THE TRAGEDY OF KING LEAR, FIRST BROADCAST SEPTEMBER 19, 1982 WHEN WAS IT WRITTEN? We really don’t know. Sometime between 1603 and 1606. Possibly his 28th play. WHAT’S IT ABOUT? In ancien...
http://www.secretsofstory.com/2024/10/37-days-of-shakespeare-day-22-king-lear.html
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, FIRST BROADCAST DECEMBER 13TH, 1981 POSSIBLY WRITTEN: 1595 or 1596, possibly his 12th play. Very early for such a great play! WHAT’S IT ABOUT? It’s very compl...
http://www.secretsofstory.com/2024/10/37-days-of-shakespeare-day-21-midsummer.html
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA, FIRST BROADCAST NOVEMBER 7TH, 1981 POSSIBLY WRITTEN: 1602, possibly his 24th play WHAT’S IT ABOUT? During the Trojan War, Achilles sulks in his tent on the Greek side ...
http://www.secretsofstory.com/2024/09/37-days-of-shakespeare-day-20-troilus.html
Yup, that’s Anthony Hopkins in (light) blackface as Othello! The most infamous episode. (Okay, folks, this series has taken way too long. I now plan to do one every Friday until we’re d...
http://www.secretsofstory.com/2024/09/37-days-of-shakespeare-day-19-othello.html
The Secrets of Story Podcast · Live Show: Capturing the Nature of Children with Betsy Bird Recorded Live at The Book Stall in Winnetka, IL, hosted by The Society of Children’s Book Writers ...
http://www.secretsofstory.com/2024/09/episode-48-our-first-live-show.html
James, Betsy and I had a great time recording the first ever live episode of The Secrets of Story Podcast at The Book Stall in Winnetka, IL last Wednesday. (And thanks to my brother-in-law ...
http://www.secretsofstory.com/2024/09/thanks-to-those-who-came-out-on.html
Please come out to Winnetka's bookstore The Book Stall on Wednesday (September 4th) from 6:30pm to 8pm to hear the first ever live recording of The Secrets of Story Podcast featuring usual co-...
http://www.secretsofstory.com/2024/09/come-out-on-wednesday-to-our-first.html
Hi guys, sorry you haven’t heard much from me recently! I’ve been meaning to restart 37 Days of Shakespeare but I haven’t gotten around to it. In the meantime, I have exciting news! I stopp...
http://www.secretsofstory.com/2024/08/check-out-100th-episode-of-marvel.html
The Secrets of Story Podcast · Episode 47: The Heroine's Labyrinth with Douglas A. Burton We’re back! This time, we welcome author Douglas A. Burton to discuss his new book The Heroine’s ...
http://www.secretsofstory.com/2024/06/episode-47-heroines-labyrinth-with.html
Hi everybody! Help, I have an emergency! I’ve written before about how proud I’ve always been that the average review on my first book was five stars on Amazon. Well today, after eight y...
http://www.secretsofstory.com/2024/06/oh-no-emergency-reviews-needed.html
Fuse 8 n' Kate · Episode 312 - I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew I had a wonderful time on the Fuse 8 n’ Kate podcast (run by my wife Betsy and her sister Kate) discussing my favorit...
http://www.secretsofstory.com/2024/04/podcast-appearance-on-fuse-8-n-kate-to.html
THE TRAGEDIE OF ANTONIE, AND CLEOPATRA , FIRST BROADCAST MAY 8TH, 1981 POSSIBLY WRITTEN: 1606-1607. Possibly his 30th play. WHAT’S IT ABOUT? Antony, last seen in “Julius Caesar”, has be...
http://www.secretsofstory.com/2024/03/37-days-of-shakespeare-day-18-antony.html
TIMON OF ATHENS, FIRST BROADCAST APRIL 16, 1981 POSSIBLY WRITTEN: 1606, possibly his 32nd play WHAT’S IT ABOUT? Wealthy Athenian Timon throws lavish parties and gives generously to everyone w...
http://www.secretsofstory.com/2024/03/37-days-of-shakespeare-day-17-timon-of.html
THE WINTER’S TALE, FIRST BROADCAST FEBRUARY 8TH, 1981 POSSIBLY WRITTEN: 1610 or 1611, possibly his 35th play WHAT’S IT ABOUT? King Leontes falsely suspects his wife Hermione of sleeping wit...
http://www.secretsofstory.com/2024/03/37-days-of-shakespeare-day-16-winters.html
37 DAYS OF SHAKESPEARE, DAY 15: ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL, FIRST BROADCAST JANUARY 4TH, 1981 POSSIBLY WRITTEN: 1602, possibly his 25th play WHAT’S IT ABOUT? Helena, the ward of a countess, ...
http://www.secretsofstory.com/2024/03/37-days-of-shakespeare-day-15-alls-well.html
THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, FIRST BROADCAST DECEMBER 17TH, 1980 POSSIBLY WRITTEN: 1596-1598, possibly his 14th play WHAT’S IT ABOUT? Antonio wants to loan money he doesn’t have to his friend Bo...
http://www.secretsofstory.com/2024/03/37-days-of-shakespeare-day-14-merchant.html
THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, FIRST BROADCAST OCTOBER 23RD, 1980 POSSIBLY WRITTEN: between 1590 and 1592, possibly his 7th play (and the earliest we’ve looked at) WHAT’S IT ABOUT? Everybody wa...
http://www.secretsofstory.com/2024/03/37-days-of-shakespeare-day-13-taming-of.html
It will always go down in Oscar history as two of the great slights: Margot Robbie not getting an Actress nom, and Greta not getting an Director nom. Who did it? Who pulled off the heist of th...
http://www.secretsofstory.com/2024/03/best-of-2023-1-barbie-and-2-poor-things.html
Is this the most convincing period piece ever made? This feels like a movie that’s been sitting in the can sealed up since 1971, and is only now getting a belated release. It felt like Hal A...
http://www.secretsofstory.com/2024/03/best-of-2023-3-holdovers.html
It is almost inconceivable how much better this movie is than The Irishman. After that movie, I was convinced that Martin Scorsese was a pitiful shell of his former self, now devoid of all fil...
http://www.secretsofstory.com/2024/03/best-of-2023-4-killers-of-flower-moon.html
I don’t usually enjoy Christopher Nolan’s movies and I had little reason to think I’d like this one any better. Everything I knew going in was unfavorable. I knew it was super-long, I kne...
http://www.secretsofstory.com/2024/03/best-of-2023-5-oppenheimer.html
Yes, it’s too long, especially considering it’s only “Part One”, but this is a tremendously fun movie. Certainly, this movie ends much more satisfactorily than this year’s Spider-Vers...
http://www.secretsofstory.com/2024/03/best-of-2023-6-mission-impossible-dead.html
I loved Michael Lewis’s book “The Big Short” and I loved Adam McCay’s movie of it even more. I had it as my favorite movie of that year. But I had to keep reminding myself: shorters are...
http://www.secretsofstory.com/2024/02/best-of-2023-7-dumb-money.html
My affection for this movie (which I haven’t seen on any other year end lists) was increased by how I saw it. I was vacationing for a week in Stratford, Ontario with my family and my wife’s...
http://www.secretsofstory.com/2024/02/best-of-2023-8-asteroid-city.html
This is definitely the sort of movie where giving it a Best Picture nomination does it no favors. It’s a sly, funny dramedy, but a modest one. It’s nice for Jeffrey Wright to finally get a...
http://www.secretsofstory.com/2024/02/best-of-2023-9-american-fiction.html