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Feeding the Dragon  By  cover art

Feeding the Dragon

By: Sharon Washington
Narrated by: Sharon Washington
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Publisher's Summary

For a book-obsessed kid with a big imagination and a flair for drama, could anything be luckier than living in a library? Capturing her remarkable childhood and its impact, Sharon Washington's autobiographical Off-Broadway show brings its sense of wonder and bittersweet realism into your home and heart as an enthralling audio experience. Only from Audible, Feeding the Dragon celebrates the role of books in opening Washington's mind to worlds of possibilities - including a career in acting.

As part of our mission to offer listeners outstanding performances in contemporary theater, we are thrilled to present acclaimed stage actor Washington’s debut as a playwright. Intimate and emotionally nuanced, Sharon Washington's reckoning of childhood, race, and memory is, as one listener says, a "feast for the creative soul." 

©2018 Sharon Washington (P)2018 AO Media, LLC.

Our favorite moments from Feeding the Dragon

Hard work keeps the fire burning.
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I’m a proud native New Yorker!
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Just beyond the door; we existed above books.
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A little girl and her dog, between the stacks.
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  • Feeding the Dragon
  • Hard work keeps the fire burning.
  • Feeding the Dragon
  • I’m a proud native New Yorker!
  • Feeding the Dragon
  • Just beyond the door; we existed above books.
  • Feeding the Dragon
  • A little girl and her dog, between the stacks.

About the Author and Performer

Feeding the Dragon is Sharon Washington's debut as a writer. The play had its Off-Broadway premiere at the Cherry Lane Theatre, where she was nominated for a 2018 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Solo Performance. The play had its world premiere at City Theatre Company in Pittsburgh and a well-received run at Hartford Stage.

Sharon has been a working actor for almost 30 years, appearing on Broadway in The Scottsboro Boys, the last collaboration of the legendary team of Kander & Ebb, in a role she originated Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre. She has played roles with the New York Shakespeare Festival, Manhattan Theatre Club, LCT3/Lincoln Center Theater, and Second Stage Theater, among others. For her performance in Colman Domingo’s Wild With Happy, she was nominated for the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play and won the Audelco Award for Best Supporting Actress. Sharon has also appeared at award-winning regional theaters around the country including: Actors Theatre of Louisville, Guthrie Theater, Huntington Theatre, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Arena Stage, Seattle Repertory Theatre, and Yale Repertory Theatre.

Her recent film work includes the Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic On the Basis of Sex (2018) and The Kitchen (2019). Other film and television credits include The Looming Tower, Wiener-Dog, Gotham, Blue Bloods, The Blacklist, White Collar, Taking Chance, Royal Pains, Damages, Michael Clayton, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Malcolm X, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Law & Order, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, where she can occasionally be seen on the bench as Judge Virginia Hayes. You might also recognize her voice as the narrator of several documentary series for Animal Planet, Discovery, TVOne, and NOVA.

Sharon Washington earned an MFA from the Yale School of Drama and BA from Dartmouth College. To learn more, visit: iamsharonwashington.com/

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What listeners say about Feeding the Dragon

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    6,857
  • 4 Stars
    2,027
  • 3 Stars
    943
  • 2 Stars
    263
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    194
Performance
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    7,498
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    1,193
  • 3 Stars
    462
  • 2 Stars
    143
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    121
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    6,148
  • 4 Stars
    1,835
  • 3 Stars
    924
  • 2 Stars
    318
  • 1 Stars
    160

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent story!

I recommend this story to anyone who has the desire to be captivated over a relatively short period of time.

42 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Love to love in that library!

What an enjoyable story delivered with such an expressive voice! Certainly made that dragon come alive!

41 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Delightful

This is a memoir. The book is very short. I obtained it for free from Audible as part of their new Audible Originals’ program. Washington grew up in an apartment inside one of the New York Library branches. This was written as a one woman play and performed by Washington. Washington grew up in the library and her excitement and love of books feeds the story. Her father was the library custodian and every day he shoveled coal into the furnace. As a child Washington pretended this was a dragon. I enjoyed this memoir. If you are looking for a short book, try this one.

The book is one hour and 17 minutes. Washington does an excellent job narrating the book/ acting the play. Washington is an actress, voice over artist, audiobook narrator and an author.

20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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Sound Problems

This story is great. It has one problem that is really hard for me. I listen to audio books while driving my car. The sound in this audio book was not consistent. It would get really loud and then really soft at different points. I missed parts of the book and to go back to hear what was said then it would get to loud and shake my car. My advice is that if your listening to this great story listen in an environment where there is little background noise so that you can handle the ups and downs within the audio-book.

16 people found this helpful

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Incredibly good!

This was not what I expected but the story was both rich and compelling. I don’t want to ruin the experience for the next listener but it amazed me that so much of a life could be told in such a relatively short time and evoke so many emotions.

16 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Outstanding!

Sharon Washington's story is captured in not only the words but the tones so well that it really would be appropriate to have a way to offer a superlative to the 5-star rating. Do not skip this audio production--truly outstanding! Share with the young people.

15 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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SHORT, SHORT STORY

This is a short story, not a book. I enjoyed it for the first hour, then it suddenly did a quick wrap up and was over. Honestly, I don't feel that it was worth the $10 price. If they want to make something akin to a podcast, they need to reduce the price to around $1.

11 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Imaginative and Creative

What a fascinating story (memoir) of a typical, black family living in a library after hours. Enjoyable performance with the characters played out to the fullest. A girl by the name of Sharon Washington, who, has a great imagination and very creative. The phrase, "don't call to much attention to yourself" is true today in many African American homes!

8 people found this helpful

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What a pure delight!

What a delightful memoir of a little girl who lived in a library... I always enjoyed books about books, and one of my favorite fictional short stories is called; In the House of the Seven Librarians. It's the story of a little girl who grows up in a library ... Imagine my surprise and delight when I found this true story! Sharon Washington shares her joys and experiences in this almost-fairy-tale chapter of her life. Not only was this story very well written, but the narration was also very well done!
 

6 people found this helpful

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Absolutely delightful

Thank you for telling your story. It is lovely. I highly recommend Feeding the Dragon.

6 people found this helpful

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Profile Image for Martina Oravcova
  • Martina Oravcova
  • 05-14-20

brilliant

so nice red so nice written thank you for this short book it made an hour waiting a present time.

1 person found this helpful

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  • bargain hunter
  • 02-12-23

Time well spent!

Thank you for such an amazingly engaging story telling style, Sharon and your production team!

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Profile Image for Lesley Gillingham
  • Lesley Gillingham
  • 08-28-20

Brilliant

I really enjoyed listening to Sharon, she takes you right into her world. Recommend completely.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Profile Image for angela christine russell
  • angela christine russell
  • 08-14-20

mesmerising

icould not stop listening. such description. i was there feeling tasting and smelling every moment.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Profile Image for Shelley
  • Shelley
  • 06-23-20

A moving story well told

A moving story well told. An insight into the life of a young black girl in New York

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Frieda
  • Frieda
  • 06-07-20

So moving.

This was really moving. It's started so lightly I didn't see what was coming, the title was so apt. Very well told.

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Profile Image for Elisabeth Spanggaard
  • Elisabeth Spanggaard
  • 06-04-20

ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS

An emotional and beautiful portray of life for a black family in New York City, in the 70s.

  • Overall
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  • BrianP
  • 05-24-20

Lovely story

This was such a moving and fascinating tale. I loved the idea of the little girl able to have the run of the library after closing time

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  • Finewine
  • 05-18-20

enchanting story

so well performed, such a great stor. I loved every minute! a truly great listen.

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Rosielil
  • 05-12-20

Enjoyable

A lovely family story through the eyes of a little girl a beautiful ending really sweet.