My lastest recording on Audible

My latest recording for University Press Audiobooks just debuted on Audible today.  What Workers Say: Decades of Struggle and How to Make Real Opportunity Now is by Roberta Eversen. 

"What have jobs really been like for the past 40 years and what do the workers themselves say about them? In What Workers Say, Roberta Iversen shows that for employees in labor market industries—like manufacturing, construction, printing—as well as those in service-producing jobs, like clerical work, healthcare, food service, retail, and automotive—jobs are often discriminatory, are sometimes dangerous and exploitive, and seldom utilize people’s full range of capabilities. Most importantly, they fail to provide any real opportunity for advancement.

What Workers Say takes its cue from Studs Terkel’s Working, as Iversen interviewed more than 1,200 workers to present stories about their labor market jobs since 1980. She puts a human face on the experiences of a broad range of workers indicating what their jobs were and are truly like. Iversen reveals how transformations in the political economy of waged work have shrunk or eliminated opportunity for workers, families, communities, and productivity. What Workers Say also offers an innovative proposal for compensated civil labor that could enable workers, their communities, labor market organizations, and the national infrastructure to actually flourish."

To listen to the sample and/or purchase the book, head to Audible here.

New nonfiction title on Audible

 

My latest recording on Audible was produced by Spoken Realms.  A treatise on free speech:  The Censorship in Boston by Zechariah Chafee, Jr.

'Censorship, entailing the banning of books works on the stage and film, and public speeches, is not new. During the late 1920s in Boston, Massachusetts, it reached a fever pitch. Book banning was prominent but officials in the city also managed to stifle free artistic expression in theatrical productions, and the right to express ideas in a public forum. The bans were often carried out under the law by religious groups, the serving Mayor of Boston, and even the local police. Zechariah Chafee, Jr. was a professor of law at Harvard University and a staunch advocate of the First Amendment. Here he discusses the policies of 1929 in layman's terms and the various methods censors used to 'protect' the public. In addition to literary and artistic ideas, speeches regarding topics such as politics and birth control were affected.

Chafee published this pamphlet with The Civil Liberties Committee of Massachusetts. Years later, Senator Joseph McCarthy denounced Chafee as 'dangerous' in his work to defend free speech. Today, Chafee is considered a scholar on the First Amendment.'

To listen to the sample and/or purchase the recording, head to Audible here.

Classic recording from The Online Stage

 

I had the pleasure of playing several small roles as a member of The Online Stage in their production of The Iliad & The Odyssey by Homer. This was a massive undertaking but it was great to be a part of it.

"The Iliad, set 9 years into the Trojan War, tells the story of the wrath of Achilles. The Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus as he wearily travels home from the war. The two epics provide the basis of Greek education and culture in the classical age. They have long remained among the most significant poems of European tradition. Produced here in full cast arrangement and narrated by Rob Goll, one can experience these age-old stories in a brand new way.

Featuring the voices of Rob Goll, Lance Rasmussen, Josh Innerst, Tyler Hyrchuk, Amanda Friday, Anna Grace, David Stifel, Jeff Moon, John Burlinson, Ted Wenskus, Lee Ann Howlett, Tom Saer, Nik Sliwerski, Marty Krz, Andy Harrington, Trisha Rose, Bob Gonzalez, Sydnee Fullmer, Stephen Indrisano, Lillian Rachel, Tomas Peter, Chris Marcellus, Russell Gold, Merete Mohs, Tim Sailer, Erin Grassie, Linda Barrans, Elizabeth Klett, Grace Keller Scotch, Ron Altman, Max Gallo, Andrew Coleman, Alan Weyman, and Michelle Marie.

This production is based on the prose translation by Samuel Butler."

To listen to the sample and/or purchase the book, head to Audible here.

New recording debuts on Audible!

 

My latest recording just hit Audible today.  Encounters in Avalanche Country by Diana L. Di Stefano is a nonfiction book published by University Press Audiobooks.

"Every winter, settlers of the US and Canadian Mountain West could expect to lose dozens of lives to deadly avalanches. This constant threat to trappers, miners, railway workers and their families forced individuals and communities to develop knowledge, share strategies, and band together as they tried to survive the extreme conditions of "avalanche country". The result of this convergence, author Diana Di Stefano argues, was a complex network of formal and informal cooperation that used disaster preparedness to engage legal action and instill a sense of regional identity among the many lives affected by these natural disasters.

Encounters in Avalanche Country tells the story of mountain communities' responses to disaster over a century of social change and rapid industrialization. As mining and railway companies triggered new kinds of disasters, ideas about environmental risk and responsibility were increasingly negotiated by mountain laborers, at the elite levels among corporations, and in socially charged civil suits.

Written in a lively and engaging narrative style, Encounters in Avalanche Country uncovers authentic stories of survival struggles, frightening avalanches, and how local knowledge challenged legal traditions that defined avalanches as acts of God. Combining disaster, mining, railroad, and ski histories with the theme of severe winter weather, it provides a new and fascinating perspective on the settlement of the Mountain West."

To listen to the sample and/or purchase the book, head to Audible here.

New full-cast production of a children's classic from Voices of Today!

 

I was very happy to play a role in the recent production of Freckles by Gene Stratton-Porter as a member of Voices of Today.  This is a full-cast production.

"Freckles is primarily set in the Limberlost Swamp of Indiana, U.S.A., with brief scenes set in Chicago. 

Freckles is the only name he has ever known. His right hand is missing at the wrist, and he is haunted by not knowing how it happened. Raised since infancy in a Chicago orphanage, he speaks with a slight Irish accent and sings with a beautiful voice. Now, exhausted after many days of walking, he applies for a job with the Grand Rapids Lumber Company, guarding timber in the Limberlost Swamp from timber thieves.

Along with timber thieves, visitors to the swamp are the Bird Woman, who often comes to photograph birds' nests, and a lovely young woman whom Freckles promptly falls in love with and names his "Swamp Angel". He fears that he is descended from criminals who abused their baby and cut off his hand intentionally and so he cannot be worthy of her. The Swamp Angel declares her love for him and promises that she will find his parents and prove that Freckles comes from "a race of men that have been gentlemen for ages, and couldn't be anything else."

Be sure to follow up by listening to this book with the sequel, The Girl of the Limberlost, also produced by Voices of Today."

To listen to the sample and/or purchase the book, head to Audible here.

Release day on Audible for my latest book!

A nice long book for my newest release on Audible.  The Reluctant Spiritualist: The Life of Maggie Fox is by Nancy Rubin Stuart.  Nancy also wrote the book about Marjorie Merriweather Post that I narrated called American Empress. Marjorie actually consulted with the spiritualist Maggie Fox at one point during her life. Here's the info on this book:

"American Spiritualism—a movement that at its peak claimed more than a million followers—was born out of the basic human longing for contact with a loved one lost to death. But Spiritualism's true spark came in 1848 from something no more or less powerful than a bored teenage girl.

This is the first authoritative biography of Maggie Fox, the world-famous medium and cofounder of the Spiritualism movement that swept America in the mid-1800s. 

In 1848, 15-year-old Maggie and her sister Katy created rapping sounds by manipulating their toe joints, practicing until they convinced their parents that their farmhouse was haunted.

By 1853, more than 30,000 mediums were at work with Maggie among the most famous.

But when she denounced the faith in 1888, Spiritualism withered almost as quickly as it had bloomed.

Through the memoirs of the Fox sisters, the letters of Maggie's Arctic explorer husband, contemporary newspaper accounts, and other primary sources, Nancy Rubin Stuart creates a vibrant portrait of a Victorian-era woman at the heart of the controversies of her era.

Maggie Fox's Spiritualistic legacy continues today with mediums, channeling, and celebrity spiritualists.

Yet the origins of American Spiritualism were surprisingly humble. In 1848, 15-year-old Maggie and her sister Katy created rapping sounds by manipulating their toe joints, practicing until they convinced their parents that their farmhouse was haunted. 

What started as a prank soon transformed into a movement. By 1850, Maggie’s séances stunned author James Fenimore Cooper, New York Tribune editor Horace Greeley, and other prominent citizens. Within a matter of weeks, Maggie and her sisters—dubbed the Rochester Rappers by the press—became celebrities.

By 1853, more than 30,000 mediums were at work with Maggie among the most famous.

Award-winning author Nancy Rubin Stuart’s The Reluctant Spiritualist was five years in the making during which time she received a William Randolph Hearst Fellowship from the American Antiquarian Society to research the book. The American Society of Journalists and Authors awarded The Reluctant Spiritualist honorable mention for its 2006 Outstanding Book Awards. It was also nominated for the 2006 History Book Award of the New York Historical Society."

To listen to the sample and/or purchase the book, head to Audible here. 

 

New on Audible!

My latest recording hit Audible yesterday.  This one is a 'how to' for anyone interested in their genealogy: Ancestry: How To Research Your Family History and Climb Your Family Tree by Dr. Trina Boice and Dr. Tracey Long. 

"Learn more about yourself when you learn about your ancestors!

This audiobook will help you know what to do with all of those old family photos sitting in a box and how to connect them to real names and dates. You’ll learn how to use free websites and tools to gather information and build your personal family tree. Find and meet living relatives who can help you research and share more information, including stories, photos, and vital documents.

In addition to the helpful tips and “how-to” information, you will also be inspired as you hear true stories from people just like you who witnessed miracles as they researched their own family information. Try some of the fun and creative ways you can celebrate your family and honor your heritage. Even kids will become interested in helping you search for more information about your family! 

Here is a preview of what you’ll learn:

• How to find information about your ancestors online.
• How to organize the information and records you find.
• What to do when you hit a brick wall in your research.
• How to get information from your ancestors’ tombstones when you can’t travel to the cemeteries where they’re buried.
• How to find heirlooms and artifacts that belonged to your ancestors.
• How to connect with living relatives.
• How to share information with other people who are researching the same ancestors as you are.
• How to get your family and children interested in genealogy.
• How to plan a family reunion.
• How to honor your heritage in creative ways.
• How to qualify for university scholarships based on your heritage and ethnicity. 
• What to do with ancestors who were adopted.
• How to create memorable family events and traditions.

Each chapter offers easy-to-follow tips and gets you started on specific tasks to help you quickly move along in your search for your ancestors."

To listen to the sample and/or purchase the book, head to Audible here. 

 

New recording now on Audible

 

My latest recording just went live on Audible.  Isabella of Castile: Spain's Controversial Queen is by Nancy Rubin Stuart.  I previously recorded another of Nancy's books -- American Empress -- about the life of Marjorie Merriweather Post.  This new one is a great fairly short take on Isabella's life. 

"Originally published in 1991 as a Book of the Month Club Featured, dividend and awarded the Best Nonfiction Book by the American Society of Journalists and Authors, this authoritatively researched portrait of Queen Isabella brings to life one of the most controversial figures in European history -- a woman who was passionate lover to Ferdinand of Aragon, conquered the Moors (Muslims) of Spain, funded Columbus on his famous journey, brought the Renaissance to Spain, and was hated for introducing the Spanish Inquisition. Like many modern career women, Isabella was torn between her workaday obligations, her marriage, and child-rearing. Which was she -- a visionary, a saint, or a she-devil? Listen to Isabella of Castile and decide for yourself.

Who then, was the real Isabella?

Was she, as some people still believe, an unrecognized saint who deserved beatification because of her charitable acts to her subjects, her special concern for widows and orphans, and insistence upon cleansing the church of corruption?

Or was she a heartless bigot -- a religious fanatic who forced conversions of Spanish Moors and Jews to Christianity on pain of death through the instruments of the Spanish Inquisition?

Was she, as history suggests, a brilliant woman -- the only European monarch who understood the implications of a successful transatlantic crossing -- and consequently sponsored Christopher Columbus's famous journey across the ocean seas to the New World.

Who then, was the flesh-and-blood Isabella? As her dramatic biography reveals, the Queen was a very human blend of these three historical images.

Isabella of Castile describes the complex social and psychological forces that drove the queen to become one of history's most famous and quixotic monarchs, a monumental figure who is alternately revered and despised to this very day."

To listen to the sample and/or purchase the book, head to Audible here.

New nonfiction book now on Audible

My latest recording was just published on Audible yesterday.  What do gangster Pretty Boy Floyd, boxer Sonny Liston, and MLK assassin James Earl Ray all have in common?  They were all prisoners at the Missouri State Penitentiary at some time.  The Missouri State Penitentiary: 170 Years inside The Walls by Jamie Pamela Rasmussen is a fascinating look at this prison. 

"Asked how the Missouri State Penitentiary compared to other famous prisons, a historian and former prison administrator replied, “It’s older and meaner.” For 168 years, it was everything other prisons were and more. 

In The Missouri State Penitentiary, Jamie Pamela Rasmussen recounts the long and fascinating history of the place, focusing on the stories of inmates and the struggles by prison officials to provide opportunities for reform while keeping costs down. Tales of prominent prisoners, including Pretty Boy Floyd, Sonny Liston, and James Earl Ray, provide intrigue and insight into the institution’s infamous reputation.

A highlight in the chapter on the Civil War years is the story of George Thompson, who was imprisoned for attempting to help a number of slaves to freedom. The narrative enters the 20th century with the controversy surrounding the various systems of inmate labor; the effort to make the prison self-supporting eventually caused punishment to be driven by factory needs. The example of Firebug Johnson demonstrates how inmates reacted to the prison labor system, while Kate Richards O’Hare’s struggles and efforts to improve conditions in the penitentiary illuminate the role of women in the system at the time. 

A full chapter is devoted to the riot of 1954, and another concentrates on the reforms made in the wake of that catastrophe. Rasmussen also considers the effect inmate lawsuits during the 1980s and 1990s had on prison life before telling the story of the decision to close the prison.

The Missouri State Penitentiary provides a fitting account of an institution that was part of Missouri’s history for well over a century."

To listen to the sample and/or purchase the book, head to Audible here.

Full-cast production of a classic now on Audible

I was very happy to be a part of this full-cast production as a member of Voices of Today. A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter is now on Audible.

First published in 1909, A Girl of the Limberlost is a novel by American writer and naturalist Gene Stratton-Porter. This classic of Indiana literature is a sequel to Stratton-Porter's earlier novel Freckles. Wholesome, sensible, and beautiful, the heroine, Elnora, is also compassionate, self-reliant, and intelligent. Neglected by her mother, Elnora reaches through this hardship toward education, friendship, and love. There are no shortcuts and her hard work brings joy to herself and all those she loves.

Cast

Narrator - Susan Iannucci

Elnora - Emma Faye 

Philip Ammon - Adam Skousen

Wesley Sinton - Ben Stevens

Mrs. Comstock - Sara Morsey

Edith Carr - Kendra Murray

Also featuring the voices of Sarah Bacaller, Trisha Rose, JD Sutter, John Burlinson, Lee Ann Howlett, and Andy Harrington.

To listen to a sample and/or purchase the book, head to Audible here.