The Apple Seed

Donald Davis and Adam Booth from live recordings in the Apple Seed Studio. (2:18) Donald Davis tells "The Swimming Hole" a story about his dad and uncles where they were young and about the trouble that happens when they try to take a shortcut. (19:15) Adam Booth tells "The Most Beautiful Heart" his version of a modern tale that is popular in ministries, social media, motivational speaking, etc. G...

A wacky version of a traditional tale "Jack and the Magic Boat" or sometimes called "Ship of Fools" by storyteller Ed Stivender, recorded live in the Apple Seed studios. (1:47) Hapless Jack tries to accomplish the impossible with a misfit group of unusual, but talented friends. Great stories can change your world. Hosted by storyteller Sam Payne. A production of BYUradio. 00:00:00 - Introduction 0...

Two stories about endurance, both recorded live in the Apple Seed Studio. (2:40) Nebraska storyteller Pippa White shares a series of real-life stories of people who sailed to Ellis Island, many of them over a hundred years ago, in the hope of immigrating to the United States. (21:44) North Carolina musician and storyteller Josh Goforth shares a story of appreciation for the "stubborn" (as Josh aff...

A European dragon legend and a traditional Chinese story told in song, both recorded live in the Apple Seed Studio. (2:14) An ancient tale of a princess who is transformed into a dragon called “The Laidly Worm,” told by storyteller Simon Brooks. (22:53) Storytelling partners Motoko & Eshu Bumpus perform “The Song of Farmer Chan,” a story from China where good fortune can lead to catastrophe, and c...

Two stories that are zany fun, but both connect to storytelling traditions the world over. Both stories were recorded live in the Apple Seed Studio. (2:32) Bill Harley shares the traditional Irish story "The Cow That Ate the Piper," about a piper looking for a little hospitality that is at turns funny, scary, silly, and yes, even a little gross. (15:14) Lyn Ford shares a story about the wild tales...

Stories from Antonio Sacre and Donna Washington, recorded live in the Apple Seed Studio. (2:02) Los Angeles-based storyteller Antonio Sacre takes his toddler on the hunt for a real live snow in the mountains in "Pancakes for Dinner." (14:29) Storyteller Donna Washington shares one of Aesop's Fables about wanting to be something you’re not in "The Exploding Frog." 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:02:10 -...

Storyteller Adam Booth shares a his take on the classic fairy tale, recorded live in the Apple Seed Studio. (2:04) "The Fisherman's Wife" is a story that has appeared in many different forms in many different parts of the world, including a famous version from The Brothers Grimm, but Adam Booth puts a new spin on the familiar tale. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:02:10 - "The Fisherman's Wife" retold b...

Stories from Mara Menzies and Kevin Kling, both recorded live in the Apple Seed Studio. (1:33) Mara Menzies tells a traditional story from Kenya about how one man became a god through giving a truly beautiful and simple gift in "Ochosi, the Orisha of the Hunt. (22:43) Kevin Kling shares a tiny story, an anecdote really, about recognizing what you have to share with others in "Sunflowers." 00:00:00...

Stories from Bil Lepp and Donald Davis, both recorded live in The Apple Seed Studio. (1:17) West Virginia tall tale teller Bil Lepp is a camp counselor who runs into a big, smelly problem in "Skunks." (16:26) North Carolina storyteller Donald Davis shares a memory about a faceoff between grandma and a very picky eater in "Doobies." 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:01:22 - "Skunks" by Bil Lepp 00:16:37 -...

South Carolina storyteller Tim Lowry shares a two-part story about an important figure from his childhood. Miss Gimm is the wise woman with great influence in Putney Bible Baptist church in the wilds of Kentucky where Tim Lowry’s father pastored. She had unfulfilled hopes of serving missions abroad, but instead instead of letting that disappointment haunt her she funneled her energies into buildin...

Stories from Donald Davis and Andy Offut Irwin, both recorded live in The Apple Seed Studio. (1:27) North Carolina storyteller Donald Davis remembers his first day of school and all the new adults he met in a story he calls "The Principal." (13:34) Georgia storyteller Andy Offut Irwin shares a story about the types of shenanigans that you can get up to at church before you have your own relationsh...

Stories about mothers and mother figures, both recorded live in the Apple Seed Studio. (1:36) Ohio storyteller Lyn Ford brings us a story called "Monkey Loves Trouble" from her Aunt Queenie, a Caribbean storyteller who had a formative influence on Lyn. (19:45) Minnesota storyteller Kevin Kling ponders a mythical artifact found in most of our homes that dispenses resources great and small in a stor...

A King Arthur tale and a tall tale, both recorded live in the Apple Seed studio. (2:00) Philadelphia storyteller Ed Stivender shares "The Legend of Sir Gawain and Lady Ragnell," a tale from the time of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. (16:22) West Virginia storyteller Bil Lepp shares a tall tale about a tense encounter on the hiking trail in “The Ojai Mountain Lion.” 00:00:00 - Intr...

A pair of folk tales, both recorded live in the Apple Seed Studio. (1:55) English storyteller Simon Brooks shares an ancient story from Scandanavia about a young man who goes on a quest that takes him to the end of the world in "In Search of Luck." (14:23) Kenyan/Scottish storyteller Mara Menzies shares a tale from the Gikuyu people in Kenya about a curious woman who butts up against the village's...

A pair of musical stories, both recorded live in the Apple Seed Studio. (1:48) North Carolina storyteller and musician Josh Goforth unfurls the hidden story behind the well-known folk song “Tom Dooley.” The journey to that song’s meaning all begins with a performance of another song, “A Locket and a Curl.” (20:56) Philadelphia-area storyteller Charlotte Blake Alston shares a rhythmic tribute to th...

We've got a special treat for you today: an audio adventure from the new podcast "Kaboom" from the Apple Seed team. If you’ve been listening to the show for a while you may have heard some of our original audio drama adventures. They are highly produced, immersive stories made for the whole family to enjoy together, full of action and adventure, and they may even give your family some nice things...

A couple stories for Easter week, both recorded live in the Apple Seed Studio. (1:30) Alabama-based storyteller Dolores Hydock, about an early job she had working at a chocolate Easter Bunny factory. If she was expecting Lucille Ball-style chocolate factory hijinks, that was not exactly what she got. (19:48) The Reverend Robert B. Jones shares the story of blues musician Blind Willie Johnson and h...

Today's stories will take you on a trip back to the roller rink and to visit old friends. Both stories were recorded live in the Apple Seed Studio. (1:48) West Virginia storyteller Adam Booth a story called "Roll-a-Rama," and it's sure to send you right back to that feeling of freedom you had as a child when you went gliding around the roller skating rink. (18:45) Georgia storyteller Andy Offut Ir...

An ancient Scottish story and a comic sing-along, both recorded live in the Apple Seed Studio. (1:34) Kenyan/Scottish storyteller Mara Menzies shares a fairy tale from the British Isles, "The Tale of Tam Lin." The fairies in this story are not the cute and small ones we think of nowadays, and it speaks to the cost and complexity of holding onto love in extreme circumstances, like, say, the one you...

Stories from two beloved storytellers, both recorded live in the Apple Seed Studio. (3:42) Tall tale teller Bil Lepp delivers one of his classic stories about his misadventures with his buddy Skeeter in the tiny town of Half Dollar, West Virginia. It's a rowdy story involving a giant pumpkin and a rampaging bull he calls “Bored Gourd.” (21:46) Simon Brooks shares a story about a family trying to r...

Stories from two beloved storytellers: Kevin Kling and Josh Goforth. Both were recorded live in the Apple Seed Studio. (1:32) A Kevin Kling story is a rollercoaster ride—we’ll hear anecdotes and poetry, comedy and pathos—but in the end, you’ll hear something you want to hang onto and something you’ll want to share. This is a story he calls "Love Story." (20:00) Josh Goforth brings Appalachian musi...

We're back for Season 3 with new stories from a couple of favorite storytellers! Both stories were recorded live in the Apple Seed Studio. (1:16) Donald Davis recalls a time from his childhood when he and his brother thought they were too mature to have a babysitter in the story "Getting Rid of the Babysitter." (17:21) Lyn Ford tells how by age three she was already finding her calling as a storyt...

We're excited to announce that The Apple Seed will return for its third season on March 2! In anticipation of the new season, we're bringing you this bonus episode that focuses on the wonderful Minnesota storyteller Kevin Kling. While he was in our studios to record some stories in the Apple Seed Studio, he sat down with the producers of Constant Wonder, one of our sister podcasts from the BYUradi...

What's new on The Apple Seed? Get ready for a new era of stories and narratives to ignite the imagination and a spark new love of wonder, here on The Apple Seed!