New poetry from Voices of Today

 

I was very happy to be a part of this recording as a member of Voices of Today! Poems of Emily Dickinson, Series 2 by Emily Dickinson was a group project by VOT narrators. 

"Few of Emily Dickinson’s poems were published in her lifetime. Her posthumous fame is largely due to the efforts of her editors and supporters Thomas W. Higginson and Mabel Loomis Todd.

In the foreword to this second collection, published in 1891, Mabel Loomis Todd wrote: “The eagerness with which the first volume of Emily Dickinson’s poems has been read shows very clearly that all our alleged modern artificiality does not prevent a prompt appreciation of the qualities of directness and simplicity in approaching the greatest themes—life and love and death. That “irresistible needle-touch,” as one of her best critics has called it, piercing at once the very core of a thought, has found a response as wide and sympathetic as it has been unexpected even to those who knew best her compelling power. This second volume, while open to the same criticism as to form with its predecessor, shows also the same shining beauties.”

Narrators:

• Larry Wilson
• Lyndal Curran Doolan
• Martha H. Weller
• Amy Soakes
• Kylie Elliott
• Margaret Wakeley
• Lee Ann Howlett
• Linda Barrans
• Ron Altman
• Nancy Beard
• Gary MacFadden
• Terah Tucker
• Denis Daly
• Gregory Dwyer
• Charlie Albers
• JaeAudio

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

New group project from Voices of Today on Audible

 

I'm very happy to be a part of this group project as a member of Voices of Today. Now available for preorder on Audible. Poems of Emily Dickinson: Series 1 by Emily Dickinson. 

"Emily Dickinson was one of the most reclusive of all poets. She spent much of her life in seclusion in her father’s house in Amherst, and only a handful of her 1800 poems were published in her lifetime. Credit for the posthumous publication of her work must be given to her editor and friend Thomas W. Higginson, who reported that, in spite of the voluminous correspondence which passed between himself and Dickinson, he only met her twice in person.

Dickinson’s poems are all short; few of them exceed twenty lines. Within her writing, the most mundane events of domestic life appear as events of momentous significance. The original editors of this collection write that, “The main quality of these poems is that of extraordinary grasp and insight, uttered with an uneven vigor, sometimes exasperating, seemingly wayward, but really unsought and inevitable.”

Full cast of narrators: Kendra Murray, Nancy Beard, Jennifer Fournier, Erin Grassie, Linda Barrans, Peter Sardi, Marie Hoffman, Melissa Green, Gregory Dwyer, Lee Ann Howlett, Sara Sheckells, Roberta Jackson, Lillian Warkentin, Caroline McLaughlin, Ron Altman, Lyndal Curran Doolan, Susan Iannucci, Lisa Negrón, Charlie Albers, Brandon Keener, Larry Wilson, Denis Daly, Kylie Elliott, Erin Bateman, Anthony St. Pierre, Amy Soakes, Stephanie Németh-Parker, Tim Dehn, Ginger White."

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

New group recording available for pre-order on Audible!

 

Up for pre-order now on Audible! I was very happy to participate as a member of Voices of Today in this reading of poetry from William Blake: Songs of Innocence and of Experience.

"This collection arguably contains some of the most charming lyrics ever written in English. The childlike simplicity and trust of these artless verses are unique.

Blake’s poems can be enjoyed, not only for their historical importance in an age which was fiercely proud of its genius and its traditions, but also for their simple and beautiful expression of “two contrary states of the human soul.”

Songs of Innocence was originally a complete collection of twenty-three poems, first printed in 1789. In 1794, a composite collection entitled Songs of Innocence and of Experience, containing forty-seven poems, was published.

Full cast of narrators:

Emma Faye

Ben Stevens

Lyndal Curran Doolan

Erin Grassie

Ron Altman

Linda Barrans

Lee Ann Howlett

Stephen Gage

Denis Daly

Shane Emmett

Christianne Lupher

Gary McFadden

Alan Weyman

Roberta Jackson

Kris Keppeler

Nancy Beard

Sarah Bacaller

Kendra Murray

Rosalind Murphy

Lisa Negrón

Graham Scott

Terah Tucker

Bria Sterling

Laura E. Richcreek

Adam Skousen

Blaise Doran

Aisling Gray

John Burlinson

Charlie Albers

Gregory Dwyer

Stephanie Németh-Parker

Trisha Rose

Tim Dehn

Ginger White

Rhonda Federman"

 

To pre-order, head to Audible here. 

Pre-order of a children's classic now on Audible!

 

I was very happy to contribute to this full cast production as a member of Voices of Today to this children's classic! Now We Are Six by A.A. Milne features 35 poems. 

"This collection of 35 short poems was first published in 1927, and is a sequel to When We Were Very Young, which was the first anthology of verse dealing with the domestic adventures of Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh.

As the author explains in the introduction: “We have been nearly three years writing this book. We began it when we were very young … and now we are six. So, of course, bits of it seem rather baby-ish to us, almost as if they had slipped out of some other book by mistake. So we want you to know that the name of the book doesn’t mean that this is us being six all the time, but that it is about as far as we’ve got at present, and we half think of stopping there.”

Featuring Bob Gonzalez, Daniela Acitelli, Emma Faye, JD Sutter, Cath Bilson, Kendra Murray, Erin Grassie, Ted Wenskus, Shane Hughes, Lucy Bacaller, Terah Tucker, Graham Scott, Jennie Litt, Susan Iannucci, Aisling Gray, Jennifer Fournier, Marty Krz, Lee Ann Howlett, Melissa Green, Rebecca H. Lee, Sarah Bacaller, Kris Keppeler, and others."

Due to be published January 16, 2024, you can pre-order the book on Audible here.

New collection from Voices of Today!

I was very happy to be a part of these full-cast productions as a member of Voices of Today! A Gene Stratton-Porter Collection by Gene Stratton-Porter was produced via Spoken Realms. 

"Freckles and A Girl of the Limberlost are two of Gene Stratton Porter's most famous novels. Set primarily in the Limberlost Swamp of Indiana, USA, Freckles follows the story of Freckles, a lame orphan whose innate character rises above his circumstances. A Girl of the Limberlost is the story of Elnora, blamed for her father's death by her mother, who nevertheless meets every challenge that comes her way with admirable resilience. Uplifting and encouraging family listening!

Narration by Susan Iannucci. Also featuring the voices of David Shears, Sarah Bacaller, Ben Stevens, Linda Barrans, Graham Scott, Marty Krz, John Burlinson, Trisha Rose, Lee Ann Howlett, J D Sutter, John Burlinson, Lee Ann Howlett, Andy Harrington, Emma Faye, Adam Skousen, Sara Morsey, and Kendra Murray."

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.

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.