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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.