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Storyshaped

Getting Storyshaped With Rebecca Schiller

Season 2, Ep. 10

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.




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  • 2. Getting Storyshaped with Cariad Lloyd

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  • 17. SEASON FINALE: Getting Storyshaped With SF Said

    01:01:49||Season 2, Ep. 17
    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 PawThe Outlaw Varjak PawPhoenixTyger (all published by David Fickling Books)And the stories which shaped him include:The Cat in the Hat, by Dr SeussThe Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-ExupéryOn Liberty, by John Stuart MillThe work of William BlakeComics, including:MarvelAsterixTintinPeanutsMad MagazineCalvin & HobbesWatership Down, by Richard AdamsThe Sandman, by Neil Gaiman and various artists (incl. Dave McKean)Cages, written and illustrated by Dave McKeanA Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K Le GuinHis Dark Materials, by Philip PullmanNoughts and Crosses, by Malorie BlackmanSkellig, by David AlmondJourney Back to Freedom, by Catherine JohnsonThe Essays of C.S. LewisThe Letters of JRR TolkienThe work of George MacDonald, including The Princess and the GoblinThe work of William MorrisThe work of Lord Dunsany (1878-1957)Film and TV:Star WarsStar TrekOur podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ieIn 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.
  • 16. Getting Storyshaped With Ann Sei Lin

    52:53||Season 2, Ep. 16
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  • 14. Getting Storyshaped With Ally Sherrick

    01:00:06||Season 2, Ep. 14
    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 websiteBooks mentioned in this week's episode include Ally's own (all published by Chicken House):Black PowderThe Buried CrownThe Queen's FoolVita and the GladiatorsAnd the stories that shaped her include:Winnie the Pooh, by A.A. Milne and E.H. ShepardMy Naughty Little Sister, by Dorothy Edwards and Shirley HughesCharlie and Fred - stories made up by Ally's (wonderful) dad!Just-So Stories, by Rudyard Kipling, especially The Elephant's ChildThe Highwayman, by Alfred NoyesLe Petit Prince, by Antoine de Saint-ExupéryThe Wolves of Willoughby Chase, by Joan AikenBlack Hearts in Battersea, by Joan AikenNightbirds on Nantucket, by Joan AikenA Small Pinch of Weather, by Joan AikenA Necklace of Raindrops, by Joan AikenA Traveller in Time, by Alison UttleyThe Ghost of Thomas Kempe, by Penelope LivelyCarrie's War, by Nina BawdenThe Wake, by Paul KingsnorthThe Eagle of the Ninth, by Rosemary SutcliffOur podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ieIn 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.
  • 13. Getting Storyshaped With Alan Titley

    01:04:59||Season 2, Ep. 13
    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 BibleDon Quixote, by Miguel de CervantesComics including The Beano, The Dandy, Topper, Rupert the BearBlack Beauty, by Anna SewellThe work of Jack KerouacThe work of DH LawrenceThe short stories of Frank O'ConnorThe Touch/An Teagmháil, by Liam O'FlahertyThe Majesty of the Law, by Frank O'ConnorThe work of Seosamh MacGriannaThe work of W.M. ThackerayThe work of Jane AustenThe work of Pádraic Ó ConaireThe work of Seamus Delargy and the Irish Folklore Commission, including:Leabhair Seán Uí Chonaill/Seán O'Connell's BookThe work of W. Somerset MaughamThe work of Thomas KenneallyCré 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.ieIn 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.
  • 12. Getting Storyshaped With Victoria Williamson

    01:00:55||Season 2, Ep. 12
    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 websiteBooks mentioned in this week's episode include Victoria's own:The Boy With the Butterfly MindThe Fox Girl and the White GazelleHagstormWar of the WindThe Pawnshop of Stolen DreamsAnd the stories that shaped her include:The Hobbit, by JRR TolkienLord of the Rings, by JRR TolkienThe work of Stephen KingThe work of Monica DickensThe Tripods, by John ChristopherThe Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, aged 13 3/4, by Sue TownsendThe Hardy Boys (and later iterations), originally created and written by Franklin W. DixonMaps, atlases, and books about travelThe work of Jane Austen, the Brontes, Thomas Hardy, Charles DickensHarry Potter, by JK Rowling (these books set Victoria on the road to becoming a children's writer)Treasures of the Snow, by Patricia St JohnThe Chrysalids, by John WyndhamThe work of MR JamesVictorian Gothic Stories and Ghost stories (in general)Rivet Boy, by Barbara HendersonEuro Spies, by Lindsay LittletonHaarville, by Justin DaviesInto the Faerie Hill, by HS NorupThe Silver Road, by Sinéad O'HartTV influences include:Star TrekOur podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ieIn 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.
  • 11. Getting Storyshaped With Louie Stowell

    01:04:15||Season 2, Ep. 11
    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 websiteBooks mentioned in this week's episode include Louie's own:The Dragon in the LibraryThe Monster in the LakeThe Wizard in the WoodOtherlandLoki: A Bad God's Guide to Being GoodLoki: A Bad God's Guide to Taking the BlameLoki: A Bad God's Guide to Ruling the WorldAnd the stories which shaped her include:Norse Myths that Shaped the Way We Think, by Carolyne LarringtonThe League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, by Alan MooreComics including:Superman and BatmanThe Dark Knight Returns2000 ADOinkHalo JonesBumble and Snug, by Mark BradleyThe Rivers of London, by Ben AaronovitchNeverwhere, by Neil GaimanThe City and the City, by China MiévilleThe Books of Magic, by Neil Gaiman and various artistsThe Expanse (series), by James S.A. CoreyChutzpah, by Jan MarkHairs on the Palm of the Hand, by Jan MarkJust William, by Richmal CromptonThe Tripods, by John ChristopherSpace Hostages, by Nicholas FiskThe Lord of the Rings, by JRR TolkienParadise Lost, by John MiltonThe Screwtape Letters, by C.S. LewisThe Light Between Worlds, by Laura E. WeymouthOther media:A BBC Radio Play of The Lord of the RingsThe 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 WickedThe best version of LOTR ever (according to Louie)Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ieIn 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.