Great Stories Well Told

Send us Fan Mail              Welcome to this episode of: Great Stories Well Told. As you heard in the Preview for Season 3, we welcome our special guest author, Tish Knapp, in these final two episodes of Season 3.  In this episode, she will be reading the prologue of her second novel, 13 Bones. It has been an honor to know and to work with Tish Knapp.  Many of us have observed her skill in pushin...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when an innocent man is condemned for a crime he did not commit? And what becomes of a life shaped by injustice, suffering, and the passage of time? In this deeply moving story by Leo Tolstoy, a young merchant named Ivan Dmitrich Aksionov sets out on a journey that will change his life forever. Accused of a terrible crime, he is sent to prison in Siberia, where the ye...

Send us Fan Mail   Welcome to "The Verger" by W. Somerset Maugham, a classic short story about an ordinary man and an extraordinary turn of events.   Albert Edward Foreman has served as verger at St. Peter's Church for sixteen years. Tall, dignified, and meticulous in his duties, he takes great pride in his work and in the traditions of the church. But when a new vicar discovers som...

Send us Fan Mail It is entirely my responsibility that this is late.  I underestimated the amount of editing that I needed to do to the episode. And I admit to wanting everything in my stories to be just right.  My sincere apologies to anyone who logged in yesterday expecting to hear Valissa's story.  And it is a very fine story indeed.   Please enjoy: Vasilisa the Fair — A Russian Folktale A...

Send us Fan Mail A quiet afternoon. A comfortable room. An open French window overlooking a beautiful lawn. When Framton Nuttel visits a country home seeking rest and relief from his nerves, he encounters a young woman whose conversation takes an unexpected turn. In this clever short story by Saki, appearances can be deceiving, and a little imagination can go a very long way. Join me for a timeles...

Send us Fan Mail The Last Leaf — O. Henry In a small Greenwich Village neighborhood, two young artists, Sue and Johnsy, share a little apartment and their hopes of becoming painters. But when Johnsy falls seriously ill with pneumonia, she becomes convinced that her life will end when the last leaf falls from an ivy vine outside her window. As the leaves disappear one by one, Sue does everything sh...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to  Part 2 of "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  This story was first published in The Strand Magazine in 1892. In Part 1, we met Helen Stoner who is afraid that she may be facing the same terrible fate as her sister.   We also met her unpleasant stepfather Dr. Grimesby Roylott and heard his threats against Sherlock Holmes.   In Part...

Send us Fan Mail                       Welcome to Season 3 of Great Stories Well Told When a frightened young woman arrives at Baker Street, she brings Sherlock Holmes one of the strangest cases he has ever encountered.  Her sister died under mysterious circumstances after speaking the haunting words, "the speckled band," and now the same terrifying events seem to be happening again. In...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to Great Stories Well Told — a storytelling podcast for listeners who love timeless tales. I am Barbara Kline and I am very happy that you have chosen to be here! In my ad-free podcast, I share fairy tales, fables, folk tales, myths, and classic short fiction — stories that have endured because they speak to us in some fashion. Each episode, released on Wednesdays, usually...

Send us Fan Mail For generations, readers have wondered what really happened to Rip Van Winkle in the Catskill  (or Kaatskill) Mountains. When the easygoing villager follows a mysterious stranger carrying a heavy keg, he discovers a silent gathering of oddly dressed men playing ninepins in a secluded mountain hollow. After sharing their drink, Rip falls into a deep sleep—and awakens twenty years l...

Send us Fan Mail A man insists that he is sane. Yet as he recounts a series of carefully planned events, his own words begin to reveal a mind consumed by obsession. Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" has captivated readers since 1843 with its masterful blend of suspense, psychological insight, and unforgettable storytelling. More than a tale of mystery, it is a haunting explora...

Send us Fan Mail An old soldier returns from India carrying an unusual souvenir - a small monkey's paw said to grant three wishes.   At first the tale seems impossible, even amusing. But as one family discovers, some gifts are better left untouched.   "The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs was first published in book form in the short story collection, The Lady of the Barge release...

Send us Fan Mail Beauty and the Beast is one of the world's most beloved fairy tales, but long before it became a movie, it was told in the literary salons of France. 'Beauty and the Beast,' by Mme Leprince de Beaumont (1711-1781), In this classic version, Beauty chooses kindness over comfort and discovers that appearances can hide unexpected truths.  Set in a world of enchanted cas...

Send us Fan Mail Today's story is "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" Part 2 by F. Scott Fitzgerald. "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" by F. Scott Fitzgerald was first published on May 1, 1920  in The Saturday Evening Post .  In 1920, well to do women were still growing their hair very long.  As F. Scott Fitzgerald describes Bernice's feelings about her hair.  "she would never again f...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Great Stories Well Told, we turn from Kate Chopin's quiet examination of personal freedom to F. Scott Fitzgerald's sharp and often humorous portrait of youth in the Jazz Age. When shy and awkward Bernice visits her glamorous cousin Marjorie, she quickly learns that popularity has its own rules. Determined to transform herself, Bernice follows Marjorie&...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the first episode in Season 2 of Great Stories Well Told:  “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin. This is a remarkable and quietly powerful short story about marriage, identity, freedom, and the hidden emotions that can live beneath ordinary life. First published in 1894, Chopin’s story unfolds over the course of a single hour, revealing the inner thoughts of a woman co...

Send us Fan Mail This story contains scenes of violence, as some classic stories do. Listener discretion is advised In this episode of Great Stories Well Told, we present "Why the Sea is Salt", a traditional tale told in many places and in a number of different versions.    It is a story of a poor man, a magical gift, and what can happen when more is taken than is needed. And it offers a...

Send us Fan Mail      A statue covered in gold. A small bird with nowhere to go.  In Oscar Wilde’s The Happy Prince , a quiet story unfolds — one of compassion, sacrifice, and the unexpected beauty of giving.   The Happy Prince and Other Tales is an 1888 collection of short stories by Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish author, poet and playwright. He was born on October 16, 18...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Great Stories Well Told, we present The Magic Shop by H. G. Wells. A father and his young son visit a curious little shop on a London street, filled with tricks, toys, and strange wonders. But as they explore, the line between illusion and reality begins to blur. A small shop on a city street. A window filled with curious things. In H. G. Wells’ The Magic Shop,...

Send us Fan Mail In Frank R. Stockton’s "The Lady, or the Tiger?", a young man stands before a decision that will determine his fate —  Two doors. One choice. No second chances. but the greatest mystery lies not behind the doors, but in the heart of the one who knows what waits beyond them. " The Lady, or the Tiger?" is a short story by American author Frank R. Stockton, first...

Send us Fan Mail "The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) is the star of this episode.   I hope that you enjoy it. As a deadly plague spreads across the land, Prince Prospero retreats with his court into a castellated abbey , determined to outlast the danger in comfort and celebration. But some things cannot be shut out. The Masque of the Red Death" was first pub...

Send us Fan Mail "Princess on the Glass Hill" is a classic Norwegian folktale first published in Norwegian in in the 1840s. It was first translated into English in 1859 by Sir George Webbe Dasent in Popular Tales from the Norse . This version is taken from that 1859 book.    In this traditional Norse tale, a princess sits atop a glass hill that no one can climb—until an unlikely hero fin...

Send us Fan Mail From Greek mythology, this is the powerful story of Prometheus—the titan who stole fire from the gods and gave it to humanity.  In doing so, he changed the course of human life… and sealed his own fate.  Prometheus stands as an example of courage, consequence, and the enduring cost of standing against power.  The tale of Prometheus appears in early Greek poetry as far back as Hesi...

Send us Fan Mail “The Elephant’s Child” by Rudyard Kipling. The Just So Stories were first published in 1902.  This story is from the 1912 edition. In this classic tale from Rudyard Kipling, a relentlessly curious young elephant sets out to discover what the crocodile has for dinner—and finds himself changed forever.  The Elephant’s Child is a story full of rhythm, humor, and heart, exploring how...

Send us Fan Mail Leo Tolstoy's short story “Three Questions” was first published in 1885 as part of the collection What Men Live By, and Other Tales.     "The Three Questions" is a story about a king who seeks answers three  questions:  What is the best time to begin something?  Who are the most important people to listen to?  What is the most important thing to do?  After receiving...