Karen Cushman

Karen Cushman

Newbery award-winning children’s book author

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Karen Cushman

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Remembering Katherine Kellgren

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Sad news from Shelf Awareness today: 

Obituary Note: Katherine Kellgren

Katherine Kellgren

“Katherine Kellgren, who narrated more than 200 audio books and was winner of multiple Audie Awards, died on January 10 after a long battle with cancer. Robin Whitten, founder of Audiofile Magazine, called Kellgren ‘a brilliant narrator… Her wonderful performances are known and loved by listeners. Her work was celebrated with every audio book award—Golden Voice, Earphones, Audie Awards, Odyssey, Voice of Choice, and more. Her kindness and indomitable spirit were loved and cherished by her colleagues and friends. We will miss her greatly. However, Katy leaves us with the enduring treasure of her audio books.’ In lieu of flowers, please donate to Hispanic Federation to help the people of Puerto Rico.”

Katie Kellgren narrated my books Grayling’s Song, Will Sparrow’s Road, and Alchemy and Meggy Swann, for which she won numerous awards. We had many phone calls as we worked together on the books, and Katie was always delightful, warm, funny, and brilliant at inventing voices and accents that made me laugh out loud right there on the telephone. The book world will be a sadder place without her.

The Hollywood Ten

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The Loud Silence of Francine GreenBackground: The Loud Silence of Francine Green: From reading the book, you know that Francine’s friend Sophie’s father was a screenwriter in Hollywood, which is a factor upon which the plot turns.

You may find it interesting to learn more about Ring Lardner, Jr., a writer who won Academy Awards for M*A*S*H and Woman of the Year. In 1947, he was one of the Hollywood Ten, actors and writers from Hollywood who were questioned by the House Un-American Activities Committee for suspicions of having left-wing or Communist sympathies. He refused to answer questions about his political status and was sent to prison for 12 months and fined $1,000. He was fired as one of the highest-paid screenwriters in Hollywood and blacklisted from working there again. 

Here’s a 90-minute reading by various actors from Ring Lardner, Jr’s, memoir, I’d Hate Myself in the Morning. 

You can listen to an audio clip from The Loud Silence of Francine Green here.

On the road with Will Sparrow

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Alchemy and Meggy Swann, Will Sparrow's RoadKaty Kellgren, who was so magnificent as the narrator of the award-winning audio book of Meggy Swann, has agreed to work her magic on an audio book for Will Sparrow’s Road. Thank you to Katy, and to May Wuthrich and Orli Moscowitz of Random House Listening Library. How did I get so lucky? Look for an excerpt on this website in November.