Petrea Burchard

Petrea Burchard grew up in northern Illinois where farm meets university, and life her to love both nature and academe. An early reader, she wrote her first short story at age six.

After earning her BA in creative writing with a minor in theatr, she embarked on an acting career. Her experience ranges from improv comedy with The Second City National Touring Company, to Shakespeare and everything in between. Her resumé includes stage, TV, film and voice acting, including the badass space pirate Ryoko in the classic anime, Tenchi Muyo.

Petrea has published short stories, essays, articles and two books: Act As If: Stumbling Through Hollywood With Headshot in Hand, and Camelot & Vine, a time-slip novel which she narrated, and which was nominated for the 2023 SOVAS award for author performance. She has narrated nearly 90 audiobooks, two of which won AudioFile Earphones awards.

Petrea is inspired by travel and exploration, as well as the art, resilience and humor of humans--which is what stories, storytellers, and her own narration are all about.