Today, we’re stepping out of the high-brow literary salons and into the world of Clarence Louis Cullen, a man who wrote about the hustle, the gamble, and the gritty humor of the American underdog.

In this episode, we have a double feature of Cullen’s sharp-witted prose

• First, is an introductory note from the author for his book Taking Chances.
• Then we follow a man chasing the elusive dragon of a winning run in “'Red' Donnelly’s Streak of Luck”. It’s a classic look at the superstitions and adrenaline of the gambling life.
• Finally, "Just Like Finding Money", a clever tale that reminds us that in the city, nothing—not even a windfall—is ever quite as simple as it seems.

Both "Red Donnelly’s Streak of Luck" and "Just Like Finding Money" were originally part of a series Clarence Louis Cullen wrote for the New York Sun around the turn of the century.

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...

In this episode we’re unearthing the legacy of a woman whose mind was once called the 'most original and challenging' of the entire women’s movement. Charlotte Perkins Gilman was a philosopher, a sociologist, and a writer who dared to imagine a world where women were defined not by their domesticity, but by their economic independence.

Her short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper” is regarded as an important early work of American feminist literature for its illustration of the attitudes towards the mental and physical health of women, specifically postpartum depression in the 19th century. It is also lauded as an excellent work of horror fiction.

The semi-autobiographical story is written as a collection of journal entries narrated in the first person. As the reader continues through the journal entries, they experience the writer's gradual descent into madness with nothing better to do than observe the peeling yellow wallpaper in her room.

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Send requests for authors or short stories to: sbnarration@sallybarronvoiceovers.com

Here's my website: www.narratedarchives.com

Audiobooks narrated by Sally Barron can be found at:

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...

In this episode of Narrated Archives, we explore the sophisticated yet surprisingly tender world of the Gilded Age through three of Richard Harding Davis's most evocative stories: "A Walk Up the Avenue," "Van Bibber and the Swan-Boats," and "Van Bibber as Best Man." These narratives offer more than just a glimpse into high-society New York; they capture the universal tension between public persona and private longing, proving that even the most polished "man-about-town" is humanized by moments of quiet empathy and romantic missed connections.

It is a must-listen for anyone who enjoys sharp social observation paired with the bittersweet nostalgia of a vanished era.

• A Walk Up the Avenue - follows a young man walking through New York City as he reflects on his break-up with his fiance.
• Van Bibber and the Swan-Boats - Van Bibber finds himself on a bench in Boston’s Public Garden when he encounters 3 little girls from a different side of the city. The tale highlights his capacity for kindness and the experience of bridging class divides.
• Van Bibber as Best Man - centers on Van Bibber assisting a distraught couple with a secret marriage. He utilizes his social influence and resources to ensure the success of the plan.

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When you subscribe to Narrated Archives you get at least 2 bonus episodes each month.

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Send requests for authors or short stories to: sbnarration@sallybarronvoiceovers.com

Here's my website: www.narratedarchives.com

Audiobooks narrated by Sally Barron can be found at:

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...

In this episode we’re celebrating the pure, nonsensical joy of Carl Sanburg’s Rootabaga Stories and Rootabaga Pigeons. Know for his monumental 6 volume biography of Abraham Lincoln, Sandburg also wrote poetry and children's fairy tales. These stories are set in a world where the railroad tracks run off into the sky and the Village of Cream Puffs floats away in the wind! Join me to step into this whimsical past together letting our imaginations soar with the echoes of these delightful tales!

• How Gimme the Ax Found Out About the Zigzag Railroad and Who Made It Zigzag
• How to Tell Corn Fairies If You See ’Em
• Many, Many Weddings in One Corner House”
• How Six Pigeons Came Back to Hatrack the Horse After Many Accidents and Six Telegrams
• Never Kick a Slipper at the Moon

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Send requests for authors or short stories to: sbnarration@sallybarronvoiceovers.com

Here's my website: www.narratedarchives.com

Audiobooks narrated by Sally Barron can be found at:

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• Nook
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• Libro.fm
• storytel
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...

In this episode we’re unearthing a chillingly prescient piece of Victorian science fiction by Robert Barr that feels all too modern.

In 1892, Robert Barr—a writer who influenced the likes of Agatha Christie—penned a pioneering harrowing account of urban catastrophe titled “The Doom of London”. Set in a then-future mid-20th century, our narrator looks back on the final days of the 19th century, when a freak meteorological coincidence turned London's iconic fog into a lethal atmospheric trap.

Step back in time together and listen to the voice of the past with “The Doom of London”.

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Send requests for authors or short stories to: sbnarration@sallybarronvoiceovers.com

Here's my website: www.narratedarchives.com

Audiobooks narrated by Sally Barron can be found at:

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...

In this episode of Narrated Archives we step into the brief, blazing life of Stephen Crane, author of The Red Badge of Courage. In the four stories presented, Stephen Crane captures the intersection of quiet human longing and the harsh often indifferent realities of society.

• “An Eloquence of Grief” - written around 1896, captures a routine New York City police court.
• “The Auction” - a public auction features the possessions of a former sailor named Ferguson and his wife. Crane explores the collision of financial tragedy and social humiliation.
• "A Great Mistake" - a brief, atmospheric scene that centers on the silent, intense longing and hunger of a small child gazing at an elaborate fruit stand.
• “A Fishing Village" - a descriptive piece, originally published in the August 1899 issue of The Philistine, that captures the rugged isolation, quiet endurance and daily rhythms of a coastal community with his characteristic impressionistic detail.

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Support the show

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Send requests for authors or short stories to: sbnarration@sallybarronvoiceovers.com

Here's my website: www.narratedarchives.com

Audiobooks narrated by Sally Barron can be found at:

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• Libro.fm
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...

In this episode are 2 stories froma collection all written by H. D Umbstaetter, entitled “The Red Hot Dollar and Other Stories from The Black Cat”. Also included is the Introduction to the collection written by Jack London

• “One Chance in a Million” tells of an entrepreneur so secretive that he almost loses his live
• “In Hell’s Cañon” a prospector is determined to locate a "lost lead".

Send us Fan Mail

When you subscribe to Narrated Archives you get at least 2 bonus episodes each month.

Support the show

Thanks for listening!

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Send requests for authors or short stories to: sbnarration@sallybarronvoiceovers.com

Here's my website: www.narratedarchives.com

Audiobooks narrated by Sally Barron can be found at:

• audible
• Spotify
• Google Play
• Nook
• Kobo
• Libro.fm
• storytel
• Hoopla (free from with your public library card)

...

This week we’re listening to a sample from Harris Newmark’s memoir, “Sixty Years in Southern California".

We’ll be listening to the first 2 chapters in which Newmark recounts his upbringing and how he ended up traveling to California from Prussia covering the years 1834-1853

Send us Fan Mail

When you subscribe to Narrated Archives you get at least 2 bonus episodes each month.

Support the show

Thanks for listening!

Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts Spotify or your favorite podcast provider.

Send requests for authors or short stories to: sbnarration@sallybarronvoiceovers.com

Here's my website: www.narratedarchives.com

Audiobooks narrated by Sally Barron can be found at:

• audible
• Spotify
• Google Play
• Nook
• Kobo
• Libro.fm
• storytel
• Hoopla (free from with your public library card)

...