SPIRIT THINGS Audiobook!

Hi! My name is Lara, and I wrote a book called Spirit Things. It's a collection of lyric and braided essays exploring the secret histories, science, and mythology of objects on a fishing boat in Alaska, where I grew up. Roger Peet provided illustrations, and it came out in June of 2022 as part of the Alaska Literary Series through University of Alaska Press (an imprint of University Press of Colorado).

Many of the essays in the collection were originally pieces I wrote to be read live at the annual FisherPoets Gatherings in Astoria and Portland. They are equal parts memoir and performance, and they were crafted to be told in my voice. I can't count the number of times I've had readers come up to me at events and tell me, "I love the work on the page, but what I really want is for you to read it to me." So, friends, this is where you come in.

I need help producing and sharing the audiobook. My publisher let me know that, while they occasionally do produce audiobooks, they only contract with one production company, which only uses its own narrators. When I insisted that I perform it, they encouraged me to seek outside funding to produce it independently--and so I have!

Today, I finished recording the pick-ups for the project with the amazing crew at Indigo Editing. Many thanks to producer Ali Shaw and sound engineer Kevin Hahn for their loving and expert attention to the work. The total cost of production will run around $4,400.

I am happy to announce that I have received a grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council for $3000 to support this project. I need to raise a further $1400 to cover the remainder of the costs and any incidentals incurred in publicity and marketing. Can you help? If you are able to offer $15 or more, I will gladly share a free download of the finished recording with you. Your support can help bring this work into the world.

Thank you so much for helping keep independent arts alive and for making this book accessible to listeners. If material support is out of reach right now, please share!