award
noun \ ə-ˈwȯrd \
Definition of award (Entry 2 of 2)
1: something that is conferred or bestowed especially on the basis of merit or need; a film that has won several awards
2a: a judgment or final decision; especially : the decision of arbitrators in a case submitted to them
b: the document containing the decision of arbitrators
-Merriam Webster
Biography & Memoir • 13.75 hrs. • Unabridged • © 2023
THE RISK IT TAKES TO BLOOM
On Life and Liberation
Written and Read by Raquel Willis
Raquel Willis gives an impassioned and engaging performance of her memoir about her life in trans activism. After beginning with her childhood in Georgia, she reminisces about her various coming-out moments in high school and college--as gay, as a genderqueer drag performer, and as trans. She delves into her career as a journalist and activist in Georgia, California, and New York, sharing her evolving understanding of liberation work. Her voice is energetic and full of emotion. Her dedication to her work and her unwavering love for Black trans women come through loud and clear, especially when she's reading excerpts from speeches she's given at rallies and other events. This is a powerful, inspiring memoir from an activist who's just getting started. L.S. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2024]
Post-Production House: John Marshall Media
Director: Vassilya Dainwood
Post-Production Manager: Ryan Lare
Eng/Edit/QC Team: Chris Drapeau, Tony VanHoorn, Arra Melikian, Brock Grenfell, Oscar Alain De Jesús, Edson Peralta, Polo Inclan
Contemporary Culture • 5.5 hrs. • Unabridged • © 2024Editors and reviewers from AudioFile Magazine
Nourishments and Jamborees
Bite by Bite
Written and Read by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Aimee Nezhukumatathil's voice is warm and inviting as she performs her essay collection celebrating all things food. In each work, the author, who is Filipina and Malayali Indian, centers her thoughts on one of her favorite foods, giving listeners glimpses of her life. In one essay she connects shave ice with some of the beloved people she's shared it with. In another, she describes how her parents instilled in her the belief that a party isn't a party without lumpia. Nezhukumatathil's narration is filled with such joyful enthusiasm for each food. Lychee, mango, jackfruit, rice, vanilla, waffles--all hold a special place in her heart, and her descriptions of each delicious ingredient or dish will have listeners wanting to try these foods for themselves. K.D.W. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2024]
Post-Production House: John Marshall Media
Director: Vassilya Dainwood
Post-Production Manager: Ryan Jones
Edit/QC Team: Mónica Macías, Fernando Valdespino
Poetry & Drama • 1.5 hrs. • Unabridged • © 2024
Reading by Ear for National Poetry Month
The Moon
that Turns
You Back
Written and Read by Hala Alyan
Hala Alyan's velvety tones add a paradoxical dimension to her collection of poems exploring themes of displacement and identity. Alyan, a Palestinian American poet, novelist, and clinical psychologist, illuminates the diasporic experience in these poems but also addresses general discord in life, especially the trials she experienced after an ectopic pregnancy. Her use of succinct, candid language and haunting imagery effectively conveys feelings of disconnection and unease. Yet amid the darkness, her poetry and voice express glimmers of hope, transformation, and renewal. Through her crisp words and striking metaphors, Alyan paints vivid portraits of her family and cultures; her soothing voice, clear and articulate, creates an experience that is disquieting and penetrating. Alyan's evocative performance invites listeners to contemplate belonging, resilience, and the human spirit. M.F. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2024]
“Hala Alyan’s haunting voice echoes the vibes of another land and time in this collection of poems exploring themes of displacement, and identity. Alyan's velvety tones add a paradoxical dimension to her performance—sometimes inviting, sometimes cool, and always evocative and inspiring. Amidst the darkness, her poetry and voice uplift with glimmers of hope, transformation, and renewal. This penetrating poetry experience, with its powerful imagery, metaphors, succinct and candid language, may be especially appealing to those interested in the diasporic experience.” - Audiofile Magazine APRIL 03, 2024
Post-Production House: John Marshall Media
Director: Vassilya Dainwood
Post-Production Manager: Ryan Jones
Edit/QC Team: Mónica Macías, Fernando Valdespino
Religion & Spirituality • 5.5 hrs. • Unabridged • © 2024
February 2024
June 2024
Mostly What God Does
Reflections on Seeking and Finding His Love Everywhere
Written and Read by: Savannah Guthrie
Today coanchor Guthrie (coauthor of the picture book Princesses Save the World) makes her adult debut with a poignant account of the role that religious faith has played in her life… Through her candidness about the challenges she’s tackled—including the death of her often “mercurial and terrifying” father when she was 16 and her abbreviated first marriage—Guthrie persuasively renders the evolution of a hard-won religious belief that makes room for imperfection and “does not require us to ignore... the sorrows we experience or the unjustness we see but to believe past it.” This openhearted offering inspires. Agent: Cait Hoyt, CAA. (Feb.) - Publishers Weekly
Guthrie persuasively renders the evolution of a hard-won religious belief that makes room for imperfection and "does not require us to ignore... the sorrows we experience or the unjustness we see but to believe past it." This openhearted offering inspires.—Publishers Weekly
Post-Production House: John Marshall Media
Producer: Vassilya Dainwood
Post-Production Managers: Savannah Guthrie, James Zachary
Eng/Edit/QC Team: Zach Giberson, Michael Bader, Brandon Lima, Jorge Pintado, Fernando Ramirez
Fiction • 8.75 hrs. • Unabridged • © 2023
Fiction
Yellowface
by R.F. Kuang | Read by Helen Laser
Helen Laser gives a mesmerizing performance in this poignant novel about race, censorship, and the capriciousness of social media. When June Hayward and Athena Liu get together to celebrate Athena’s success as an Asian writer, the night goes incredibly wrong. Athena ends up dead, and June ends up with Athena’s manuscript. Laser’s inflections accurately portray retiring June and her confident, classy nemesis, Athena. Ensuing events include June’s rise to fame and subsequent descent into guilt and delusions amid social media fallout and increasing accusations of theft and cultural appropriation. Laser captures all of it with compelling crispness that brings out the novel’s themes. This is a riveting production of a thrilling and thought-provoking story. M.F. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2023 Best Audiobook © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2023]
Post-Production House: John Marshall Media
Post-Production Manager: Vassilya Dainwood
Edit/QC Team: Tito Valles, Victor Otero, Alejandro Mercado
Nonfiction • 8.5 hrs. • Unabridged • © 2023
Well-Being
Smart Sex
How to Boost Your Sex IQ and Own Your Pleasure
Written and Narrated by: Emily Morse
I'll admit, this listen made me blush when I first added it to my Library. Even though I intellectually understand there's nothing shameful about it, on some level the word "sex" still makes me a little uncomfortable—and that's exactly why we need to talk about it more. Thankfully, Emily Morse has done just that ... a lot. In fact, she's compiled insights from thousands of Q&As with people to identify the building blocks of sexual intelligence, clear communication, and pleasure. And after several hours of listening to Dr. Emily's welcoming voice, I'm convinced more people need to hear what she has to say. —R.X.
“This is the type of sex talk we need more of!”—Christina Aguilera, Grammy Award-winning musician and entrepreneur
From the host of the #1 podcast Sex with Emily, Emily Morse, comes a revolutionary new book that reframes our relationship to pleasure and teaches us how to have the best sex of our lives.
Post-Production House: John Marshall Media
Director: Vassilya Dainwood
Post-Production Manager: Tom Messina
Edit/QC Team: Aldo Roaro, Fer Ramirez
Biographies & Memoirs • 13 hrs. • Unabridged • © 2023
History
The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts
The True Story of The Bondwoman's Narrative
By: Gregg Hecimovich
Narrated by: Ron Butler, Janina Edwards
The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts is a groundbreaking study of America’s first known Black woman novelist, Hannah Bond “Crafts.” Written by Gregg Hecimovich, the biographer who discovered her identity, and featuring a preface from Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the historian who originally authenticated The Bondwoman’s Narrative in 2002, this is a long overdue and remarkable account of a hitherto unknown writer, finally acknowledging Crafts’s contribution to the American literary canon. The expert performance from Ron Butler and Janina Edwards manages to beautifully polish this gem of a hidden history to perfection. —M.C.
'Furman University English professor Hecimovich (Puzzling the Reader) delivers a captivating biography of Hannah Crafts. Part literary detective story, part suspenseful escape narrative, this impressive account ties together its many disparate threads into a riveting whole. It’s a must-read.' — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
'An absorbing work of historical and literary excavation.' — Kirkus Reviews
Post-Production House: John Marshall Media
Post-Production Manager: Vassilya Dainwood
Edit/QC Team: Maria Carrillo, Daniel Hernandez
Fantasy • 19 hrs. • Unabridged • © 2023
HE WHO DROWNED THE WORLD
The Radiant Emperor Duology, Book 2
by Shelley Parker-Chan | Read by Natalie Naudus
Natalie Naudus narrates the conclusion to The Radiant Emperor Duology. A fierce power struggle is underway to reign as emperor in this retelling of the Ming dynasty's rise to power and wresting of control from the Mongols. Naudus is an admirable guide through a complicated plot with multiple points of view. The characters include a collection of cruel and manipulative people, including a eunuch general, a number of nonbinary individuals, a son seeking vengeance, and a woman who is trying to seize the throne for her husband. Naudus makes them all distinct. She illuminates the few tender moments amid the overall violence and sets a quick, smooth pace that never lags. J.E.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2023]
Post-Production House: John Marshall Media
Post-Production Manager: Vassilya Dainwood
Edit/QC Team: Craig Klein, Zac Smith
Fantasy
Biographies & Memoirs • 6.5 hrs. • Unabridged • © 2023
Talking to My Angels
Written and Read by: Melissa Etheridge
Twenty years after the success of her first memoir, the New York Times bestseller The Truth Is . . ., the Grammy and Oscar award-winning rocker and trailblazing LGBTQAI icon takes stock of the intervening years, recounting the euphoric triumphs and the life-altering tragedies of her life.
Much like Yes I Am, the album that skyrocketed the singer-songwriter into global rock-star status, Melissa Etheridge’s memoir is composed of strength and hard-won wisdom. This, though, is not the Etheridge that rose to fame in the ‘90s—this Etheridge has loved and lost repeatedly, battled cancer, and experienced the unimaginable grief of losing a child. In this deeply spiritual and arrestingly personal memoir, she reflects on her exceptional journey with an overwhelming sense of calm. And as a listener, you are struck with the feeling that Etheridge is speaking to you exactly the way she would speak to a dear friend. —Madeline A.
Post-Production House: John Marshall Media
Post-Production Manager: Vassilya Dainwood
Music Mix and Sound Composition: Vassilya Dainwood
Edit/QC Team: Andres Solorio, Eduardo Silva, Natalia Durán, Daniel Hernandez, Craig Klein
Celebrity Memoirs
Fiction • 10 hrs. • Unabridged • © 2023
THE LIBRARIANIST
by Patrick deWitt | Read by Jim Meskimen
Jim Meskimen presents this tribute to reading, books, and librarians. Listeners meet retired librarian Bob Comet, whose seemingly uneventful life is rich with kindness, challenges, and triumphs. Meskimen's lonely, compassionate Bob, who's lived in the same place since childhood, rescues a lost woman, returns her to her care home, and surprises himself by volunteering there. Meskimen's unhurried pace is appropriate as Bob reveals his life from age 11, when he ran away, to the recent past, when he was betrayed by his wife and best friend. Meskimen flawlessly portrays him with heartbreak and humor. Every character is relatable and endearing, particularly huge, outspoken Linus from the care home, who is easily Meskimen's best creation. A deeply moving conclusion adds to this future classic. S.G.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2023]
Post-Production House: John Marshall Media
Post-Production Manager: Vassilya Dainwood
Edit/QC Team: Andrés Velázquez, Yael Valencia, Fernando Valdespino
Editors and reviewers from AudioFile Magazine
History • 14.75 hrs. • Unabridged • © 2023
Earphones Award Winner May 2023
Recovering the Soul of Black History
from a Whitewashed American Myth
THE HUMANITY ARCHIVE
Written and Read by Jermaine Fowler
This is not a passive listen--narrator Jermaine Fowler commands the attention of his audience. His audiobook is a detailed consideration of Black history with a focus on how the American public has learned a deliberately curated story in order to promote a sanitized version. Listeners who only recently learned of the Tulsa Massacre and are wondering what else they haven't been accurately taught will find Fowler's audiobook to be an excellent source of information. He provides an unflinching account of multiple atrocities against Black people. Yet his premise shines through: The intellectually rigorous audiobook is ultimately about humanity and how an accurate understanding of history can move us forward. S.P.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2023]
Post-Production House: John Marshall Media
Director: Vassilya Dainwood
Post-Production Manager: Heather Connor
Edit/QC Team: Tom Messina, Zac Smith
Contemporary Culture • 10.25 hrs. • Unabridged • © 2022
The Fight for Our Future
HOW TO STAND UP
TO A DICTATOR
Written and Read by Maria Ressa
In her native Philippines, the Nobel Peace Prize recipient and CNN journalist used fearless reporting and relentless community organization to publicize abuses of power by a fascist dictator. She's passionate about democracy and a free press, and you can hear it in her persuasive performance. The boots-on-the-ground immediacy in her voice will rivet listeners as they learn about the ways governments can suppress truth and spread disinformation to stay in power. Her spellbinding account of President Duterte's war against democracy will remind listeners of how fragile it can be, how easily the public can be manipulated with lies and the violent suppression of free speech. This audiobook is a moving plea for all of us to be vigilant about threats like these to democracy. T.W. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2023]
Post-Production House: John Marshall Media
Director: Vassilya Dainwood
Post-Production Manager: Ajax Abernathy
Eng/Edit/QC Team: Alvaro Celli, Miguel Pacheco, Mike Guerra, Eduardo Silva, Fernando Valdespino
Fiction • 12 hrs. • Unabridged • © 2022
2023 Audie Awards Finalist
Best Male Narrator
Sleepwalk
Written by Dan Chaon
Read by John Pirhalla
★ “Chaon, the visionary author of Await Your Reply and Among the Missing, returns with another standout literary thriller...Sleepwalk is Chaon at the height of his powers.”
—Esquire Magazine
★ “This strange and compelling plot features Chaon’s signature imaginative flair and brilliant pacing to create an ominous tension infused with sly wit . . . A consummate storyteller, Chaon imbues the darkly comic with colossal heart.”
—Booklist (starred review)
★ “As ever, Chaon expertly fuses the dystopian nightmares of technology and crime with fascinating characters who cross a hellscape to find each other. This is his best one yet.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Post-Production House: John Marshall Media
Post-Production Manager: Vassilya Dainwood
Edit/QC Team: Tommy Figueroa, AJ Brown
Fiction • 8 hrs. • Unabridged • © 2022
2023 Audie Awards Finalist
Best Female Narrator
NSFW
Written by Isabel Kaplan
Read by Stephanie Nemeth-Parker
Blisteringly sharp, hypersmart, and compulsively listenable—meet Isabel Kaplan’s searing debut novel about a young woman trying to succeed in Hollywood without selling her soul.
★ "The rare kind of read that made me giggle just as much as it left me gutted." —Zakiya Dalila Harris, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Black Girl
Fusing riveting prose with dark humor and riveting commentary on the truths of starting out professionally, Isabel Kaplan’s NSFW is an unflinching exploration of the gray area between empowerment and complicity. The result is a stunning portrait of what success costs in today’s patriarchal world, asking us: Is it ever worth it?
A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt and Company.
Post-Production House: John Marshall Media
Post-Production Manager: Vassilya Dainwood
Edit/QC Team: Craig Klein
Biography & Memoir • 5.5 hrs. • Unabridged • © 2022
ONE JUMP AT A TIME
My Story
Written and Read by Nathan Chen
Foreword: Written by Vera Wang, Read by Eunice Wong
Author/narrator Nathan Chen is the first Asian American to win an Olympic Gold medal in figure skating, which he did at the 2022 Games in Beijing. In a delightful foreword Eunice Wong explains how Vera Wang came to design his costumes. Chen's own delivery is fast and filled with scenes of his childhood and the sacrifices his mother made to secure lessons and coaches for him. His voice holds no complaint as he describes his many hours of practice and his loss in the 2018 Games. But listeners will hear his determination and courage when he describes his realization that he needed to revamp his thinking, his practices, and even his music to get to the top--and he did just that. A great listen. E.E.S. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2023]
Post-Production House: John Marshall Media
Director: Vassilya Dainwood
Post-Production Manager: Lana Migliore
Edit/QC Team: Erick Ivan Medina, AJ Brown, Donovan Sierra, Carlos Ruiz, Michael Anderson
Biography & Memoir • 8.25 hrs. • Unabridged • © 2022
WE WERE DREAMERS
An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story
Written and Read by Simu Liu
Simu Liu is a natural narrator, conversational and appealing as he shares his engaging story of pursuing acting and finding eventual stardom as the headliner of a Marvel superhero movie. What makes this much more than a celebrity memoir is that Liu also tells his parents' stories of growing up in China during and after the Cultural Revolution. While Liu spent his first years being raised by his grandparents in Harbin, China, his parents, both engineers, worked toward building a new life in Canada. Liu is earnest as he relates his experiences as a second-generation immigrant, feeling the weight of his parents' expectations and navigating an increasingly rocky relationship with them. Liu's driven yet playful personality shines through as he tackles the highs and lows of chasing his dream. J.M.D. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2022]
Post-Production House: John Marshall Media
Post-Production Manager: Vassilya Dainwood
Dir/Edit/QC Team: Cameron Potts, Victor Otero, Will Keary
Editors and reviewers from AudioFile Magazine
Biography & Memoir • 8.25 hrs. • Unabridged • © 2022
Good Inside
A Guide to Becoming the
Parent You Want to Be
Written and Read by Dr. Becky Kennedy
As a millennial parent of three, it feels very “on brand” to say that most of my parenting tips and tricks come from Instagram. My favorite follow is Dr. Becky Kennedy and her Good Inside movement. I’m grateful to finally have a comprehensive guide to her tips and tricks in her debut book, and hearing Dr. Becky distill her advice in audio is the perfect medium for fans who are accustomed to her videos. As a clinical psychologist and a mom to three herself, Dr. Becky’s beliefs are founded on the idea that “behavior isn’t identity.” We are all Good Inside. —K.O.
“This book is for any parent who has ever struggled under the substantial weight of caregiving—which is to say, all of us. Good Inside is not only a wise and practical guide to raising resilient, emotionally healthy kids, it’s also a supportive resource for overwhelmed parents who need more compassion and less stress. Dr. Becky is the smart, thoughtful, in-the-trenches parenting expert we’ve been waiting for!”—Eve Rodsky, New York Times bestselling author of Fair Play and Find Your Unicorn Space
Dr. Becky Kennedy, wildly popular parenting expert and creator of @drbeckyatgoodinside, shares her groundbreaking approach to raising kids and offers practical strategies for parenting in a way that feels good.
Post-Production House: John Marshall Media
Post-Production Manager: Vassilya Dainwood
Eng/Edit/QC Team: Jed Kronfeld, CJ Shallow, Axel Becerril, Michael Anderson
Contemporary Culture • 16.5 hrs. • Unabridged • © 2022
South to America
Written and Read by Imani Perry
★ “Any attempt to classify this ambitious work, which straddles genre, kicks down the fourth wall, dances with poetry, engages with literary criticism and flits from journalism to memoir to academic writing—well, that’s a fool’s errand and only undermines this insightful, ambitious and moving project…. An essential meditation on the South, its relationship to American culture—even Americanness itself…. This work—and I use the term for both Perry’s labor and its fruit — is determined to provoke a return to the other legacy of the South, the ever-urgent struggle toward freedom.” — Tayari Jones, The New York Times Book Review
★ “Provocative, perspective-shifting…. Rendered in exquisite detail…. In this vibrant, revelatory book, Perry proves herself to be a radiant storyteller…like Zora Neale Hurston, Alice Walker, and Nina Simone before her.” — Oprah Daily
Post-Production House: John Marshall Media
Post-Production Manager: Vassilya Dainwood
Edit/QC Team: Esteban Gomez, Yael Valencia
Contemporary Culture • 10.25 hrs. • Unabridged • © 2022
The New York Times Best Sellers
Non-Fiction Audiobooks : December 2022
Cinema Speculation
Written by Quentin Tarantino
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Quentin Tarantino
For a full review, check out this article in The New York Times by Tom Shone
★ “Cinema Speculation is consistently engaging; with its zinging and zipping observations, its casual opinion-flinging, and its sharp-edged divisions of personalities and eras, it seems designed to arouse fruitful arguments. Like the experienced fictioneer that he is, Tarantino creates images and stories and scenes, tells tales that entice and bewitch even as they invite the same sort of criticism that his movies do. Above all, Cinema Speculation is a vision, in motion, of a Hollywood-centric mind.” — Richard Brody, The New Yorker
★“Tarantino brings the heat and exuberance of his movie expertise, storytelling artistry, and sharp humor to a dynamic mix of eyebrow-raising personal stories, zesty film history, and kickass film criticism . . . . Offers sizzling behind the production tales and exacting, speculative critiques . . . . [A] rollicking cinematic celebration.” — Donna Seaman, Booklist, starred review
Post-Production House: John Marshall Media
Post-Production Manager: Vassilya Dainwood
Edit/QC Team: Andres Quirino, Fernando Valdespino
The New York Times Best Sellers
Barnes & Nobles’ Best Books of 2022
The First to Die at the End
The Prequel to They Both Die at the End
Written by Adam Silvera
Narrated by Jason Genao, Anthony Keyvan, Kyla Garcia
Young Adult Fiction • 10 hours, 25 minutes • Unabridged • © 2022
Post-Production House: John Marshall Media
Director: Vassilya Dainwood
Post-Production Manager: Ryan Lare
Edit/QC Team: Erick Medina, Fernando Valdespino, Yael Valencia
★ “An extraordinary—no, make that a brilliant—book with a riveting plot. Don’t miss this one.” — ALA Booklist (starred review)
★ 'Extraordinary and unforgettable.”
— Booklist, starred review for They Both Die at the End
★ 'It’s another standout from Silvera. Engrossing, contemplative, and as heart-wrenching as the title promises.”
— Kirkus Reviews, starred review for They Both Die at the End
Earphones Award June 2022
by Vanessa Riley | Read by Adjoa Andoh, Robin Miles
Historical Fiction • 18 hours 45 minutes • Unabridged • © 2022
Post-Production House: John Marshall Media
Post-Production Manager: Vassilya Dainwood
Editing Team: Mike Guerra, Fer Ramirez
QC Team: Michael Anderson, AJ Brown
From AudioFile Magazine:
Adjoa Andoh narrates this sweeping account of Haiti's pre-revolutionary era. The formidable audiobook is based on the true story of Marie-Claire Bonheur, the first empress of Haiti, and the rebellion that liberated its enslaved people, making Haiti the first post-colonial Black-led nation in the world. Andoh's narration ranges from vulnerable to invincible, and her female characters are intensely powerful. Andoh's stately tone reveals complex nuances as she navigates heartrending scenes with skill and confidence. Moving between action and stillness, hope and despair, Andoh expertly tackles all the drama, including horrendous atrocities. The epic scale and large number of characters require a focused listener, but the investment of one's time and attention is rewarded with a deeply satisfying story and performance. M.M.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2022]
The New York Times Best Sellers
Recessional
The Death of Free Speech and the Cost of a Free Lunch
By David Mamet, Read by Jim Frangione
Audio Nonfiction • 6 hours 20 minutes • Unabridged • © 2022
Post-Production House: John Marshall Media
Post-Production Manager: Vassilya Dainwood
Edit Team: Andres Solorio, Javier Noyola
QC Team: Brock Grenfell, Polo Inclan
“Savagery appeased can only grow. Once you give in to it, it must escalate, like a fire searching for air.”
The man who won the Pulitzer Prize for GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, who wrote the classic films THE VERDICT and WAG THE DOG sounds his alarm about the Visigoths at our gates.
In RECESSIONAL he calls out, skewers, mocks, and, most importantly, dissects the virus of conformity which is now an existential threat to the West.
Earphones Award April 2022
by Allison Saft | Read by Jesse Vilinsky
Young Adult Ages 14+ • 14 hours 30 minutes • Unabridged • © 2022
Post-Production House: John Marshall Media
Post-Production Manager: Vassilya Dainwood
QC Team: Craig Klein, AJ Brown, John Searle
From AudioFile Magazine:
Listeners will enjoy narrator Jesse Vilinsky's intricate performance of this romantic fantasy. Wes begins his apprenticeship in alchemy after many failed attempts at other ventures. He meets Margaret while on a contested hunt for an elusive creature. If she succeeds at the hunt, her mother will return home. So, without any real choice, she teams up with Wes. Vilinsky offers mesmerizing performances of two odd young folks who are proving their worth to the world and each other. Wes, an uncertain dreamer, and Margaret, a gritty loner, begrudgingly become teammates and eventually bring out the best in each other. Vilinsky's narration ranges from the bitter disputes between the heroes to the tenderness of their developing love. G.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2022]
By Rio Cortez
Illustrated by Lauren Semmer
Narrator Bahni Turpin
The ABCs of Black History
The New York Times Best Sellers
Kids • 0h 55m 11s • Unabridged • © 2022
Post-Production House: John Marshall Media
Post-Production Manager: Vassilya Dainwood
Edit Team: Robert Paulo Gandollas
QC Team: Jed Kronfeld, Mike Tedesco
“In rhyming couplets, Cortez leads readers on a journey through Black life that acknowledges pain and struggle while building confidence with examples of triumph. It’s a tricky maneuver when writing for children, but Cortez pulls it off.”
- The New York Times
"A uniquely crafted ABC book that portrays some of the most important events in Black History with a vibrancy and joy that young children will absolutely love.”
- Parade
Earphones Award March 2022
Fiction • 14 hours 15 minutes • Unabridged • © 2022
Post-Production House: John Marshall Media
Post-Production Manager: Vassilya Dainwood
Editing Team: Ricardo Prado, Mike Guerra
QC Team: Paulina Arendy, Carlos Lozano, Yael Valencia
From AudioFile Magazine:
A superb ensemble of narrators animates this exciting tale of friendships and betrayals, a cartographers' cabal, maps, murder, and towns that may not be there. Among her father's effects, Nell, a cartographer, discovers what appears to be a worthless 1930s highway map. However, this map hides dark secrets as well as a "phantom settlement" known only to "the Cartographers." Possessing it puts Nell in great danger. Nell's third-person point of view comes alive with narrator Emily Woo Zeller's artistry, while the other narrators' perceptive interpretations create fascinating, believable secondary characters. Outstanding performances highlight Peng Shepherd's thrilling literary mystery, which is further spiced up with magical realism. The accompanying pdf of maps and diagrams makes Nell's investigations even more immediate. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2022]