Pete_C

This whole "tradition" argument is utter pish-wash! Traditionally, we used to sacrifice humans to appease the muses. Bit of child killing anyone? Traditionally we used to write on animal skins. Need help getting that deer hide into the Epson? Traditionally we killed others with similar skills that strayed into our territory? Homocide at the local writers' group, anyone? Traditionally we used natural pigments to make ink and feathers to make pens. Ready to throw those Bics away yet? Traditionally blah blah blah.

Prose was traditionally spoken too, so what's the point here?

I see this traditional argument as reading: "I don't really get spoken word as a separate genre, so maybe I'll use the traditional badge to excuse the posting of recitals". Who knows, maybe people can manipulate the forum (which I thought was for discussion and debate) to sell home-made CDs of their waffling as well as home-made or vanity-published pamphlets?

Sadly, I fear that anyone who steps into any Spoken Word section actually expecting exploration and development of a quite separate and thankfully proactive genre will be lost amongst dull and lifeless recitals pumped out to make a few paltry quid from self-publishing. Any genuine attempts to promote Spoken Word presentations will be washed away by those seeking some kind of quick sell for work that no publisher will touch. In short, I fear that without some real direction and guidance as to what can and cannot be posted, and a total rejection of the "traditional" argument, the move is doomed to failure.

Mermaid on the breakwater

I for one won't be doing anything of the sort because I have a voice that is almost identical to the F1 driver, Anthony Davidson only a little deeper.

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Baron

You have to be realistic about this. This is a public forum so the chances are that there might be some good stuff posted in a spoken word section and there will probably be a lot of not-so-good stuff. We do not censor what is posted in the normal forums in terms of what is good and what is rubbish and you cannot create a system for a spoken word forum so that it will be only for an elite.

People who read the poetry forum would probably listen to files by the poets that they have an affinity for, that's the nature of things. That being the case a lot of dross may be posted but it doesn't mean that people will listen to it. As things stand at the moment, I don't believe that there is anything to prevent a poet putting a link to a spoken word file with any poem that they post in the poetry forum. A specific section would simply focus things more.

Or are you suggesting that we should also incorporate a sytem that only allows for poetry to be up to some predetermined standard to be published there?

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smilinghelps

I think that a spoken word section would be really beneficial to this site. That being said, I also agree that it shouldn't be used as a recital forum. Perhaps there could be length restrictions and a limit on how many you can post during a certain time. Addiitionally, I think it would be interesting to hear how the writer intends their piece to be read and to hear the dialect in which he/she reads it.

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Pete_C

No, I am suggesting nothing of the sort. I welcome a Spoken Word section, but for Spoken Word, not for poetic recitals. I don't post poems in Short Stories, and I don't post plays in Poetry, and I don't post prose in Screen Plays. However, the general overtone seems to be that many "poets" seem to think that recitals qualify as Spoken Word. Yes, they may be words that are spoken, but as well know the difference is deeper.

I am all for poor Spoken Word being posted, as long as it is Spoken Word. I try to help people with poor poetry if I can, and I would also help people with poor Spoken Word if I could. However, I wouldn't care to be wading through screen plays and non-fiction essays and short stories to find poetry; I equally don't want to wade through recitals to find real Spoken Word.

There is a difference, and few have so far recognised that. Ergo, I am concerned that the section will be manipulated by those who want Spoken Word to be an advert for their written poetry.

Quality has nothing to do with it.

Baron

Pete, it would be up to the admin ultimately but the reality is, as I see it, what is elligable for the poetry forum wold be elligable for the spoken word. As for poets promoting their work, there really is nothing wrong with that. If the work is rubbish the promotion will fail, simple as that.

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Pete_C

Okay, don't listen to the fact that they are different, don't bother than the two don't overlap. You must be right, because you keep on saying the same thing despite what others might think.

I give up. Run a fucking big recital cakewalk through the place for all I care. It has nothing to do with me!

Baron

I'm simply trying to be realistic, Pete. I have done no more than express an opinion, it isn't me who calls the shots. Perhaps you could give a clear definitition of what you think would qualify and the attributes that you consider necessary for inclusion so that all can clearly understand what would and wouldn't be included.

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oops

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adrianhayter

What do I know but...isn't there already a problem with bandwidth on this site?

I could perform a vasectomy on myself in the time it takes to download one page- what happens when hundreds are trying to download voice files?

Just wondering

Adrian

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I really disliked this the first time I read it, the second time, not so much. The satire is savage, and I guess that means the reader had better be in the right mood

Olly Buckle

Adrian's point seems the thing that would most likely stop us, carrying sound information would be a lot more costly than written information. From this point of view it seems more likely that we would use some other site that caters for spoken word and get people to put links, as has already been done.
To my mind this raises several points.
We don't want to promote other sites to the detriment of this one, you may not mind but I am sure the admin would not like it.
If we put a link I feel there should also be a written copy, firstly this is a writing site, secondly I am damned if I am going to bother going off to listen to something I don't know what it is and come all the way back after five seconds when I find it's not my kind of thing given the time loading takes here.
If this is the case what's to stop us simply giving a standard place for a link and providing an information section at the top of the forum for people to find out where they can record?

Pete:- your reversion to tradition ideas seem really good to me, especially the one about homicide in the writers group, I am drawing up a list. A few quid may seem paltry to you but in this household it would make a huge difference, I can't afford the vanity publishing but cd's are cheap enough, thanks for the thought. Seriously though (Actually the poverty is serious) of course we are going to get a lot of rubbish, look at some of the things I put up, but having a written copy, as suggested above, would help you winnow a bit before you listened. As you say this wouldn't suit everybody's voice, ability, material, what I wouldn't want to do is create a climate where people thought they had to add an aural dimension to their work when they had ability in writing but not otherwise.
It also raises the possibitity of other people replying in the thread and posting their own versions of how they think it should sound, ever heard Tony Hancock reading "To be or not to be"? (now should that question mark be iside or outside, there are two questions there, must get that book Ieuan reccomended)

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Find all threads started by Olly Buckle

ieuan

There is no doubt that the spoken word is powerful when reading material with a good voice. But it would have to be a good voice presentation: no hawking, sniffling, whimpering, chuckling, sneezing, stuttering, squeaking or anything else that distracts. I have already read aloud my poetry to laymen in rooms in Paltalk the voice chatroom site, it uhm... a recieved mixed response from people dropping off to sleep to enthusiastic promotion from some.

The idea of this site surely is for fellow writers to share and to work together to improve work, a workshop. Presentation is something different.

Edgewise

Olly, if we had a seperate section for spoken word in the forum, the pieces woud NOT neccasarily have to be uploaded to the site itself. Rather, the poster could create a soundclick.com account, and upload it there. No problems at all.

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Baron

The other side of this is that a writer offering a recorded reading of their poem can give an idea of how he wrote it to be read. As for ability to project the work orally, any poetry group suffers the problem of those wh can and those who can't. A agree with Olly that posts should be accompanied by a written version. As things stand, as said before, there is nothing to stop people adding a link to a voice file in their posts in the poetry forum.

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Faldwin

Baron makes a good point Pete. Maybe you should provide a clear definition of what you consider to be spoken word. Maybe then we could better understand where you are coming from in your worries about poetry recitals invading a space meant for spoken word.

In my mind, spoken word is just a genre of poetry. As I said in a previous post, I have been attending poetry slams for about six months now, and everyone refers to the pieces read there as "poems", but no one would argue that they are not spoken word.

On a technical note, www.imeem.com provides hosting for audio files and gives you a little flash player to embed in your site. I'm not much of a web programmer, but the html they give there, should work here right? At the very least the poet could give a link to the page. Imeem is just a hosting site for music, so we wouldn't have to worry about promoting another creative community for fear of losing members.