‘TJ Crowley' Wins Prestigious AudioFile Earphones Award
Celebrating Excellence: 'The Real Education of TJ Crowley: Coming of Age on the Red Line' shines with the prestigious AudioFile Earphones Award, marking its distinction in the audiobook industry.
WICHITA, Kan. (GVP) — A new full-cast audio drama set during Wichita’s turbulent Civil Rights era, “The Real Education of TJ Crowley: Coming of Age on the Redline” by Grant Overstake and May Wuthrich, who also produces and directs, has been honored with the prestigious Earphones Award from AudioFile Magazine, establishing this production as a standout in the audiobook industry.
AudioFile Magazine celebrates Audiobook Month in its June issue, featuring the announcement of this year’s Golden Voice winners and the latest releases in the world of audiobooks, including “The Real Education of TJ Crowley: Coming of Age on the Redline” released by Blackstone Publishing.
The award accompanied a stellar review by AudioFile, a standard bearer in the billion-dollar audiobook industry.
“This award and review are a testament to the talent and hard work of the amazing cast and crew who brought TJ’s story to life,” said Executive Producer and Co-Author Grant Overstake, owner of Grain Valley Publishing Company, LLC. “This begins with May Wuthrich’s visionary approach to adapting, directing, and producing the work.”
Released on June 11th by Blackstone Publishing, the gripping, fast-paced audio drama is set in northeast Wichita in 1968, following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The story centers on 13-year-old TJ, a white boy from a broken home, whose life is disrupted when the Fair Housing Act dismantles the racial redline dividing the city. Seeking a new beginning, respected physician Dr. Robert Washington, his wife Lorraine, and their teenage daughter, Ivy, move next door to the racist Crowley family.
Overstake, a Wichita native and former Miami Herald sportswriter, grew up along the city’s redline during the peak of the Civil Rights movement. His personal experiences, woven with historic events that shaped a city and the nation, inspired his acclaimed novel, which was named Book of the Year by the Kansas Authors Club and National Book of the Month by Bookclubs.com.
The audio drama debuted as the #1 New Release in the Historical Fiction for Teens category on Audible.com, signaling its potential to reach a wide audience eager for content that is rich in meaning and offers a suspenseful story that keeps listeners on the edge of their seats.
For Overstake and Grain Valley Publishing, the AudioFile Earphones Award marks a significant first. Meanwhile, for Wuthrich, her cast, and the production team at John Marshall Media, it is yet another accolade among many, highlighting their status as recognized leaders in the audiobook industry.
FROM THE AUDIOFILE REVIEW OF “TJ CROWLEY”
The screenshot captures a milestone for Overstake, marking his first AudioFile Earphones Award. For Wuthrich, her cast, and the production team at John Marshall Media, it adds to their numerous accolades in the audiobook industry.
“.... The narrators of this fraught coming-of-age story are excellent. To pick just three: Dani Martineck, as TJ, has just the right tone and delivery; Dion Graham excels as the Black Doctor, the new next-door neighbor, as does Tavia Gilbert as TJ’s boozy, racist mom. The gospel music of the ARISE Ensemble enhances the listening experience… Performed by a gifted cast, this slice of our history stays with the listener. - A.D.M., Winner of AudioFile Earphone Award” – AUDIOFILE
The premier listening event for the audio drama was held in Wichita on June 9th, sponsored by Fidelity Bank and Arts Council Wichita, and hosted by Carla Eckels of KMUW, an NPR affiliate, with community support from the Kansas African American Museum and the ARISE Ensemble. The event was a resounding success, celebrating the story's deep roots in local history and its powerful reflection on the Civil Rights era.
In 2020, Overstake and Wuthrich, an award-winning director and producer with 400 titles to her credit, embarked on the ambitious project of adapting the novel into a three-act audio drama, complete with sound effects and music. Their goal was to preserve the essence of the novel while adding scenes and immersive elements that enhanced the story. To achieve this, they collaborated with the New York City-based, award-winning production company John Marshall Media (JMM), whose production wizardry, led by producer Cameron Potts, ensured meticulous sound design, editing, and mastering.
OUR CAST
Led by Dani Marteneck, upper left, the TJ Crowley Audio Drama features 15 actors voicing 24 roles, with Dion Graham, Tavia Gilbert, Johnny Heller, Kevin R. Free, Shayna Small, Ari Fliakos, Michael Crouch, Kirby Heyborne, Graham Halstead, Peter Berkrot, Thérèse Plummer, Brittany Pressley, John Wright, and Sheila Brown Kinnard.
"The combined efforts of this team are evident in every aspect of the audio drama,” Overstake said. “The Earphones Award and stellar review are fitting tributes to May, her outstanding cast, and the JMM team. It's a great feeling to know that our work over these past four years is out there, being heard and appreciated. We look forward to seeing what happens next for this remarkable story."
OUR SPONSORS & PATRONS
The audio project is made possible by the fiscal sponsorship of the Youth Educational Empowerment Program (YEEP), with funding from Shocker Studios at Wichita State University, and the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Also, from The Lenox Foundation, The Stecher Family Foundation, Massachusetts Mutual Insurance Co., Bird by Bird Outreach, and the following individuals: Abbe F. Large, Mike and Sally Harris, Marcia Ross and Jeff Kaufman, Michael Simon, Michael Birzer, Gretchen Eick and Michael Poage, and Sarah Bagby.
Based on the novel by Grant Overstake, script adaptation by the author and May Wuthrich. Performed by a full cast. Presented by Grain Valley Publishing and Released by Blackstone Publishing on June 11, 2024.