The Story Seeds Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Since 1996, The Webby Awards have honored the best of the Internet, so it is kind of a big deal that our small and independently produced podcast is nominated for one this year! 

The episode we are nominated for is Episode 11: "A Nose that Knows" which brought together nine-year old leukemia survivor Jocelyn and Katherine Applegate, the Newbery Award-winning author of The One and Only Ivan, to grow  a real-life inspired story about a super dog named Sally who helps a girl with cancer feel better. This episode is not only about the power of imagination, but also about resilience and friendship! We're thrilled it's been recognized by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.

We know full well that our podcast would be nada, zilch, nothing, zero, rien, kuchh nahin, la shayy,  méiyǒu ... without you—our incredible listeners. So, if you like what we have created here at Story Seeds, please make your voice heard! 

Help us join the Webby Winners Circle by voting for us in the "Best Individual Episode - Family and Kids" category in the Webbys People's Voice Awards through April 21, 2022. Just click here to cast your ballot! You can also find the link to vote at our Twitter, Instagram, or website. (Kids: Ask a grownup to help you create an account to vote. We promise it only takes a few seconds.)

Thank you! Gracias! Merci! Dhanyawad! Shukran!  Xièxiè!

Story Seeds is a Literary Safari production. Our host is Betsy Bird. Our theme song is by Andrew VanWyngarden. Sound design is by Ania Grzesik of Ultraviolet Audio. Our producers are Sandhya Nankani, Anjali Sakhrani, and Kayla Fedeson. 

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 Information

Books 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 Action

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 credits

The 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.

Listen along as The Story Seeds Podcast host Betsy Bird chats with Susan Muaddi Darraj (author of the debut middle grade series Farah Rocks and a 2014 AWP Grace Paley Award, 2016 American Book Award, and 2016 Arab American Book Award winner). They go behind the scenes and talk about what it was like working with 12 year old Sulaf on Episode 8 “A Girl Who Looks Like Me” and grow her story seed about a young Arab-American girl who finds herself at the center of a mystery at the theatre where she works. 

Susan talks about how Agatha Christie, Edgar Allan Poe and her visit to the Riverside Theater inspired the story she grew. Sheds light on the contemporary authors she admires: Jarrett Lerner, Toni Morrison, Esmeralda Santiago.  And, she shares two tips for young writers and our listeners:

• Reading makes you a better writer
• Don't write yourself into a tired state. End your day at an interesting point in your story so that you can pick up fresh where you left off the next day

Books and media mentioned in this episode: Farah Rocks series by Susan Muaddi Darraj, Hercule Poirot Mysteries by Agatha Christie, Miss Marple Mysteries by Agatha Christie, Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery, Netflix's Anne With an E, The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe, Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

Calls to Action

Kids: Grow your own stories with the help of our Imagination Lab activity e-zines!   Call The Story Seeds Hotline at 646-389-5153, email us at [email protected], or visit our website to submit your story ideas. You can also join The Story Seeds Society, our kids listeners club. 

Grownups: Visit www.storyseedspodcast.com for subscription links, to sign up for our newsletter, and to download our printable activity e-zines for your kids (or the  kid in you!) that offer opportunities to read, write, and get creative alongside listening to each episode . You can also follow us on Instagram @storyseedspod, on Twitter @litsafarimedia, and on Facebook @literarysafari. 

Get our Imagination Lab: Experiments in Creativity activity book! It pairs perfectly with the podcast and features tons of episode-inspired prompts and projects! Order your copy here!

This episode is also available on YouTube. Subscribe here. 

Support Us

Visit our recently launched glow.fm page where you can support The Story Seeds Podcast on a recurring or one-time basis. Your donation - large or small - will help us create more episodes of the show and give us the ability to provide opportunities for more kids from around the world to participate in Story Seeds. 

Show credits

Credit to Matt Boynton and Ania  Grzesik of Ultraviolet Audio for the sound mixing, design, and score of our bonus episode. Our theme music is composed and performed by Andrew VanWyngarden. 

The Story Seeds Podcast is a creation and production of Literary Safari 

www.literarysafari.com

This week’s Story Seeds collaboration brings together 12 year old Sulaf and Susan Muaddi Darraj (author of the new middle grade series Farah Rocks  and a 2014 AWP Grace Paley Award, 2016 American Book Award, and 2016 Arab American Book Award winner)  on a field trip to the Riverside Theater in New York City. 

Susan helps Sulaf grow this story idea:

A young girl who lives in New York City and works in the theater district realizes there is a very dark secret hidden at the show she's working on. 

Follow Sulaf and Susan's thrill-filled Story Seeds adventure with host Betsy Bird as:

• Sulaf tells Susan her wish of seeing a story about an Arab-American girl who looks like her and represents not only her cultural background but her love of the theatre too
• They talk about the Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop's metaphor on  how children's books should be  be mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors for readers
• They geek out over their mutual love of Agatha Christie mysteries and Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven
• They grow a story inspired by their back stage tour of the Riverside Theater

The episode concludes with this week’s storytime (17:40) where Susan reads the story she grew from Sulaf’s story seed: Mystery at the Theatre

Books and media mentioned in this episode: Farah Rocks series by Susan Muaddi Darraj, And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, and The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe. 

Musicals and Plays: The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and  The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Richard Stilgoe.

Calls to Action

Bonus Episode: Check back next week to hear Betsy's interview with Susan where you'll get to find out whodunnit!

Kids: Call The Story Seeds Hotline at 646-389-5153, email us at [email protected], or visit our website to submit your story ideas. You can also join The Story Seeds Society, our kids listeners club.

Grownups: Visit www.storyseedspodcast.com for subscription links, to sign up for our newsletter, and to download our printable activity e-zines for your kids (or the  kid in you!) that offer opportunities to read, write, and get creative alongside listening to each episode . You can also follow us on Instagram @storyseedspod, on Twitter @litsafarimedia, and on Facebook @literarysafari. 

Get our Imagination Lab: Experiments in Creativity activity book! It pairs perfectly with the podcast and features tons of episode-inspired prompts and projects! Order your copy here!

This episode is also available on YouTube. Subscribe here. 

Support Us

Hey Listeners! Looking for ways to support our show? Well, now you can! Visit our recently launched glow.fm page where you can support The Story Seeds Podcast on a recurring or one-time basis. Your donation - large or small - will help us create more episodes of the show and give us the ability to provide opportunities for more kids from around the world to participate in Story Seeds. 

Show credits

Produced and written by Kayla Fedeson, Sandhya Nankani, and Anjali Sakhrani. 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 Story Seeds Podcast is a creation and production of Literary Safari 

www.literarysafari.com

Listen along as The Story Seeds Podcast host Betsy Bird chats with Tracey Baptiste (New York Times bestselling author of MINECRAFT: THE CRASH, as well as the  Caribbean adventure series THE JUMBIES.) They go behind the scenes and talk about what it was like virtually working and collaborating with 12 year old Amalia on Episode 7 “Barking Up the Right Tree” to grow her story seed about an athletic girl named Joy and her magical relationship with the oak tree in her backyard. 

In this bonus episode, Tracey shares her writing tips and shares a cool creativiity hack: how to take two very different things and bringing them together to create something entirely new in your writing!

 Books mentioned in this episode: Minecraft The Crash and The Jumbies series by Tracey Baptiste. The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier. The Lie Tree by Francis Hardinge. Grimm’s Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm.

Tracey’s Youtube channel which features her talks on Creativity Under Pressure (created during the COVID-19 pandemic)

Calls to Action

Kids: Call The Story Seeds Hotline at 646-389-5153, email us at [email protected], or visit our website to submit your story ideas. You can also join The Story Seeds Society, our kids listeners club.

Grownups: Visit www.storyseedspodcast.com for subscription links, to sign up for our newsletter, and to download our printable activity e-zines for your kids (or the  kid in you!). You can also follow us on Instagram @storyseedspod, on Twitter @litsafarimedia, and on Facebook @literarysafari. 

Get our Imagination Lab: Experiments in Creativity activity book! It pairs perfectly with the podcast and features tons of episode-inspired prompts and projects! Order your copy here!

Hey Listeners! Looking for ways to support our show? Well, now you can! Visit our recently launched glow.fm page where you can support The Story Seeds Podcast on a recurring or one-time basis. Your donation - large or small - will help us create more episodes of the show and give us the ability to provide opportunities for more kids from around the world to participate in Story Seeds. 

This episode is also available on our YouTube channel. Subscribe here. 

Show credits

Matt Boynton and Ania Grzesik of Ultraviolet Audio for the sound mixing, design, and score of our bonus episode. Theme music is composed and performed by Andrew VanWyngarden. And, our host is Betsy Bird. 

The Story Seeds Podcast is a creation and production of Literary Safari 

www.literarysafari.com

This week’s quarantine edition of Story Seeds brings together two super imaginative Jersey girls: Tracey Baptiste (New York Times bestselling author of MINECRAFT: THE CRASH, as well as the creepy Caribbean series THE JUMBIES) and Amalia Tsampalis (age 12). 

Tracey helps Amalia grow this story idea:

An athletic 12 year old girl loves to climb trees. Maybe this tree she loves to climb is in her backyard. It's really tall and there's not a lot of branches left. The personality of the tree is old and wise, and it's purposely losing its branches because it wants to create a challenge for the girl. 

Follow this adventure as Story Seeds creator Sandhya Nankani sits in for Betsy Bird to host Tracey and Amalia’s virtual collaboration via video chat where:

• They explore the power of nonverbal communication and brainstorm ideas for a wise tree character
• They create an athletic, strong, girl character
• They discover they both have Trinidadian roots and share stories about celebrating carnival
• Amalia requests Tracey to weave her experiences of breaking an arm into the story
• Tracey documents her writing process in a series of voice memo diaries

The episode concludes with this week’s story time (20:25) where Tracey reads the story she grew from Amalia’s story seed: Joy’s Challenge.

Books and media mentioned in this episode: THE JUMBIES by Tracey Baptiste and THE MAGIC TREEHOUSE series by Mary Pope Osborne.

Calls to Action

Bonus Episode: Betsy Bird is back next week to interview Tracey so do tune in to hear them chat about writing and staying creative in quarantine.

Kids: Call The Story Seeds Hotline at 646-389-5153, email us at [email protected], or visit our website to submit your story ideas. You can also join The Story Seeds Society, our kids listeners club.

Grownups: Visit www.storyseedspodcast.com for subscription links, to sign up for our newsletter, and to download our printable activity e-zines for your kids (or the  kid in you!) that offer opportunities to read, write, and get creative alongside listening to each episode . You can also follow us on Instagram @storyseedspod, on Twitter @litsafarimedia, and on Facebook @literarysafari. 

Get our Imagination Lab: Experiments in Creativity activity book! It pairs perfectly with the podcast and features tons of episode-inspired prompts and projects! Order your copy here!

Hey Listeners! Looking for ways to support our show? Well, now you can! Visit our recently launched glow.fm page where you can support The Story Seeds Podcast on a recurring or one-time basis. Your donation - large or small - will help us create more episodes of the show and give us the ability to provide opportunities for more kids from around the world to participate in Story Seeds. 

This episode is also available on YouTube. Subscribe here. 

Show credits

This episode was produced and hosted by Sandhya Nankani. Co-producers are Anjali Sakhrani and Kayla Fedeson. Sound  mixing, design, and score is by Ania Grezsik and Matt Boynton of Ultraviolet Audio. Music by Andrew VanWyngarden, Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter/musician and co-founder of MGMT. 

The Story Seeds Podcast is a creation and production of Literary Safari 

www.literarysafari.com

The Story Seeds Podcast theme song was written, composed, and performed by Andrew VanWyngarden. Nowadays, he is a real-life, Grammy-nominated musician who tours the world with the band MGMT that he co-founded while in college. But, fun fact: like many of the creative rockstars featured on The Story Seeds Podcast, Andrew actually got his start making music as a child, using a Tascam four track tape machine to record! Growing up in Memphis, Tennessee, he loved nature and playing outdoors with his friends, catching snakes and frogs and sometimes making little terrariums with the creatures they’d find. 

For this theme song, he was inspired by the magical and playful theme songs of classic children’s shows he watched as a child; shows such as Reading Rainbow, Maya the Bee, and David the Gnome.

Calls to Action

Kids: Call The Story Seeds Hotline at 646-389-5153, email us at [email protected], or visit our website to submit your story ideas. You can also join The Story Seeds Society, our kids listeners club .

Grownups: Visit www.storyseedspodcast.com for subscription links, to sign up for our newsletter, and to download our printable Imagination Lab activity e-zines for your kids (or the  kid in you!) that offer opportunities to read, write, and get creative alongside listening to each episode . You can also follow us on Instagram @storyseedspod, on Twitter @litsafarimedia, and on Facebook @literarysafari. 

Get our Imagination Lab: Experiments in Creativity activity book! It pairs perfectly with the podcast and features tons of episode-inspired prompts and projects! Order your copy here!

Hey Listeners! Looking for ways to support our show? Well, now you can! Visit our recently launched glow.fm page where you can support The Story Seeds Podcast on a recurring or one-time basis. Your donation - large or small - will help us create more episodes of the show and give us the ability to provide opportunities for more kids from around the world to participate in Story Seeds. 

Our theme song song is also available to stream on YouTube. Subscribe here. 

The Story Seeds Podcast is a creation and production of Literary Safari www.literarysafari.com

Listen along as The Story Seeds Podcast host Betsy Bird chats with Carlos Hernandez, author of Rick Riordan Presents' Sal and Gabi series and winner of 2020 Pura Belpré Author Award. They go behind the scenes of  Episode 6: The Paintbrush of Doom  and talk about what it was like working with twins Siri and Zarana and growing their story seed (a girl who receives a magic paintbrush from her kooky aunt that turns whatever you paint, real! Things are going great as she creates dozens of hybrid creatures until ... upset by her friends' disbelief of the power of her paintbrush, she unleashes her anger on her canvas and paints a monster who comes alive!) 

On this bonus episode, Carlos also talks to Betsy about how his work as a board game and video game designer helped him write the SAL AND GABI books as well as the importance of being your truest, most kooky self. 

Books mentioned in this episode: Sal and Gabi Break the Universe and Sal and Gabi Fix the Universe by Carlos Hernandez Clockwork Phoenix Five by Mike Allen. 

Games mentioned in this episode: Dear Reader, Dungeons and Dragons

Calls to Action

Kids: Call The Story Seeds Hotline at 646-389-5153, email us at [email protected], or visit our website to submit your story ideas. You can also join The Story Seeds Society, our kids listeners club.

Grownups: Visit www.storyseedspodcast.com for subscription links, to sign up for our newsletter, and to download our printable activity e-zines for your kids (or the  kid in you!) that offer opportunities to read, write, and get creative alongside listening to each episode . You can also follow us on Instagram @storyseedspod, on Twitter @litsafarimedia, and on Facebook @literarysafari. 

Get our Imagination Lab: Experiments in Creativity activity book! It pairs perfectly with the podcast and features tons of episode-inspired prompts and projects! Order your copy here!

Hey Listeners! Looking for ways to support our show? Well, now you can! Visit our recently launched glow.fm page where you can support The Story Seeds Podcast on a recurring or one-time basis. Your donation - large or small - will help us create more episodes of the show and give us the ability to provide opportunities for more kids from around the world to participate in Story Seeds. 

This episode is also available on YouTube. Subscribe here. 

Show credits

Matt Boynton and Ania Grzesik of Ultraviolet Audio for the sound mixing, design, and score of our bonus episode. Theme music is composed and performed by Andrew VanWyngarden. And, our host is Betsy Bird. 

The Story Seeds Podcast is a creation and production of Literary Safari www.literarysafari.com

This week’s Story Seeds collaboration matches Carlos Hernandez (winner of the 2020 Pura Belpré Author Award and author of the Sal and Gabi series from Rick Riordan Presents)  with 10 year old twins Siri and Zarana.

Carlos collaborates with Siri and Zarana to grow their story idea:

A girl who really loves to paint get a magic paintbrush from her kooky aunt on her 10th birthday. She uses it to paint the animals she loves, but it turns out that her imagination is opening up doorways to a locked, magical world that’s letting the animals from her paintings out into the real world.

Join an imagination-filled Story Seeds adventure with host Betsy Bird as Carlos and the twins take a field trip to the Children's Museum of the Arts NYC to: 

• Create clay landscapes in CMA's art studios  while talking about silhouette painting and creativity
• Discuss their inspiration for the story idea: the power of imagination and screentime
• Grow a story about a main character who discovers what happens when she unleashes her anger and lets it take control of her creativity

The episode concludes with this week’s storytime (17:00) where Carlos reads the story he grew from Siri and Zarana’s story seed: Citaria’s Paintbrush.

Books and media mentioned in this episode: Sal and Gabi Break the Universe and Sal and Gabi Fix the Universe by Carlos Hernandez, A Wrinkle in Time by Margaret L'Engle, The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis, and His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman.

Calls to Action

Bonus Episode: Check back next week to hear Betsy's interview with Carlos. You’ll get to hear more about his life as an author and a game designer.

Kids: Call The Story Seeds Hotline at 646-389-5153, email us at [email protected], or visit our website to submit your story ideas. You can also join The Story Seeds Society, our kids listeners club.

Grownups: Visit www.storyseedspodcast.com for subscription links, to sign up for our newsletter, and to download our printable activity e-zines for your kids (or the  kid in you!) that offer opportunities to read, write, and get creative alongside listening to each episode . You can also follow us on Instagram @storyseedspod, on Twitter @litsafarimedia, and on Facebook @literarysafari. 

Get our Imagination Lab: Experiments in Creativity activity book! It pairs perfectly with the podcast and features tons of episode-inspired prompts and projects! Order your copy here!

This episode is also available on YouTube. Subscribe here. 

Show credits

Produced and written 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 Story Seeds Podcast is a creation and production of Literary Safari www.literarysafari.com

Listen along as The Story Seeds Podcast host Betsy Bird chats with Rajani LaRocca (author of "Midsummer’s Mayhem," a Kirkus Best Book of 2019 and long-listed for the 2020 Massachusetts Book Award as a must-read title in MG/YA Literature.) They go behind the scenes and talk about what it was like meeting Liyana and growing her story seed about a girl trying to fit in with her famous family with the help of a magic mirror on Episode 5 “The Hungry Mirror.” 

In this author interview, Rajani also shares tips on writing and talks about how, by working hard, she balanced her love of science and writing to become both a doctor and an award-winning author!

Authors, books, and genres of writing mentioned in this episode: Shakespeare, Madeleine L'Engle, Richard Seltzer, William Carlos Williams

Genres of writing mentioned in this episode: science fiction, fantasy, fairy tale

Books mentioned in this episode: Midsummer’s Mayhem by Rajani LaRocca

Snacks mentioned in this episode: carrot halva, chanachur

Calls to Action

Kids: Call The Story Seeds Hotline at 646-389-5153, email us at [email protected], or visit our website to submit your story ideas. You can also join The Story Seeds Society, our kids listeners club.

Grownups: Visit www.storyseedspodcast.com for subscription links, to sign up for our newsletter, and to download our printable activity e-zines for your kids (or the  kid in you!) that offer opportunities to read, write, and get creative alongside listening to each episode . You can also follow us on Instagram @storyseedspod, on Twitter @litsafarimedia, and on Facebook @literarysafari. 

Get our Imagination Lab: Experiments in Creativity activity book! It pairs perfectly with the podcast and features tons of episode-inspired prompts and projects! Order your copy here!

This episode is also available on YouTube. Subscribe here. 

Show credits

Matt Boynton and Ania Grzesik of Ultraviolet Audio for the sound mixing, design, and score of our bonus episode. Theme music is composed and performed by Andrew VanWyngarden. And, our host is Betsy Bird. 

The Story Seeds Podcast is a creation and production of Literary Safari www.literarysafari.com