I Quit My Podcast. Then the Listeners Came Back for Me!
Tell Me A Story is back! Here are the first two episodes!
The universe works in warm and wonderful ways, and when it tells you to do something, you better be listening.
A little over a year ago, I let my podcast Tell Me A Story go dormant. “There was just not enough time to do that, too,” I reasoned. However, there were listeners, and after they allowed me to wallow for a year and a half, they reached out and asked me to restart the podcast.
At the same time, newspapers and magazines were letting go of their children’s literature column, saying there were no readers. So, where does a person interested in Indian children’s literature turn for answers to their burning questions?
If you have ever wondered how an author came up with the idea for your child’s favourite book or why an illustrator chose to draw a character a particular way. Or even if you would like to listen to conversations around Indian children’s literature, then Tell Me A Story fills that void.
🎙️ That’s why Tell Me A Story is back. I record, host, edit, and publish each episode from a humble Zoom call—no fancy studios, no corporate backing. Just real conversations, with real creators, about the stories your kids will want to read. Yes, I do dream of a day when I can make a living off this podcast, but can’t a girl dream?
So here it is! Season 4 kicks off with a round table of sorts with 5 authors!
On a call, Bijal Vachharajani, Cyrus Broacha, Lavanya Karthik, Sadaf Siddique, and Sanjana Kapur came together to talk about their summer smash hit - The POFFS series of Funny Stories. The conversation, as expected, was hilarious, politically incorrect, and insightful!
CLICK TO LISTEN
In quick succession, came Episode 2 of Season 4
Is Indian Kidlit Scared of Horror? Featuring Sudeshna Shome Ghosh and Neil D’Silva
This episode explored why we are hesitant to introduce our children to the horror genre, especially when we grew up on a staple diet of Goosebumps and Edgar Allan Poe. Sudeshna spoke about the wide selection of horror fiction written in Bengali and how it shaped her childhood. Neil talked about the amazing collection of books in his father’s library and how no book was out of bounds for children to explore. We dove deep into how horror fiction actually helps reluctant readers, too! Add a rip-rolling rapid-fire round, and this is an episode you don’t want to miss!
✨ If you’re curious about what happens when five authors (Bijal Vachharajani, Cyrus Broacha, Lavanya Karthik, Sadaf Siddique, and Sanjana Kapur) get together to talk about funny stories…
✨ Or why we’re scared to let our kids read horror, even though we grew up on Goosebumps…
✨ Or what Indian kidlit needs right now…
🎧 Come listen to Season 4 here.
I hope you enjoyed reading this newsletter. I know I had fun putting it together for you! If you like what you read, please consider sharing it with a friend who will benefit. Help a parent raise a reader and tell them about Mother of Readers. You will be blessed with good book karma for life!
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See you soon!
Rati Girish