Narrator Spotlight: Queer Narrators Reading Queer Books
Start your engines, racers, because I’m about to serve up some sickening looks—er, audiobooks. This narrator spotlight is a little different from the deep focus on the fabulous Julia Whelan, Dion Graham, and Robin Miles. As we sashay through Audiobook Month and slay Pride, I’m bringing you a broader look at some of the fiercest queer narrators reading stories that matter. Brilliant? Absolutely. Award-winning? You’d better believe it. But more important—valid. Every story here affirms the authenticity and magic within ourselves and the human right to simply exist in all our unapologetic glory. And who is bringing these stories to life, you ask? Only the most stunning narrators serving up realness. Don’t forget to check out our full list of Queer Narrators Reading Queer Stories, and remember, shantay, you stay.
Avi Roque (they/them)
Avi Roque has received an Odyssey, SOVAS, and several AudioFile Earphones Awards for their narration performances across a variety of audiobooks. Roque’s earnestness and authenticity shines through in Cemetery Boys for both Yadriel and Julian. And they keep us on track with the shifting viewpoints in Notes from a Regicide, a trans family saga that examines how our found family can hurt us while also loving us. The 2-for-1 picture book, Julián Stories, shows us the joy of exploration at a young age.
Dani Martineck (they/them)
A published playwright and Audie- and Earphones Award-winning audiobook narrator, Dani Martineck has voiced a vast catalog of queer and genre roles. Martineck throws their whole body behind Compound Fracture, an action-oriented narrative set in Appalachia about the generational gap and the politics that divide us. The Witch King straddles the human world and a fae kingdom, where Martineck performs both human and fae characters with ease. Then travel to the early aughts with Endpapers, where Dawn Levit feels trapped in her job and identity.
Em Grosland (they/he)
A Psalm for the Wild-Built: A Monk and Robot Book
A Psalm for the Wild-Built: A Monk and Robot Book
By
Becky Chambers
Narrated by
Em Grosland
Audiobook $17.99
Otherworldly
Otherworldly
By
F.T. Lukens
Narrated by
Em Grosland
,
Kevin R. Free
,
Natalie Naudus
Audiobook $26.99
As Em Grosland continues to grow their audiobook catalog, start with A Psalm for the Wild-Built. Grosland vivaciously captures both tea monk, Dex, and robot, Mosscap, as they set out to discover what people need and keeps listeners engrossed along the way. Grosland won’t be the only voice you’ll hear in Otherworldly, but their turn as Ellery will be hard to miss in this speculative adventure that brings together a human and a supernatural being. Full of humor and heartbreak, The Beautiful Something Else is a coming-of-age story about breaking free from the constraints and expectations you put on yourself.
Krystal Hammond (they/them/theirs)
The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet
The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet
By
Jake Maia Arlow
Narrated by
Krystal Hammond
Audiobook $23.00
Krystal Hammond’s upbringing in rural North Carolina fostered a lifelong love of storytelling. With a plethora of diverse characters in The Heartbreak Bakery, Hammond keeps the ovens hot and the muffins in order. They deftly handle sensitive topics surrounding consent, victim blaming, and sexual assault in Girl Made of Stars. And surviving middle school is never a walk in the park, and even less so while Al Schneider navigates a chronic illness diagnosis and the budding realization that she likes girls in The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet.
L. Morgan Lee (she/her)
Woodworking
Woodworking
By
Emily St. James
Narrated by
L. Morgan Lee
,
Saoirse Ní Shúilleabháin
,
Emily St. James
Audiobook $34.99
All the Hearts You Eat
All the Hearts You Eat
By
Hailey Piper
Narrated by
Sena Bryer
,
Em Grosland
,
various narrators
,
Jeremy Carlisle Parker
,
L Morgan Lee
,
Alexis Vandom
Audiobook $26.95
L. Morgan Lee has taken the Broadway stage by storm and is now turning her talents to audiobook narration. Woodworking is a poignant tale about community, friendship, and the reminder that we’re always coming of age, no matter how old we are. Emotions are high and feelings unravel in When the Harvest Comes, as Davis learns of the passing of his estranged father on the night of his wedding. And Lee lends her voice in this full cast production of All the Hearts You Eat, where our cast navigates this small town filled with ghosts and learns what happens when you let one in.
Max Meyers (they/them)
Teach the Torches to Burn: A Romeo & Juliet Remix
Teach the Torches to Burn: A Romeo & Juliet Remix
By
Caleb Roehrig
Narrated by
Max Meyers
Audiobook $26.99
Max Meyers turned their theater background into an award-winning audiobook career. Earphones Award-winning audiobook The Pairing is brimming with emotional depth where the longing and love that Theo and Kit feel for one another is heightened by Meyers’s performance. The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers is a YA rom-com about finding your Prince Charming. And the Romeo & Juliet remix, Teach the Torches to Burn, is bursting with passion as Meyers jubilantly bounces between accents and characters.
Michael Crouch (he/him)
Not only does Michael Crouch have numerous Audie- and Earphones awards, but he was also awarded the lauded Golden Voice honor from AudioFile Magazine. Crouch authentically captures the vulnerability and timbre for the teenage cast of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. And Don’t Let the Forest In will haunt your earphones from the first words as these fairytale monsters come to life. Then check out the thriller, Bath Haus, where Crouch reads for Oliver, who finds himself in a web of lies that keeps getting more and more tangled until the surprising twisty end.
Natalie Naudus (she/her)
With a background in opera and multiple Audie and Earphones awards, Natalie Naudus’s robust audiobook catalog boasts over 400 titles. Included here is her own novel, Gay the Pray Away, where our young protagonist learns to question everything that she was taught and find her own truth. Following the contemporary YA romance path is Ode to My First Car, a novel told in verse delivered to perfection. When you’re ready for some fantasy, Road to Ruin will bring you all the Mad Max action-packed vibes that make it impossible to pause.
Vico Ortiz (they/them/elle)
You may recognize Vico Ortiz as Jim from the comic television series Our Flag Means Death, but they also have a growing catalog of audiobook performances on their resume. I suggest starting with the Earphones-winning title, The Stars Too Fondly. This genre-bending space odyssey is joyfully brought to life by Ortiz’s skillful character work. The Wicked Bargain is the perfect pirate fantasy for elle to show off their well-honed “Ahoy, matey!” accent. Lakelore is a satisfying and ultimately hopeful listen as two nonbinary Latinx teenagers are knowingly narrated by two nonbinary Latine/x voice actors in Ortiz and Avi Roque.
Vikas Adam (he/him/they)
Vikas Adam was inducted as a Golden Voice Narrator just this month! This well-deserved lifetime achievement honor comes after years’ worth of Audie and Earphones awards. Adam dazzles in Lavender House, a queer mystery series set in 1950s San Francisco, where the cast of characters is many and diverse. Moving a little closer to the aughts, The Sea Elephants shows us 1990s India. As our main character faces challenges, Adam stays steady and direct while brightening in moments of hope and triumph. And for a change of pace, Small Town Pride brings us a sweet coming-of-age story that Adam injects with a youthful effervescence for the tween cast.