Good stories matter — we all know this. But how do these good stories shape us, form our imaginations, make us better parents, and remind us what really matters? Why do the best stories sacramentally peel back the surface to reveal what’s really there? Seth and Tsh talk to their friend, novelist Shawn Smucker, about what it means to immerse your life in good stories — and why it’s not optional.

To borrow a quip from G.K. Chesterton about children and fairy tales (because it’s just as true for adults): good stories don’t tell us dragons exist. We already know this. Good stories tell us dragons can be killed.

• Seth: Newsletter | Website


• Tsh: Newsletter | Website


• Shawn Smucker: Books | Podcast | Twitter | Instagram | Website


• Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going


• Come to Italy with us!


• Journal of a Novel, by John Steinbeck


• Working Days, by John Steinbeck


• Evilene Killerman on Instagram


• Anything is Possible, by Elizabeth Strout


• The Surrender Experiment, by Michael A. Singer


• Radical Face's albums The Family Tree: The Roots, The Branches, and The Leaves


• Radical Face guidebook

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