Shows
The Crane Bag PodcastRobert Frost: "Directive"An exploration of Robert Frost's poem "Directive" by poet, storyteller, and musician Jay Leeming. www.JayLeeming.com2025-07-2929 minThe Crane Bag PodcastOisin in the Land of Tir Na NogThe epic of the Irish hero Finn MacCool (Fionn MacCumhail) comes to a close in this story brought to life by performance storyteller Jay Leeming. www.JayLeeming.com2025-07-221h 00The Crane Bag PodcastEmily Dickinson: "I heard a fly buzz when I died"An exploration of Emily Dickinson's poem "I heard a fly buzz when I died" by poet, storyteller and musician Jay Leeming. www.JayLeeming.com2025-07-1523 minThe Crane Bag PodcastJames Wright: "Goodbye to the Poetry of Calcium"An exploration of James Wright's poem "Goodbye to the Poetry of Calcium" by poet, storyteller, and musician Jay Leeming. www.JayLeeming.com2025-07-0819 minThe Crane Bag PodcastThe Iliad, Part Six: Achilles Among the Dancing GirlsBefore you go to war, it's probably best to spend a year living as a dancing girl on the island of Skyros. That's the wisdom which this beautiful story brings to us, just in time for us to put on our own dancing shoes and sing our way into the deepening wilderness of this epic brought to life by performance storyteller Jay Leeming. www.JayLeeming.com2025-05-2754 minThe Crane Bag PodcastSteve Scafidi Interview: "What if Faulkner is Wrong and We Do Not Endure or Prevail"An interview with the poet Steve Scafidi, who reads his poem "What if Faulkner is Wrong and We Do Not Endure or Prevail" and discusses laughter, oblivion, religion, high school, and poetry with host Jay Leeming. www.JayLeeming.com2025-04-1531 minThe Crane Bag PodcastPablo Neruda: "Ode to My Socks"The odes of Pablo Neruda explored by poet and storyteller Jay Leeming. www.JayLeeming.com2025-02-2424 minThe Crane Bag PodcastThe Iliad Part Three: Paris, the Sea-Dragon, and the Prophecies of CassandraThe epic of the Iliad brought to life by performance storyteller Jay Leeming. www.JayLeeming.com2025-02-1847 minThe Crane Bag PodcastThe Iliad Part Two: The Judgement of ParisThe epic of the Iliad, brought to life by performance storyteller Jay Leeming. www.JayLeeming.com2025-01-2842 minThe Crane Bag PodcastThe Iliad Part One: Prometheus, Paris, and the Goddess of Deep WaterPerformance storyteller Jay Leeming brings the sprawling epic of the Iliad alive with all of its birds, thunder, and goddesses intact. www.JayLeeming.co2025-01-021h 03The Crane Bag PodcastEpisode #123: The Birth of OisinOnce again Finn MacCool stumbles into relationship with the Otherworld, in this story from the Irish Finn cycle brought to life by performance storyteller Jay Leeming. www.JayLeeming.com2024-10-3125 minThe Crane Bag PodcastEpisode #119: Finn MacCool and the FomoriansHere's a rowdy dream-vision involving a house thatched with feathers, pigs that never die and a sea-god for whom story is the fire that warms his house; it's the journey of King Cormac into the Otherworld as brought to life by performance storyteller Jay Leeming. www.JayLeeming.com2024-09-201h 03The Crane Bag PodcastEpisode #118: Talking About the Mahabharata With Geetha ReddyStoryteller Jay Leeming and playwright Geetha Reddy discuss her recent adaptation of the Mahabharata.2024-08-2052 minThe Crane Bag PodcastEpisode #117: The Boyhood of Finn MacCool, Part TwoThe Irish epic of Finn MacCool, brought to life by performance storyteller Jay Leeming. www.JayLeeming.com2024-08-0743 minThe Crane Bag PodcastEpisode #116: The Boyhood of Finn MacCool, Part OneThe Irish epic of Finn MacCool brought to life by performance storyteller Jay Leeming. www.JayLeeming.com 2024-08-0759 minThe Crane Bag PodcastEpisode #115: Girl Meets Wolf: Exploring "Red Riding Hood"There's trouble out there, big nasty toothy trouble and this life isn't just sitting with bread and honey by a warm fire. That's the truth expressed in this age-old narrative of innocence becoming wisdom, a primal building-block of story explored by storyteller Jay Leeming and who knows if on the way we might also meet the Buddha on the road? www.JayLeeming.com2024-05-0232 min
The Crane Bag PodcastThe Odyssey Part One: Feasting the Sea-GodThe epic of the Odyssey brought to life by performance storyteller Jay Leeming. www.JayLeeming.com2024-05-0255 minThe Crane Bag PodcastSongbox #1: Odysseus, Guslar and the Belly of the worldA live and unscripted riff on hunger, myth, and the origins of poetry by performance storyteller Jay Leeming, unedited and rowdy as an apple on a branch. www.JayLeeming.com 2024-04-1844 minThe Crane Bag PodcastThe Odyssey Part Eleven: The Rooted BedThe Odyssey brought to life by performance storyteller Jay Leeming. www.JayLeeming.com2024-03-011h 00The Crane Bag PodcastThe Odyssey Part Ten: Once I Went HuntingThe Odyssey brought to life by performance storyteller Jay Leeming. www.JayLeeming.com2024-03-011h 01The Crane Bag PodcastThe Odyssey Part Nine: Now You Must Be Someone ElseThe Odyssey brought to life by performance storyteller Jay Leeming. www.JayLeeming.com2024-03-0158 minThe Crane Bag PodcastOdyssey Part Seven: Blood for GhostsThe Odyssey brought to life by performance storyteller Jay Leeming. www.JayLeeming.com2024-03-0155 min
The Crane Bag PodcastThe Odyssey Part Five: My Name is NobodyThe epic of the Odyssey brought to life by performance storyteller Jay Leeming. www.JayLeeming.com2024-02-161h 00
The Crane Bag PodcastThe Odyssey Part Four: Welcome, StrangerThe epic of the Odyssey brought to life by performance storyteller Jay Leeming. www.JayLeeming.com2024-02-161h 01
The Crane Bag PodcastThe Odyssey Part Three: Some Say He is My FatherThe epic of the Odyssey brought to life by performance storyteller Jay Leeming. www.JayLeeming.com2024-02-1645 min
The Crane Bag PodcastThe Odyssey Part Two: The Kingdom of Rust and HoneyThe epic of the Odyssey brought to life by performance storyteller Jay Leeming. www.JayLeeming.com2024-02-1641 minThe Crane Bag PodcastOdyssey Part Eight: A Song You Must Not HearThe Odyssey as brought to life by performance storyteller and poet Jay Leeming.2024-02-151h 01The Crane Bag PodcastThe Odyssey Part Six: With a Hawk Feather in Her HairJay Leeming tells Part Six of the Odyssey.2024-02-151h 11The Crane Bag PodcastStoryteller Daniel Morden interviewed by Jay LeemingJay Leeming interviews the Welsh storyteller Daniel Morden about the Odyssey, his path to storytelling, and much more. 2023-09-281h 22The Crane Bag PodcastThe Mahabharata Part Sixteen: The Journey to the OtherworldThe age of Kali begins, kingdoms are destroyed and Yudishtira and his brothers set out for the otherworld, all in this final episode of the Mahabharata as told by performance storyteller Jay Leeming.2023-08-291h 13The Crane Bag PodcastThe Mahabharata Part Eleven: Krishna's Last EffortsThe Kurus and the Pandavas hurtle towards a war which it seems cannot be stopped, though Krishna does everything in his power to prevent it in this episode of the Mahabharata as brought to life by performance storyteller Jay Leeming.2023-03-221h 12The Crane Bag PodcastThe Mahabharata Part Ten: In the Court of King VirataThe epic of the Mahabharata brought to life by performance storyteller Jay Leeming through the power of music and the spoken word. 2023-03-171h 10The Crane Bag PodcastEpisode 87: Persephone, Queen of the UnderworldDown we go, down the roots of this bright flower-loud world into the depths of the winter kingdom ruled by Hades himself. "The glacier knocks in the cupboard / the desert sighs in the bed / and the crack in the teacup opens / a lane to the land of the dead." So wrote the poet W.H. Auden, and by cracks and brokenness we learn who we are-- though the journey might also involve cattle-rustling, a mouthy youngster and the invention of the lyre. Let us go!2023-03-1459 minThe Crane Bag PodcastThe Mahabharata Part Nine: Draupadi and the Jambul TreePrincess Draupadi and the five sons of Pandu confront the limits of their powers in a wilderness alive with magical beings, rakshasas, and speaking trees in this episode of "The Mahabharata" as brought to life by performance storyteller Jay Leeming. www.JayLeeming.com www.Patreon.com/StoryJL2023-03-131h 00The Crane Bag PodcastThe Mahabharata Part Eight: The Search for WeaponsPerformance storyteller Jay Leeming brings to life the Indian epic of the Mahabharata through music and the power of the spoken word. In this part of our story the Pandavas encounter powers greater than any they have encountered before; non-human powers who school them in humility and weakness. Along the way they meet the monkey god Hanuman, the sage Parashurama and the ageless seer Markandeya who gives them a glimpse of the end of the world. www.JayLeeming.com www.Patreon.com/StoryJL2023-03-051h 07The Crane Bag PodcastEpisode 84: The Mahabharata Part Seven: Into the ForestPrincess Draupadi and the five sons of Pandu leave their kingdom behind and begin their thirteen-year exile in the forest; the vast epic of the Mahabharata, brought to life by performance storyteller Jay Leeming.2022-11-251h 07The Crane Bag PodcastEpisode 82: Mahabharata Part Five: Draupadi's Laughter2022-11-1451 min
The Crane Bag PodcastOrpheus and EurydiceThe story of Orpheus and Eurydice, brought into the here and now by storyteller, poet and musician Jay Leeming.2022-11-1030 minThe Crane Bag PodcastEpisode 81: The Mahabharata Part Four: The Birth of DraupadiWho's that stepping out of the bonfire? It's Draupadi, the princess who will change the world permanently and forever; who will witness the end of the third age of time and will even get to laugh hysterically for a few brief and beautiful moments.2022-10-1742 minThe Crane Bag PodcastThe Norse Creation MythDarkness and fire and the tree at the center of all things: storyteller Jay Leeming brings the Norse creation myth to life through music, story, and the power of the spoken word. 2022-10-121h 04The Crane Bag PodcastEpisode 83: Mahabharata Part Six: A Game of Dice2022-10-041h 01The Crane Bag PodcastEpisode 80: The Mahabharata Part Three: DronaDeeper into the forest we go, tracking the story of the wizard-like teacher Drona to its source in water and in fire.2022-10-011h 02The Crane Bag PodcastExploring the Odyssey #2 with Bethany DixonWhy do the gods do what they do? What's up with all the weeping and washing in the Odyssey, and can baking five cakes in one day get us some answers? Poet Bethany Dixon and I sat down on a summer's day to explore the feminine characters of the Odyssey, and the result is a wide-ranging exploration of gender, the divine, and the good trouble of being alive.2022-09-2947 minThe Crane Bag PodcastEpisode 79: The Mahabharata Part Two: The Birth of the PandavasA blind king, a visit to the king of the fishermen, and yet another hunting trip gone wrong: it's part two of the epic of the Mahabharata, as brought to life by performance storyteller Jay Leeming. 2022-09-1542 minThe Crane Bag PodcastEpisode 78: The Mahabharata Part One: OriginsA plunge into the mythic cosmos of the Mahabharata, an epic story in which the destinies of gods and humans intertwine and the roll of a die decides the fate of an entire kingdom.2022-09-1042 minThe Crane Bag PodcastEpisode 77: The Birth of BhismaA king without a queen marries a river goddess who then does a few monstrous things; that's the news straight from the start of the Mahabharata, a beautiful Hindu epic in which gods and humans mingle in both lovely and destructive ways. 2022-08-1948 minThe Crane Bag PodcastEpisode 76: Markandeya Walks the WorldIt's tough being a sage who lives forever, especially when the world crashes and burns and you're left crawling through an apocalyptic wasteland; but in that darkness there are still surprises to be found. A cosmic legend of murk, hope and mangoes from the Hindu epic the Mahabharata, as told by performance storyteller Jay Leeming. 2022-07-2128 minThe Crane Bag PodcastExploring the Odyssey #1 with Sam BuggelnTheater director Sam Buggeln talks with performance storyteller Jay Leeming about myth, theater, the supernatural, and bringing the Odyssey to the stage.2022-04-2635 minThe Crane Bag PodcastEpisode 75: Arawn, Lord of AnnwvynA story from the first branch of the Welsh Mabinogion, told and then explored by performance storyteller Jay Leeming.2022-04-2042 minThe Crane Bag PodcastEpisode 74: Branwen, Daughter of Llyr (Part Two)Part two of the Welsh story of "Branwen, Daughter of Llyr," brought to life by performance storyteller Jay Leeming.2022-03-0646 minThe Crane Bag PodcastEpisode 74: Branwen, Daughter of Llyr (Part One)A raven king, a magical cauldron and a talking bird: the Welsh story of "Branwen, Daughter of Llyr" brought to life by performance storyteller Jay Leeming.2022-03-0640 minThe Crane Bag PodcastEpisode 73: Into the Underworld with the Luckiest Boy AliveThe power of blind chance goes up against the king of death in this fairy tale brought to life by performance storyteller Jay Leeming.2022-01-291h 08The Crane Bag PodcastEpisode 72: Exploring the Odyssey with Joel ChristensenA journey into the fierce yet healing story of the Odyssey, first through storytelling by Jay Leeming and then through an extended interview with Joel Christensen of Brandeis University. 2022-01-2748 minThe Crane Bag PodcastThe Mermaid and the Falcon PrinceA fairy tale found in a box in an attic in Hamburg in 2012, brought to life by performance storyteller Jay Leeming.2021-12-061h 20The Crane Bag PodcastOpening to Story with Laura SimmsThe storyteller Laura Simms tells "The Pigeon's Bride" and explores the art of storytelling in an interview with Jay Leeming. 2021-11-101h 01The Crane Bag PodcastThe Theft of Sif's HairThe Norse trickster god Loki steals the golden hair of Sif, the wife of Thor, and thereby releases the rowdy desires of all the gods for fabulous and magical tools.2021-09-261h 07
House of Legends: World Myths & LegendsEpisode 67: The Birth of Athena with Jay LeemingOur guest this week is Jay Leeming, a performance storyteller whose poetic way of bringing traditional stories alive has captivated audiences in theaters, schools, libraries and National Parks. He is the creator of the Crane Bag Podcast, the author of two books of poetry and the recipient of a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Recordings and more information about his work can be found at www.JayLeeming.com.Story begins at 36mins; use the chapter mark if you want to go straight there.Note: we replaced the audio of the live telling...2021-09-141h 03The Crane Bag PodcastExploring Story with Csenge Zalka2021-08-191h 03The Crane Bag PodcastEpisode 67: Naqqali Storytelling with Morshed Saghi and Arash Ali FarhadipourAn exploration of the Naqqali storytelling tradition of Iran, with Morshed Saghi and Arash Ali Farhadipour.2021-07-1529 minThe Crane Bag PodcastTag Team FirebirdFour storytellers tell the Russian tale of the Firebird: a live, improvised, cross-Atlantic performance recorded in March of 2021 by Lara McClure, Walton Stanley, Catherine Heinemeyer and Jay Leeming. An exploration of the story by the storytellers follows.2021-06-2350 minThe Crane Bag PodcastMiguel Rivera and the Poetry of Humberto Ak'AbalAn interview with healer, translator and ceremony-maker Miguel Rivera on the poetry of Humberto Ak'Abal and our relation to the dreaming earth, preceded by the Seneca story "The Storytelling Stone."2021-06-171h 08The Crane Bag PodcastEpisode #64: Interview with Clare MurphyA conversation between the Irish storyteller Clare Murphy and Jay Leeming in which the big rowdy questions of story and earth and the wide sky are danced with until the music of our questions itself disappears into the whispering understory of what we forgot we knew. 2021-05-121h 13The Crane Bag PodcastThe FirebirdBang! The red feather of desire is right in front of you on the forest path; your talking horse tells you to steer clear, but do you pick it up all the same? Enter the world of Russian earth-wisdom through "The Firebird," an ancient but contemporary story brought to life by storyteller Jay Leeming.2021-04-281h 12The Crane Bag PodcastEpisode 61: "The Woman of the Sea" told by Regi Carpenter"The Woman of the Sea" told by Regi Carpenter, followed by an interview in which she and host Jay Leeming explore that story as well as her own journey to storytelling.2021-04-0253 minThe Crane Bag PodcastThe Stories We Live Inside2021-03-2606 min
The Crane Bag PodcastEpisode 60: Odysseus in the Swineherd's HutCome into the swineherd's hut where who you are is determined by the story you tell, where Odysseus disguised as a beggar is welcomed by his loyal swineherd into the story of things-as-they-are.2021-03-0957 minThe Crane Bag PodcastThe Power of Dreams with Peter FortunatoIn this episode we explore the power of dreams, first through a story from the One Thousand and One Nights and then through an interview with the poet, author and healer Peter Fortunato. The result is a wide-ranging exploration of dreamwork, poetry, and our relations to the earth.2021-03-051h 11