Willow Audiobooks

Anna Soden is an Actor-Musician and Theatre Maker, who in 2020 adapted E. Nesbit’s novel 'Five Children and It' into a one-person stage show. In this episode, we discuss what we think makes the novel so enduring and appealing, as well as Anna’s process in adapting it for the stage, especially in the time of COVID-19. I hope you enjoy!
Anna and her company, Strawberry Lion can be found on Twitter & Instagram at @annaamabel and @astrawberrylion.
Website: https://www.strawberrylion.com/
This is a Willow Branches discussion, a bonus episode of Willow Audiobooks produced by Stephen Alexander.  
https://www.stephenalexanderwillis.com/willowaudiobooks

A chance meeting brings Mr Carrisford's search to an end, and promises a brighter future for Sara - but will Miss Minchin let her go so easily?
(Please note that this text, as with most of the classics, contains some outdated stereotypes and views. I have made some very minor cuts to try to keep this to to a minimum, so as not to distract from the story, but the issues are still there, so please be aware.)
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett is in the public domain worldwide. This is a Willow Audiobook read by Stephen Alexander. Cover illustration by Benjamin Callery. Original music by Stephen Alexander. Sitar performances by Bobby Lightfoot (Kaiho on Freesound) and Ashok Ayengar (uploaded to Wikimedia Commons by Arunasank).
To stay updated with Willow Audiobooks, you can follow us on social media. Just search for Willow Audiobooks on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, or you can visit our webpage at www.stephenalexanderwillis.com/willowaudiobooks. If you’re enjoying this audiobook, why not leave a rating or a review on iTunes, or wherever you happen to get your podcasts?
Instagram/Facebook: @WillowAudiobooks
Twitter: @WillowAudiobook
https://www.stephenalexanderwillis.com/willowaudiobooks

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Starts 31 October. Sherlock Holmes returns, in a full-length novel and his most chilling adventure!

Continuing to be mistreated by Miss Minchin and the senior servants, poor Sara becomes hungrier than ever. She is amazed to discover, however, that even when things seem at their worst, hope can always be found - and sometimes, something almost like Magic...
(Please note that this text, as with most of the classics, contains some outdated stereotypes and views. I have made some very minor cuts to try to keep this to to a minimum, so as not to distract from the story, but the issues are still there, so please be aware.)
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett is in the public domain worldwide. This is a Willow Audiobook read by Stephen Alexander. Cover illustration by Benjamin Callery. Original music by Stephen Alexander. Sitar performances by Bobby Lightfoot (Kaiho on Freesound) and Ashok Ayengar (uploaded to Wikimedia Commons by Arunasank).
To stay updated with Willow Audiobooks, you can follow us on social media. Just search for Willow Audiobooks on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, or you can visit our webpage at www.stephenalexanderwillis.com/willowaudiobooks. If you’re enjoying this audiobook, why not leave a rating or a review on iTunes, or wherever you happen to get your podcasts?
Instagram/Facebook: @WillowAudiobooks
Twitter: @WillowAudiobook
https://www.stephenalexanderwillis.com/willowaudiobooks

The mysterious gentleman who has moved in next door proves a point of fascination for Sara, and even more so once she has met his Indian manservant and his pet monkey. Later, Sara's generosity is put to the test.
(Please note that this text, as with most of the classics, contains some outdated stereotypes and views. I have made some very minor cuts to try to keep this to to a minimum, so as not to distract from the story, but the issues are still there, so please be aware.)
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett is in the public domain worldwide. This is a Willow Audiobook read by Stephen Alexander. Cover illustration by Benjamin Callery. Original music by Stephen Alexander. Sitar performances by Bobby Lightfoot (Kaiho on Freesound) and Ashok Ayengar (uploaded to Wikimedia Commons by Arunasank).
To stay updated with Willow Audiobooks, you can follow us on social media. Just search for Willow Audiobooks on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, or you can visit our webpage at www.stephenalexanderwillis.com/willowaudiobooks. If you’re enjoying this audiobook, why not leave a rating or a review on iTunes, or wherever you happen to get your podcasts?
Instagram/Facebook: @WillowAudiobooks
Twitter: @WillowAudiobook
https://www.stephenalexanderwillis.com/willowaudiobooks

Sara must adjust to her new life of poverty and grief, and finds herself relying on her vivid imagination more than ever. 
(Please note that this text, as with most of the classics, contains some outdated stereotypes and views. I have made some very minor cuts to try to keep this to to a minimum, so as not to distract from the story, but the issues are still there, so please be aware.)
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett is in the public domain worldwide. This is a Willow Audiobook read by Stephen Alexander. Cover illustration by Benjamin Callery. Original music by Stephen Alexander. Sitar performances by Bobby Lightfoot (Kaiho on Freesound) and Ashok Ayengar (uploaded to Wikimedia Commons by Arunasank).
To stay updated with Willow Audiobooks, you can follow us on social media. Just search for Willow Audiobooks on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, or you can visit our webpage at www.stephenalexanderwillis.com/willowaudiobooks. If you’re enjoying this audiobook, why not leave a rating or a review on iTunes, or wherever you happen to get your podcasts?
Instagram/Facebook: @WillowAudiobooks
Twitter: @WillowAudiobook
https://www.stephenalexanderwillis.com/willowaudiobooks

In Part 2, Sara continues to make friends, including with the nervous little scullery maid, Becky. On her 11th birthday, however, Sara receives some shocking news which is about to bring her life as she knows it to an abrupt end.
(Please note that this text, as with most of the classics, contains some outdated stereotypes and views. I have made some very minor cuts to try to keep this to to a minimum, so as not to distract from the story, but the issues are still there, so please be aware.)
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett is in the public domain worldwide. This is a Willow Audiobook read by Stephen Alexander. Cover illustration by Benjamin Callery. Original music by Stephen Alexander. Sitar performances by Bobby Lightfoot (Kaiho on Freesound) and Ashok Ayengar (uploaded to Wikimedia Commons by Arunasank).
To stay updated with Willow Audiobooks, you can follow us on social media. Just search for Willow Audiobooks on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, or you can visit our webpage at www.stephenalexanderwillis.com/willowaudiobooks. If you’re enjoying this audiobook, why not leave a rating or a review on iTunes, or wherever you happen to get your podcasts?
Instagram/Facebook: @WillowAudiobooks
Twitter: @WillowAudiobook
https://www.stephenalexanderwillis.com/willowaudiobooks

We return to the mind of Frances Hodgson Burnett (of "The Secret Garden"), with the tale of Sara Crewe in "A Little Princess." In this first part, Sara is relocated from India by her doting father, and taken to London where she is to enrol at Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies. Despite her wealth setting her apart from her peers, she soon begins to charm everyone with her grace and ability to tell stories - everyone, that is, except Miss Minchin.
(Please note that this text, as with most of the classics, contains some outdated stereotypes and views. I have made some very minor cuts to try to keep this to to a minimum, so as not to distract from the story, but the issues are still there, so please be aware.)
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett is in the public domain worldwide. This is a Willow Audiobook read by Stephen Alexander. Cover illustration by Benjamin Callery. Original music by Stephen Alexander. Sitar performances by Bobby Lightfoot (Kaiho on Freesound) and Ashok Ayengar (uploaded to Wikimedia Commons by Arunasank).
To stay updated with Willow Audiobooks, you can follow us on social media. Just search for Willow Audiobooks on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, or you can visit our webpage at www.stephenalexanderwillis.com/willowaudiobooks. If you’re enjoying this audiobook, why not leave a rating or a review on iTunes, or wherever you happen to get your podcasts?
Instagram/Facebook: @WillowAudiobooks
Twitter: @WillowAudiobook
https://www.stephenalexanderwillis.com/willowaudiobooks

Coming soon... a tale of riches to rags!
A Little Princess
By Frances Hodgson Burnett
Little Sara Crewe is treated like a princess by her rich father, but she is far from spoilt. In fact, when she starts at Miss Minchin's boarding school she soon captivates all the pupils with her charm and grace, as well as her wonderful imagination and ability to tell stories. However, after her father becomes bankrupt and suddenly dies, Sara's world is turned upside down as she is changed from princess to pauper, and must work for her living under the cruel eye of Miss Minchin.

Hello! Very excited to start releasing the next audiobook soon, "A Little Princess" by Frances Hodgson Burnett. In the meantime, this is just a very quick word about my approach to these classic texts when it comes to problematic views such as racism, sexism and so on. I try to deal with everthing sensitively, and use my best judgement as to whether to make changes/cuts or not, and I will continue to include content warnings for certain things when I judge it appropriate to do so. However, if you're listening to these books which were all written at least 70 years ago, I ask that you go into it with an awareness that of course views have changed over time, and not everything you hear will sit well with our more enlightened modern attitudes. There are arguments for sanitising the texts, and there are arguments for preserving them as they are, and my versions tend to go somewhere in between - I don't know what the answer is, but all I know is that I am enjoying creating these audiobooks and I continue to use my own judgement when working out how to present them for your listening pleasure. Thanks for your support!