Appleseeds Storytelling Website

Reviewed by Kathy Nixie:This website is the work of Father Brain Cavanaugh. It is a way for him to share his vast knowledge and contacts. He is a motivational speaker and a member of the Storytellers. I was especially drawn to the section on toasts. The first part says that toasting is only a day or two younger than drinking itself. My family has a tradition that I am carrying on the toast. This is a very highly regarded site by reviewers. It has a "safe for kids" seal. One of the interesting parts for me was the translator box. I have many adult students in my job as a literacy coordinator, who are learning English as a second language, (ESL). This is a site I can show them that they can practice their English, but get help with a translation into their own language if they need it. It is searchable. It has a section of poems by Edgar Guest. It is easy to use.

Reviewed by Maureen Ambrosino. "Apple Seeds" is an electronic newsletter of inspirational quotations, published 9 times a year between September and May. It is affiliated with Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio. Most of the quotations, therefore, have a Christian bias but not all are religion-based. The November 2001 issue, for example, has quotes from Michael J. Fox, Rabbi Abraham, and Og Mandino. All the quotes/meditations are uplifting in some way but are not exclusively religious.

The owner of the site, Fr. Brian Cavanaugh, is a Roman Catholic Franciscan friar and motivational speaker. He has published 8 books and 2 videos, which are collections of inspirational quotations, stories and anecdotes. Many of his original stories have been published in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series of books. His own books have won many awards, and he has worked with many different types of groups as a speaker.

There is a short biography of Fr. Brian on the site, with a mailing address. There is an e-mail link to him on the home page, though it is somewhat buried amid clutter at the bottom.

The site is updated at the beginning of each month, and was last updated November 8th. It includes an archive of past newsletters, workshop information, storytelling articles and links to other sites.

The only drawback to this site that I found was that quotations in the newsletter are not given with complete citations. Fr. Brian attributes the quote only to the person who said it, but does not indicate where or when it was said.

Overall, I think this is an excellent website. It is a great source for inspirational reading, for pleasure, speechwriting or research purposes. It loads quickly, is easy to navigate, and has attractive colors and graphics.