Stories Are Soul Food

The weather is turning, you're too happy it's fall, you want to read about the world falling apart -- it's DYSTOPIA TIME! The guys counter the autumnal desire for falling leaves and scented candles with a discussion of the wintry novel "Forbidden Child," a brand-new adventure story by Gwen Newell. Gwen comes on the show to discuss the years of writing and editing that finally resulted in this exciting new story: "Forbidden Child" takes place aboard the last piece of America in a flooded world, which is a huge cruise liner called "The Mothership" ruled with the loving, iron hand of the Godmother. The novel follows 13-year-old Piper Pascal, one of the Godmother's most dedicated child spies, who accidentally finds the most illegal thing in the world: a baby. Once she finds this "illegal organism," Piper has to decide whether to turn the baby or try to hide it aboard the ship.  non-stop action story ensues. Also in this episode: Nate and Brian get into a pitched battle over the difference between post-apocalyptic sci-fi and dystopian sci-fi. Brian declares victory. Gwen also talks about how much her research into North Korea and Stalinist Russia influenced this cheerful tale (just the right amount). Pre-order Gwen's new book at canonballbooks.com to get free shipping. #ForbiddenChild #NDWilson #SASF #StoriesAreSoulFood #GwenNewell #dystopia #postapocalypse #scifi      

Exploring the emotional and logical challenges faced by exvangelicals, the podcast delves into the Problem of Evil and the conflict between sin and repentance. It discusses the storylines of Jon Ward, Joshua Harris, Derek Webb, and Glennon Doyle, highlighting the emotional struggles of belief and apostasy.

Forrest Dickison, an illustrator known for his work in children's literature, dives into the importance of embracing individuality in a conformist world. The conversation revolves around his character, Blah Blah Black Sheep, who represents joyful rebellion. They discuss the need for kids to distinguish healthy black sheep from mere rebels, all while sharing fun anecdotes about the creative process behind the character. Listeners also get to explore themes of artistic evolution and the value of critical thinking in navigating societal pressures.

What happens when an audience doesn't "get it"? That's ultimately the director's fault. Nate argues there are two kinds of directors: the ones who care what the audience thinks, and the ones who put the art of a pedestal and don't. Spielberg's an example of the first, and Nolan's an example of the second. This is true for authors as well, mutatis mutandis.  But Brian pushes back a bit, as the SASF pod has been known to tell critics they don't get it and it's THEIR fault. Brian asks Nate how he thinks through people who didn't "get" his nonfiction books -- when its their fault, when it isn't, and when it doesn't matter if they get it (sorry, boomers -- Notes from the Tilt-a-whirl wasn't written for you). #StoriesAreSoulFood #SASF#NotesfromtheTilt #DeathbyLiving #NDWilson #ChristopherNolan #Spielberg

The key moment from this podcast is when Brian investigates a short story idea of Nate's with a provocative title (Heather would prefer it not to be written). This is all in the context of discussing Flannery O'Connor's "dark grace." It turns out the guys have never discussed short stories, so prepare for an extravaganza on O'Connor, Hemingway, O. Henry, and more. A key question is "why are short stories dead as a genre?" They also get into specifics about how the best short fabulists write, which short stories could make feature films, and some key moments in favorite O'Connor stories -- and why her novels are poor. Also, Nate puts down a rumor that he would name "The Chestnut King" "The Conker King" were he British. #StoriesAreSoulFood #SASF #FlanneryOConnor #darkgrace #OConnor #shortstories #Hemingway #NDWilson

Oliver Anthony's unexpectedly viral song "Rich Men North of Richmond" provides the fodder for this week's SASF as the guys discuss how rural Idahoans have more in common with the inhabitants of the inner city than they do with rich, white, Republican suburbs (or Washington, D.C.). The overnight success of a song simply speaking truth is a good example of how to use stories to unite huge groups of people -- another instance of the Tucker Carlson and Ice Cube phenomenon. The guys also discuss criticism of the song from Christianity Today to National Review Online. However, the song's popularity is also a great picture of Americans uniting in the face of those who want to take control by dividing us -- that's the origin of the phrase "divide and conquer." Yes, they discuss the bad words he uses, and how he can avoid becoming a one-hit wonder, and how he can make sure his life's work isn't squandered. (Also: This is also your last chance to get questions in for the "Sound of Freedom" Look at Moving Picture Club episode. You can email by subscribing at canonpress.com/sasf or message on Facebook.) #StoriesAreSoulFood #SASF #OliverAnthony #RichMen #RichMenNorthofRichmond #viralsong #BillboardTop100 #politics #TuckerCarlson #IceCube

The podcast explores topics like childhood actors, making memories, approaching death, and losing childhood years. It delves into the impact of media on children, adapting stories for film, navigating privacy in the era of social media, and sacrificing childhood. The importance of seizing time with children before college and navigating trials with grace for their sake are also discussed.

Are you uncomfortable with the stories of Esther and Tamar, two women of Scripture who manipulated powerful men's sexual desire as part of their strategies? Was that "wrong" of them to do? To get the answer to this question, we've got to look at the stories: How does God talk about these two ladies? Turns out they're both described as virtuous heroines who saved the entire human race -- if Esther and Tamar hadn't had the "courage of their convictions", the Messianic line would have failed. God's storytelling always messes with our preconceived notions -- Tamar, for example, is the first woman listed in the New Testament. Learning to read the stories of the Bible correctly is the point of saying "Stories Are Soul Food." Oh, and speaking of uncomfortable stories, the next Look at Moving Pictures Club (LAMPC) pick is Angel Studio's "Sound of Freedom," by popular request. Get to the theater and watch the indie film that beat Indiana Jones. #StoriesAreSoulFood #SASF #Esther #Tamar #MessianicLine #ReadtheStory #UncomfortableBibleStories #SoundofFreedom #AngelStudios #LAMPC

Some have accused Brian of being pretentious. More have accused Nate of pretension. But the most have accused SASF of being "pretentious" when they criticize Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings. The guys set out to dispel the myth of pretension and to answer charges leveled against them fairly and honestly. Yes, thirteen-year-old Brian loved Aragorn hacking orcs. However, if you don't understand why PJ's LOTR would make Tolkien vomit, listen to this episode. Ep. 123 also functions as a follow-up to earlier episodes on taste and sophistication. Plus you'll get solid reasons for what the movies did well (Gandalf, Gollum, setting), what they did poorly (Aragorn, Frodo, Tony-Hawk Legolas, oliphaunts, the Dead), and what they did abysmally (Faramir, Eowyn, no cleansing of the Shire) -- and why they get graded harder for it. All around a fun episode about why Brian and Nate refuse to bury this particular hatchet. #LOTR #LordoftheRings #SASF #StoriesAreSoulFood #Aragorn #Legolas #Tolkien #JRRTolkien #TheHobbit #Gandalf #Gollum #PeterJackson #WetaWorkshops

You must approach the crazy moment we're living in right now with courage, determination, and a breadth of skills. Unfortunately, many young people and adults around the country have chosen apathy instead. The SASF guys take on another studio audience of more than a hundred high schoolers visiting Moscow for New Saint Andrews College's Called Conference. They start with some (gentle) teasing of novel pitches the students sent in for consideration and then move on to the meat of the discussion: comparing the difference between David and Samuel (a king of Israel and the faithful prophet who anointed him) with Jeroboam and Abijah (another king of Israel and the faithful prophet who anointed him). David remained faithful to God over the course of his life, and Jeroboam led the northern kingdom astray. What do you do with the fact that there's a clock above your head, counting down the days left in your life? How do you seize the moment you're in? What happens when you see someone lose their leg in a car wreck, as Nate just did? #SASF #StoriesAreSoulFood #NDWilson #NSA #NewSaintAndrewsCollege #MoscowID #CalledConference