Narrated Archives

This week, as we are smack dab in the throes of winter, Narrated Archives is leaning into the season with a selection from Henry David Thoreau, Winter Animals from Walden or Life in the Woods.  

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All music courtesy of Ende.app.

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In this episode I’ve pulled a few stories and poems from an anthology called Prairie Gold, an anthology of Iowan authors and artists. Created during the social upheaval of World War I, the collection emphasizes cooperation and humanitarian ideals through pieces that showcase Iowa's landscapes, people, and culture. The book uses local legends and natural imagery to evoke pride and unity, offering a diverse array of personal narratives and reflections.

• “Bread” by Ellis Parker Butler will have you salivating for some fresh baked bread; 
• “A Field” by Minnie Stichter vividly chronicles a year in the life of an Iowa prairie ecosystem;
• “Old Bill” by  Henry C. Wallace pays tribute to a farm family’s loyal horse.
• Poems:  
  • “A Load of Hay” by James B Weaver, 
  • “Sonny’s Wish” by Bertha M. H. Shambaugh 
  •  “A Box From Home” by Helen Cowles LeCron.

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Thanks for listening!  Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast provider. SUBSCRIBE for at least 2 Bonus Episodes each month.

Send requests for authors or short stories to: [email protected] or www.narratedarchives.com

All music courtesy of Ende.app.

Audiobooks narrated by Sally Barron can be found at:

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"The Enchanted Bluff" by Pulitzer Prize winning author, Willa Cather, a bittersweet story about a group of Nebraska boys on the cusp of adulthood, whose friendship and grand adventure plans are contrasted with the reality of their adult lives. The story reflects on dreams, the passage of time, and the lingering magic of youthful ambition.  Do their dreams and ambitions come true?

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Thanks for listening!  Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast provider. SUBSCRIBE for at least 2 Bonus Episodes each month.

Send requests for authors or short stories to: [email protected] or www.narratedarchives.com

All music courtesy of Ende.app.

Audiobooks narrated by Sally Barron can be found at:

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• Nook
• Kobo
• Libro.fm
• storytel
• ...

This week we bring in the New Year with two optimistic New Year’s stories. 

• Cressy's New Year's Rent by Albert Lee revolves around a kind-hearted newspaper reporter who helps a poor tenant named Cressy on New Year’s Eve.  The story that reflects the author’s interest in human affairs and social themes.
• Uncle Richard’s New Year’s Dinner by Lucy Maud Montgomery, a celebrated Canadian author, best known for her classic novel Anne of Green Gables, shows how a young girl does a good deed for her uncle in secret.  Can this deed mend the rift between her father and uncle?

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Thanks for listening!  Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast provider. SUBSCRIBE for at least 2 Bonus Episodes each month.

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All music courtesy of Ende.app.

Audiobooks narrated by Sally Barron can be found at:

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• Libro.fm
• storytel
• ...

This episode includes a few stories from “Short Stories From Life" a collection of short stories of under 1,500 words were compiled from “Life” magazine’s Shortest Story Contest published in 1916. The contest received over 30,000 entries from all around the world from which 81 of the best stories were published in a collection. 

• Arletta by Margaret Ade
• The Cat Came Back by Virginia West
• Hope by Edward Thomas Noonan
• North of Fifty-three by Mary Woodbury Caswell
• Thicker Than Water by Ralph Henry Barbour and George Randolph Osborne

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All music courtesy of Ende.app.

Audiobooks narrated by Sally Barron can be found at:

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This episode of  Narrated Archives takes us back to the late 19th century and quiet yet complex world of Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman with a little Christmas story called "Young Lucretia". 

It’s a seemingly simple tale about a very young girl and her exploration of duty, the weight of family expectations, and the struggle for personal autonomy. 

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All music courtesy of Ende.app.

Audiobooks narrated by Sally Barron can be found at:

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In this episode "The Verdict" by Edith Wharton is a short story first published in 1908. 

The narrative centers around an artist who abandons his painting career at the height of his success. The story is told from the perspective of Mr. Rickham, an acquaintance of Gisburn, who becomes intrigued by the reasons behind Gisburn's sudden withdrawal from the art world. It is considered a typical example of her writing particularly for its style, themes and social critique.

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All music courtesy of Ende.app.

Audiobooks narrated by Sally Barron can be found at:

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This week we have 2 stories from H.G. Wells that tell allegorical tales that do not (slight spoiler) with unhappy or ambiguous endings. What relevant lessons can we glean from them for today's world?

• The Pearl of Love – The story is a parable exploring themes of love, obsession, grief, and art.
• A Moonlight Fable – (also known as "The Beautiful Suit") first published in Collier's Weekly in April 1909, is written in the style of a fairy tale, with a simple plot and a moral lesson. The story is a poignant allegory about the fleeting nature of youth and the bittersweet nature of freedom and loss. 

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Thanks for listening!  Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast provider. SUBSCRIBE for at least 2 Bonus Episodes each month.

Send requests for authors or short stories to: [email protected] or www.narratedarchives.com

All music courtesy of Ende.app.

Audiobooks narrated by Sally Barron can be found at:

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• Nook
• Kobo
• Libro.fm
• storytel
• ...

In Episode 7 we dig into the vast library of the public domain to bring you stories and today a little poetry of a bygone era with the concise, biting humor or Dorothy Parker.

• Men I'm Not Married To - a collection which includes a poem and then prose in a series of witty, satirical sketches describing the various foibles of the men she never married. These character portraits showcase Parker's signature blend of cynicism, observational skills and sharp wit.
• Selected Poems – a few additional poems that exhibit her concise insightful wit.

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Thanks for listening!  Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast provider. SUBSCRIBE for at least 2 Bonus Episodes each month.

Send requests for authors or short stories to: [email protected] or www.narratedarchives.com

All music courtesy of Ende.app.

Audiobooks narrated by Sally Barron can be found at:

• audible
• Spotify
• Nook
• Kobo
• Libro.fm
• storytel
• ...

Edna Ferber's 1913 short story "The Girl Who Went Right" follows a new salesgirl named Ray Willets, who navigates the challenges of selling high-end lingerie at a ritzy department store. In a world of wealth she can't relate to, Ray uses her intelligence and adaptability to succeed by learning the psychology of her customers.

• Strong independent female protagonist who succeeds in business without the help of a man. 
• Tale of Adaptability
• An early example of Ferber's exploration of business and the lives of women in the early 20th century.

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Support the show

Thanks for listening!  Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast provider. SUBSCRIBE for at least 2 Bonus Episodes each month.

Send requests for authors or short stories to: [email protected] or www.narratedarchives.com

All music courtesy of Ende.app.

Audiobooks narrated by Sally Barron can be found at:

• audible
• Spotify
• Nook
• Kobo
• Libro.fm
• storytel
• ...