Storyshaped Susan Cahill & Sinéad O'Hart

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.

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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.

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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.

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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 website
Books mentioned in this week's episode include Ally's own (all published by Chicken House):
Black Powder
The Buried Crown
The Queen's Fool
Vita and the Gladiators
And the stories that shaped her include:
Winnie the Pooh, by A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard
My Naughty Little Sister, by Dorothy Edwards and Shirley Hughes
Charlie and Fred - stories made up by Ally's (wonderful) dad!
Just-So Stories, by Rudyard Kipling, especially The Elephant's Child
The Highwayman, by Alfred Noyes
Le Petit Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, by Joan Aiken
Black Hearts in Battersea, by Joan Aiken
Nightbirds on Nantucket, by Joan Aiken
A Small Pinch of Weather, by Joan Aiken
A Necklace of Raindrops, by Joan Aiken
A Traveller in Time, by Alison Uttley
The Ghost of Thomas Kempe, by Penelope Lively
Carrie's War, by Nina Bawden
The Wake, by Paul Kingsnorth
The Eagle of the Ninth, by Rosemary Sutcliff
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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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 Bible
Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes
Comics including The Beano, The Dandy, Topper, Rupert the Bear
Black Beauty, by Anna Sewell
The work of Jack Kerouac
The work of DH Lawrence
The short stories of Frank O'Connor
The Touch/An Teagmháil, by Liam O'Flaherty
The Majesty of the Law, by Frank O'Connor
The work of Seosamh MacGrianna
The work of W.M. Thackeray
The work of Jane Austen
The work of Pádraic Ó Conaire
The work of Seamus Delargy and the Irish Folklore Commission, including:
Leabhair Seán Uí Chonaill/Seán O'Connell's Book
The work of W. Somerset Maugham
The work of Thomas Kenneally
Cré 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.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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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 website
Books mentioned in this week's episode include Victoria's own:
The Boy With the Butterfly Mind
The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle
Hagstorm
War of the Wind
The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams
And the stories that shaped her include:
The Hobbit, by JRR Tolkien
Lord of the Rings, by JRR Tolkien
The work of Stephen King
The work of Monica Dickens
The Tripods, by John Christopher
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, aged 13 3/4, by Sue Townsend
The Hardy Boys (and later iterations), originally created and written by Franklin W. Dixon
Maps, atlases, and books about travel
The work of Jane Austen, the Brontes, Thomas Hardy, Charles Dickens
Harry Potter, by JK Rowling (these books set Victoria on the road to becoming a children's writer)
Treasures of the Snow, by Patricia St John
The Chrysalids, by John Wyndham
The work of MR James
Victorian Gothic Stories and Ghost stories (in general)
Rivet Boy, by Barbara Henderson
Euro Spies, by Lindsay Littleton
Haarville, by Justin Davies
Into the Faerie Hill, by HS Norup
The Silver Road, by Sinéad O'Hart
TV influences include:
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.