Years from now, when people write the histories of Black voice acting in audiobooks, they’ll mention various contributors and stand-out reader-performers. They’ll point out how a few select voice actors really extended the art and practice of narration.
There’s no doubt that Dion Graham is one name people will mention.
You’re listening to Remarkable Receptions—a podcast about popular and critical responses to African American novels and more.
Graham has read novels by James Baldwin, Colson Whitehead, Walter Mosley, Chester Himes, Marlon James, and Sam Greenlee. He’s read Young Adult titles by Angie Thomas and Nic Stone.
He’s narrated Jonathan Eig’s biography of Martin Luther King, Jr., Les Payne and Tamara Payne’s biography of Malcolm X, and Justin Tinsley’s biography of the Notorious B. I. G.
Graham has read fictional works by John Grisham, Don Winslow, and Dave Eggers, and he’s read award-winning nonfiction books such as Evicted and Poverty, both by Matthew Desmond.
[[[Graham reading]]]
That’s Graham reading Colson Whitehead’s Crook Manifesto. And here’s Graham reading Dave Eggers’s The Circle.
[[[Graham reading]]]
Graham adopts accents as well. Listen as he reads from Dinaw Mengestu’s The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears.
[[[Graham reading]]]
In one memorable performance, Graham takes on the raspy voice of Miles Davis while reading the autobiography of Miles Davis.
Beyond the novels and nonfiction books on weighty topics, Graham reads Young Adult fiction and children’s books. Here he is reading Matt de la Peña’s Milo Imagines the World.
[[[Graham reading]]]
Listen, the aforementioned excerpts represent just a few examples of the more than 300 titles that Graham has read and performed. He’s definitely a key figure in the ongoing history of audiobooks and Black voice acting.
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This episode was written by Howard Rambsy. The episode was edited by Elizabeth Cali.
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This podcast, Remarkable Receptions, is part of the Black Literature Network, a joint project from African American literary studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and the History of Black Writing at the University of Kansas. The project was made possible by the generous support of the Mellon Foundation. For more information, visit blacklitnetwork.org.