Morrissey Autobiography

An audiobook of Autobiography by Morrissey is released on CD format in the US. The audiobook is read by acclaimed British actor David Morrissey.

During the 19th century, a panopticon was a prison or asylum with an all-seeing eye. Some of the C-shaped prisons with central watchtowers still stand in the U.S. and Europe.

Click here to listen to the story on All Things Considered.

How to Eat Alone

by Daniel Halpern read by Anthony Bourdain

Download your favorite Selected Shorts

Etgar Keret's stories read by an all-star cast

About the Author: Born in Tel Aviv in 1967, Etgar Keret is the author of six bestselling story collections. His writing has been published in Harper’s Magazine, The New York Times, The Paris Review, and Zoetrope. Jellyfish, his first movie as a director along with his wife, Shira Geffen, won the Camera d’Or prize for best first feature at Cannes in 2007. In 2010 he was named a Chevalier of France’s Order of Arts and Letters.

About the Book: Bestselling author Etgar Keret’s short story collection, "Suddenly, A Knock On The Door," has assembled a truly all-star cast of celebrities, actors and literary greats. Ira Glass, Josh Radnor, Jonathan Safran Foer, Willem Dafoe, Josh Charles, Neal Stephenson, George Saunders, Ben Foster, Mathieu Amalric, Aimee Bender, Miranda July, Ben Marcus, John Sayles, Gary Shteyngart, Stella Schnabel, Nathan Englander, Michael Chabon, and more have all narrated stories for the audiobook – and the final product sounds absolutely amazing! Many of the narrators are even planning on attending Keret’s events in their cities and reading along with him!

An Excerpt: "Tell me a story," the bearded man sitting on my living-room sofa commands. The situation, I must say, is anything but pleasant. I'm someone who writes stories, not someone who tells them. And even that isn't something I do on demand. The last time anyone asked me to tell him a story, it was my son. That was a year ago. I told him something about a fairy and a ferret--I don't even remember what exactly--and within two minutes he was fast asleep. But the situation is fundamentally different. Because my son doesn't have a beard, or a pistol. Because my son asked for the story nicely, and this man is simply trying to rob me of it. 

I try to explain to the bearded man that if he puts his pistol away it will only work in his favor, in our favor. It's hard to think up a story with the barrel of a loaded pistol pointed at your head. But the guy insists. "In this country," he explains, "if you want something, you have to use force." He just got here from Sweden, and in Sweden it's completely different. Over there, if you want something, you ask politely, and most of the time you get it. But not in the stifling, muggy Middle East. All it takes is one week in this place to figure out how things work--or rather, how things don't work.

To finish reading this excerpt, visit the Macmillan Audio book website HERE! 

My Thoughts/Review: I'm quite fond of the printed word, but I must say this collection might be best enjoyed as an audio book. Each piece has been brilliantly translated so that one forgets completely that it was originally conceived in another language. One of the best collections I've ever listened to and suggest you definitely consider the audio over the print version. 

The first story starts with the command "Tell me a story." Under gunpoint, the narrator - Etgar - is ordered to make up a story. He is interrupted early on: "That's not a story...That's an eyewitness report. It's exactly what's happening here and now. Exactly what we're trying to run away from. Don't you go and dump reality on us like a garbage truck. Use your imagination, man, create, invent, take it all the way." This story sounds like a joke. It’s compact, humorous, bizarre and packs a punch. What a great way to begin an audio collection. 

Keret’s stories are strange and slightly fantastical, funny, dark, impressive and affecting and I am often tickled and surprised by the way they develop and resolve themselves.  In “Lieland”, where the subjects of lies become real, is one of my favorites on disc one. The protagonist, Robbie, learns that his lies live and thrive in another dimension and he meets his "lies come alive" simply by turning a handle. If you like Kafka and think Vonnegut was a genius, then boy are you going to love this short story collection.

With overtones of science fiction and fantasy, Keret still maintains a sense of reality in his writing. In “Unzipping” the narrator finds a small zipper under her lover's tongue; when she pulls it, he opens up "like an oyster" with a second man revealed. This allows her to remove his current outward appearance, causing him to shed his previous personality and name, thus becoming a completely new person. I was intrigued by this concept, until the notion of the character discovering her own zipper was broached, and then the sadness of the story became real. 

One of the most striking stories is “What, of this Goldfish, Would You Wish?” an obvious play on the Aladdin tale. The conflict reveals a documentary film-maker who is planning to knock on random doors and record the reactions of residents to the question: “If you found a talking goldfish that granted you three wishes, what would you wish for?” This becomes awkward, when he knocks on the door of Sergei Goralick, who has just such a fish in a jar on his kitchen counter. 

Overall, I enjoyed the audio readings more than expected and looked forward to hearing how each and every writer and actor narrated these dynamic stories. My favorites, not in any particular order are: “Cheesus Christ”, “Mystique”, “Black and Blue”, “Not Completely Alone”, “One Step Beyond”, “Joseph”, and “Parallel Universes”.

Disclosure:  I received a copy of Suddenly, A Knock On The Door gratis. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by my receipt of the free audio. I received no monetary compensation for this post.

Suddenly, A Knock On The Door by Etgar Keret

Ira Glass reading from the audio book Suddenly, A Knock On The Door by Etgar Keret.
 To learn more about Keret and read some of his work, head to www.etgarkeret.com.

JUNE IS AUDIOBOOK MONTH

For more fun audiobook news, check out the Audio Publishers Association website.

92Y Podcast: From the Poetry Center Archive: Leonard Cohen In 1966

Leonard Cohen reading at 92Y on February 14, 1966.

Poems about jazz by Yusef Komunyakaa and W.S. Di Piero from Poetry magazine.

Strange Fruit / Poetry Off the Shelf : The Poetry Foundation

Kinnell, Nye, Padgett & More

Listen to audio highlights from the the annual Chancellors reading, the Poets Awards Ceremony, and American Poet's launch party—featuring work by Galway Kinnell, Wayne Koestenbaum, Khaled Mattawa, Naomi Shihab Nye, Ron Padgett, Carl Phillips, Robert Pinsky, Marie Ponsot, Susan Stewart, and C. K. Williams.

Books Should Be Free

Free Audio Books from the Public Domain

Download a free audio book in mp3, iPod, or iTunes format today

What is The Drum?

The Drum, is a non-profit online magazine dedicated to literature in audio form. They publish work from emerging and established writers who value the power of writing out loud.

Welcome to your personal poetry reading ...

lyrikline.org is the platform on the Internet on which poems are available to listen to, and to read both in their original languages and various translations: a concert of verse in the voices and languages of the authors.

549 poets and 5000 poems in 49 languages are available by now as well as more than 5980 translations in 47 languages!

Listening Library

For more than 50 years, Listening Library has been the premier publisher of unabridged audiobooks for children and young adults. Our core commitment is to produce the best books—new releases and classics—as top-quality recordings to be enjoyed by audiences of all ages today and for many years to come.

Click on the link above and check out the site for yourself.

Caedmon Poetry Collection

Caedmon Poetry Collection
A Century of Poets Reading Their Work
by William Butler Yeats

Review:

The Caedmon company was founded in 1952 and have produced a rich oral tradition in poetry, drama, and spoken-word performances for several years. This set of three Cd's presents you with an unbelievable listening experience from some of the twentieth century's greatest poets. What sets this comprehensive collection apart from other poetry readings is that the actual poets are reading their work. A must have for all English teachers and lovers of poetry.

"Home" excerpt

*Marilynne Robinson published her first novel, Housekeeping, in 1980; it would be 24 years until her next one, Gilead. Now, a mere four years later, she returns to the town of Gilead with Home. 

 Click here to listen to Maggie-Meg Read as she reads an excerpt from the book.

Kurt Vonnegut

Armageddon in Retrospect

by Kurt Vonnegut

This book comprises 12 previously unpublished and new essays on topics close to Kurt Vonnegut's heart, as well as an introduction by his son, Mark.

Listen to an interview or read an excerpt from NPR

'Armageddon' Reveals Unpublished Vonnegut Work

Rick Moody

NPR: The Joy and Enthusiasm of Reading

I came across this audio from NPR with Rick Moody sharing his beliefs in a series called This I Believe. Moody is a novelist, short story writer, essayist and composer. This is a great 4 1/2 minute essay and will speak to all lovers of books. Enjoy!

What is This I Believe?
This I Believe is an international project engaging people in writing, sharing, and discussing the core values that guide their daily lives. These short statements of belief, written by people from all walks of life, are archived here and featured on public radio in the United States and Canada, as well as in regular broadcasts on NPR. The project is based on the popular 1950s radio series of the same name hosted by Edward R. Murrow.

Week Twenty Six, Book Thirty Seven

The Miracle Worker

by William Gibson

Review:

Although I haven't read/taught this book in at least five years, I did not forget how inspiring a story it is. I listened to it on cassette today, while I cleaned my basement and it made the task seem effortless. Thinking about the story, I realized that this is really a story about "teaching". A must read for all. I am looking forward to watching the two film versions I borrowed from the library and acting it out next school year.

film versions:
The Miracle Worker by Anne Bancroft, Victor Jory, Inga Swenson, and Andrew Prine
The Miracle Worker by Hallie Kate Eisenberg, Alison Elliott, David Strathairn, and Lucas Black (II)

It appeared on Broadway during the 1959-60 dramatic season, was made into a motion picture a couple of years later, and then was remade as a television movie for the 1979-80 season. The plays genesis lies in the real story of Helen Keller (1880-1968), the woman who was struck deaf and blind by illness at the age of 19 months. "The Miracle Worker" tells how a young Helen was led out of her prison of silence and darkness by the remarkable Anne Sullivan, who set out to teach the girl sign language.

Week Twenty Four, Book Thirty Four

A Raisin in the Sun

by Lorraine Hansberry and Davis Ossie

Review:

Lorraine Hansberry's award-winning drama about the hopes and aspirations of a struggling, working-class family living on the South Side of Chicago connected profoundly with the psyche of black America--and changed American theater forever. The plays title comes from a line in Langston Hughes's poem "Harlem," which warns that a dream deferred might "dry up/like a raisin in the sun." I have to admit, I haven't read/viewed this play in many years and forgot its powerful message on racial prejudice. After listening to it on audio, I definitely have to rent the film version in order to really get the full impact. While I was listening to the actors, I found myself needing a visual many times in order to see their facial expressions and physical positioning. I cannot wait to see how this play will be received by my students next year. I will hopefully continue this blog and let you all know. Wish me luck!