A little over a year ago, I launched my bedtime story subscription on Patreon. What a year that has been! The bedtime stories have been one of my pandemic anchors. I promised a new story every week, with a gentle chat at the end to help listeners fall asleep. The stories are audio only, so no light from screens to disturb valuable rest (my own new practice is to turn off all screens at least half an hour before I go to bed).

I started with a bank of ten stories, in case one per week wasn’t quite enough. After that, I began adding. I’ve posted 67 so far, mostly folktales from around the world. In the beginning, I dipped into my old favorites. Then I honored some requests. Then I needed to find new stories. This project has been a great way to expand my repertoire.

Here’s a Bulgarian story that’s in the subscriber-only library, to give you an idea of both the story and the soothing talk at the end:

These stories aren’t just for bedtime! Kids (and adults) can listen any time. Subscribers get access to all of the stories, all the time. If one story resonates more than the others, listen to it twenty times in a row! Maybe that would be good with headphones for the sanity of everyone else.

The subscription starts at $5 USD per month, up to $15. The benefits are the same, no matter how much you pay—I wanted you to be able to decide what it’s worth to you. I’ve had folks subscribe for their kids, or for grandchildren (just give them the password), or for themselves—you don’t have to be a kid to listen.

Here’s what Lindsey had to say about the bedtime stories subscription.

Questions? Comments?