Yvonne Durant

Editor at Audible Blog

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Articles

How we’re feeling about aging

2 weeks ago | audible.com | Yvonne Durant

To celebrate body positivity, we wanted to hear how our colleagues feel about the aging process, along with the book titles that capture their feelings. As we celebrate body positivity this summer, it's also the perfect time to explore the topic of age. Age might be just a number, but it’s more than that in terms of how we approach life, how we see ourselves, and how society sees us. It’s not been kind to every age group, to the point where people sometimes lie about their age instead of owning it.
Martha S. Jones unearths her family history in “The Trouble of Color”

2 months ago | audible.com | Yvonne Durant

The renowned historian found both pain and pride when she explored her ancestors’ journey from slavery to freedom. Note: Text has been lightly edited for clarity and does not match audio exactly. Yvonne Durant: Listeners, this is Editor Yvonne Durant at Audible. Today, we're with the historian, legal scholar, professor of history at Johns Hopkins, and author of several books, Martha S. Jones. We're going to talk about her memoir, The Trouble of Color: An American Family Memoir.
The artistry of Haitian writers

Oct 16, 2024 | audible.com | Yvonne Durant |Maika Moulite |Maritza Moulite |Edwidge Danticat

Edwidge Danticat’s book Krik? Krak! introduced the literary world to the term used for the call-and-response style of Haitian storytelling. The storyteller begins by saying “Krik,” and listeners respond with “Krak.” It sounds like child’s play, but Danticat’s award-winning collection of short stories was anything but as story after story deals with the pains and challenges of what Haitian women have faced through the years.
“Colored Television” is a razor-sharp take on race and Hollywood

Sep 10, 2024 | audible.com | Yvonne Durant

Note: Text has been edited and does not match audio exactly. Yvonne Durant: Hi, listeners. I'm Audible Editor Yvonne Durant. Today I'm speaking to a very important woman who possesses a talent of capturing our minds and attentions, and our hearts, with her exquisite words and stellar storytelling in Colored Television. Kukajawani, Danzy Senna. Danzy Senna: [Laughs].
Sarah Pekkanen takes us on a journey into the darkness of wealth

Aug 26, 2024 | audible.com | Yvonne Durant

Who sends a letter to publishers demanding they respond to her manuscript on Raggedy Ann stationery? Sarah Pekkanen did when she was in grade school. Now a bestselling author, she won’t be needing any stationery to state her case. She’s busy writing great thrillers that send chills up the spines of her loyal fans. I’m one of them and was delighted when she took the time to answer a few questions. Yvonne Durant: In House of Glass, the family is rich—they have that golden glow.
Celebrating James Baldwin on his centennial

Aug 2, 2024 | audible.com | Yvonne Durant |James Baldwin |Roxane Gay

Born in Harlem, James Arthur Baldwin would become one of the most important writers of the 20th century. No one wrote more beautifully, more poignantly, on the issues of the day, issues that remain relevant to this day—race, class, justice, LGBQTIA+ identity. He wrote it like it was, and spoke it too.
Voices of Audible: The magic of imagining more

Jul 17, 2024 | audible.com | Yvonne Durant

We know from our listeners that "there's more to imagine when you listen." They told us that audiobooks have changed their lives by bringing more flavor to how they see things. This also holds true for our own team. They, too, after listening to a book have seen things differently, or discovered a new way to look at an old issue. Or listened to great fiction that transported them to another place and time that felt as familiar as home. No doubt, there's more to the story, when one listens.
Unlocking a safe with Michael Connelly

May 13, 2024 | audible.com | Yvonne Durant

When Michael Connelly's The Safe Manwas first published, no one really knew who wrote it. It wasn’t the kind of work Connelly was known for: The location was different from his usual California, and there was no detective involved. Interestingly, the story was based on a truth in his life and a concern he had about a particular safe—one in his own home.
“Undiplomatic” is a deeply personal memoir from the Obama White House’s social secretary

Apr 23, 2024 | audible.com | Yvonne Durant

Note: Text has been edited and dos not match audio exactlyYvonne Durant: Hello, listeners. Editor Yvonne Durant here. Today, I'm going to speak to a very special person, the Deesha Dyer, about her very special memoir, Undiplomatic: How My Attitude Created the Best Kind of Trouble. Hey, Deesha. It's been a moment. Deesha Dyer: Hey, how are you? YD: I'm well. DD: So good to talk to you. YD: Very well. By the way, listeners, I met Deesha when she was working at the Ford Foundation.
Meet the fearsome foursome behind "Desperate Deadly Widows"

Mar 18, 2024 | audible.com | Yvonne Durant

There is nothing desperate about the team that breathes fresh air and tons of wit and nerve into our favorite no-nonsense widows. Now, they’re at it again in Desperate Deadly Widows. Just like the widows, creators Vanessa Lillie, Kimberly Belle, Cate Holahan, and Layne Fargo have a fair amount of pluck, grit, and glamour themselves. That they do what they do so well in a team of four is impressive. We recently asked them how four minds come together and become a sisters-in-crime relationship.