Miller Aud-cast #40: Sally Stevens

Hello and welcome to Miller Aud-cast, the Missouri Review podcast where we listen to and discuss the finalists for the 2021 Miller Audio Prize. The Aud-cast is back for episode 40, featuring the latest finalist for the 2021 Miller Audio Prize in Humor, “The Story Lady/Cindarella,” from Sally Stevens. Sally Stevens works in film and television scoring, sound recordings and concert in the Hollywood music business as a singer/choral director and lyricist. She served as Choral Director for the OSCARS broadcast for 22 years, and her voice can be heard on literally hundreds of film and television scores. She sings the main title for The Simpsons, now in its 32nd year of airing. Her other passion is writing, and her short stories and poems have been included in Mockingheart Review, Hermeneutic Chaos Literary Journal, Raven’s Perch, The OffBeat, Funny in Five Hundred, Between the Lines Anthology: Fairy Tales & Folklore Re-imagined, The Los Angeles Press, The Voices Project and No Extra Words podcast. Had the pandemic not shut them down, this would have been her 22nd summer at the University of Iowa summer writing workshops. She has recently completed a memoir about her journey through the music world of Hollywood, including the touring years in concert with Ray Conniff, Nat King Cole and Burt Bacharach. She is also a fine art photographer and has had several Black & White Fine Art Photography exhibits in the Los Angeles area. Some of the photos from her series of film composer portraits were included in an exhibit at Cite de la Musique in Paris, in 2013. Artist Notes: The notes about this particular material — when I was a kid, I wanted to be another Lucille Ball when I grew up. Life took me in another direction, but I just love doing readings and hearing the audience laughter. This piece was so fun to create, and I’m just thrilled that it will hopefully be enjoyed by folks I would never otherwise have a chance to share it with. My love and thanks to TMR. Social Handles/Websites: www.HollywoodFilmChorale.com www.SallyStevensWriter.com www.SallyStevensPhotography.com/filmscoring.html Stick around after the piece to hear managing editor Marc McKee and contest editor Bailey Boyd talk about how the funny unfolds in this clever project. Aud-cast 41 is on its way soon, so BE ALERT. Thanks as always to the Missouri Review contest editor, Bailey Boyd, and to Patricia Miller, for her generous support for the Miller Audio Prize. Just as a reminder, TMR is open for submissions year-round, and we remain dedicated to discovering and publishing the best contemporary writing in fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Be heard. Give us the opportunity to discover you: subscribe or submit your work today! In addition, we have tons of marvelous (and free!) creative content to read, listen to, and even watch on our website. Learn more at missourireview.com.