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Reading Inspires is Reading Is Fundamental’s new podcast celebrating the power of books and the joy of reading. Each episode invites educators, librarians, families, authors, illustrators, and all who champion children’s literacy to explore one big question: What does reading inspire for you? Through engaging conversations and storytelling, Reading Inspires bridges the gap between research and real-world practice—showing what literacy looks and feels like in classrooms, libraries, and homes. Grounded in evidence yet open-ended in approach, this is a space for curiosity and connection. Whether you’re an educator seeking fresh ideas, a parent hoping to spark a love of reading, or simply a lifelong bookworm, you’ll find inspiration, practical insights, and stories that remind us all why reading matters—and how it changes lives.
[00:00:00] Speaker 2: Welcome. Today I am joined by Shidan and Roshan Yusefian, the authors of this book right here, Life Really Sucks. It's a s- it's a series, so there's going to be more, and it's one of my favorite types of mediums, graphic storytelling. Um, so welcome Shidan
[00:00:21] Speaker 3: and Roshan. Hey, Erin. Thank you so much. It's so good to
[00:00:24] Speaker: be here.
[00:00:24] Thank you, Erin. Thank you so much.
[00:00:27] Speaker 2: So let's start with your background and your journey into storytelling. You both grew up in Italy. Uh, you followed different career paths, and eventually you came together to create Life Really Sucks. Um, what experience shaped you as creators and storytellers?
[00:00:44] Speaker 3: Yeah, so, um, uh, Roshan and I are, uh, born and raised in Italy, but as you can probably tell from our names and, and last names, we don't sound very Italian.
[00:00:53] Mm-hmm. Uh, that is because, um, actually we're cousins. Our fathers, uh, are brothers, and they're both, uh, from Iran originally. They moved to Italy many years ago. Um, my mom is American. Roshan's mom is Italian. So we grew up in a very mixed and diverse family. So, you know, uh, uh, you know, growing up I think we always were exposed to a lot of different kinds of stories from different cultures and, um, uh, different books.
[00:01:21] Uh, it, it was always a... Stories were very central, I would say, to, uh, to our life. Um, and, uh, you know, I came from a background in marketing, uh, and branding. Mm-hmm. So that's what my career, uh, was focused on. I guess there's a bit of storytelling in there, but I wouldn't say that I, uh... it was necessarily, you know, the, the, the preferred path for an author.
[00:01:44] Uh, but of course, when we had the idea, we decided to come together and, and really, you know, kind of develop the story. Roshan will tell a little bit more about himself. But in terms of, like, the experience, I would say, that shaped our storytelling and our life, our, our vision as storytellers, I would say having a very diverse background, um, and growing up in a family that is kind of mix and match, uh, plays a very central role in the story that we like to tell.
[00:02:10] Speaker: Yes. So my, my path is a little bit different from Shidan's, although we share, we share the same root. We, as, as he said, we grew up in Italy, in Verona, beautiful city. Uh, uh, doing a little ad for Verona here. And, uh, after... So after high school, I went for, for a volunteering year to Colombia in South America.
[00:02:35] Uh, and that's honestly where, you know, my life took a completely different direction. Uh, I always tell this joke, uh, that I fell in love with the culture, with the people, and eventually also with my wife. Uh, and then I never left. Uh, really Colombia became my home. And I, I, I, uh, I left actually because I went to London to study sustainable development.
[00:03:00] Uh, and I spent a number of years working in renewable energies, uh, mostly in wind and solar energy. So as you can, as you can tell, storytelling wasn't my professional background. Um, and, but I've always loved, you know, creating things, project, building things from scratch and, mm, yes. Uh, so these days I live in Colombia with my wife, uh, with two kids, uh, Noah, he's eight, almost nine, and Olivia, she's three.
[00:03:32] Uh, and, uh, yes, this is me.
[00:03:36] Speaker 2: Aw, love it. What a beautiful story. Um, so you kind of hit on this a little bit with your idea of, like, you came from a mix... You called it a mix-matched, um, background. What kind of sparked your idea for the sock verse? Why, why socks? I mean, I know, uh, like I'm sure with you as well, I have th- I have three children, teeny tiny socks.
[00:03:59] They're getting lost all the time. They go into the dryer. They don't come back out. Yeah. Um, so what gave you the idea to turn this sorta everyday magic and mystery into a graphic novel?
[00:04:12] Speaker 3: Yeah. So, um, uh, a few years ago I was at my sister's place, uh, just outside Boston, and, uh, she has three kids who now are gr- grown up, but they were, you know, little kids.
[00:04:24] And I was helping her with the laundry, and as I was helping her with the laundry, I was... You know, there's this piles of laundry. I mean, I, I felt for every parent on planet Earth. A pile of laundry to deal with, and I'm folding and folding, and the one item that just was driving me crazy, it would drive me crazy just for myself, but now with kids it was even crazier, is these socks.
[00:04:49] 'Cause I just kept asking, "Where, where are all these socks going?" And as you pointed out, Aaron, like, kids' socks get lost, I guess, at a faster rate than adult socks 'cause they're smaller. Um, and I just, as I was going through this, I'm like, "Man, there must be a better way, uh, for poor parents, uh, to manage the situation.
[00:05:08] There should be mix and match socks." That was my first idea, and I thought, "But mix and match socks have been done," um, you know, so that you don't have to pair them. And then I thought, "But what if instead there was a story? Uh, what if we created some kind of a fun, engaging way for, you know, kids to wear mix and match socks and read about fun characters?"
[00:05:28] And so I wrote down the words, uh, originally it was the words life socks. We'll get into humor later, but we just ... It was, it was a very s- socky experience being there- ... trying to sort through all this. I said, "Life socks, man." Like, we're doing all this stuff. Um, and so then, uh, so that was the origin of the idea.
[00:05:46] I, I just wrote it down in my note and then, notebook. And then a few years later, uh, during the pandemic when life really sucked for everyone, uh, that's when I- That's
[00:05:56] Speaker: where you added the really. Exactly. That's when I added the really.
[00:05:58] Speaker 3: Um, I, I,
[00:06:02] uh, you know, I was kind of done with my, uh, branding care- I always wanted to do something creative and try something different. I was almost, you know, ready to move on from my consulting days. And so, um, I picked up, I quit my job, I picked up the phone and, and, you know, I called immediately Roshan because we always wanted to do something together.
[00:06:20] That's one thing we knew growing up together, we always wanted to. We're kind of two peas in a pod. Um, and that's where I told him, "Hey, I have this idea for, uh, uh, you know, this story, this universe." And in fact, last thing I'll say, the idea always started with, uh, I wanted to create books, books and socks.
[00:06:38] That was kind of the, the concept. And so that's how Life Really Sucks started. We started dev- developing, writing, thinking of ideas, characters, worlds, universe. And, uh, yeah, that's, that's the origin story.
[00:06:52] Speaker 2: I love it. I, it, I mean, it's so relatable as I just described. There is a solution. It's to put the socks in one of those, like, dryer bags, which I did for a while.
[00:07:02] But that's a lot of work too because, you know, the kids come home- Mm-hmm ... and they're, like, taking their socks off and, and throwing them everywhere, and who has time to put them in- Sure ... in the dryer, dryer bag. But I love the idea of the mis- the mismatched socks, and that is a theme- Mm-hmm ... kind of that comes up throughout your book.
[00:07:22] The story celebrates misfits or characters that don't always fit in. Why was this important for you to center these themes of friendship, individuality, and, and belonging throughout the story?
[00:07:36] Speaker: I, I think one, one re- I mean, in the end we realize that we're all misfits in, on this earth. So, you know, every one of us is different.
[00:07:47] We all have quirks, strengths, insecurities, and, uh, things that makes us unique. So, uh, through our journey, I think we met people from different cultures, different countries, different backgrounds. And I think we, uh, we've come to believe that is, is, uh, is that there is something valuable and beautiful in every person.
[00:08:08] That's, that's what we really feel, you know? So everyone has their own story. E- everyone has, has something to contribute. So when we see our world today, and, uh, maybe it's just the two of us or maybe it's everybody, we see a world that is, you know, it's, uh, it's very divided. Mm-hmm. And it's, uh, more divided than ever.
[00:08:30] And, uh, we, we do think, we do want to create something that, you know, puts a little, like, a grain of positivity and light and fun out on this world. So we don't want to be re- we don't want to be preachy, you know. Uh, but through our characters and story, we want to show the differences, you know, can actually bring people together.
[00:08:55] And, uh, yes, that's how we have been raised also. Uh, Shidan was telling you that we are, you know, from very different backgrounds. We ended up living in different countries. Uh, so g- growing up celebrating diversity was, you know, something that we always got used. I think we just, it's, it was a very natural step to doing also with the, with the softwares and with the stories inside the s- the softwares.
[00:09:23] Speaker 3: Yeah, maybe the only thing I would add is that it was a little bit serendipitous that, you know, we, we, we have this, like, strong belief in the idea that all mankind is one, um, and, and beautiful in its kind of diversity. And at the same time, we had a really funny concept of, you know, all these lost socks.
[00:09:43] You know, they all... They're used to- Mm-hmm ... having their perfect pair with them in this world, but when they go to the Sockverse, they're all alone. And so being all alone, they have to learn to kind of make friends with other characters that are very different. So in a sense, the socks are, and the Sockverse, um, it, it's kind of this really great metaphor for the world that we live in.
[00:10:08] Um, and, and as Roshan said, for us, the biggest thing is, you know, we really don't want to, uh, be preachy in any way about this message of, um, you know, differences are beautiful. We wanna do it by having fun because that's been our life. We've been exposed to how beautiful and fun being around different people is, and, uh, we just wanna try and, you know, share that with the world.
[00:10:33] Speaker 2: Yeah. It seems like, especially with the context of you were developing this during the COVID-19 pandemic, it's very fitting to a lot of the themes that many of us were feeling, like being with loved ones but also feeling alone and isolated, being in a time of, like, stark polarization but also some unifying experiences.
[00:10:57] You know, binge-watching Netflix. Um, y- cooking together.
[00:11:04] Speaker: Yes.
[00:11:05] Speaker 2: Um, doing puzzles. How many people did puzzles during the pandemic regardless of what their b- background was? So it's like I see these themes, uh, coming through that really encapsulate what a lot of people were going through in the context of when you were writing this.
[00:11:21] Speaker 3: Yes, absolutely. I mean, the pandemic was, uh, um... In a sense, uh, I still feel like I'm in the pandemic. Uh, probably Roshan feels the same way because we started working from home-
[00:11:32] Speaker 2: Mm-hmm ...
[00:11:32] Speaker 3: and we're still working from home over Zoom every day to kind of move things forward with Life Really Sucks. Um, but the pandemic was kind of this, this crisis that, that, uh, you know, highlighted a lot of the challenges but also brought us a lot closer.
[00:11:49] Uh, and so yeah, I think, I think it was a, it was a really good, uh, gr- I mean, a lot of not very nice things happened during the pandemic, but also for us it was a bit of a creative moment for- Yeah ... ideas. And, and also it's in the name, Life Really Sucks. Also the recognition- Yeah ... that it, we do live, live through tough times, but if we can find a way maybe to like, you know, come closer, see the positive, laugh, see, as Roshan said, even we're just trying to plant the seed of positivity.
[00:12:17] Speaker: Mm-hmm.
[00:12:18] Speaker 3: That can grow and, and, and really change the world around us, so anyway.
[00:12:23] Speaker: And we can, we can also see it in, uh... I mean, when we, when we were initially pitching these to people just to see how they react, I mean, the story is very nice and cute and funny, but w- we, we felt that, you know, from the pandemic also, people became very, uh, sensitive to, to this topic, to the top- So it's very...
[00:12:49] I feel that it's very timely, uh, because also the response of parents when they read the books, it's, it's wonderful because they s- they see how important it is, especially nowadays.
[00:13:02] Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely. So I mentioned before graphic novels. Graphic genre is, is one... Or gr- medium, I should say, not genre, is one of my absolute favorites.
[00:13:14] It's something that I'm very passionate about. Why did you choose a graphic story, storytelling? Um, what role do you think using a graphic medium supports confidence, engages readers, especially for children who might not yet see themselves as readers?
[00:13:34] Speaker: Yes. Uh, I can, I can take this one. Um, maybe, uh, uh, I mean, a big example is, uh, with my son Noah.
[00:13:43] Uh, when I see him, uh, w- he started reading when he was, uh, six or seven, of course, with, with my help, and I, I can tell you graphic novels are really, uh, like a big replacement for screens.
[00:13:58] Speaker 2: Mm.
[00:13:58] Speaker: It's, uh, it's, uh, because it's, it's full of images. It, they can feel the story and they can see the story in a different way.
[00:14:07] I think we fell in love with this, with this, uh, with the possibility of telling our story through, uh, the pages of a book. Um, we, we love every medium, just to be clear. We, we, we would love to, uh, to do Life ReSocks even in a, you know, as a, as a as a play at Broadway. But it's, uh, the, just to start, we think the, the, the Life ReSocks se- series showing kids that it's, it's a medium that is easy, that we can enter and also as a author easier, but also they can enter very easily because they can just grab the book and start reading even with their parents.
[00:14:47] So we were s- we were drawn to that, and, uh, I can tell now that he, my son, my older son, he's, uh, almost nine, and I can tell from when I go to school, present this to, to, to the other kids, that they love graphic novels. It's a great, great medium for them, uh, to start reading, and I think also it's, uh, uh, it's, it's a great base to, you know, read other books later on and when, when they're, when they're gonna be older
[00:15:18] Speaker 2: Yeah.
[00:15:19] And you know because- Yeah, maybe just... Oh. Oh, sorry. You know- No, no ... 'cause you've attended, uh, Reading is Fundamental events. Both of you have attended events, that it's the graphic novels that just fly off the tables. It's what the kids are gravitating towards.
[00:15:35] Speaker 3: Yes, absolutely. I mean, it- it's, it's such a, a being, uh, p- to participate in many of the Reading is Fundamental events, and just going for school visits.
[00:15:45] Uh, which, you know, plug, if there's any teachers out there that want us, please feel free to reach out. Uh, we're more than happy to do school events. We can tell you more about that later. But just seeing how, uh, you know, graphic novels can build confidence in, in young readers, I think that's another big thing for us that was a big motivating factor, is, you know, fi- for the first time a lot of kids can actually hold a book and feel the accomplishment of completing a book.
[00:16:12] Mm. Of course, it takes less time to read a graphic novel than a, than a regular book, let's put it this way. Um, but the feeling of accomplishment gives them the confidence to go and pick up another book, and another book, and another book, and graduate to always higher levels. So for us, it's a great entry point, uh, into reading.
[00:16:30] Uh, it gives them a lot of confidence. And of course for us it's a lot of fun because, you know, it can, we can visualize our story and our characters. Mm. I just wanna say a quick pl- other plug, but just to Maui
[00:16:42] Speaker: Duque,
[00:16:42] Speaker 3: who is the artist that has, uh, uh, did the, all the art for our books. Phenomenal young artist in, in Colombia.
[00:16:49] Um, uh, he's done an amazing job, and it's, it's so beautiful to see how people react to the art as well. It's such a, such a... Graphic novels are an incredibly powerful medium, I think, to tell stories
[00:17:02] Speaker 2: Yeah, and I think it's fun to, I mean, the way you can play with the artwork when your main characters are socks.
[00:17:10] You know, you have one with the- Yes ... little, uh, rubber band so it looks like it's a ponytail, but it's like- Right ... the tube, part of the
[00:17:18] Speaker 3: tube sock.
[00:17:19] Speaker 2: Yes. And it's such a fun way- Uh ... to play with movement.
[00:17:23] Speaker 3: It was so much fun. I mean, uh, the first, I mean, it, it k- it sounds crazy, but the first three months of, f- I'm sorry, three to six months, I was just, like, trying to develop the concept.
[00:17:32] We didn't even know how do you, how do you draw a sock in a way that is fun for kids and, and parents and, and anybody to, like, you know, uh, to interact with, to read about, to, to watch. And, uh, it's funny, we had the sessions on sock anatomy where we were trying to figure out how do they walk. How do they run, you know, how do we use their sockiness to tell very fun stories?
[00:17:55] And in the books, of course, you can see them being stretched and all kinds of stuff happens to them as they go on their adventures. Uh, but yeah, it was, it was a, it, it's, it's a very fun medium and it's a very fun, uh, graphic novels are very fun for that reason. And of course, socks lends them, lend themselves to a lot of visual gags and, and, and action.
[00:18:16] Speaker 2: Um, that kind of leads us to the, to my next question around humor and puns. I love- ... a good pun. Um, when I taught fourth grade, and I taught, uh, you know, uh, mostly, you know, 90% of my students were English learners. So puns became- Mm-hmm ... really fun because it was not just explaining the pun, but, like, the root of , root of the pun.
[00:18:38] And my class and I started calling things punny if they were funny with a pun. Um, and I'll never forget one day, uh, one of my fourth graders said, "Miss, our class is pun-larious." Um, and so- ... you know, only, only a fourth grader, um, could, could come up with that. So pun-larious. Uh, I would describe your book as pun-larious.
[00:19:02] Um-
[00:19:02] Speaker 3: Yes.
[00:19:03] Speaker 2: Thank you ... and just to give, you know, listeners some examples, like, there's scenes where, you know, you really play on the sockiness. So there's scenes where they're at a restaurant, and they'll be, um, ordering toast with toe jam, um, instead of regular jam. So just, like-
[00:19:18] Speaker: Nice ... um,
[00:19:19] Speaker 2: you know, fun play on words like that.
[00:19:22] How do you balance creating these laugh-out-loud moments with those deeper themes that we touched on earlier, like identity- Mm-hmm ... a sense of belonging, accepting each other's differences?
[00:19:33] Speaker 3: Yes. It's a, this is a, I think, uh, one of the most interesting questions because humor for us plays such an important role.
[00:19:43] You know, the themes that we're touching around, you know, friendship, belonging, the idea that we're all one, you know, this is the bigger theme. Let's put it this way. These are big themes that, um, you know, require time, require openness, and humor from our perspective is the fastest way to open someone up, you know- Mm-hmm
[00:20:06] to get to their heart in many ways. You know, when, when you can laugh with someone, um, that's when you know that there's a special chemistry, there's a special connection. So for us, humor is central. It's so important. Without humor, for us, it's harder to get to these, these topics. Laughing is an incredible healing medicine in many ways.
[00:20:24] Uh, you know, we should all laugh a lot more in the world. Uh, and, and that would bring so much positive energy, uh, to solve pr- actual problems through laughter.
[00:20:33] Speaker: Yeah.
[00:20:34] Speaker 3: Um, so yeah, humor was, was very important. Finding the balance, not always easy. Sometimes we can be, uh- ... overly punny. Um, but, but you know, uh, we have, uh, you know, our spouses, our siblings, our parents, friends that, like, will rein us in.
[00:20:52] Say, "Uh, there you've gone too far with this pun." My nephews and nieces for sure. Yeah. They've told me many times, "No, don't go there please." Um, but, uh, also I will say, like, that's one of the beautiful things about creating something is that, you know, things just kind of come... They emerge naturally, you know?
[00:21:10] I mean, the, the main diner where our, our three protagonists, Freddy, Hanks, and Ruffles hang out, you know? And, and, you know, it's kind of like their... It's in a sense it's their bat cave, if you know what I mean. It's where their adventures always start. It's their headquarters. It's a dow- diner in a, in a town called Washingtown.
[00:21:28] Um, in a small town in Soccer it's called Washingtown. It's called The Hole in the Heel, and it's got like a little, you know, it's shaped like a boot. It's got a h- a hole where, you know, the doorway. All this came very naturally, you know? It wasn't... In a sense it felt more like we were revealing a world that already existed, you know?
[00:21:46] Speaker 2: Mm.
[00:21:46] Speaker 3: Something that I think a lot of authors will say, will talk about. Um, a- and, and humor is so central to this world. It, it, it just comes very naturally finding the balance. But as I said, I think humor being the gate to the heart is maybe one of the biggest things for us as we think about writing and telling stories
[00:22:05] Speaker: And I think this also, just to add one thing, it happens also with, uh, within, you know, our calls.
[00:22:11] Shidan mentioned that we're every day on Zoom, uh, working and chatting. I mean, it would be impossible if we, if, if, if humor and laughter wouldn't be, you know, part of this process. We, we, we try to laugh as much as possible in our meeting between the two of us, or with our team when we have our ... And we, and it becomes very, it becomes magical when you, after laughter and after what you're, what you're, you know, writing or discussing about the story that is really humor-centric, then you have a moment when you understand that there is this, like, big emotional moment that you can, that talks about, you know, identity or talk about, you know, um, teamwork or whatever other emotion that is involved.
[00:23:02] And it's, uh, it's very powerful to see also how, uh, laughter really, what, what Shidan is saying is this, like, opens your heart to, like, uh, receiving all these emotions. So yes, laughter is, uh, it's, it's, it's very important and, uh, it's, uh, it also help us with the stress of the everyday life. You know, it's, it's, uh, it's very important.
[00:23:27] Speaker 2: And your Sockverse has expanded, right? Like, there's the characters that you mentioned. There's also collectibles we haven't even talked about. Your, you know, like, your, your world building right now, hopefully you'll share a little bit about what you're currently working on. Um, but what do you hope that kids will continue to interact with the Sockverse?
[00:23:48] What do you hope they'll do after reading the last page?
[00:23:53] Speaker 3: Yeah, that's a, that's a great question. Uh, we, from the very beginning, you know, we always had the idea that You know, this world, these characters can stretch in many directions. Uh, we can do a lot with this, uh, with this world that we've, we've kind of, uh, we've been, um, you know, um, building.
[00:24:13] Um, you know, the socks, the collectible socks with Roshan showed the, the, the mystery pack. We like to say we're the proud inventors of the world's first mystery, uh, sock collectible. Uh, I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but we are. Uh, so in this pack you can find, you know, we have 10 of our characters from the books.
[00:24:33] Um, and you never know which two of the characters you're getting, and you can actually wear them and mix and match them as you like. So, uh, we had this idea and we really wanted to bring it to life and, you know, we, we kind of worked hard to do that. Um, we also, you know, we started exploring animation as well because for us that's the other thing, is to bring, um...
[00:24:54] I think when we're thinking about reading, um, a- and, and, and having, uh, kids and parents want to read, you also have to think about where kids and parents are- Mm-hmm ... in everyday life. You know, what are, what, what are all the moments where you can kind of connect with them and, and make them want to, like, go deeper into your, into your universe?
[00:25:15] So collectibles are one thing. Another thing is, you know, obviously animation, being on digital platforms is important to us. Mm-hmm. We started playing with digital shorts, um, just to kind of see how our characters could kind of come to life, and we were very lucky. We, we, we started about a year and a half ago, two years ago, and our, our, uh, digital platforms kind of grew exponentially.
[00:25:38] Uh, I think currently we have a total of almost, like, 1.4 million s- followers across, you know, all the, the big, main platforms. And these are really, uh, this is just a way to kind of put our characters and our humor, um, uh, in front of people with the hope of them, you know, kind of wanting to dive deeper into it.
[00:25:59] Um, uh, of course, the book is, is where we're telling our, our, the core of our story. That's where our books are. Um, but the, the, the big news for us now is that we actually just, uh, actually managed to, uh, secure, uh, the opportunity of, uh, doing our own animated show. So within the next year we're gonna be releasing the Life Really Sucks animated show, um, on, on YouTube, uh, which is very exciting.
[00:26:28] Uh, you know, again, we want to be where, where kids and families are at, and YouTube is a great, great platform for that. So we have a lot of plans, but the way that we see it is that all these things, they're all connected. You know? Mm-hmm. They're all reinforcing, you know, pushing the kid to, you know, go collect the next sock, go, go pick up the book and read, you know.
[00:26:47] We want to immerse, you know, kids and adults in our world in a really fun way, and so we're trying to find all the different ways to, to, to do this.
[00:26:57] Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm sure it's fun to play with the different mediums too. Y-
[00:27:02] Speaker 3: Yes. Lots to learn. I mean, every medium is so special. Um, you know, even, even producing a pa- if, if we think of the socks even as a medium, right?
[00:27:12] Mm-hmm. This collectible. Learning about how to create a collectible- Mm-hmm ... sock, and the process of pro- you know, we have w- we worked with a pretty big sock manufacturer to do this, and they told us, "This is the most complex sock project we've ever done." Which it is, because no sock manufacturer's ever had to, like, put, build effectively a toy, you know?
[00:27:32] Yes. They're not used to this kind of packaging. So it's been fun to just learn about all these different, uh, uh, uh, the different industries, different worlds, and all of this kind of reinforces, helps us tell better stories, helps us tell, you know... And, and just also grow personally as, as, as individuals. I-
[00:27:51] Speaker: And also, also with the different mediums, we also realized that, you know, Lifree Socks goes beyond a story that is just for kids, we felt.
[00:28:02] And, uh, honestly, when we, when we write the stories, they... I mean, we need to laugh at the stories, and we're, we're big kids, uh, I know that, but at, at the same time, we, we love the parents to laugh out loud when they read the lines of Lifree Socks. So that al- that was also very interesting too. You know, we started posting these animations on, on, uh, on, on the social media, and, uh, we had a lot of parents and adults that relates to them and, uh, uh, they love the stories.
[00:28:37] They love the universe. They love the characters. And that's what we really like about Lifree Socks. We would like to bring, you know, anyone that feels, you know, related to, to the story can be part of this. Uh, we're happy about it.
[00:28:52] Speaker 2: When you started saying about the factory, I started thinking you could have a whole section of the Sockverse that's like the lost socks in the factory, the ones that fall off the conveyor belt.
[00:29:01] Oh,
[00:29:03] Speaker: yeah.
[00:29:03] Speaker 3: Yes, absolutely. I, uh, if you, if you see these machines that produce the socks, they actually are incredible machine. The equipment is so interesting, and so many ideas for a lot of our stories have come from just looking at the technicality. Mm-hmm. I mean, um, and as you know, like, there's so many different types of socks.
[00:29:24] So the world itself, the, the, the, the, the re- sorry, not the world, but the, the s- sock itself, uh, the world of socks is one that is so fun and funny and interesting, and it was very easy to, like, take these ideas and turn them into a universe to be read and, and, and, and enjoyed by, you know, kids and parents in, in, in storytelling.
[00:29:46] Speaker 2: Yeah. I love it. Um, so we're getting to an end. I always ask this very difficult question at the end for each of you, and that is: What does reading inspire for you?
[00:30:01] Speaker: Okay ...
[00:30:02] Speaker 3: Gorashi, do you wanna start?
[00:30:03] Speaker: Okay, let me start. Um, very difficult question. I think it depends on the moment of my life. Mm. But I would say it inspires creativity, definitely. Uh, it inspires new ideas. It inspires, you know, opportunities. Sometimes it inspires me to be, you know, a better person or a better parent.
[00:30:30] Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.
[00:30:30] Speaker: Um, I think reading is... It's really a source, you know. You go there, you take some water, you can drink it, and you can get a lot of from it
[00:30:42] Speaker 3: Yes. I mean, uh, it, it is, it is a hard question because I think, um, there are so many good answers, uh, in terms of what reading inspire. It inspires so much, as, as Roshan said.
[00:30:57] Um, I think very personally, uh, the, the, the ability to enter other worlds and to, uh, discover other ways of living. You know, that's, for me, that's probably the most enriching thing about reading. It inspires me to, like, see other perspectives, broaden my horizon, and that leads to new ideas. That leads to opportunities, possibilities.
[00:31:21] And, you know, we, we've been so lucky to partner up with Reading Is Fundamental on many events and, you know, thank you Reading Is Fundamental for, for what you do, uh, I would say. For taking us out there, uh, you know, to schools, at events. Um, because... And, and that's really one of our key messages when we go and meet with kids and, and parents at events is that, you know, you need to read.
[00:31:49] You need to read because it will inspire your next big idea. If you don't read, if you're not in, in, uh, in books and in this world, it's very hard to have, uh, new ideas come your way. Um, and you're, you're also not kind of enriching your own personal, your own personal life. So we make it a really big point in our, uh, in our events, not just because we wrote two graphic novels, but just because truly it's all our ideas.
[00:32:17] Like, you know, collectible socks, whatever comes next, you know, reading has been so important in, uh, helping us come up with new ideas, be creative, be imaginative, be inventive. Um, so yeah.
[00:32:32] Speaker 2: Thank you. I... What I hear from both of you, you know, throughout our conversation, is how reading inspires creativity. But I hope the other thing when you talk to groups of children, and you mentioned you do school visits, I'll be sure to link that information below so teachers listening can reach out to you.
[00:32:48] Um, but what I hear is that it's creativity and risk-taking. Um, and that's what I hope children get from their message with you, is like, creativity doesn't exist in a vacuum. Um, it requires- Mm ... taking a risk, making a connection. That's how you can spread your creativity and, and help it flow.
[00:33:11] Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely.
[00:33:12] Those things kind of go hand-in-hand, you know? Mm-hmm. But, and, and, and it's the, that, you know, risks become less risky, let's put it this way, uh, when you've, when you're, when you're being creative, you know? When you, when you feel a creative connection with something, you're willing to take a risk, you know? I think that's really, um...
[00:33:31] So that's why, you know, we quit our jobs and we are doing this now, you know. We're talking about socks every day And sock stories. Um, some people refer to us as, "Oh, look, it's the sock guys." It's funny to think that, but Um, it's been a great journey.
[00:33:49] Speaker 2: Yes. Well, I am so grateful- Yes ... that you were creative, and you did take that risk, and that here we are today, and that many, many children and their parents get to enjoy, um, these books together.
[00:34:00] So thank you.
[00:34:03] Speaker 3: Thank you so much, Erin. And thank you for, uh, inviting us on your, on your podcast. And, uh, you know, thank you for everything that Reading Is Fundamental is doing. It's so important. And, uh, yeah, very excited for the future.
[00:34:18] Speaker: Thank you for listening to these two sock guys.
[00:34:23] Speaker 2: Yes. And I should add before we wrap, if you're listening and something that the two sock guys said resonated with you, please pass this on and share it to somebody that you think will, uh, get joy from this episode.
[00:34:35] And thank you for listening.