Tavia Gilbert

What was the first audiobook you performed?

Louder Than Words, by Jenny McCarthy

What title or series are you best known for?

Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

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

Be Frank With Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson (Best Female Narrator Audie winner)
How the Light Gets In by Jolina Petersheim (Best Inspirational Fiction Audie winner)
Charlotte’s Web, playing the Goose in a full-cast recording narrated by Meryl Streep (Grammy finalist)
The Real Education of TJ Crowley by Grant Overstake, in a full cast ensemble (Best Young Adult Audie winner)
The First Helping (Lunch Lady Books 1 & 2), by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (director of this Odyssey Award-winning full cast production)

Where else have we heard your voice?

Writer and host of the Stories of Impact Podcast — three-time American Writing Awards Podcast of the Year winner (twice for Science, once for Social Impact); storiesofimpact.org
The Choral Society choir — alto in multiple concerts at Carnegie Hall
Leading years of conference programming for the Audio Publishers Association, and serving on the APA board

What do you always have in the booth?

Maddy, my cattle-dog corgi; a love note from my partner, Bryan; and a picture of my patron saint of masterful audiobook performance, Davina Porter

How did you come to performing audiobooks?

I was born with deformed feet, and started having corrective foot surgeries at 7 months old. My last major surgery was when I was 29, and I used the months of recovery to learn everything I could about the audiobook industry. I joined the APA in that season, just as home studios were becoming part of the business model, landed my first year of work through Blackstone casting director and great narrator Grover Gardner before expanding to other companies, and now, over a thousand book narrated, directed, and produced, and hundreds of podcasts written and voiced, I’m building Talkbox Productions to scale my service, vision, and impact.

Anything else you’d like a listener to know?

Your voice is your birthright and your legacy, and a truly transformational VOICE is made up of Vibration, Open Heart, Integration, Conviction, and Embodiment. Transformational voices are sacred, influencing culture, connecting community, and creating impact, and every one has the power to positively change the world.