Raised in the diverse Washington D.C. suburb of Annandale, A.Y. (Alex) Barker learned the importance of human perspective through stories.

Suffering, joy, pain, hope - our emotional experiences as human beings can be easily discounted unless told in story. Storytelling provides a vital connective tissue of communication in a world divided. Alex seeks to tell those stories that move audiences toward empathy of neighbor and stranger alike.

Client-described as a ‘natural storyteller’ and having ‘curious intuition’, Alex pursues clarity and substance with clients he works with. Some of them include the Brooklyn Grange, Brooklyn Heights Montessori School, Fellowship for Performing Arts, Carnegie Hall, Musicians Institute, and explore.org.

Alongside Phil Dragash and Alexander Amadeo, A.Y. helped co-found Root & Twig Sounds, a soundscape audiobook company dedicated “to be a beacon of classic stories spectacularly done”. The company’s latest productions of The Jungle Book and The Cask of Amontillado can be purchased directly on their website and found on major audiobook platforms like Spotify, Apple Books and Barnes & Noble.

Alex has dwelled with his wife in Los Angeles and New York City, cities of infinite perspectives. They now live in Raleigh, the ‘City of Oaks’. When not working he can be found on his bicycle, most likely on the Neuse River Trail to hammock and read a good book.