Shows
A Good Story Well ToldShame Shelf: Anne of Green GablesMatt got Jonathan to read a candidate for Great American Novel, so now Jonathan makes Matt read what might be the Great Canadian Novel, Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. Will Matt embrace his neighbors to the north? 2025-08-141h 03
A Good Story Well ToldShame Shelf: BelovedMatt finally gets Jonathan to read the most acclaimed American novel of the last 50 years, Toni Morrison's Beloved, a deadly serious book about slavery but also a thrilling ghost story and a tender romance. Will Jonathan be won over? 2025-07-2458 min
A Good Story Well ToldShame Shelf: Kill BillJonathan gets Matt to finally (and reluctantly) watch Kill Bill, Volumes 1 and 2. Will Matt fall in love, or will he feel entirely different emotions? 2025-07-101h 21
A Good Story Well ToldShame Shelf: The Good, The Bad and The UglyMatt shames Jonathan into finally watching The Good, The Bad and The Ugly! Note for clarity, since we use actor and character names interchangeably: Clint Eastwood plays Blondie (The Good), Lee Van Cleef plays Angel Eyes (The Bad) and Eli Wallach plays Tuco (The Ugly). Keep that in mind as you listen!2025-06-261h 06
A Good Story Well ToldShame Shelf: Never Let Me GoJonathan shames Matt into finally reading Kazuo Ishiguro's 2005 novel Never Let Me Go, and they discuss many things, including the value of basing stories of conspiracy theories. 2025-06-121h 08
A Good Story Well ToldShame Shelf: Slaughterhouse-FiveMatt forces Jonathan to finally read "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut, and much discussion is had about whether or not it's okay to write a "dated" book. 2025-05-291h 14
A Good Story Well ToldShame Shelf: Treasure PlanetJonathan gets Matt to finally watch the infamous Disney flop Treasure Planet! Is it a secret masterpiece? 2025-05-151h 16
Secrets of Story PodcastThe Final Episode in this Feed: Another preview of "A Good Story Well Told"!It's another episode of Matt's new podcast, "A Good Story Well Told" with Jonathan Auxier, this time discussing "The Giver", but from now on, to get new content, you'll have to subscribe to the "A Good Story Well Told" feed. Meanwhile, this feed will remain active so you can enjoy the wonderful archives of Matt and James's content.2025-05-011h 05
The Secrets of Story: A Screenwriting & Novel Writing PodcastThe Final Episode in this Feed: Another preview of "A Good Story Well Told"!It's another episode of Matt's new podcast, "A Good Story Well Told" with Jonathan Auxier, this time discussing "The Giver", but from now on, to get new content, you'll have to subscribe to the "A Good Story Well Told" feed. Meanwhile, this feed will remain active so you can enjoy the wonderful archives of Matt and James's content.2025-05-011h 05
A Good Story Well ToldShame Shelf: VertigoIn our second full episode, Matt shames Jonathan into finally seeing Alfred Hitchcock's 1958 film Vertigo. The Sight and Sound Critics Poll ranks it as the second greatest film of all time...Will Jonathan agree? 2025-05-011h 08Secrets of Story PodcastIntroducing a new podcast: A Good Story Well Told with Jonathan AuxierIt's a special preview of the first episode of Matt's new podcast with Jonathan Auxier: A Good Story Well Told. Search for and subscribe to the new podcast to get a second episode now!2025-04-1842 minThe Secrets of Story: A Screenwriting & Novel Writing PodcastIntroducing a new podcast: A Good Story Well Told with Jonathan AuxierIt's a special preview of the first episode of Matt's new podcast with Jonathan Auxier: A Good Story Well Told. Search for and subscribe to the new podcast to get a second episode now!2025-04-1842 minA Good Story Well ToldShame Shelf: The GiverMatt finally reads Lowis Lowry’s classic kids dystopia THE GIVER — and Jonathan reveals a surprisingly relevant war story from his Screenwriting days. 2025-04-171h 04A Good Story Well ToldIntroduction to A Good Story Well ToldWelcome! In this episode, we talk about who we are, how we got to know each other, and what we'll be doing in this podcast!. 2025-04-1740 min
Currently ReadingSeason 7, Episode 8: A Lady of Yore + Advice For Our Past Readerly SelvesOn this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing: Bookish Moments: Feeling like a lady of yore and how bookstores contain the best people Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately Deep Dive: answering the question “What is some advice you would tell your past readerly self"?” The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the...2024-09-231h 01
Currently ReadingSeason 7, Episode 8: A Lady of Yore + Advice For Our Past Readerly SelvesOn this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing:Bookish Moments: Feeling like a lady of yore and how bookstores contain the best peopleCurrent Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading latelyDeep Dive: answering the question “What is some advice you would tell your past readerly self"?”The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading livesShow notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the...2024-09-2300 min
The Secrets of Story: A Screenwriting & Novel Writing PodcastEpisode 30: Genre, Burgers, and AlienJonathan Auxier returns for a record fifth time to discuss what he originally wanted to discuss last time: Genre, how it is like burgers, and what this all has to do with the movie Alien. James then high-roads us with some classical music cues.2021-07-3048 min
Secrets of Story PodcastEpisode 30: Genre, Burgers, and Alien with Jonathan AuxierJonathan Auxier returns for a record fifth time to discuss what he originally wanted to discuss last time: Genre, how it is like burgers, and what this all has to do with the movie Alien. James then high-roads us with some classical music cues.2021-07-3048 minThe Secrets of Story: A Screenwriting & Novel Writing PodcastEpisode 29: Author Draft, Artifact Draft, Audience DraftJonathan Auxier returns again with his best idea yet: Everything you write should have an Author Draft, an Artifact Draft, and an Audience Draft.2021-07-1548 minSecrets of Story PodcastEpisode 29: Author Draft, Artifact Draft, Audience Draft with Jonathan AuxierJonathan Auxier returns again with his best idea yet: Everything you write should have an Author Draft, an Artifact Draft, and an Audience Draft.2021-07-1548 min
The Secrets of Story: A Screenwriting & Novel Writing PodcastEpisode 21: Franchise FinalesReturning guest Jonathan Auxier stops by to discuss franchise finales, because he's about to write one himself. It's another long one!2020-10-021h 25
Secrets of Story PodcastEpisode 21: Franchise Finales with Jonathan AuxierReturning guest Jonathan Auxier stops by to discuss franchise finales, because he's about to write one himself. It's another long one!2020-10-021h 25The Secrets of Story: A Screenwriting & Novel Writing PodcastEpisode 21: Franchise FinalesReturning guest Jonathan Auxier stops by to discuss Franchise Finales, because he's about to write one himself. It's another long one!2020-10-021h 25
Secrets of Story PodcastEpisode 21: Franchise FinalesReturning guest Jonathan Auxier stops by to discuss Franchise Finales, because he's about to write one himself. It's another long one!2020-10-0200 min
The Secrets of Story: A Screenwriting & Novel Writing PodcastEpisode 21 Franchise Finales with Jonathan AuxierReturning guest Jonathan Auxier stops by to discuss Franchise Finales, because he's about to write one himself. It's another long one!2020-09-161h 25
The Story Seeds PodcastBonus Q&A: Betsy Bird Interviews Tracey BaptisteListen along as The Story Seeds Podcast host Betsy Bird chats with Tracey Baptiste (New York Times bestselling author of MINECRAFT: THE CRASH, as well as the Caribbean adventure series THE JUMBIES.) They go behind the scenes and talk about what it was like virtually working and collaborating with 12 year old Amalia on Episode 7 “Barking Up the Right Tree” to grow her story seed about an athletic girl named Joy and her magical relationship with the oak tree in her backyard. In this bonus episode, Tracey shares her writing tips and shares a cool creativiity hack: how to tak...2020-06-0428 minThe Secrets of Story: A Screenwriting & Novel Writing PodcastEpisode 10: More Fun with Jonathan AuxierSpecial guest Jonathan Auxier returns to the program to give us some pushback on our last three episodes (Listen to those first!) And after you've listened to this, check out this follow-up blog post: http://www.secretsofstory.com/2019/05/new-podcast-more-fun-with-jonathan.html2019-05-2048 minSecrets of Story PodcastEpisode 10: More Fun with Jonathan AuxierSpecial guest Jonathan Auxier returns to the program to give us some pushback on our last three episodes (Listen to those first!) And after you've listened to this, check out this follow-up blog post: http://www.secretsofstory.com/2019/05/new-podcast-more-fun-with-jonathan.html2019-05-2048 minThe Secrets of Story: A Screenwriting & Novel Writing PodcastEpisode 5: POV with Jonathan AuxierAcclaimed novelist Jonathan Auxier joins Matt Bird and James Kennedy to talk about POV in prose!2017-06-2847 minSecrets of Story PodcastEpisode 5: POV with Jonathan AuxierAcclaimed novelist Jonathan Auxier joins Matt Bird and James Kennedy to talk about POV in prose!2017-06-2847 min