Storyshaped
Episodes
Getting Storyshaped with Paddy Donnelly
19 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We finally managed to get a chance to chat to Paddy Donnelly, and we're thrilled about it! Paddy's been on our 'MUST HAVE' guest-list since the podcas...
Getting Storyshaped with Alison King
05 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Today's episode is a special World Book Day celebratory release, where we had the JOY of chatting to school librarian, CILIP Judge and Chair-Elect, an...
Getting Storyshaped With Fleur Hitchcock
26 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we got to speak to the Queen of Crime herself, Fleur Hitchcock! Fleur shared some of her brilliant tips and tricks to writing her novels, a...
Getting Storyshaped with Sarah Webb
12 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We finally managed to sit down with Sarah Webb, the Queen of Irish Kidlit, on today's episode. Join us for a fun stroll through the ups and downs of h...
Getting Storyshaped With Gráinne O'Brien
04 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gráinne O'Brien is no stranger to anyone on the Irish book scene! A bookseller, a creative writing coach, and a published author, she released her de...
Getting Storyshaped With Eve Wersocki Morris
27 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Eve Wersocki Morris has been called 'the best-kept secret in children's publishing' by no less than Lemony Snicket himself, so who are we to argue! We...
Getting Storyshaped with Peter Donnelly
13 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We were thrilled to get the chance to sit down with Peter Donnelly, one of Ireland's foremost illustrators and picturebook makers, to discuss life, wo...
Getting Storyshaped With Nathanael (Nate) Lessore
06 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Get ready to pull on your nonsense shoes and go dancing on the kooky side of the street as we chat to the brilliant Nathanael (Nate) Lessore, author o...
Getting Storyshaped With Kel Menton
16 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This Storyshaped chat is a feast for the soul. We were delighted to get a chance to sit down with Kel Menton, debut author, and talk to them all about...
Getting Storyshaped with Dr Darren Chetty and Prof Karen Sands-O'Connor
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We were privileged today to speak to the authors of the brilliant essay anthology, Beyond the Secret Garden, which is a vital critique of the current ...
Getting Storyshaped with Kieran Larwood
18 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We don't have *much* in common with the Terminator around here, it must be said, but one of the things we do share is this: we come back. So, here we ...
SPECIAL MINI-SODE: Irish KidLit For Palestine
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this special mini-sode of Storyshaped, I (Sinéad) sat down with Ruth Ennis (writer, book-expert, book reviewer, general Queen of Irish children's ...
SEASON FINALE: Getting Storyshaped With Patrice Lawrence
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
So, if we sound a bit giddy on this week's episode, that's because we were! Head-whirlingly, we got to speak to Patrice Actual Lawrence, who is one of...
Getting Storyshaped With Julie Sykes
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we were honoured to speak to an undisputable Queen of Children's Literature - Julie Sykes! Julie is the author of well over a hundred books...
Getting Storyshaped With Mariesa Dulak
01 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We had a totally magical walk through picturebook author Mariesa Dulak's Storyshaped life on the podcast today, which took us all the way from Barbado...
Getting Storyshaped With Ellen Ryan
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Well - whew! Get ready for this week's episode, Storyshapers, because it's a whirlwind of mythology, folklore, history, archaeology and magic, all tha...
Getting Storyshaped With Catherine (Catie) Wilkins
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we had the JOY of chatting to the very funny, very talented, very lovely Catherine Wilkins (or you might know her as Catie, if you're a fan...
Getting Storyshaped With Helen Peters
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We've only gone and snagged the fantastic, prolific, and very wonderful Helen Peters for the podcast - and it's her turn in the hotseat today! We were...
Getting Storyshaped With Alastair Chisholm
27 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we welcome Alastair Chisholm - yes, only the brilliant, prolific, award-winning, award-nominated picturebook and middle grade author - to t...
Getting Storyshaped with Celine Kiernan
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We were beside ourselves with glee this week as we sat for a chat with the brilliant Celine Kiernan, an artist who has been influencing - and Storysha...
Getting Storyshaped With AF Harrold
13 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is one we've been hoping for since the beginning of the podcast! Today, we have the chance to sit down with the inexpressibly brilliant A...
Getting Storyshaped with RAMZEE
06 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine you found a book that had the answers to LITERALLY EVERYTHING? A book that could help you 'cheat' your way out of all situations, no matter ho...
Getting Storyshaped with Jennifer Claessen
27 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We were lucky to get this chance to have a chat on the fly with the super-busy Jennifer Claessen - she was between school visits on the day we spoke t...
Getting Storyshaped With Peter Bunzl
13 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, it's our treat to talk to the prolific Peter Bunzl, whose books are packed with imagination, heart, and a whirling sense of adventure. We c...
Getting Storyshaped with Sharada Keats
06 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we're sitting down (on a gorgeously tropical beach, no less) with debut YA author Sharada Keats. Sharada's book These Stolen Lives is a gri...
Getting Storyshaped with Ian Eagleton
30 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We had the immense privilege of speaking with prolific author Ian Eagleton this week on Storyshaped, and it was a heartfelt, moving, and very fun conv...
Getting Storyshaped with Clara Kumagai
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever wondered what would happen if time started to go a bit wibbly-wobbly? How it might affect the planet, the seasons, wildlife, populations...
A Belated Q&A Episode: Part 2
16 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Annnnnd here you go! Part Two of our long-awaited* Questions and Answers episode, where we tackle some of the fiendishly difficult queries sent in by ...
A Belated Q&A Episode: Part 1
09 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're nothing if not PROFESSIONAL and TIMELY around here... Oh, yes! *cough*Yeah, all right. So, on occasion, we do slip up a bit with the whole 'orga...
A Deep Dive into Joan Aiken's The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
26 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Get settled into your favourite chair, a glass of whatever pleases you in hand, and come with us on a journey through Joan Aiken's tiny masterpiece, T...
Getting Storyshaped with Cariad Lloyd
19 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today's episode is a chat with the brilliant Cariad Lloyd - podcaster extraordinaire (make sure to check out her award-winning and brilliant shows Sar...
Epic Christmas Gift Guide
12 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
WE'RE BACK, Storyshapers!Today's episode is a MEGA AWESOME EPIC BUMPER Christmas gift guide - and when we say 'gift', we mean 'books'. Obviously. We'r...
SEASON FINALE: Getting Storyshaped With SF Said
13 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 brillia...
Getting Storyshaped With Ann Sei Lin
06 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 s...
Getting Storyshaped With Alice Ross
29 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 jo...
Getting Storyshaped With Ally Sherrick
22 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Getting Storyshaped With Alan Titley
15 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week we're talking to Alan Titley - emeritus professor, scholar, author, dramaturg, teacher, folklorist, journalist, seanchaí (storyteller) - ab...
Getting Storyshaped With Victoria Williamson
08 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 i...
Getting Storyshaped With Louie Stowell
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Join us this week for an absolutely nerd-licious chat with the BRILLIANT Louie Stowell, whose writerly output is too great to be enumerated. She has w...
Getting Storyshaped With Rebecca Schiller
25 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A slightly different vibe for today's Storyshaped! We're sitting down with Rebecca Schiller - smallholder, parent, memoirist, creative writing teacher...
Getting Storyshaped With Jenny McLachlan
18 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Well, this was a hoot - as you'd expect from a guest like Jenny McLachlan, author of the BRILLIANT, bestselling ROAR books, as well as Dead Good Detec...
Getting Storyshaped With Jasbinder Bilan
11 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We had great fun this week sitting down with award-winning author Jasbinder Bilan on the podcast! We discussed her formation in India and Britain, the...
Getting Storyshaped With Leona Forde
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sinéad had the great privilege of sitting down with Leona Forde this week! Leona's the author of the brilliant Milly McCarthy series (Gill Books), in...
Getting Storyshaped With Vashti Hardy
27 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we had the joy of sitting down with Vashti Hardy, author of some of our *favourite* books of all time, to discuss the stories that have sha...
Getting Storyshaped with H.S. Norup
20 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we're speaking with the lovely H.S. (Helle) Norup about the stories which shaped her, and it's a stroll through folklore, faerie hills, and...
Getting Storyshaped with Julie Pike
13 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week we're sitting down with Julie Pike, the author of the fantastical, magical, exciting (and slightly gruesome-but-great!) MG novel The Last Sp...
Getting Storyshaped With Sabine Adeyinka
06 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For this episode, get ready to giggle! We had so much fun talking to Sabine Adeyinka, where we discuss boarding school stories from Nigeria to the UK,...
Getting Storyshaped With Frances Hardinge
30 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we lose the run of ourselves (verrrry slightly) as we sit down with an undisputed legend - Frances Hardinge. Frances is the author of ten a...
A Deep Dive into Pat O'Shea's The Hounds of the Mórrígan
23 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
WELCOME TO SEASON 2!Storyshaped is back - and we're landing with a bang. We open Season 2 with a Deep Dive into one of the most significant books in t...
A Deep Dive into Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising
22 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week - the final episode of Season 1, Storyshaped fans! - Susan and Sinéad are indulging themselves with a Deep Dive into one of the books that ...
Getting Storyshaped With Sharon Gosling
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We have the splendid pleasure of speaking with Sharon Gosling this week on the podcast - yes, only the author of one of our absolute favourite books o...
Getting Storyshaped With M.G. Leonard
08 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today's guest is the BRILLIANT M.G. Leonard, author of some of the best books for young children available today. Her books have been personally inspi...
Getting Storyshaped With Efua Traoré
01 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's Thursday, which means we've got another wonderful Storyshaped podcast for you all! We're speaking with the incredible Efua Traoré, author of Chi...
Getting Storyshaped with Katharine and Liz Corr
24 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Susan and Sinéad are welcoming two authors for the price of one - sisters Katharine and Liz Corr are here to tell us all about their marve...
Getting Storyshaped With Debbie Thomas
17 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week's guest is the wonderful Debbie Thomas! Susan and Sinéad had so much fun chatting to Debbie, who was full of wisdom and wit as we discussed...
Getting Storyshaped With Aislinn O'Loughlin
10 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week we're welcoming the fantastic Aislinn O'Loughlin to the podcast, where we talk about things like: how it feels to be a published author in y...
Getting Storyshaped With Nicola Colton
03 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode of Storyshaped, come hunting for the Sweet Tree with Nicola Colton...Nicola is an Irish author and illustrator living in Bristo...
Getting Storyshaped With Louise O'Neill
27 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
DISCLAIMER/CONTENT WARNING: This episode of Storyshaped includes some discussion of adult themes and topics, including eating disorders, and may be be...
Getting Storyshaped with Sam Thompson
20 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's not every day you get to talk to an author who's been longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, but today Susan and Sinéad get to do just that! We're...
BONUS EPISODE! Celebrating Irish Book Week - an Interview With Sinéad O'Hart
17 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Don't say we never spoil you! Sit back and enjoy this BONUS Storyshaped Podcast episode, recorded to celebrate Irish Book Week, which is running from ...
Getting Storyshaped With Nicola Penfold
13 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What a treat we have for you all this week, Storyshaped fans! This week, we're talking to Nicola Penfold, the brilliant author of Where the World Turn...
Getting Storyshaped With ER Murray
06 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Susan and Sinéad welcome the fantastic ER (Elizabeth) Murray to the podcast, for a freewheeling and wide-ranging discussion about how book...
Getting Storyshaped With Helenka Stachera
29 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week's episode sees Sinéad having a fantastically wide-ranging discussion with the brilliant Helenka Stachera, author of The Ice Whisperers and ...
Getting Storyshaped with Sadhbh Devlin
22 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today's podcast is a wonderful chat with the bilingual author Sadhbh Devlin, whose Irish-language picturebooks have established her as a leading light...
Getting Storyshaped with Paul Coomey
15 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we welcome Paul Coomey to the podcast! He's an author/illustrator, originally from Cork (like our very own Susan) and now living in the UK ...
Getting Storyshaped With Eve McDonnell
08 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our special guest on Storyshaped today is children's author and artist Eve McDonnell!Eve has written the exquisite Elsetime (published by Everything W...
Getting Storyshaped With Olivia Hope
01 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We're delighted to welcome our very first guest to Storyshaped! Today, we're talking to Olivia Hope, author of the brilliant picturebook Be Wild, Litt...
Minipod: Head-to-Head Book Battle
25 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's a minipod! Susan and Sinéad are sort of on holiday this week, so this wee podcast is designed to keep you ticking over until we're back again wi...
A Deep Dive into Catherine Storr's Marianne Dreams
18 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Susan and Sinéad revisit a book which haunted both their childhoods - Catherine Storr's 1958 fantasy classic Marianne Dreams. We get...
A Deep Dive into Diana Wynne Jones' Charmed Life
11 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Susan and Sinéad do a deep dive into one of Susan's 'soul book's - Diana Wynne Jones' classic Charmed Life. Come with us as we discu...
A Deep Dive into Alan Garner's Elidor
04 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On this inaugural episode, join your hosts Susan Cahill and Sinéad O'Hart as they discuss Alan Garner's 1965 novel Elidor, a book which has meant a g...
The Story Behind Storyshaped
28 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Storyshaped, the pocast all about the power of stories to shape lives and change the world. Come with us on our journey into the magic of w...