morris


    The work of Lord Dunsany (1878-1957)


    Film and TV:


    Star Wars

    Star Trek


    Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie


    In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    続きを読む 一部表示
    1 時間 2 分
  • Getting Storyshaped With Ann Sei Lin
    2023/07/06

    We had a fascinating chat with the amazing Ann Sei Lin this week on the podcast, where we got an insight into the stories that have been shaping her since her earliest days. Ann's fantastic debut, Rebel Skies, is an amazing story about what makes a human, all told through the fabulous surrounds of a Japanese-folklore inspired fantasy world complete with skyships, dragons, and living origami. It's a truly memorable debut and we were so pleased to get a chance to discuss it with Ann, and to find out more about the stories that helped her to become an author and create such a rich, immersive story world. We hope you're not afraid of heights...


    Books mentioned this week include Ann's own:


    Rebel Skies (Walker Books)

    Rebel Fire (Walker Books)


    And the stories which have shaped her include:


    The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd


    The Phantom of the Opera, by Gaston Leroux


    The work of JRR Tolkien


    The work of Terry Pratchett


    The work of Robin Hobb


    The work of Robert Jordan


    The work of Julie Kagawa


    The Twelve Kingdoms (manga), by Fuyumi Ono


    His Dark Materials, by Philip Pullman


    Orihima and Hikoboshi - a Japanese folktale


    The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater


    Immortal Rain (manga), by Kaori Ozaki


    The Shadow Skye trilogy, by Joseph Elliott


    Lonely Castle in the Mirror, by Mizuki Tsujimura


    Yellowface, by RF Kuang


    Babel, by RF Kuang


    Sixteen Souls, by Rosie Talbot


    Catfish Rolling, by Clara Kumagai


    Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie


    In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    続きを読む 一部表示
    53 分
  • Getting Storyshaped With Alice Ross
    2023/06/29

    Susan had the chance to sit down with brilliant debut author Alice Ross this week, where they discussed Alice's novel The Nowhere Thief and Alice's journey to becoming an author, as well as SO MANY wonderful books and stories which shaped her into the author she is today. Alice is as big a fan of Diana Wynne Jones as we are here on the podcast, but as well as the work of the incomparable DWJ, there are loads of other fantastic stories mentioned here - each one a portal to an amazing world of story. Strap in, and join us as we get Storyshaped!


    Books mentioned in this week's episode include Alice's own:


    The Nowhere Thief (Nosy Crow)


    And the books and stories which shaped her include:


    The Mr Men books, by Roger Hargreaves


    The work of CS Lewis


    The work of Roald Dahl


    The work of Laura Ingalls Wilder


    Ramona and Beezus, by Beverly Cleary


    Malory Towers, by Enid Blyton


    Gobbolino the Witch's Cat, by Ursula Moray Williams


    Charmed Life, by Diana Wynne Jones


    The Lives of Christopher Chant, by Diana Wynne Jones


    The Magician's Nephew, by CS Lewis


    The Homeward Bounders, by Diana Wynne Jones


    Hidden Turnings, ed. Diana Wynne Jones

    (inc. The Walled Garden, by Lisa Tuttle)


    Tom's Midnight Garden, by Philippa Pearce


    Fire and Hemlock, by Diana Wynne Jones


    Reflections: On the Magic of Writing, by Diana Wynne Jones


    Howl's Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones


    The work of Holly Jackson


    One of Us Is Lying, by Karen McManus


    This Book Kills, by Ravena Guron


    The Thief of Farrowfell, by Ravena Guron


    The work of Anne Rice


    Lockwood and Co., by Jonathan Stroud


    The work of Stephen King


    Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie


    In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    続きを読む 一部表示
    1 時間
  • Getting Storyshaped With Ally Sherrick
    2023/06/22

    We had the *most* fun this week sitting down with one of the Queens of Children's Historical Fiction (that's her official title, right), Ally Sherrick! We chat all things writing and story, including how much research Ally's rich, immersive novels take; where her love of history came from; what historical period she hasn't written about (yet), and what might be coming next from her talented pen. This episode was a wonder. Ally is a generous, inspirational, fascinating and truly wonderful podcast guest, and we hope you'll enjoy listening to our chat as much as we enjoyed recording it. Now! Let's get Storyshaped.


    Find Ally online at her website


    Books mentioned in this week's episode include Ally's own (all published by Chicken House):


    Black Powder

    The Buried Crown

    The Queen's Fool

    Vita and the Gladiators


    And the stories that shaped her include:


    Winnie the Pooh, by A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard


    My Naughty Little Sister, by Dorothy Edwards and Shirley Hughes


    Charlie and Fred - stories made up by Ally's (wonderful) dad!


    Just-So Stories, by Rudyard Kipling, especially The Elephant's Child


    The Highwayman, by Alfred Noyes


    Le Petit Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry


    The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, by Joan Aiken


    Black Hearts in Battersea, by Joan Aiken


    Nightbirds on Nantucket, by Joan Aiken


    A Small Pinch of Weather, by Joan Aiken


    A Necklace of Raindrops, by Joan Aiken


    A Traveller in Time, by Alison Uttley


    The Ghost of Thomas Kempe, by Penelope Lively


    Carrie's War, by Nina Bawden


    The Wake, by Paul Kingsnorth


    The Eagle of the Ninth, by Rosemary Sutcliff


    Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie


    In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.



    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    続きを読む 一部表示
    1 時間
  • Getting Storyshaped With Alan Titley
    2023/06/15

    This week we're talking to Alan Titley - emeritus professor, scholar, author, dramaturg, teacher, folklorist, journalist, seanchaí (storyteller) - about the stories that shaped him. This discussion was fascinating; we could have listened to Alan all day! Come with us and hear him talk about his earliest days of being told stories by a pipe-smoking teacher, right up to the scholarly work that went into creating his edition of the ancient Irish battle epic. Táin Bó Cuailgne (published as 'The Táin', illustrated by Eoin Coveney, published by Little Island, 2023). Alan's Storyshaped life has a unique depth and breadth, and it was a privilege to get a window into it. Come and join us!


    Books mentioned in this week's episode include some of Alan's own:


    Amach (An Gúm, 2004)

    The Táin, ill. Eoin Coveney (Little Island, 2023)

    Leabhar Nóra Ní Anluain (Cló Iar-Chonnacht)


    And the stories that shaped him include:


    The New Testament of the Bible


    Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes


    Comics including The Beano, The Dandy, Topper, Rupert the Bear


    Black Beauty, by Anna Sewell


    The work of Jack Kerouac


    The work of DH Lawrence


    The short stories of Frank O'Connor


    The Touch/An Teagmháil, by Liam O'Flaherty


    The Majesty of the Law, by Frank O'Connor


    The work of Seosamh MacGrianna


    The work of W.M. Thackeray


    The work of Jane Austen


    The work of Pádraic Ó Conaire


    The work of Seamus Delargy and the Irish Folklore Commission, including:

    Leabhair Seán Uí Chonaill/Seán O'Connell's Book


    The work of W. Somerset Maugham


    The work of Thomas Kenneally


    Cré na Cille, by Máirtín Ó Cadhain

    (Alan's translation: The Dirty Dust, Yale University Press, 2015)


    Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie


    In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    続きを読む 一部表示
    1 時間 5 分
  • Getting Storyshaped With Victoria Williamson
    2023/06/08

    Spend an hour with Sinéad and our guest, Victoria Williamson, as we take a stroll through the stories that have shaped one of the most prolific and imaginative children's authors writing today. Victoria's work ranges from emotionally charged stories for older children and young teens, right down to fantastical adventures for younger readers, never failing to enthral and captivate, and it was a pleasure to sit down with her and chat all things story. We talk about the 'hero's journey', her career as a teacher, the many far-flung places her work has brought her to, her commitment to social justice and other causes close to her heart, and what authorly ambitions she has yet to achieve. Come and join us, and find out how Victoria is Storyshaped.


    Find Victoria online via her website


    Books mentioned in this week's episode include Victoria's own:


    The Boy With the Butterfly Mind

    The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle

    Hagstorm

    War of the Wind

    The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams


    And the stories that shaped her include:


    The Hobbit, by JRR Tolkien


    Lord of the Rings, by JRR Tolkien


    The work of Stephen King


    The work of Monica Dickens


    The Tripods, by John Christopher


    The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, aged 13 3/4, by Sue Townsend


    The Hardy Boys (and later iterations), originally created and written by Franklin W. Dixon


    Maps, atlases, and books about travel


    The work of Jane Austen, the Brontes, Thomas Hardy, Charles Dickens


    Harry Potter, by JK Rowling (these books set Victoria on the road to becoming a children's writer)


    Treasures of the Snow, by Patricia St John


    The Chrysalids, by John Wyndham


    The work of MR James


    Victorian Gothic Stories and Ghost stories (in general)


    Rivet Boy, by Barbara Henderson


    Euro Spies, by Lindsay Littleton


    Haarville, by Justin Davies


    Into the Faerie Hill, by HS Norup


    The Silver Road, by Sinéad O'Hart


    TV influences include:


    Star Trek


    Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie


    In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.



    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    続きを読む 一部表示
    1 時間 1 分
  • Getting Storyshaped With Louie Stowell
    2023/06/01

    Join us this week for an absolutely nerd-licious chat with the BRILLIANT Louie Stowell, whose writerly output is too great to be enumerated. She has written an abundance of non-fiction titles, created a treasure trove of tales about Kit and her friends (in the library, in the lake, and in the wood, among other spots), placed the glittering Otherland in its proper place in the pommel of her sword, and gifted us the marvellous LOKI series - truly the crowning jewel in her hoard. This was one of the most fun chats we've had on Storyshaped - you don't want to miss it!


    Find Louie online at her website


    Books mentioned in this week's episode include Louie's own:


    The Dragon in the Library

    The Monster in the Lake

    The Wizard in the Wood

    Otherland

    Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Being Good

    Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Taking the Blame

    Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Ruling the World


    And the stories which shaped her include:


    Norse Myths that Shaped the Way We Think, by Carolyne Larrington


    The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, by Alan Moore


    Comics including:

    Superman and Batman

    The Dark Knight Returns

    2000 AD

    Oink

    Halo Jones

    Bumble and Snug, by Mark Bradley


    The Rivers of London, by Ben Aaronovitch


    Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman


    The City and the City, by China Miéville


    The Books of Magic, by Neil Gaiman and various artists


    The Expanse (series), by James S.A. Corey


    Chutzpah, by Jan Mark


    Hairs on the Palm of the Hand, by Jan Mark


    Just William, by Richmal Crompton


    The Tripods, by John Christopher


    Space Hostages, by Nicholas Fisk


    The Lord of the Rings, by JRR Tolkien


    Paradise Lost, by John Milton


    The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis


    The Light Between Worlds, by Laura E. Weymouth


    Other media:


    A BBC Radio Play of The Lord of the Rings


    The Ring Cycle by Wagner (TV Production)


    Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series)


    Hannibal (TV series)


    The Walking Dead (TV series)


    Good Omens, by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett (book and TV series)


    Classic KitKat advertisement from the 1980s - No Rest for the Wicked


    The best version of LOTR ever (according to Louie)


    Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie


    In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.





    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    続きを読む 一部表示
    1 時間 4 分
  • Getting Storyshaped With Rebecca Schiller
    2023/05/25

    A slightly different vibe for today's Storyshaped! We're sitting down with Rebecca Schiller - smallholder, parent, memoirist, creative writing teacher, neurodivergent person, and author, for a wonderful chat about her recent ADHD diagnosis, creativity (and permission to enter into creativity), parenthood, the art of writing a memoir, the beauty of children's literature, and how vital it is for children to feel empowered by the things they read. We also make some pit-stops along the way, where Rebecca traces the influence of some very important books, ones that shaped and affected the course of her life and career. We'd love you to come with us on this bookish ramble, where we'll find out how Rebecca is Storyshaped.


    Find Rebecca online at her website


    Follow Rebecca on Instagram


    Rebecca founded the Mothers Who Write community


    More information on the courses Rebecca runs for writers and creatives


    Books mentioned in this week's episode include Rebecca's own:


    Earthed: A Memoir (published as A Thousand Ways to Pay Attention in the United States)

    Your No Guilt Pregnancy Plan

    Amazing Activists Who Are Changing Our World, illustrated by Sophie Beer


    And the stories which have shaped her include:


    The Peter and Jane books, published by Ladybird


    Stories from the Bible


    The Wild Other, by Clover Stroud


    Anne of Green Gables, by LM Montgomery


    Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte


    A Little Princess and The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett


    The Railway Children, by E. Nesbit


    The Regeneration Trilogy, by Pat Barker


    Life Class, by Pat Barker


    The Skylarks' War, by Hilary McKay


    This Must Be the Place, by Maggie O'Farrell


    Hamnet, by Maggie O'Farrell


    Shopaholic Ties the Knot, by Sophie Kinsella


    Also mentioned: Five Children on the Western Front, by Kate Saunders


    The Passion, by Jeanette Winterson


    Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie


    In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.





    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    続きを読む 一部表示
    1 時間 10 分