STORYBEAST

STORYBEAST
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A podcast for story lovers, Storybeast explores how we weave tales and why we love them. Co-hosts Ghabiba Weston and C. Shack chat with each other and legendary guests about different elements of various books, tv shows, plays, and other modalities to explore this fundamental aspect of humanity. Come for the story, stay for the snacks.

  1. 2D AGO

    Episode #120: Creating alongside mom guilt

    Welcome to another episode of Storybeast where Courtney Shack and Ghabiba Weston discuss the transformative power of story. In this episode, you'll hear about: the balance of ambition and mom guiltphases and emulation teaching you your boundaries how your creativity changes through different phasescelebrating and mourning at the same timewriting in the cracks of lifefeedback on our writer persona experimentjournaling through change For more storytelling content to your inbox,⁠⁠⁠ subscribe to our newsletter. Feel free to reach out if you want to talk story or snacks! A warm thank you to Deore for our musical number. You can find more of her creative work on Spotify. As ever, thank you for listening, Beasties! Please consider leaving a review to support this podcast. Be brave, stay beastly!

    44 min

  2. APR 2

    Episode #119: Planting your story garden with Legendary Ruth McKell

    Welcome to another LEGENDARY episode of Storybeast! Our Legendaries are special guests who are an expert within their area of storytelling. In this episode, Ghabiba Weston and Courtney Shack have the pleasure of interviewing legendary Ruth McKell. Ruth McKell writes haunting and hopeful tales she hopes will make your heart ache, just a little bit. Her debut, HONEY IN HER VEINS, has been described as "cottagecore with teeth." Steeped in Celtic folklore and set in the hills of Appalachia, this second-chance romance (releasing April 2026) stars a magical beekeeper with volatile magic and the death-touched man who broke her heart. When she's not channeling her passion for mental health awareness into magic-touched worlds on the page, you can find McKell in the mountains, thrifting second-hand treasures, or sipping on tea from her novice apothecary. *HONEY IN HER VEINS is out this April 7th* In this episode, you'll hear about: Celtic folk lore inspirationMcKell's debut, HONEY IN HER VEINSMcKell's research processwriting mental healthsecond chanceslove in all its formsgarden story analogiesFor more storytelling content to your inbox,⁠⁠⁠ subscribe to our newsletter. Feel free to reach out if you want to talk story or snacks! A warm thank you to Deore for our musical number. You can find more of her creative work on Spotify. As ever, thank you for listening, Beasties! Please consider leaving a review to support this podcast. Be brave, stay beastly!

    51 min

  3. MAR 26

    Episode #118: Saying hello to Imposter Syndrome

    Welcome to another episode of Storybeast where Courtney Shack and Ghabiba Weston discuss the transformative power of story. In this episode, you'll hear about: coming back to your story truthsitting with your imposter syndromewhen critical feedback has its value (and when it doesn't)the devil you knowsetting up your emotional environmentunlocking your process by shifting mediums, and how this can relieve the weight of expectationCourtney's writer uniform writer mathGabi making a commitment she immediately regrets (but she's gonna lock in okay) For more storytelling content to your inbox,⁠⁠⁠ subscribe to our newsletter. Feel free to reach out if you want to talk story or snacks! A warm thank you to Deore for our musical number. You can find more of her creative work on Spotify. As ever, thank you for listening, Beasties! Please consider leaving a review to support this podcast. Be brave, stay beastly!

    43 min

  4. MAR 19

    Episode #117: On avoiding the rabbit hole, winning rocks, and fitting your story car into its parking space, with Legendary Premee Mohamed

    Welcome to another LEGENDARY episode of Storybeast! Our Legendaries are special guests who are an expert within their area of storytelling. In this episode, Ghabiba Weston and Courtney Shack have the pleasure of interviewing legendary Premee Mohamed. Premee Mohamed is a Nebula, World Fantasy, Locus, Ignyte, and Aurora award-winning Indo-Caribbean scientist and speculative fiction author based in Edmonton, Alberta. She has also been a finalist for the Hugo, Ursula K. Le Guin, British Fantasy, British Science Fiction, and Crawford awards. In 2024, she was the Edmonton Public Library writer-in-residence. She is the author of the ‘Beneath the Rising’ series of novels as well as several novellas. Her short fiction has appeared in many venues and she can be found on her website at www.premeemohamed.com. In this episode, you'll hear: about the unity of impressionhow Premee determines if a story idea has legsPremee's way of setting up emotional arcs using an "end-feeling" with short form fiction and how this differs from her approach to novel length storiesabout inspiration and the trick to avoid falling down the rabbit holePremee's approach to writing interiorityPremee's advice on how to hone your writing craftabout Premee's latest book, THE FIRST THOUSAND TREESabout the cool winning of a rockthe easy yet addictive recipe for secret popcorn sauce For more storytelling content to your inbox,⁠⁠⁠ subscribe to our newsletter. Feel free to reach out if you want to talk story or snacks! A warm thank you to Deore for our musical number. You can find more of her creative work on Spotify. As ever, thank you for listening, Beasties! Please consider leaving a review to support this podcast. Be brave, stay beastly!

    1h 10m

  5. MAR 12

    Episode #116: Reverse outline your way forward

    Welcome to another episode of Storybeast where Courtney Shack and Ghabiba Weston discuss the transformative power of story. In this episode, you'll hear: Courtney's process of following Chelsea Abdullah's reverse outlineconsiderations on how to frame a revision approach to suit your needsbuilding your path to guide your next steps (esp. when life challenges your usual writing routine)the shiny outlinehow renaming can help with reframing For more storytelling content to your inbox,⁠⁠⁠ subscribe to our newsletter. Feel free to reach out if you want to talk story or snacks! A warm thank you to Deore for our musical number. You can find more of her creative work on Spotify. As ever, thank you for listening, Beasties! Please consider leaving a review to support this podcast. Be brave, stay beastly!

    39 min

  6. MAR 5

    Episode #115: On keeping your darlings, with Legendary Vajra Chandrasekera

    Welcome to another LEGENDARY episode of Storybeast! Our Legendaries are special guests who are an expert within their area of storytelling. In this episode, Ghabiba Weston and Courtney Shack have the pleasure of interviewing legendary Vajra Chandrasekera. Vajra Chandrasekera is from Colombo, Sri Lanka. His novels THE SAINT OF BRIGHT DOORS and RAKESFALL have between them won the Le Guin, Nebula, Ignyte, Locus, Crawford, and Otherwise awards, been selected as New York Times Notable Books of 2023 and 2024, and been nominated for many others, including the Hugo. He is one of the 2025-2026 Fellows of the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library.In this episode, you'll hear about: how Vajra conceptualizes storylistening to your instincts and not killing your darlingsleaning into your strengths the inspiration behind THE SAINT OF BRIGHT DOORSusing the full fantasy toolkit For more storytelling content to your inbox,⁠⁠⁠ subscribe to our newsletter. Feel free to reach out if you want to talk story or snacks! A warm thank you to Deore for our musical number. You can find more of her creative work on Spotify. As ever, thank you for listening, Beasties! Please consider leaving a review to support this podcast. Be brave, stay beastly!

    59 min

  7. FEB 26

    Episode #114: Tips to make your query shine

    Welcome to another episode of Storybeast where Courtney Shack and Ghabiba Weston discuss the transformative power of story. In this episode, you'll hear about: making sparkly listsquery word economymirroring truths from query to novel and backtension, stakes, and enticing character traitstapping into and reflecting your own joy For more storytelling content to your inbox,⁠⁠⁠ subscribe to our newsletter. Feel free to reach out if you want to talk story or snacks! A warm thank you to Deore for our musical number. You can find more of her creative work on Spotify. As ever, thank you for listening, Beasties! Please consider leaving a review to support this podcast. Be brave, stay beastly!

    49 min

  8. FEB 19

    Episode #113: On inspiration, space operas, and 100-dollar grapes, with Legendary A.D. Sui

    Welcome to another LEGENDARY episode of Storybeast! Our Legendaries are special guests who are an expert within their area of storytelling. In this episode, Ghabiba Weston and Courtney Shack have the pleasure of interviewing legendary A.D. Sui. A.D. Sui is a Ukrainian-born, internationally raised speculative writer. They are a Nebula winner, and an Aurora, and Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award finalist. They are the author of The Dragonfly Gambit (2024), The Iron Garden Sutra (2026), and more than two dozen short stories. A failed academic and retired fencer, they spend most days wrangling their two dogs and tending to their myriads of tropical plants. In this episode, you'll hear about: the inspiration behind THE DRAGONFLY GAMBITA.D.'s writing journeyTHE IRON GARDEN SUTRAnavigating the author branding spaceDrive to Survivewhere to find inspirationhow A.D. studies story100 dollar grapes For more storytelling content to your inbox,⁠⁠⁠ subscribe to our newsletter. Feel free to reach out if you want to talk story or snacks! A warm thank you to Deore for our musical number. You can find more of her creative work on Spotify. As ever, thank you for listening, Beasties! Please consider leaving a review to support this podcast. Be brave, stay beastly!

    1 hr
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

A podcast for story lovers, Storybeast explores how we weave tales and why we love them. Co-hosts Ghabiba Weston and C. Shack chat with each other and legendary guests about different elements of various books, tv shows, plays, and other modalities to explore this fundamental aspect of humanity. Come for the story, stay for the snacks.

Information

  • Creator
    STORYBEAST
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    121
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © STORYBEAST
  • Show Website
    STORYBEAST

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