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.