VOTE for me please! Spoken: Your Story Contest

 Free audio story! Author needs your votes for "What Remains Unreturned"

I wanted to share something personal with because I know many of us here love stories that center on diverse characters in fantasy, sci-fi, and paranormal worlds — and that’s exactly the kind of story I write.

I was recently selected as a finalist in the Spoken Story Contest, and my entry, What Remains Unreturned, is one of only two a sci-fi / speculative story by a POC  author in the finals, so I’m really hoping to get support from readers who love seeing our stories told in these spaces.

On the surface, the story is about first contact, memory exchange, and the cost of knowledge — humans studying an alien species, and the line between curiosity and harm.

But what the story is really about is something deeper that many of us understand on a personal level —what happens when a people’s history, culture, and identity are taken, studied, renamed, and archived by someone else… and the ones being observed are expected to call it partnership.

It’s about power, consent, survival, and what it means to carry the weight of what was done to you.

That’s why this story meant a lot for me to write, and why being a finalist means so much.

This story isn't about the experience of one minority group. What has happened throughout history to disenfranchised people has known no color--it's been experienced by races, cultures, subcultures, religions, the LBGTQ community--basically all groups that have found themselves having to make their own because larger society had no place for them... until they could be coopted. 

If you enjoy it, here is the *important bit*, can you take 5 minutes to vote here. It does not require you to spend a dime or sign up for anything. 

If you'd like to listen to all the great pieces that made the contest, visit https://www.spoken.press/yourstory
 

Quick note because I know this sometimes comes up — the narration platform used for the contest works with licensed voice actors who choose to have their voices used, and they are compensated through the platform. The sponsors of the contest provide human clone voices (paid actors). I respect voice work deeply, and I only work with tools that operate ethically. At this point my career this is the ethical path I can afford, and the voice actors chose to participate and be compensated to do so.  

I completely understand if this style of narration isn’t for everyone--it's OK say this isn't for you--but if the story itself speaks to you, your support would mean a lot.

Thank you to anyone who takes the time to listen.

It really does help more than you know.