DiCamillo! Yang! Talking! Right Here! It’s a Dive Into the StoryKind Podcast with Kate DiCamillo and Kelly Yang

While there are many podcasts out there with child audiences as a focus, those that zero in on writing and its many techniques rarely have the imprimatur (if you will) of the podcast StoryKind. Created for kids ages 8 and up, its mission is best described as containing tips for writing, answering questions from young readers, celebrating the work of teachers and librarians in literacy spaces, and spreading the magic of real, human storytelling. And you don’t get much realer or more human than its hosts Kate DiCamillo and Kelly Yang.

I was tooling about in my in-box when I first learned about StoryKind. Apparently, the two of them launched the podcast, and then, “Initially unsure what to expect in terms of response, the authors have been blown away by the reception so far to StoryKind, and locked in with renewed energy to get back into the studio and record content for season 2 which launches October 5th.”

With October 5th just around the corner, it seems a good time to connect with these two, and to get the low down on precisely what StoryKind entails (and where it’s going). And as luck would have it, these two were nice enough to answer some of my questions on the matter:

---

Betsy Bird: Thank you both for joining me! So I just love a good origin story. Now we’ve seen children’s authors do podcasts before, but few of them are two authors/friends together. How did StoryKind begin? What was the impetus to start a podcast together (and how did you decide how many episodes to do per season)?

Kate DiCamillo: Kelly and I met at TLA when we did a panel together.  We couldn’t get over how differently we worked (she uses an outline, I never do, etc).  We started having conversations about writing and it was Kelly who said: Let’s do a podcast!  And I was like: really?  A podcast?  Are you kidding?  And, well, here we are.

Kelly Yang: I have been thinking about doing a podcast for a while, as a way to answer some of the many brilliant questions I receive in my fanmail, but I didn’t want to do it alone. So when I got on the phone with Kate, after finishing a recent book, I had an eureka moment. First of all, talking to Kate is one of my greatest joys in life. I thought what better way to keep talking to Kate, share our beautiful connection with the world, and hopefully motivate more kids to want to read and write than to start a podcast with her. Luckily, she agreed!

BB: Your podcast could have been geared to adults (writers, parents, industry folks, etc.) but you opted to aim it squarely at kids instead. Can you talk to us a little bit about why that distinction was important to you?

Kate: Kelly had the brilliant idea of short episodes (15 minutes) that could be listened to in the classroom.  And while we very much want to get kids listening, we wanted everyone to listen together.  We were hoping to help readers, writers, teachers, librarians and students all connect around the humanizing powers of reading and writing together.

Kelly: As a parent, I am always looking for ways to introduce my kids to longer form storytelling and conversations. Right now, we have books and we have Youtube, but we don’t have a whole lot else in between. So I love that there is now a podcast that kids and grownups can listen to together, and hopefully spark great conversations.

BB: How much do you plan out each podcast beforehand? Do you have a script or a rough outline that allows you to speak off the cuff to some extent? And how do you decide what the topic of each episode should be?

Kate: We have a rough outline of what we’re going to do.  Last season, we checked in with each other about what we were working on and this season, we’ve broadened that check-in to: what is on your mind, writing-wise.  Kelly gets the questions from the listeners sorted, and we always get to do the shout-outs for teachers and librarians–my favorite part of the show.

Kelly: We cover everything from writing related questions to bigger life questions like why are people mean? There’s no question that’s off limits. And we come at each question with our honesty and heart, and that’s what makes the episodes so fulfilling, in my opinion.

BB: When you recommend books for people to read, how do you decide on which books to select and highlight? What are some of the considerations you take into account? And how do you find the books?

Kate: We talk about books we read when we were kids and we talk, too, about books that we are reading now.   And also, we both know a lot of excellent people who are writing excellent books and it is thrilling to give them a shout-out.

Kelly: In Season One, as part of our Summer Reading episode, we put out an open call to all authors who wanted us to give their book a shout-out, and I’m so proud that many debut authors reached out! We want to continue to uplift and celebrate the work of our peers, both established and new, and celebrate the wonderful kidlit community.

BB: You also offer writing advice as well. Do kids ever send you samples of stuff they’ve written based on your advice?

Kate: I don’t think we’ve gotten any writing samples yet.  But it is heartening how many kids are interested in writing.

Kelly: Actually, we do get writing samples and chapters but for legal reasons, I’m not allowed to open them and give feedback, but it’s always so amazing to see kids finding their voice.

BB: Can you tell us about a little of the feedback you’ve gotten from kids about the podcast? How do they listen to it? Do they listen in the car with their parents? On their own? Where do they like to listen?

Kate: Kelly, you would be better suited to answer this (almost everything has gone through Kelly’s email (we just got the website up and running).

Kelly: It’s been amazing hearing from kids and parents. Folks are listening in their car on their way to soccer practice. Teachers have been writing in, telling us how great the bite size conversations around writing have been inspiring their students especially during their writing lessons! We also hear from fellow authors and writers who enjoy getting a sneak peek into our processes, which are so different!

BB: Boring technical question, but an important one too: Who does your podcast’s editing? Or do you edit it yourself?

Kate: All roads lead to Kelly!  She edits and then has assistance from a wonderful professional named Sina to take it all the way to wonderful.

Kelly: Yes, Sina is amazing and we’re so lucky to work with her! It’s also been so much fun learning the edit software and finding my feet as a podcaster.

BB: Kudos to Sina, then! Finally, what’s happened in Season Two? What can folks expect when you’re back in the fall?

Kate: More in-depth talks about writing, more memories of being kids, and more shout-outs to fantastic teachers and librarians!

Kelly: More real, honest talks about life, the ups and downs we go through as writers, and why we do what we do– because we love stories and we care deeply about inspiring kids! And laughs! More of Kate’s beautiful, hearty laugh!

---

Those of you inclined to hear that laugh should probably tune into the show. StoryKind is pretty much available wherever you get your podcasts. Season One has 21 episodes so if you start now, you should be all caught up in time for Season Two! Thanks to Kate and Kelly for taking the time to answer my questions today. Thanks too to Tracy Miracle for putting this all together!

Filed under: Interviews