illuminus

AUDIO PRODUCTIONS

Explorations into the dark domains of psychology. Fiction and non-fiction narratives brought to life through sound, music, drama, and spoken word.

Introducing: What Remains Inside Podcast

An Audio Memoir 

(read by the author, Donna Barrow-Green)

Set in the gritty new England city of New Bedford, Massachusetts in the early 1980s, What Remains Inside has the charm of Juno and the gut-wrenching realism of Girl Interrupted. At 15 years old, after a one-night stand with a popular senior, in the back of his dad's station wagon, I lost my virginity and became pregnant. I had walked into my first high-school, outdoor keg party, met a popular football player and was propelled into adulthood without warning. Up until the day of the abortion, I was still childlike and prone to daydreams of puppy love and being rescued by prince charming. My home life was a dangerous environment ruled over by my sadistic, alcoholic mother and nearly absent father who was going through a 1980s-style midlife crisis of his own: wearing silk shirts having affairs, and becoming increasingly addicted to cocaine. With the help of my sister and my pack of equally neglected girlfriends, I found an abortion clinic in Providence Rhode Island. I used my sister's identity because at 15, I was too young for an abortion without my parents' permission. My memoir offers the point of view of a resilient girl who maintains hope and finds joy despite dark and painful events.

While my childhood may be described as tragic, I triumphed and my story is a coming of age story that allows a realistic look into the experiences of a young girl and the choices she makes to grow up and become independent. Looking back on my story, I see how much I took my reproductive rights for granted. I see the freedom these rights granted and enabled me to persevere and ultimately overcome the odds.

Listen now


Chapter 1

Chapter 2

EXUBERANCE IS BEAUTY

HISTORICAL FICTION STREAMING NOW- EPISODES UPDATED FREQUENTLY

Featuring

Darlene Sorenson

Eric Schneiwind

Shelly Bryant

Ross Laguzza

Oregon, 1940s: Eve Miller, a young war widow, rebels against the ordinariness of womanhood in the post-war era. Eve is enlightened as she succumbs to the sensual temptation of an adulterous affair. In its aftermath, Eve Miller's life unravels and leads to unexpected violence and moral isolation. Exuberance Is Beauty, is a contemporary interpretation of Adam and Eve's biblical allegory and Eve's fall into desolation. The story examines the consequence of erotic obsession and the repentance the female protagonist must pay for her sins of the flesh. Exuberance Is Beauty has been described as "an intense psychological thriller," "hauntingly beautiful," and "terrifying."

THE DIAIRST

NEO-NOIR AUDIO FICTION 

FEATURING

Beth Ricketson

Ryan Bowen

Corinne Elena

Shelly Bryant

Darlene Sorenson

Eric Shneiwind

Heather Dowling

Nikki Flynn

Pierson Rintz

Genre bending 1950s Lynchian erotic thriller. The Diarist is a stylized 1950s psychological drama. Hailed as "if Hitchcock had written a love story" (Geek Girl Authority) and "runner up for dark workplace drama" (Radio Public). The Diarist is the story of a naive and attentive secretary, Andrea Davies. When Andrea submits to a love affair with her boss -the charismatic psychopath Richard Hayes- she enters a web of lies and trap doors. You'll have 25 episodes to binge!

HOUSE OF GAMES

DOCU-MEMOIR PODCAST

NARRATED BY THE AUTHOR, DONNA BARROW-GREEN

INTERVIEWS AND AUDIO CLIPS

A wild psychedelic narrative,  audio collage that explores neuroscience and trauma.  Based on real events House of Games is a wild ride into a 1970s family tragedy after a mother undergoes psychosurgery that results in a bizarre personality change. Presented in documentary podcast form, this story is a dark adventure into the human psche.