Storyscaping — Narrative Podcasts

Our newest podcast: Storyscaping

Voice your story; change your life. Storyscaping exists because we believe that you have a story inside you, and we want to help you unearth it. Storyscaping highlights key lessons from creating, editing, coaching, teaching, and evaluating hundreds of podcasts and podcasters, and distills these lessons into bite-size episodes. The show is also built on the foundation of our favorite influences over our careers, from advertising to audio to creative writing. The goal of Storyscaping is to inspire the next great narrative podcast: yours.

You gotta dig through a lot of dirt to make something beautiful.

Do you have an idea for a narrative podcast, but aren’t sure where to begin? You’re in the right place. In each episode, we’re going to excavate some part of the creative process, trellis it back to the landscaping metaphor — and pack it into ten minutes or less.

Image of trowel and dirt, symbolizing the creative process for the Storyscaping podcast

Upcoming podcast topics

Season one of Storyscaping will include a wide range of audio-specific and creativity-in-general reflections and mini-essays:

Finding, and keeping creative motivation
Story elements and structures
Sound quality and connecting with listeners
Your unique narration and voice
Defining boundaries in creative work
Accepting messiness in the creative process
Sustainability and how not to podfade
Relationships vs. networking

The Storyscaping team

Nate Davis, host & executive producer

When I’m not creating or coaching podcasting, I’m also a minivan-driving dad, old-world oenophile, home coffee roaster, and occasional mullet perpetrator. I trail run and road bike, chasing my younger self, moments of quiet, and the inspiration that’s just around the corner.
Katie Semro, audio editor & sound designer

Katie Semro creates evocative music with a strong narrative arc. Her composition process starts with finding patterns that relate to her subject matter, whether it’s the shape of lichen on a tree trunk, the scratch of pencil on paper, or the beat of a line of poetry. She brought the Storyscaping trailer to life with the prompt “What does the creative process sound like?”
Harriett Jernigan, creative advisor

On top of teaching writing and rhetoric at Stanford and German at Bauhaus University, Harriett has been a Moth Grand Slam Finalist, and founded First Person Story. In her spare moments, Harriett squeezes in some baking, fencing, backup singing, and casual chit-chat about appropriate transgression in live performance or the role of the arts in community-building.
Jacob Klein, episode editor

Dr. Jacob Klein is a widely-published philosophy professor, including co-editing The Oxford Handbook of Hellenistic Philosophy. A decorated classroom teacher, Jacob gave keen-eyed feedback on logical flow, scriptwriting, and narrative delivery. In between academic projects and conference appearances, Jacob is also studying Italian and mulling an idea for a historical novel about the Stoics.
Kevin Gosa, feedback partner

Kevin Gosa is a professional saxophonist-turned-consultant with a knack for solving organizational challenges, Rubik’s cubes, and business as usual. Kevin has two teenage boys, a joyfully low-driving lifestyle, and a single-digit golf handicap. He helped clarify strategic questions like the audience, purpose, and goals for Storyscaping.
Laura Joyce Davis, creative advisor

Laura Joyce Davis teaches podcasting at Stanford, and manages production for the award-winning State of the Human. As cofounder of Narrative Podcasts, she and Nate have worked together to articulate why this medium matters, and to invite others in. Laura believes in fairies, bourbon-based drink, and singing the blues.
Sarah Edgell, mentor & design director

Painter, potter, and general visual maven Sarah Edgell designed the logo for Shelter in Place back in early 2020, but beyond that, has been the sincere dissenter sharpening all things Narrative Podcasts. Showing the irreplaceable value of a loving challenge, she asks questions like “What is this show really about?”