Storyshaped

We have the splendid pleasure of speaking with Sharon Gosling this week on the podcast - yes, only the author of one of our absolute favourite books of 2022, The Extraordinary Voyage of Katy Willacott ! The stories that shaped Sharon are wide-ranging and exciting, and our chat with her was fun, informative, and full of brilliant books. Come along with us as we take a walk through Sharon's Storysha...

Today's guest is the BRILLIANT M.G. Leonard, author of some of the best books for young children available today. Her books have been personally inspirational to us, and M.G. herself is such a fount of inspiration, wisdom, and compassion - her insights into writing, the importance of stories, and how she used her own story to reshape her own life, is a must-listen. Come and join us, and find out h...

It's Thursday, which means we've got another wonderful Storyshaped podcast for you all! We're speaking with the incredible Efua Traoré, author of Children of the Quicksands and The House of Shells, two beautiful Middle Grade novels set in Nigeria and infused with the folklore, magic, and culture of that vibrant country. Efua takes us through her early days as an adventurer, tree-climber, go-getter...

This week, Susan and Sinéad are welcoming two authors for the price of one - sisters Katharine and Liz Corr are here to tell us all about their marvellous books and also the stories that shaped their lives. Come with us as we talk about the shaping power of the stories of Star Trek, the power of historical fiction and classical heroes (and anti-heroes), the wonder of Susan Cooper's The Dark is Ris...

This week's guest is the wonderful Debbie Thomas! Susan and Sinéad had so much fun chatting to Debbie, who was full of wisdom and wit as we discussed the stories that shaped her - not only the stories in the books she loved, but also the stories of her family. This episode is filled with laughter and suffused with joy, the same joy that Debbie (and we at Storyshaped!) see as being vital in every c...

This week we're welcoming the fantastic Aislinn O'Loughlin to the podcast, where we talk about things like: how it feels to be a published author in your teens; how having a writer for a parent helps you to deal with the inevitable rejection that comes from making writing your career (and how marvellous it is to have a creative parent to help Storyshape you as you grow up); how having a love for d...

In this week's episode of Storyshaped, come hunting for the Sweet Tree with Nicola Colton... Nicola is an Irish author and illustrator living in Bristol, but in this episode she shares some of the sheer magic of her childhood, where stories weren't confined to the pages of the books she read but instead seemed to come to life all around her. From finding a Banshee's comb to imagining storms in tea...

DISCLAIMER/CONTENT WARNING: This episode of Storyshaped includes some discussion of adult themes and topics, including eating disorders, and may be best avoided by very young listeners and/or those for whom these topics may be triggering or upsetting. If this is you - catch you next week! This week's Storyshaped delves into the bookish life of acclaimed and bestselling author Louise O'Neill, who h...

It's not every day you get to talk to an author who's been longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, but today Susan and Sinéad get to do just that! We're welcoming Sam Thompson to the podcast, and we couldn't be happier about it. Sam's the author of the brilliant children's novels Wolfstongue and The Fox's Tower , but his first novel ( Communion Town ) was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize back in 2...

Don't say we never spoil you! Sit back and enjoy this BONUS Storyshaped Podcast episode, recorded to celebrate Irish Book Week, which is running from October 15th to October 22nd, 2022. Susan gives Sinéad a good old-fashioned grilling about her books, her writing life, how she came to have a writing career in the first place, and gets ALLLL the tips on how to become - and how to stay - a published...

What a treat we have for you all this week, Storyshaped fans! This week, we're talking to Nicola Penfold, the brilliant author of Where the World Turns Wild, Between Sea and Sky, and Beyond the Frozen Horizon. All Nicola's books have a huge emphasis on the natural world and the place of humans within it, and the interplay between the ecology surrounding us and the emotional landscape within. Her b...

This week, Susan and Sinéad welcome the fantastic ER (Elizabeth) Murray to the podcast, for a freewheeling and wide-ranging discussion about how books not only shape lives, but also save lives. Elizabeth shares the books that gave her solace and shelter as a young reader, the stories which shape her reading now - including her interest in reading beyond her own cultural sphere, with the aim of enr...

This week's episode sees Sinéad having a fantastically wide-ranging discussion with the brilliant Helenka Stachera, author of The Ice Whisperers and Fin and the Memory Curse. Helenka's books draw on many of the stories she grew up with, and had told to her as a young girl - and having grown up in a fairytale-like yellow brick house in the woods, she has always had a fascination with traditional fo...

Today's podcast is a wonderful chat with the bilingual author Sadhbh Devlin, whose Irish-language picturebooks have established her as a leading light on the Irish kidlit scene. We get to know a bit more about the stories that shaped Sadhbh, including a book which is one of Susan and Sinéad's all time favourites, and we get to imagine how cool it would be to have a dad like Sadhbh's, who had a tab...

This week, we welcome Paul Coomey to the podcast! He's an author/illustrator, originally from Cork (like our very own Susan) and now living in the UK with his wife, the artist Tanvi Kant. We had such fun discussing books, stories, art, illustration, survival in the wild (!), libraries, castles, and the joy of learning to read. Come and join us as we Get Storyshaped. Books mentioned in this episode...

Our special guest on Storyshaped today is children's author and artist Eve McDonnell! Eve has written the exquisite Elsetime (published by Everything With Words in 2020), and her second novel The Chestnut Roaster is coming on October 27th, 2022, also from Everything With Words. She is an artist and graphic designer, a mum of twins, and an experienced workshop facilitator - as well as a Wonderlarke...

We're delighted to welcome our very first guest to Storyshaped! Today, we're talking to Olivia Hope, author of the brilliant picturebook Be Wild, Little One (published by Bloomsbury, 2022; illustrated by Daniel Egnéus). Listen in, and discover the books that made Olivia the person and writer she is today, the stories that shaped her, and the stories she has shaped. Learn about her work, her upcomi...

It's a minipod! Susan and Sinéad are sort of on holiday this week, so this wee podcast is designed to keep you ticking over until we're back again with a VERY SPECIAL GUEST EPISODE next week. Today we're comparing and contrasting the books we're currently reading and loving, going head-to-head with them to see which one comes out on top... Who will it be? Tune in and find out! The books we're talk...

In this episode, Susan and Sinéad revisit a book which haunted both their childhoods - Catherine Storr's 1958 fantasy classic Marianne Dreams. We get deep inside the symbolism of this brilliant little book, discussing the nature of dreams and fantasy and how stories contain universes. Come with us as we watch Marianne and Mark battle their way past the Watchers... Sit with us on the grass as we as...

In this episode, Susan and Sinéad do a deep dive into one of Susan's 'soul book's - Diana Wynne Jones' classic Charmed Life. Come with us as we discuss the issues of power and responsibility the novel deals with, as well as a very serious scholarly debate about who is more of a 'peacock' - Chrestomanci or Wizard Howl - and an appreciation for Gwendolen Chant, the most unapologetically evil charact...

On this inaugural episode, join your hosts Susan Cahill and Sinéad O'Hart as they discuss Alan Garner's 1965 novel Elidor, a book which has meant a great deal to them both - and which has definitely 'Storyshaped' both of their lives. Get comfy, and get ready for chats, laughter, and lots of Storyshaped goodness. Enjoy! To buy the books mentioned in this episode see our Irish and UK bookshop info b...

Welcome to Storyshaped, the pocast all about the power of stories to shape lives and change the world. Come with us on our journey into the magic of words and pictures with a variety of brilliant bookish guests! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.