A babysitter’s harrowing evening locked in a closet; the secret to saving enchanted fairies; a boy’s globe-trotting search for a missing pearl; princesses who live for ice cream and cake; a chickpea-size kitten named Chickpea learns to fish; and other tales by kids, courtesy of our friends at Writopia Lab, a non-profit in Manhattan that runs creative writing workshops for kids ages 8 to 18. Special thanks to the kids, parents, and staff of Writopia Lab for these wonderful stories.

This video was presented at part of the 2012 World Science Festival program, Why We Tell Stories: The Science of Narrative, featuring Paul Bloom, Jeffrey Eugenides, Jonathan Gottschall, Joyce Carol Oates, and Keith Oatley, with a special performance by The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.

Recorded June 2012; Posted June 2012