Marni Penning

What was the first audiobook you performed?

Eulogy by Rachel Van Dyken

What title or series are you best known for?

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros — Graphic Audio full-cast edition, as General Lilith Sorrengail

If a listener wanted to get to know your work, which of your audiobooks would you point them to?

Johanna Porter is Not Sorry by Sara Read
The Pillager’s Guide to Arctic Pianos by Kendra Langford Shaw
The Invisible Woman by James Patterson & Susan DiLallo
Everything is Probably Fine by Julia London
Arcturus Academy: The Complete Series by A.L. Knorr

Where else have we heard your voice?

One Woman Shakespeare Podcast — solo performer
B*tches in Heat Podcast — co-host
Graphic Audio — 500+ titles, hundreds of characters
TikTok — @Perimenopaws

What do you always have in the booth?

Ginger Tea w/honey, Lemon Water, Vaseline Lip Therapy (I’m allergic to scents), my homemade ice vest, a sad-faced plush toast that says, “Gluten Hates Me,” tiny figurines hidden in the foam on the walls amidst the fairy lights, and many, many sayings & gifts that mean the world to me.

How did you come to performing audiobooks?

I’ve been a stage actor since I was 8 years old, and went to school for theatre. Shakespeare is my specialty; I’ve toured the US & UK and am a co-founder of Cincinnati Shakes. After a decade living in NYC and performing in regional theatres all over the country, I left stage work for 5 years to start a family. Andi Arndt (Audible Hall of Fame Narrator) who had been my college roommate, is the one who convinced me I belonged in audiobooks. She roped me into my first title in 2018, and I’ve never looked back. I’m so grateful!

Anything else you’d like a listener to know?

My friend Steven Jay Cohen fondly dubbed me “The Maven of a Million Voices,” because the cast of thousands that emerges from my voicebox doesn’t seem like it could originate from such a tiny human! Don’t let that twinkle in my eye fool you, though; my favorite roles explore the depth and range of the human condition, very often darkly snarky, even deliciously evil, but always complex, flawed, strong women. A sticker in my studio says, “Your voice can change the world,” and that’s what I want to do: use my instrument to showcase the power of human storytelling.