By words the mind is winged. Words are the blood of our lives. Audiobookradio its heart.
Words form the thread on which we string our experiences.
Aldous Huxley
Has the world ever been changed by anything save the thought and its magic vehicle the Word?
Thomas Mann
AudioBookRadio is the world’s first free internet radio station devoted to a varied range of compelling spoken word content. It took us time to get where we are but now we broadcast each and every day of the year with a stripped and stranded schedule which consists of 8 separate strands that are repeated 3 times a day. The 8 strands include poetry, short stories, author readings and interviews, real people telling real stories, New Voices, Alternative Radio, Laurence Olivier in classic plays, vintage Hollywood stars in radio versions of their movies and lots more. Each strand has a wide range of content so the poetry could be Derek Jacobi reading Tennyson, a contemporary award winning American/Scottish/Irish poet or a London slam.
We hope there is something interesting for everyone but would welcome any ideas or content that you think our listeners might be interested in. We are collaborative and flexible but having no advertisers or sponsors is limiting although we like to punch above our weight so do contact us with audio, feedback, ideas or anything at all. We hasten to add that suitable sponsors or advertisers can be easily accommodated! Join us on the journey.
PLAYS/DRAMA
CHANNEL HOPPING BY DEREK WEBB
If you want to save your marriage, it’s essential to talk to each other. Unfortunately, Ann has got to the stage when she lets the drink do much of the talking. And when her husband Steve gets back from work and slumps in front of the television, he certainly doesn’t reckon on the bizarre consequences of idly flicking from channel to channel.
WAITING FOR GORDON BY DEREK WEBB
Four women are attending a DIY class at their local college. Three of them, in their different ways, are wanting to assert their independence and not rely on men. While Tracy is simply waiting for the right man to come along.
1pm & 9pm & 5am
IN CONVERSATION with LUIS ALBERTO URREA
Luis Alberto Urrea’s native Mexico has always served as the author’s muse, inspiring all 13 books that span five genres. His nonfiction The Devil’s Highway tells the harrowing story of a group of Mexican immigrants lost in the Arizona desert. Urrea’s novels The Hummingbird’s Daughter and its sequel, Queen of America, chronicle the life of beloved healer Teresita Urrea, deemed “the Mexican Joan of Arc.” Born in Tijuana to a Mexican father and an American mother, Urrea grew up along both sides of the border, forever affected by its dichotomy, brutality and richness, saying, “Borders everywhere are a symbol of what divides us. That’s what interests me.”
2pm & 10pm & 6am
POETS & POETRY featuring PATTIANN ROGERS
Poet Pattiann Rogers has a singular voice, grounded in personal faith yet seduced equally by the mysteries of the natural world and the opportunities of discovery and beauty offered by science. The author of eleven volumes of poetry, she reads here from her work before joining in conversation with fellow poet Christopher Merrill.
3pm & 11pm & 7am
ALTERNATIVE RADIO with ARUNDHATI ROY on Fascism in India
Here at Audiobook Radio we are keen to provide a range of voices – very literally as well as in terms of opinions and views of the world. This strand created by Alternative Radio does just that. We will hear from some of the most informed minds and greatest social activists of our time whose take on justice and power does not chime with those that hold the power and don’t provide justice for all so we rarely get to hear from them in mainstream media. Different opinions always help inform our own and we are always eager to hear from listeners about this or any other strand. Contact us on the tab at www.audiobookradio.net
Today’s talk is given by Arundhati Roy the world-renowned writer who of many books including the hugely successful The God of Small Things. She tells of the realities of India that are in sharp contrast with the image it projects internationally. For example, you probably haven’t heard of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the RSS. It is an Indian right-wing, Hindu nationalist, paramilitary organization that has millions of members who exert enormous influence and power in India.
4pm & Midnight & 8am
BLACK MUSEUM
Director, Actor, Genius. ORSON WELLES was all these things and more. But talent can sometimes make people afraid., And Hollywood was very afraid of Orson Welles.
So Welles went Indie, making his own works on the proceeds of various jobs that required a big name and that very distinguished voice; perfect for radio. Here, in the Black Museum he sets the scene as true life crime is retold. Mr Welles we’re ready……this week THE FADED TARTAN SCARF & A JAR OF ACID
5pm & 1am & 9am
TAKE FIVE with GRAEME McCRAE BURNETT
Scottish genre busting writer Graeme McCrae Burnett author of among others the Booker shortlisted His Bloody Project and more recently the brilliant Case Study.
TAKE FIVE with KAREN CONNELLY (with reading)
Canadian Karen Connelly is a writer of fiction and travel books and more recently a mentor helping people heal, write & transform their difficult stories. You can find out more about her current work by visiting https://www.thecourageroom.ca/
TAKE FIVE with JOSIP NOVAKOVICH (with reading)
Croatian Josip Novakovich is both a writer and academic -currently a professor of creative writing at Concordia University in Montreal. He gives us a delicious slice of his short stories which you won’t want to miss.
6pm & 2am & 10am
HOLLYWOOD STAGE with Miracle on 34th Street
Hollywood is indelibly printed in our minds as a go to place for entertainment and has been for decades. We take you back in time as producer William Keighley unveils Miracle on 34th Street starring MAUREEN O’HARA, JOHN PAYNE & EDMUND GWEN.
7pm & 3am & 11am
SHORT STORIES – NESBIT & POE
These comes to you courtesy of Deadtree Publishing who have an excellent range of quality short stories from the masters of the craft. Do search for Miniature Masterpieces at any digital store for further information or at https://www.deadtreepublishing.com/ This hour opens with The Ebony Frame by Edith Nesbit ready by Richard Mitchley followed by The Murders in The Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe read by William Dufris. Vol 16