The audio world can thank a happy accident for bringing in one of the industry's best talents and staunchest supporters. A quirky coincidence, coupled with a complementary background, led then dancer and actor Robin Miles into new careers in narration, direction, education, and leadership.

In the 1990s, Miles was acting on and off Broadway and in such television series as "Law & Order" when she stumbled on the world of audio. Leaving a hair salon, she happened to see a sign for a Lighthouse for the Blind office.

"I was used to giving back," she says, citing the philanthropic efforts of her parents. "This was something I could do."

Coupled with the example of community involvement was Miles's unique childhood. Growing up as the youngest child on her New Jersey block, she was drawn to the adults in her neighborhood. Those visits exposed her to human diversity as she met newcomers from across the globe. Instinctively drawn to the beauty, rhythm, and subtleties of language and dialects, the young Miles soaked up the music of European, Asian, and African voices.

A call to Lighthouse offering to share her voice brought an audition with Talking Books and, to Miles's surprise, a paying gig recording books. With that solid training and the guidance of one of her favorite narrators, Suzanne Toren, her talents came to the commercial world.

From her first Earphones Award for Cane River [2002] to several Audie nominations and awards, Miles has rocked audiobook lovers with her thoughtful narrations and stunning vocal characterizations. Not only does she wow with her favorite tongues, French, Irish, and Jamaican, her ability to build relationships with listeners while reading makes Miles a narrator of choice.

"When I'm narrating, I feel the connection to the reader," she says. "I'm creating the movie in the reader's mind. "

Her Earphones nods include BROTHER, I'M DYING and HALF OF A YELLOW SUN. She received a 2007 Audie for directing ROOTS.

In 2004, life threw new circumstances in her path, moving her to a new level of involvement in the audio world. A mysterious autoimmune illness, now well under control, threw up a huge challenge: Miles's breathtaking voice was affected to the point that narration was prohibitive. The door to audio direction was opened. "For two years, I just directed," she says. "This was a big gift, the best thing that ever happened."

She brings a decisive yet flexible approach to directing. Her secret to success is leading narrators to use her relationship-building approach without imposing her own interpretation. "When I direct, I listen for the connection and the content, "Miles says. "I visualize. If a narrator stops talking to me as a listener, I stop them."

Her commitment to the industry is further rooted in her work with the next generation of narrators. Miles's company, VOXpertise, provides training in both the technical and creative sides. Her trademark advice is that every sentence holds meaning from an emotional or point-of-view perspective. Miles's students cannot take even the most seemingly mundane passage for granted. "Nothing can go by and be blank," she explains. "I tell my students, 'you should never make your audience have to blink.'"

A dedicated listener herself, Miles's overarching goal is to bring audiobooks into a new status as an art form. "I want to make people love listening and bring back [the emotional intelligence] we get from storytelling." To make that a reality, she hopes to revolutionize audiobook production standards. Her dream list includes more flexibility with production timetables and budgets, making casting decisions and the creative process the focal points. "We as an industry must use the best narrator for each book. Every listener should have a star experience."

By any measure, Miles herself is indeed that star, proving her mantra that when we give, we also receive. "I love what I do. I can't believe I get to do this."

All those who share that love can look forward to more tantalizing readings from Miles. She says she won't be satisfied until she earns an Audie for best solo narration.--Jenan Jones Benson

Photo by David Scott Smith

2008 Best Voice in FICTION & CLASSICS: The Pirate’s Daughter
2008 Best Voice in BIOGRAPHY & HISTORY: Brother I'm Dying

Robin Miles has recorded four of Haitian author Edwidge Danticat's works--THE DEW BREAKER; BREATH, EYES, MEMORY; KRIK? KRAK!, and this year’s BROTHER, I'M DYING. A master of accents and dialects, Robin says, “You have to give yourself over and let the music of the words play through you.” Instead of being over the top, Robin is always in harmony with the text she’s narrating, as AUDIOFILE’s review of BROTHER, I'M DYING praises: “Her performance is controlled and understated, thereby heightening the family’s personal strength and heartfelt connections. Danticat’s elegantly crafted prose and Miles’s graceful reading make this a stunning listening experience.”--2008

"What a gift to work with such good writing, and her work is so dramatic," says Robin Miles of Jamaican author Edwidge Danticat. Robin has recorded four of Danticat's works—THE DEW BREAKER; BREATH, EYES, MEMORY; KRIK? KRAK!, and most recently BROTHER, I'M DYING. "The structure is so nonlinear and the characters are all affected by the main character." The Yale Drama School-trained actress loves to bring out the nuances of the characters' speech, age, and culture. Danticat and Miles are a perfect match.

Robin's audiobook narration began in 1994 at AFB's Talking Books studios, where she recorded dozens of books in a wide variety of genres and writing styles. However, her "training" as a voice artist probably started years before in the New Jersey neighborhood of many cultures where she grew up. "First-generation immigrants, Jewish, Irish, Cuban, Egyptian, Italian, German, and Vietnamese families, were all around us," she remembers. "I enjoyed hanging out with the adults, and I spent time in their homes, listening to their accents, enjoying their cooking, and hearing a music in their talk." This early fascination with words and the language led Robin to become a master of a United Nations of dialects. She can bring on the usual array of international accents, but also Xhosa, the Zulu click language, Afrikaans, and various regional speech patterns from Asia. When Robin talks about her facility with dialects, she uses the analogy of a player piano. "You have to give yourself over and let the music of the words play through you." Robin gives listening as one of the great rewards of audiobooks—the musicality of accented speech. We hear her skill not only with the Danticat recordings, but also with CANE RIVER by Lalita Tademy, LADY MOSES by Lucinda Roy, THE GOOD HOUSE by Tananarive Due, and TWELVE TIMES BLESSED by Jacqueline Mitchard.

The best news for listeners is that Robin shares her love and skill with language—not just with her audience, but by training students in audiobook narration. She regularly gives seminars to members of SAG and AFTRA actors' unions, and in 2005 she started Narration Arts Workshop in New York City, offering classes and coaching. One class is called Audiobook Express, "a fast-paced jump-start to the audiobook world" for working actors. Master classes, a beginners' class, and private coaching are also among the offerings at Narration Arts. Robin also extends her gifts with recent directing projects that have already earned accolades—including Roots by Alex Haley, HOLLYWOOD STATION by Joseph Wambaugh, THE NIGHT GARDENER by George Pelecanos, and A FREE LIFE by Ha Jin. She also directs Live Oak Media's Dear America children's series. Robin takes on many technical and artistic challenges from both sides of the glass.—Robin F. Whitten

Robin Miles
Audiography