I was introduced to Italo Calvino not by his books, but by listening to his words on Peter Gzowski’s Morningside radio program many years ago. The voice I heard reading from Calvino’s Invisible Cities was not the author’s, but someone whose name I no longer recall. Yet the images and sentiments evoked by the sound of those words led me to buy the book.

Many of us ‘hear’ a voice when we read a piece, yet seldom is our imagining anywhere close to the sounds of the writer’s voice unless we have already listened to them speak. Once we have heard an author read their work, we’re often surprised by how closely the phrasing and cadence of the written work echoes the author’s speaking voice.

Hear a voice isn’t only about listening to authors reading their work. You’ll find great voices reading the work of others, and songwriters performing great works. But the common denominator here is you – the listener. It is your ear who will extract the meaning, the beauty, the discomfort (at times) from the works. I hope you discover more about yourself as you take the time to explore, listen to and hear the many voices you’ll find here.

Pat Buckna