Introduction post

[luzula]

Hi! I'm luzula, and jjhunter found a post I'd made in my journal about reading poetry out loud and asked if I wanted to post about it here during this week. So here I am. : )

I am--kind of a random poetry reader? I mean, I don't actively hunt for new poetry the way I hunt for new fiction or new music. But sometimes I'll stumble over poetry that really moves me and then I'll track down more poetry by that author. Stuff I have found this way and which I love include C. D Wright, Ursula K. Le Guin's translation of the Tao Te Ching, and the Swedish-Finnish poet Eva-Stina Byggmästar (I am Swedish myself). I used to write poetry when I was younger, but it was just for my own private purposes, kind of like a diary. Nowadays my creative writing energy is channeled into writing fan fiction instead.

I also do a good deal of amateur audiobook recording, mostly podfic, but I also record at Librivox, which is an awesome volunteer site dedicated to recording public domain books and other writings (including poetry) and releasing them back into the public domain.

Here is my plan for this week:

- a post about reading poetry aloud and why it appeals to me. I'll also share one of my Librivox recordings.
- a post about setting poetry to music, which is something I've done almost since I was young enough to read. I'll share some recordings here, too.
- a post about another person's recording of a poem that changed how I experienced the poem.

I'll keep to public domain poems, so as not to break the guidelines on the comm profile.

Right, I'll end with a bite-sized poem that I've recorded. (Rather bleak, I know. It, um, inspired me to write a story from the POV of someone turning into a zombie, which I bet is not what Walter de la Mare was thinking about. *facepalm*):

November, by Walter de la Mare

There is wind where the rose was, 
Cold rain where sweet grass was, 
And clouds like sheep 
Stream o'er the steep 
Grey skies where the lark was. 

Nought warm where your hand was, 
Nought gold where your hair was, 
But phantom, forlorn, 
Beneath the thorn, 
Your ghost where your face was. 

Cold wind where your voice was, 
Tears, tears where my heart was, 
And ever with me, 
Child, ever with me, 
Silence where hope was.

Comments

[alee_grrl]

I love hearing things read aloud, particularly poetry. It really can change the way you understand a poem. Thank you for sharing this. Your reading of it was lovely.

[jjhunter]

Oh wow. This is going to be such a cool week. I really, really like your recording of 'November' (and am very jealous of your microphone). Those last three lines-- I'm struck by the quick quietness of 'ever with me', and how you said it the same way with the same inflection both times, which makes 'Child' stand out so. I like how you read unrushed, how the pace is steady. Your accent (you said you're Swedish?) is not one I've encountered before, but I love how it sounds over the vowels and the w's, like, I dunno, this is silly, but like the texture of warm, fine knitted wool.

Your ghost where your face was

Was this the zombie-inspiring line?

Heh. Anyway, it occurs to me that some of the people on the comm might not be as familiar with giving feedback for how someone reads (performs? recites? says? speaks? is there an all-around verb that's usually used to describe how someone reads a piece of poetry?) a piece of text; do you have links you'd recommend? I dug out two posts from pod_aware which include Podfic Feedback Toolbox: 5 ways to give great podfic feedback and was planning on including that in the promo post, but other than that I'm a bit at sea.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

I am not into audio recordings myself, although I enjoy hearing poetry read out loud in person. I do like to encourage podcast poetry because it reaches a whole different audience of people who gravitate to sound rather than text.

You're welcome to look through my published poetry for stuff that you might wish to record; I have a LOT of it posted online. Also I'm doing a live poetry activity on Tuesday, with a theme of "chocolate and other foods," if you'd like to observe that.