Survey follow up

The poll is still open, so if you'd still like to participate, please do:

Poetry Planet Survey

I wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who participated! I really appreciate all the encouragement, but also the bits of constructive criticism and helpful suggestions that many pollsters made.

In the future, I will…

...Try to keep the length down. I think 20 minutes is a pretty good length and if I have to do a two part theme, well then, I’ll do a two-parter, like on Time Travel.

...Encourage poets to make their own recordings. People seem to want to hear a poet’s own interpretation. Not all poets have the capability to record and transmit it to me, so I’ll still be reading some.

...People seem to want to hear poets’ bios; hear about new publications; and hear some info on the poem including my own take on it. Some people suggested interviews with poets on technique. Of course, it’s hard to keep length down AND include all these goodies. I’ll just have to see what I can do.
 
...I would really like to encourage some commentary on the poetry on the StarShipSofa forum. The majority of those who responded said they’ve never commented on the poetry there, but it also seems like some aren’t aware of the forum.

...I never intended on abandoning Poetry Planet after only a year and 6 episodes. I merely wanted to find out if there were, in fact, other listeners besides the poets themselves. And it seems there are, which is very encouraging!

...I’m going to leave the poll open so anyone coming late to this, feel free to participate whenever!

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Survey about Poetry Planet

If you follow this blog you'll know what Poetry Planet is. If not, I suggest you go back to a previous post about it to find out.

I've been wondering how many people actually listen to Poetry Planet and what people think of it since it began. I suppose that no news is good news, but maybe people can't be bothered to even listen and then have nothing to say about it, of course.  Naturally, a poll about it isn't likely to entice those who don't care about it to respond, but I'm really just hoping for a sign from people who do! It's lonely out here in Cyberspace!  Here it is:

Click here to take survey

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Poetry Planet No. 5b - Time Travel part 2

Time Travel Part 2 on Poetry Planet is available for download! Please head over to StarShipSofa to download it or download it from iTunes!

The poems you'll hear and links to the poets' websites and other publications:

• Time Flood, by Mike Allen and Ian Watson - Mythic Delirium
• Revenants of the Time Machine, by Ann K. Schwader - Twisted in Dream (weird poetry)
• A Month of Sundays, by Geoffrey A. Landis - Mars Crossing (novel)
• Grandfather, by Dennis M. Lane - 8 Million Stories (poetry collection)
• an untitled poem by Terrie Leigh Relf - The Waters of Nyr (novel)
• Learn to Play Drums with Thomas Hardy, by Paul Badger 

Please show your support for the poets and visit their sites!

Also, if you are so inclined, help me make Poetry Planet better (or otherwise give a sign of life) and fill out the survey!

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Recording projects in the bag!

Just in time to go home on vacation, I've finished all recording projects!

Tony gave me a great story by Kim Stanley Robinson to narrate for StarShipSofa, and I had the second half of Poetry Planet No. 5 on Time Travel to finish.  I had my work cut out for me, but I made it! Yea me!!!

Keep your eyes open for them on StarShipSofa.com in the near future!

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Urchins, while Swimming by Cat Valente live in Podcastle

A wonderful story by Cathrynne M. Valente was given to me to narrate for Podcastle . It's a wonderful modern version of the Rusalka story about a river nymph who entices men into the water.

There are lots of Russian names in the story and a lullaby to sing 3 times, by3 different female characters. I loved this story. It rolled right of the tongue despite the Russian (which I don't speak and don't know the rules of pronunciation for) and is beautifully written. It packs a bit of an emotional punch too. I hope you enjoy it!

Here's the link: Urchins, While Swimming
Or download it at iTunes.

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Tales to Terrify

The StarShipSofa Podcast magazine has recently launched (on Friday the 13th...of January) a sister podcast featuring all things creepy and horrifying - Tales to Terrify. The podcast's host, Larry Santoro, is perfect for this project and does a fantastic job. The show will include fiction, poetry and fact articles (just like StarshipSofa), like 'Tour of the Abattoir' by Mike Allen. It should prove capable of making you shudder and populating your nights with the stuff of nightmares.

This week features a story that I narrated by Tim Waggoner - "Unwoven". It's a short little story about a woman who wreaks havoc with the world by killing a spider. Also included is a poem by Maria Alexander, whose poetry collection - At Louche Ends - is up for a Stoker Award and fiction by Kim Newman. Enjoy!

Poetry Planet No. 5 Time Travel Part 1

The 5th installment of Poetry Planet has gone live! This one is on the theme of Time Travel and is the first of 2 parts. Find it here.

Poetry by:

Rachel Swirsky, Things to Pack for my Trip Through Time

• Through the Drowsy Dark, from Aquaduct Press

Bruce Boston, Polar Chronologies

• Surrealities,  from Dark Regions

Sandra Lindow, An Introduction to Alternate Universes: Theory and Practice

• Touched by the Gods, Sam's Dot Publishing

G. O. Clark, Looking to the Past

•  In Shroud of Night and other poetry collections at Dark Regions
• The Saucer Under My Bed (short stories), from Sam's Dot Publishing

G. E. Schwartz, Centering; and Intermediary

• Only Others Are: poems and Living in Tongues: poems, from Legible Press

Michael Fosburg, Illo Tempore

Laurel Winter, Time Travel Verb Tenses

• Growing Wings (YA Novel), Puffin

 Go in droves!

In Poetry News:

• Eye to the Telescope - SFPA's online Magazine
• What Rhymes with 'Undead'? Some Poets know, in the New York Times
• Rhyme and Reason: the Victorian Poet Scientists, in the New Scientist
• Star*Line, the SFPA's quarterly journal

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