Story Spelunking

Sierra Allred & Stephanie Wright
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Arts
  • Bimonthly

Anything with a narrative can have depths worth exploring. There’s no better way to explore them than in needlessly deep conversations with your friends. As your new friends, we’ll be diving into books, movies, music, and TV shows, even if at first glance they don’t seem worth exploring. Join us for new episodes, new stories, new spelunks two Wednesdays a month!

Episodes

  1. 06/17/2025

    #10: Super Troupers and Pop Music as Autobiography

    Disco! Drama! Divorce! Nothing brings these things together like Swedish pop icons ABBA. Like many musicians, the band used their music as an outlet to express the turmoils and triumphs of their real lives. Unlike many musicians, however, ABBA’s medium was pop. Come with us on a journey into the storied history of the making of the 1980 album Super Troupers. ------------------------- *Songs that Straight Up Love the Moon Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1pjRwUdK9BjHx8QGyo8XzH?si=2d474ea7735b44e4 *Subjective Sounds Album Review of Super Troupers: https://www.subjectivesounds.com/musicblog/abba-super-trouper-album-review*Pop Magazine Article about Super Troupers: https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/super-trouper-abba-album/*Independent Article about Paris Syndrome: https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/what-is-paris-syndrome-b2477677.html

    #10: Super Troupers and Pop Music as Autobiography

  2. 05/27/2025

    #9: A New Hope and the Hero's Journey

    From Gilgamesh to Frodo and Odysseus to Harry Potter, there is nothing new under the sun when it comes to the narrative journey great heroes must take. Pop cinema revolutionary George Lucas knew this well when creating 1977's A New Hope. Join us as we take a shallow dip into the bottomless waters of exploring Star Wars to find out just how deeply ingrained the Hero’s Journey is into this story. ------- Episode Sources: The Closer Look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDTOD94YRpYHan's Realization: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ami5FpSWchoComparison of Obi Wan's Screams: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_O-Fdf2-8Z4Hollywood Reporter Article: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/star-wars-mark-hamill-unaware-carrie-fisher-harrison-ford-affair-953831/ Stephanie's Further Readings: The World According to Star Wars by Cass R. SunsteinLight and Magic - A documentary about ILM on Disney+ Sierra's Further Readings: George Lucas: A Life by Brian Jay Jones12 Stages of the Hero's Journey - Christopher Vogler: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNNaMuBOxv4QUEEN Carrie Fisher's Writings: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/627235-anyway-george-comes-up-to-me-the-first-day-of

    #9: A New Hope and the Hero's Journey

  3. 04/30/2025

    #8: Fourth Wing and the Search for Objective Good on Booktok

    From CW dialogue and illogical world building to interesting perspectives on history and genuine disability representation, it’s time to explore Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. We seek to scratch the surface of one question: Can this booktok famous, romantasy bestseller objectively be considered good? Find out in our most chaotic and sleep deprived episode yet! --------- Recommended Reading Soundtrack: Forgotten Odes by Eternal Eclipse Stephanie's Further Reading: Prince and the PauperOliver TwistLittle DorritTale of Two CitiesLord of the Rings (specifically the audiobooks read by Andy Serkis)Salt to the Sea by Ruta SepetysInkheart by Cornelia Funke Si's Further Reading: FANTOMINA: Or, Love in a Maze by Eliza HaywoodJane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (specifically the audible original read by Thandiwe NewtonThe short stories of Katherine Anne PorterSave me the Waltz by Zelda Fitzgerald

    #8: Fourth Wing and the Search for Objective Good on Booktok

  4. 04/09/2025

    Ep. 7: Little Women vs Little Women: The Battle of Adaptations

    Little Women and Jo's Boys, one and all, welcome! Today in the octagon, we will be listening as two adaptations of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, 1994 and 2019, compare and contrast narrative framing, color grading, and character work. Stay tuned to see who comes out on top!

    Ep. 7: Little Women vs Little Women: The Battle of Adaptations

  5. 03/26/2025

    Ep. 6: Hacksaw Ridge and the Heroics of Objection

    “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” - John 15:13. No one embodied this verse more than Desmond T. Doss. In this sixth exploration, we will be diving into the film Hacksaw Ridge, depicting the life and actions of this Medal of Honor recipient. We’ll be examining the nature of his heroism as a conscientious objector who served on the frontline during WWII and what this topic means to Stephanie.

    Ep. 6: Hacksaw Ridge and the Heroics of Objection

  6. 03/12/2025

    Ep. 5: All this Bad Blood and the Concept Album as a Narrative

    To understand Bastille’s All this Bad Blood, we must first enter the dark depths of an early 2010s Hot Topic teen’s mind and crawl back through the tunnels of literature into classical antiquity and Elizabethan England. Join us as we explore how this incredible concept album weaves so many themes from the vast repertoire of Western Civilization together into one cohesive narrative. Are you ready to brave songs, sonnets, and scores?

    Ep. 5: All this Bad Blood and the Concept Album as a Narrative

  7. 02/26/2025

    Ep. 4: John Williams, Indiana Jones, and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

    Iconic! Is there any other way to describe a cinematic scoring legend like John Williams? In today’s exploration of 1981’s Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, we will be diving into this exciting narrative and how Williams’ score recalls the sound of Hollywood’s Golden Age. And what kind of episode would it be without a few soapboxes, a few score corners, and finding out who among us shares a birthday with the legend himself?

    Ep. 4: John Williams, Indiana Jones, and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

  8. 02/15/2025

    Ep. 3: My Happy Marriage and the Empowerment of a Cinderella Story

    In our Valentine's Day special, we will be exploring the depths of a quintessential Cinderella story with Japanese twists and supernatural turns in Netflix’s My Happy Marriage. Alongside a dive into the story itself, we’ll be getting up onto the soap box of why Valentine’s Day is Sierra’s second favorite holiday, why Stephanie begrudgingly enjoyed a romance story, and why this is a realistic depiction of trauma.

    Ep. 3: My Happy Marriage and the Empowerment of a Cinderella Story

  9. 01/29/2025

    Ep. 2: Anastasia and the Wonders of Historical Fantasy

    Breathtaking animation, witty banter, a beautiful score, and so, so much more! Today, we will be digging into a truly underrated masterpiece: Don Bluth and Gary Goldman’s Anastasia!

  10. 01/15/2025

    Ep. 1: Harry Potter and the Building of Lifelong Friendships

    In the first ever episode of Story Spelunking, we will be exploring Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and diving into just how foundational friendship is to the story itself. And who knows? We might tunnel back into how this story catapulted our friendship to lifelong status while we’re at it!

    Ep. 1: Harry Potter and the Building of Lifelong Friendships
  • 10 Episodes

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Anything with a narrative can have depths worth exploring. There’s no better way to explore them than in needlessly deep conversations with your friends. As your new friends, we’ll be diving into books, movies, music, and TV shows, even if at first glance they don’t seem worth exploring. Join us for new episodes, new stories, new spelunks two Wednesdays a month!

Information

  • Creator
    Sierra Allred & Stephanie Wright
  • Years Active
    2025
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Sierra Allred & Stephanie Wright
  • Show Website
    Story Spelunking