What kinds of stories appeal to you most? Look at the variety of stories that are available for you to tell and some practical resources for finding them. Assess the intellectual, social, and cultural connections we develop with stories and identify how you can add depth and context to the stories you tell.

Engage in "stretching" exercises to learn to let go of things that may hold you back from telling your story, and give yourself permission to play with the story, make mistakes, and really immerse yourself in the narrative. Listen to the story Mama's Wings to identify its tensive pulls and unifying themes and images.

Understand how discourse can simply relay information or build intimacy with a friend or romantic partner. Look at the fascinating research on how cooperative and competitive speaking styles differ, how parents model conversation for children from infancy, how language alignment can predict relationship success, and how electronic communications follow prescribed patterns.

Use ancient myths from East Africa and ancient Sumeria to break down this structure and investigate why the archetypal figures and pattern of separation, initiation, and return found in the hero's journey resonate so deeply. Pause to consider how you can apply these ideas to craft stories that reach your audience on a meaningful level.

What qualifies as a story? Learn the significance of storytelling in various cultures; the ways this art is distinct from other forms of performance or literary thought; and how the craft of professional storytelling can help you improve your own storytelling abilities. Listen to tales from the professor's life and get an introduction to the "storytelling triangle."

Dissect the layered process professional storytellers use when preparing to tell a tale, which involves an interconnected cycle of talking, writing, imaging, playing, and rehearsing. Explore the concept of "tensiveness," the dynamic quality that reveals a story's opposing forces; then step back from one of your stories to see the potential relationships between the larger parts of the narrative.

Meet Father Dominic Garramone, The Bread Monk, and learn to master his sweet dough recipe. You'll discover his secret formula that combines every fair-winning sweet dough recipe he could find. Then, he'll show you how to transform the dough into cinnamon rose rolls with a delicate pink frosting.

Whether you put your knitting down for an hour, a week or a year, you'll be able to find your place in the pattern again if you can "read" your stitches. Ann shows you how!

Marly shows you how to knit finger by finger and how to finish fingerless gloves.

A beautiful fall scene -- Bob Ross uses the colors of nature to settle an old worn-down farm building into soft golden grassy bushes and trees.