Spotlight on Stories

StoryKind is a new podcast. It was created to encourage young people to read and write. It was launched in January. Each 15-minute episode is available on podcast platforms.

The podcast is hosted by Kate DiCamillo and Kelly Yang. They’re best-selling children’s book authors. Their books are found in classrooms around the world. DiCamillo’s books include Because of Winn-Dixie and The Tale of Despereaux. Yang is the author of the Front Desk series.

KATE DICAMILLO served as National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature from 2014 to 2015.

KELLY YANG wrote Front Desk, a New York Times bestseller, based on her childhood.

DiCamillo and Yang had the idea for StoryKind in 2024. Yang told TIME for Kids that they wanted to help kids understand how much fun storytelling can be. “We’re hoping that by sharing all the ups and downs,” she said, “we inspire people to want to give it a try and tell their own stories.”

Sounding Off

DiCamillo and Yang feel that there are lots of ways to embrace storytelling. They share these tips on the podcast.

For example: “You might want to keep a notebook just for you,” DiCamillo told TFK. “You don’t have to necessarily work on a story, but writing in a notebook can help you make sense out of things that are going on in your life.”

The podcast also celebrates reading. “To be able to find yourself in a book, to think that some kid right now is thinking, ‘Oh, okay, I’m not alone.’ It’s the greatest gift of all,” DiCamillo says.

StoryKind is also about friendship. The authors’ chats show “how amazing it is to be able to talk to someone and share all of your hopes and dreams and worries and doubts,” Yang says.