The Making of The Prophet

I did this project a few years ago.  It came out really well. The person who made it happen is Dennis Lind-Beery.  I met him because I was looking for carpets for a dirt floor in an Earth Ship and he had some really amazing handmade Indonesian hemp carpets that he was allergic to. We became friends and at some point he told me he'd been wanting to produce an audio version of The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, would I be interested in reading the part? Dennis is a Musician and Recording Engineer so he had the tools to do the recording. 

Dennis lived about an hour's drive, and I went to his studio every week for nearly 3 years to read.  Dennis worked on the studio acoustics and made a really great setup with zero noise. Dennis also directed me.  I would read and he'd give me notes.  After nearly three years we did a reading and recording that we were both happy with.  

I had the master files from Dennis and was tasked with the editing.  We also needed a second voice for the part of The Priestess/Narrator.  I did the edit and a couple of people read for the part but were not right for it, so it sat for about 8 years.  I don't remember how I got the idea for Starhawk to read the part, but it was the perfect choice.  By now Dennis had moved back to Alaska and we were out of touch.  I contacted him and he said "Run with it!" so I asked Starhawk, and she agreed, I booked recording time at the legendary Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco. Starhawk did the reading in one sitting! Her voice is perfect for the part and she brings her Priestess self to the part. That gave me the material needed to finish the piece.  

Those files sat for another couple of years, and then I decided to publish the audiobook. Alternatives made a beautiful website with original artwork commissioned from Marie Davis and through Lantern Audio it was published.

It has barely sold at all, which is too bad.  I had no PR budget, and proper promotion is costly. I was hoping it'd be a vehicle to bring funds to the folks who worked on the project and also some non-profits I admire.  So it goes.  But The Prophet is out there, it's a good piece of work, and perhaps more people will discover it over time.