The Story Seeds Podcast

Listen along as host Betsy Bird and Newbery Award-winning Katherine Applegate have a fun and heartwarming conversation about what it was like working with 9 year old Jocelyn in a special presentation of The Story Seeds Podcast which raises awareness of childhood cancer. In the interview, Betsy and Katherine:Talk about what it was like working with Jocelyn and learning about her cancer journey  [04:19]Discuss how Jane Goodall and Greta Thunberg inspired Katherine’s new eco-fable Willodeen   [12:37]Get witty and silly in a fun rapid fire q&a! [17:01]This episode is also available on YouTube. Subscribe here. Additional InformationBooks mentioned in this episode: the Animorphs series by Katherine Applegate and Michael Grant. Willodeen, the Endling series, and The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White.Calls to ActionVisit www.storyseedspodcast.com to download a companion printable activity kit for this episode. You can also order a copy of our NYTimes Wirecutter-approved Imagination Lab activity book! Follow us on Instagram @storyseedspod, on Twitter @litsafarimedia, and on Facebook @literarysafari. Show creditsThe Story Seeds Podcast is Literary Safari production, created and executive produced by Sandhya Nankani. This episode was produced by her and Anjali Sakhrani. Scoring, mixing, and sound design by Ultraviolet Audio. Hosted by Betsy Bird. Music by Andrew VanWyngarden, Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter/musician and co-founder of MGMT. This episode is sponsored by Macmillan Children's Publishing. Special thanks to Joseph Tisdall for post-production support.

This special Story Seeds collaboration brings together nine-year old Jocelyn and Newbery Award-winning Katherine Applegate, author of The One and Only Ivan and Willodeen.Katherine helps Jocelyn grow this story idea:My story seed is about a super service dog (based off of my own dog Sally) who helps kids with cancer feel better. Join our host Betsy Bird as she guides you through this collaboration full of hope and resilience. Featured segments include:Katherine and Jocelyn's meeting over video chat where they get to know each other, meet each other's dogs, and brainstorm how to grow Jocelyn's story idea (6:44)Real-time voice memo recordings where Katherine chronicles her writing process  for Jocelyn (19:50)An immersive storytime where Katherine narrates the full-fledged tale — "Two Brave Girls, One with Four Paws"—she grew from Jocelyn's story seed (23:56)This episode is also available on YouTube. Subscribe here. Additional InformationBooks mentioned in this episode: The Odyssey, The Mahabarata, Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DeCamillo, the Dogman series by Dave Pilkey, and  The Only and Only Ivan and Willodeen by Katherine Applegate.Media and Games mentioned in the episode: How to Train Your Dragon, Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N’ Roses, Animal Upon Animal, and Don't Stop Believing by JourneyCalls to ActionBonus Episode: Check back next Thursday to hear Betsy's bonus interview with Katherine. It’s a fun one and also includes a rapid-fire Q&A with the Newbery Award-winning author herself.Visit www.storyseedspodcast.com to download a companion printable activity kit for this episode. You can also order a copy of our NYTimes Wirecutter-approved Imagination Lab activity book! Follow us on Instagram @storyseedspod, on Twitter @litsafarimedia, and on Facebook @literarysafari. Show creditsThe Story Seeds Podcast is Literary Safari production, created and executive produced by Sandhya Nankani. This episode was produced and written by her and Anjali Sakhrani. Scoring, mixing, and sound design by Ania Grzesik of Ultraviolet Audio. Hosted by Betsy Bird. Music by Andrew VanWyngarden, Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter/musician and co-founder of MGMT.  This episode is sponsored by Macmillan Children's Publishing. Special thanks to Joseph Tisdall for post-production support.

Priyanka and Riya are best friends. Morgan and Mercedes are daughter and mother. They are just four of the voices you will hear in this montage of eight short interviews created by kids ages 8-15 during the inaugural Story Seeds On Air Summer 2021 Podcasting Camp where aspiring podcasters learned from expert guests and each other the art and technical skills they need to amplify their voices and broadcast their ideas into community conversations big and small.  In these interviews, campers from around the United States ask intimate questions of people they know very well, and in the process capture moments of curiosity, lifelong passions, and new perspectives on the familiar while creating memorable oral histories. Queens, New York neighbors and best friends Riya, age 9, and Priyanka, age 12 ask each other questions about their favorite things.Seattle-based Anna, age 8, interviews her mother, Merideth, about her love of podcasts and the podcast platform, Storitopia, that she is brewing.New Jersey-based Ella, age 15, interviews her mother, Jennifer, about her memories of learning to cook and hairspray cooking mishaps!Philadelphia-based Ahan, age 13, interviews his mother Madhusmita, about her stories from her career as a dancer in the 500 year old Sattriya dance tradition from Assam (India).Harlem, New York-based Shalini, age 10, interviews her mother Swati, a writer, educator, and artist, about her interests and her passion for podcastingNew Jersey-based Amrita, age 12, interviews her mother, Sandhya (creator of The Story Seeds Podcast), about the music she loved to listen to when she was her age and the role music plays in her lifeAlaska-based Morgan, age 10, interviews her mother, Mercedes about the moment in her childhood that she realized her passion was writing and how she puts that passion into practice in her life and workLinks to Interview Mentions :Riya's  favorite  TV shows: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Legend of Korra, and Miraculous  Tales of Lady bug & Cat NoirPriyanka's favorite books: Avatar: The Last Airbender graphic novel series from Dark Horse Comics and the Harry Potter series by JK RowlingAnna's mom's podcast platform: StoritopiaAhan's mom's dance company: Sattriya Dance CompanyShalini's mom's art and writing: SwatiKhurana.comAmrita's mom's favorite radio station: 90.7 WFUV Two pieces of writing by Morgan's mom: A poem in Literary Mama and an essay in The Anchorage Daily NewsThis special episode of The Story Seeds Podcast is produced by Claudia Haines and Ella Rose Frankel. Editing and sound design is by Alyssa Baptiste. Story Seeds is a Literary Safari production and will be back on October 28 with a new episode presented by Macmillan Publishing, featuring Katherine Applegate, author of The One and Only Ivan and her new book Willodeen.Follow Story Seeds on Instagram @storyseedspod and on Twitter @litsafarimedia Learn more about our podcasting classes & camps at www.storyseedspodcast.com/classesOrder our Wirecutter/New York Times featured activity book Imagination Lab: Experiments in Creativity

This specific episode which we released in June 2020 is featured on CBC Podcast Playlist this week in an episode titled "Feel good stories for when you need them most."  Though it originally aired last summer, we're giving it the good ole' encore treatment—along a  brief update from our host Betsy Bird on some exciting new happenings in the Story Seeds  world (like our summer camp for kids)!About the EpisodeA Worm's Worth: Twelve-year old Brooklynite, Irthan, joins forces with the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Jason Reynolds, to grow his story seed about an earthworm that turns into a human every 28 days, on the night of a full moon. Join Irthan and Jason as they meet up at the Youth Wing of the central branch of Brooklyn Public Library where they get to know each other and plant the seeds for their collaboration which explores music, social justice, and being seen. Then, sit back and listen to the lyrical and timely short story, "Hoo and Wut," that Jason grew out of Irthan’s idea.About CBC Podcast PlaylistThis weekly podcast from Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Radio One features "fresh, new, provocative programs from the digital realm [and] kicks it off on terrestrial with a sampling of some of the most intriguing of what the internet has to offer." Follow CBC Podcast Playlist at https://twitter.com/podcastplaylist Episode MentionsSummer of Podcasts camps & classes  www.storyseedspodcast.com/campOur activity book Imagination Lab: Experiments in Creativity is available at www.storyseedspodcast.com/imaginationlabListen to more episodes at www.storyseedspodcast.com/listenFollow us on twitter.com/litsafarimedia or instagram.com/storyseedpodFollow Jason Reynolds on twitter.com/JasonReynolds83 or instagram.com/Episode CreditsThis episode was produced by Sandhya Nankani, Anjali Sakhrani, and Kayla Fedeson. Scoring, mixing, and sound design by Ania Grzesik and Matt Boynton of Ultraviolet Audio. Field audio recorded by James Boo. Hosted by Betsy Bird. Music by Andrew VanWyngarden, Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter/musician and co-founder of MGMT. The music  at the start of Irthan and Jason's conversation is titled Brass Song and was composed by Irthan himself.