Storytelling Saga

Ali interviews Emmy award-winning writer, lyricist and composer, David Steven Cohen, whose credits include Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, ALF, Arthur, Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, Balto and many other projects, including serving as the head writer of Courage the Cowardly Dog. David shares how he got his start, notable moments in his career, favorite episodes and songs he’s written, his experience as the executive producer of the Writers Guild Awards, advice for up and coming writers, what he’s currently...

Ali discusses the TV movie, Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie, written by series creator, Craig Bartlett, along with Joe Purdy, Laura Sreebny and Justin Charlebois. She recaps all her favorite moments while re-living the excitement of this long-awaited movie. Afterward, she shares another Hey Arnold! story she wrote called "Audaciously Flirting."

Ali discusses the movie that kicked off the Disney Renaissance era, The Little Mermaid. She talks about why “Part of Your World” is her all-time favorite Disney song and recaps her favorite moments from this beloved film.

Ali discusses the fantastically creepy cartoon, Courage the Cowardly Dog, created by John R. Dilworth. She reminisces about lines she and her siblings would always quote, terrifying villains that freaked her out as a kid and why Courage is the perfect protagonist for always facing his fears to protect his owners since, as he always says, "The things I do for love."

Ali discusses the important life lessons learned throughout the lives of the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy—in Louisa May Alcott’s timeless novel, Little Women.

Ali shares a new short story she wrote called “What’s Your Spirit Animal?”

Ali discusses storytelling clichés including hackneyed phrases, stereotypical characters, love triangles, miscommunications and many other tropes.

Ali discusses the movie, Kiki’s Delivery Service, written, produced and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. She reminisces about watching the movie with her siblings and gushes over how much she loves Kiki’s black cat, Jiji. She also talks about the powerful message of finding what inspires you in order to regain your confidence as depicted through Kiki’s journey in this coming-of-age film.

Ali discusses the amazing Nicktoon, Hey Arnold!, created by Craig Bartlett. She shares her interesting interpretation of the show’s title when she was a kid, poignant moments that move her to tears, various lines that always crack her up, key scenes that stood out to her as a kid and what she feels is the all-encompassing theme of the series. She also talks about the qualities she admires most about Arnold and the reasons Helga G. Pataki is one of her all-time favorite characters. Afterward,...

Ali discusses the movie, The Devil Wears Prada, starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway, recapping her favorite moments from this fashion-centric film.

Ali shares tips from various articles about crafting effective story endings. She also shares a super short story she wrote for a college assignment called “The End.”

Ali discusses the gut-bustingly hilarious cartoon, Ed, Edd n Eddy, created by Danny Antonucci. She shares her favorite episodes, quotes and fourth wall breaking moments, plus a few behind-the-scene tidbits and her theory on what's under Double Dee's hat. She also shares her thoughts on the fitting series finale, Ed, Edd n Eddy’s Big Picture Show, and she shares an Ed, Edd n Eddy story she wrote called “Edd the Stud.”

Ali discusses the movie, Invader ZIM: Enter the Florpus, written by series creator, Jhonen Vasquez. She shares everything she loved about the movie in all of its ridiculous glory, from the incredible visuals to the hilarious dialogue to the surprisingly sweet moments. Afterward, she shares another Invader ZIM story she wrote called "Sitting in a Tree."

Ali celebrates the first anniversary of Storytelling Saga by sharing behind-the-scene details of the podcast, from preparing, recording and editing to her goals for the podcast as it heads into its second year. She also shares some advice if you're thinking about starting your own podcast, and she shares an extremely short story she wrote a while back called "Rules of Rejection."

Ali and special guest, Sylvie, discuss the Netflix special, Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling, written by series creator, Joe Murray, with additional writing from Mr. Lawrence, Martin Olson, Cosmo Segurson, Dan Becker and Tom Smith. They discuss first reactions to finding out Rocko's Modern Life was getting a special, favorite meta jokes and callbacks, thoughts on the overall theme and message, their opinions on how this special compares to other Nicktoon reboots and much more!

Ali discusses the powerful imagery and the connecting theme of motherhood in Sue Monk Kidd’s critically acclaimed novel, The Secret Life of Bees.

Ali discusses her all-time favorite childhood cartoon and one of the original three Nicktoons, Rugrats, created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó and Paul Germain. She shares some of her favorite episodes and heartwarming moments throughout the series, plus all the ways she admires her favoritest baby, Tommy Pickles. A baby's gotta do what a baby's gotta do!

Ali discusses a short story about the complications of planning a simple wedding called "A Most Blessed and Auspicious Occasion" from Raphael Bob-Waksberg's book of short stories, Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory. She also touches on a few lines from other stories in the book that resonated with her.

Ali discusses the classic Disney movie, The Lion King (1994), its direct-to-video sequel, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998), as well as its clever retelling, The Lion King 1½ (2004). She shares her thoughts on everything that makes the original film such an absolute masterpiece. She also reminisces about seeing The Lion King musical on Broadway, and she compares the original movie to the 2019 remake. Hakuna matata!

Ali shares stories about her cousins growing up involving video games, family vacations, sleepovers and holidays.