Cloudy Day Art Presents:
The Poet Tech Podcast – Episode #006

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I was able to record a great discussion with poet Radames Ortiz and musician Jonathan Jindra this past weekend. We discussed their upcoming multimedia collaboration of poetry and music; the way artists release CDs now and how they are marketed; the tools used to put together the project; being independent versus being with a label, and much more.

Projects like these are what keeps poetry and poets fresh and creative. They shift the definition of poetry that has been etched in so many people’s minds and puts it front and center in the modern world.

Be sure to check out the sites of both of these artists. Give them feedback, say hello, and buy their works.

Links mentioned in the interview:

• Radames Ortiz on Twitter
• Jonathan Jindra’s band” Trills” page
• Radames’ Youtube Channel
• Radames Ortiz
• GTA featured on “Hipster Please” podcast
• Buy Jonathan Jindra‘s latest project “Modular Puzzle“

Please leave your thoughts and comments or contact me via email, voicemail, or by the contact page.

Thanks for listening!

Cloudy Day Art Presents:
The Poet Tech Podcast – Episode #005

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This episode features a discussion I had with Simon from The Slam Idol Podcast.  We talk about the history of poetry podcasting, where we are now,  what are the current trends, and what the future of poetry in tech and social media could be like.

Simon has a lot of great ideas about what he has planned for his long-running and ground-breaking show.  The Slam Idol Podcast started in April of 2005 and has been at the forefront of the poetry podcasting field. He is also the lead founder of The Association of Poetry Podcasting of which I am also a founding member.

I hope you get motivated by this conversation as much as I am and that you too get inspired to think outside the box about new ways to use and spread poetry.

This is a long episode, clocking in at 1 hour and 26 minutes, but it is worth a listen.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• The Slam Idol Podcast
• Slam Idol on Facebook
• SlamStream
• Slam Idol on Twitter
• SlamStream on Twitter

Be sure to visit Simon and Slam Idol and let him know that you’re listening; and voting!

Please leave comments below. I love to hear from you!

Cloudy Day Art Presents:
The Poet Tech Podcast – Episode #004

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In light of the recent events in Haiti, I decided to talk about we as poets can use social media as a tool to bring about thoughts, action, and change in the world around us.

Here are the topic points of the discussion.  Listen in for the details and as always I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments, by email, or voicemail. Thanks for listening!

• Lots of news about how Twitter and social media is helping to spread news
  • Current example : The Earthquake in Haiti
    • People sharing ways to respond
    • Texting Haiti to the Red Cross has raised $25 million as of this recording
• Sharing pictures and stories of those on the ground there
• What has been the poet’s response?
  • Writing related poetry
  • Share it online
    • Personal website
    • Email to friends and family
• What is the logical next step?
  • Stepping out of our poetry circles and sharing it on social media (twitter, facebook, etc)
  • Even better : Encouraging others to act
    • Give financially
    • Participate in an event
• Hellicane by PodPoet was an example.  Dealt with the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina
  • Motivated poets to share their poetry
  • Social Media didn’t exist outside of blogs and podcasts
  • Listen to the interview I did with Steven Schultz : Cloudy Day Art #21 from September 2005
• Every poet has their social muse
• Speak on those things that move you to write

“Poets, your words make people think, and when people think, they act, and act by act, the world changes, little by little.”

–NotOneNotTwo via Twitter

“You are the spark of the world’s change, poets. Do not think yourselves powerless, or meaningless. You *have* power and meaning.”

–NotOneNotTwo via Twitter

Other links mentioned:

Haiku for Haiti (via Dragonfly Archives)

Thanks for listening and reading!

Please leave a comment or add to the discussion. Thanks!

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This week’s show features a recording of an interview that I did with poet Gordon Buss over the weekend.  We had a great conversation about poetry, performing, sources of inspiration, and other topics. Gordon also shared three of his poems for us:

• This Is All I Am
• Is It Always Wrong
• Dove

They are all wonderful pieces and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Be sure to stop by Gordon’s poetry site, Ugly Dog Poetry, to read and experience some of his poetry.  Be sure to leave him a comment and let him know what you thought.

Links mentioned in the interview:

• Ugly Dog Poetry (Gordon’s poetry site)
• Indiefeed Performance Poetry
• Slam Idol Podcast

Thanks for listening.  Please subscribe to the show if you like what you hear!

I’d love to read your comments below.

Cloudy Day Art Presents:
The Poet Tech Podcast – Episode #3

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In this week’s episode I give my predictions of what the future of poetry online looks like from this point forward.  Here are the key points that I discuss. Listen in above or download the MP3 for the details:

• Before the web, the only way a few ways to share poetry
• Currently poetry is easier to put online than ever before. No technical barriers.
  • Anybody can create a poetry blog
  • Poetry can be posted on sites that aren’t specifically blogs
  • There are poetry specific web communities
  • New forms of sharing poetry are being embraced
• Here is what I believe we’ll see in TwentyTen and beyond:
  • An slight upswing in poetry specific sites targeted at the masses. There is very little upend left.
  • An unavoidable decline in these sites.
  • Poets will host their own writings because of the ease of entry
  • The number of poetry magazines will continue to decline as poets begin to the value of social media to gain exposure
  • More poets will choose to self-publish their poetry books through on-demand sites such as LuLu.com and will stop seeking publishing deals and bulk book orders
    • SEEKING A PUBLISHER IS A WASTE OF TIME
  • There will be more poetry online than ever before because more people are online than ever before. Sharing every aspect of their lives.
  • Poets have an innate desire to share our creation

So, what are your predictions for the upcoming years? Do you agree or disagree with any of the statements that I made?

Let me know in the comments or by calling in to the voicemail line.

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This week’s episode of The Poetry Podcast features the following poets:

• Jen Thorpe of  the “Inside My Head” podcast reading – Three Haikus
• Charly “The City Mouse” Fasano performing “Smiles That Go Ding
  • Listen to or purchase his latest CD/tape here: Charly’s Bandcamp page
• Bruce McRae performing “Netherworld”

Outro music:

Gidgets GaGa – “A Christmas Wish”

Reminder: The Cloudy Day Art Podcast Network productions will be on a winter hiatus and will return to production on Sunday, January 3rd. The first release of 2010 will be on The Poet Tech Podcast.  The next Poetry Podcast will be out on January the 11th.

This gives you four weeks to record and send me your poems!  I’m looking forward to listening and sharing them with the rest of the Cloudy Day Art community.

Have a great holiday season and see you next year!

Cloudy Day Art Presents:
The Poet Tech Podcast – Episode #002

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In this week’s podcast I go over the basics of poetry home recording.  Many of the topics discussed will be the subjects of upcoming episodes, so please feel free to ask questions or offer your own personal insights.  I know many of the listeners of this podcast and readers of the blog have had experience in this area as well. Please leave a comment. Thanks!

Topics discussed:

• Show schedule update
• Reasons for recording
  • Share on personal blog
  • Send to a friend or family
  • Record a series of poems to sell via CD or download (future series)
  • Send in for sharing on a poetry podcast
    • Covered basic Audacity how-to video
• How can it help you as a poet
  • Reciting a poem out loud can help you get a better feel of how the piece flows, which may lead you to revise it
  • Listening to the playback of your recital can give you a feel of how an audience member or even a reader receives it
  • Sharing audio of you poetry can help give you exposure if you are trying to promote your works
    • Play on podcasts
    • Audio samples of a CD you have for sale
• Equipment needed:
  • Microphone
    • Internal laptop microphone
    • Web-cam microphone
    • USB microphone (cheap or expensive) ($15-400)
      • (I used a USB mic on very first Poetry Podcast in 2005.)
    • Hand-held dynamic (cheap or expensive)
  • Mixer (only if using higher end microphone)
    • $50-1,400
  • Recording device
    • Computer
      • Audacity (free (PC or Mac))
      • Garageband (free for Mac users)
      • Adobe Audition ($350)
    • External recorder
      • Can be used to record to without buying a mic or mixer
      • No noise from computer components (electronic noise and static)
      • No loss of recordings from software issues (mainly affects longer recordings)
• Process
  • Be familiar with the poem you’re recording
    • Cloudy Day Art #80 “Tips For Reading Poetry Aloud with Don From ClassicPoetryAloud.com”
  • Record in the quietest part of the house possible (in the evening or early morning may be best)
  • Turn off everything (A/C, fans, computers, refrigerators, etc)
    • (Don’t forget to turn it all back on!)
  • Multiple takes if necessary
  • Edit recording
  • Upload and send!
• Other options
  • Phone
    • Audioboo (iPhone)
    • Utterli
    • Voicemail

Thanks for listening! I looking forward to hearing your feedback and suggestions.

Cloudy Day Art Presents:
The Poetry Podcast – Show #87

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This week’s show features the poetry of:

• Robert G. Parent – “The Little Blue Box”
• Fierce – “I Love You” (Courtesy Music Alley)
• Cody Spanbauer – “Burn Black” (Courtesy Music Alley)

I also play a song by Allison Crowe entitled “Choose to Be” (Courtesy Music Alley)

Please be sure to visit the website of all the featured artists and let them know that you heard their works on Cloudy Day Art’s “The Poetry Podcast”!

Let me know what you think of the show in the comments! Thanks for listening.

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Welcome to the first episode of The Poet Tech Podcast!

In this week’s episode we discuss:

• The purpose of The Poet Tech Podcast
• Play a welcome message from Simon from Slam Idol
• Talk about the benefits and distractions of tech and social media
• How we can ensure tech and new media distractions don’t hinder our writing

Links mentioned:

• Article from Psychology Today: “Easily distracted: why it’s hard to focus, and what to do about it”

I would love to hear your feedback on this week’s episode, so please leave a comment, call my voicemail line, fill out the contact form, or send me a message on my twitter!

The Poet Tech Podcast is a podcast for poets and writers about how we use technology, in the broadest form of the word, to create and interact with our works. I’ll discuss everything from computer hardware and websites to pens and paper.

Possible topics:

• How to set up your own website to showcase your writing
• Review of a popular notebook brand
• Interviews with poetry website editors
• How to podcast your writings

I’m looking forward to the launch, so please subscribe and stay tuned!

This weeks poetry podcast features the poetry of:

Mozart Guerrier – “For Little Boys Who Sometimes Fall Through the Cracks ”

Jon Clare – “Joys of Youth” (courtesy LibriVox.org)

Outro song:

Peter, Bjorn, and John: “Young Folks”

Let me know your thoughts on these poems and if you have any ideas for upcoming shows.  All input is greatly appreciated!

*UPDATE* I’ve started to add some video here.

Listen here or download:

Download Episode (right-click -> save)

Thanks for listening!

Will

1. Community is important
2. Studying and practicing forms help build a better toolbox
3. Reading poetry regularly helps build a better toolbox
4. The importance of observing your surroundings
5. When you don’t have a topic to write about, meditate 5 minutes to open up your mind

These are not the only things I learned, but a few of the key takeaways. In fact, listen in for a bonus #6.

I would love to hear lessons learned from anyone else who participated in this challenge or any other similar challenge. Just leave a comment, fill out the contact form, send and email, or call in to the voicemail line.

Special thanks to James Berkowitz for sharing his poem “New York City Streets”!

Please go to his website to check out his many other projects and poetry.

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Katie interviewed a bunch of Association of Poetry Podcasting (APP) members back in September 2007 for an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, so I decided to interview her to find out a little bit about here.

We had a great conversation about poetry and she shared three poems of her own.

Also mentioned in this show:

Katie Haegele’s website, The La-La Theory

Copy of article Katie wrote about the APP

NaPoWriMo (Go here to find links to some of the folks who participated)

APP (sign up in the forums!)

eMail Our Military (promo)

Outro song: “Sun vs Moon” by Codaphonic (courtesy the Podsafe Music Network)

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Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

Poets featured:

Gordon Buss – “Pressing Against Us to be Heard”
Linda Bradley – “Fibro Fog”
Steven Pasfield – “Burning Eyes”
David McFadden – “This Dark Midnight”
Mongo Jolly – “A Taste of Spring in an Early Winter Chill”
Will Brown – “The Birth of the Poet in the Deep Deep Darkness”

Outro music:
“The Music that the Angels Do” – Listener Project
(Listener interview – Cloudy Day Art #25)

Thanks to all who submitted poetry!

If you want your poetry played, please e-mail me at Will{at}CloudyDayArt.com

Other links mentioned:

Paula Small (thanks for the donation, Paula!)

“Little Red’s Writing Hood” (Tairy Woodard’s poetry podcast)

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Please leave a comment below. Thanks!

This week’s show features an audio interview with Ted Kooser, U.S. Poet Laureate from 2004-2006, and author of the previously reviewed book “The Poetry Home Repair Manual : Practical Advice for Beginning Poets“.

With its release, Ted has created the most influential item to ever change the way I think about writing poetry.

His simple prodding to become a better observer of life around you is a key factor to any of us becoming better poets. This act alone gives us a wealth of material and thoughts to create in-depth and thought-provoking poetry.

Listen in to our conversation here:

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As, always I would love to hear your thoughts on this conversation and what you personally got out of this podcast or from reading this book.

Link: Ted Kooser

It was a great discussion and I definitely learned a few insights that I will use in the construction of my own poems.

We would love to hear any feedback on this subject that you may have, so please leave a comment, send an e-mail or call in to the voicemail line with your thoughts!

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Links mentioned in the show:

Thom Ingram’s Poet Guru Podcast.

Carol Peters

I decided to interview Billy after coming across a blog that was participating is his “Ringing of the Bards” Poetry Carnival. It was a great conversation and I’m looking forward to having him back on for more!

From here on out, I will conclude every interview with three things I picked up out of the interview. Here’s “My Three Things”:

1. Billy really has a vision to get poets online
2. Billy, and I partially, really believes every poet should have a blog
3. Billy brought out a great point about how much poetry we should/should not put online

Listen in at the end of the interview for details.

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Links mentioned:

BloggingPoet.com – Billy’s blog

Ringing of The Bards – Home of the poetry carnival

MuseCrafters.com – Get your free poetry blog

Policlicks.com – Billy’s media company

Sundown Lounge – Larry Winfield’s poetry podcast

The Slam Idol Podcast – Vote Now!

Outro Music:
“Two Days Out of Seven” by Clayton (URL CORRECTED!)

Second Life – 3D online world

Poetry featured:

“Randy” by Ken Munro of “Ken Munro’s Word Warehouse“; remixed by Gurdonark

“What About the Moonlight” by June Jordan ; recited by hatshepsut

“Spiritual Interlude” featuring the poetry of Jason Brock (Search Part 1); remixed by Plurgid

“Search Part 2” by Jason Brock

“Marionette Man” featuring the poetry of Suzi Q. Smith and the music and vocals of Colin Mutchler ; remixed by Will Brown (me!)

Outro Music:

“Work Out Fine” – remix by Teru ; featuring the music of Brad Sucks and the spoken word of Monsterbaby

Links mentioned:

Slam Idol Podcast

1. Read more poetry
2. Talk about poetry
3. Write a poem
4. Support other poets
5. Share poetry with someone
6. Go to a poetry show
7. Blog or podcast about poetry

Listen in as I expound on these tips and let me know what you think.

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What tips do you have to share poetry this month?

I also include poetry from:

Jonathan Brown – “Vertigo”

Frank Burton – “Found Poem”

Marcus Amaker – “I Wanted You to Fly”

Links mentioned:

Slam Idol Podcast contest 17: Vote Now!

Technorati

Twitter – Follow me!

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On January 27th, 2007, poets from around the country joined “DC Poets Against the War” and “United for Peace and Justice” in a march on Washington, DC to protest the war.

This video contains interviews with some of the poets, the organizers, and scenes of the march itself.

It starts at DC bookstore and restaurant “Busboys and Poets” and follows them to the rally on the National Mall. They carry signs with poetry that reflects an anti-war theme.

Special thanks to Melissa Tuckey, Sarah Browning, and the folks at Busboys and Poets!

Music featured:

“March” by YoungBlood Brass Band

“Chronic” by Steffan Coonan

There was a great response to “Second Sunday” coming back and I’m definitely glad to have the input from so many great everyday poets once again.

Thanks!

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Featuring the poetry of:

Julian Conway – “In A Care Home Elderly She Sits”
Paula Small – “My Grandma”
Sandra Miller-Salyer – “Women”
Tairy Woodard – “I Am More”
Thom Ingram – “The Women In My Life”
Will Brown – “She”

Outro Song:
Samantha Farrell – “She Will Rise”

Links mentioned:

Slam Idol Open Writing Challenge

The Workshop – My audio blog

Times Online Article mentioning “Cloudy Day Art”

George Smyth’s “Eclectic Mix”

Podcast Peer Awards

Buckeye Drivetime Podcast – Played promo

In honor of “Women’s History Month” I’m happy to announce the theme for March’s show is “Women”. Thanks to listener Julian from the UK for his excellent suggestion.

Please submit your original poems containing the theme of “Women” in audio format by Saturday March 10th for inclusion in the March 11th show. I will also gladly recite any poems for you if you don’t have the means to record or if you would prefer not to record it yourself.

Please check the Second Sunday page for more details and feel free to ask me any questions.

I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

*Podcasters, please feel free to play this promo on your shows.

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Thanks for listening!

This week’s show has a little different feel than my previous poetry podcasts. I think it is because the three poems I share have little to no sounds besides the poets voice.

No music.

I think I like the rawness of that.

Poets featured:

• Gordon Buss with “From a Desert Island” (Gordon thanks “Dan at Compact Sound’s railway cuttings studio, Cholsey, for the help”)
• Thom Ingram with “Is the Poet Hiding?“
• Robert Bruce with “Sex, Money, Death and the Thoroughly Modern Man“

Other links mentioned:
DC Poets Against the War
The FrictionFiction Show
Slam Idol Contest #16 – Vote Now!

Outro Song:
Cakefolder – “A Song That Can’t Be Written”

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Please leave a comment and let me know what you think about this show.

James shared three of his poems: “My Guilt”, “Make A Stand”, “Walls” and spoke about his inspirations, struggles, and life as young poet.

James is the son of previous interviewee James Howard, whom I interviewed back on show #11 back in July 2005.

I first met James about two years ago when he and his father attended a poetry group that was sponsored by my church back in Charleston, South Carolina. The three of us also attended poetry readings periodically.

James has grown a lot as a poet and a young man. Thanks for sharing James!

Outro song:
“Ain’t No Reason” by Brett Dennen

Links mentioned:
Eclectic Mix
One Minute HowTo

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Please leave a comment for James and I’ll be sure to pass it on to him!

We discuss her thoughts on poetry, poetry workshops, her inspirations, and her band.

I asked her two bring two poems:

• A poem that she wrote during a time of great joy.
• A poem that she wrote during a time of great sadness.

Andrea also shares her poem “Erase Stick” which was later turned into the song “Erase Face” that is on Makar’s current album “99 Cent Dreams“. I play the song at the end of the interview.

Links mentioned in the show:
Makar (Their website)
Makar’s MySpace page

Colin Mutchler

Listen or Download the show here:

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Please check out Makar’s website and their MySpace page and let them know where you heard about them!

I’d love to hear your thoughts/comments on this interview, so please call, leave a message, or post in the forum. Thanks!

This week’s poetry podcast is an interview with fellow poet and Association of Poetry Podcasting member Robert G. Parent of “The Write Stuff” poetry podcast.

I asked Bob to share two poems:

• One poem that is older, but you keep pulling out to reflect on.
• One poem that you just wrote, but you’re not sure if you like it or not.

Listen in to hear what poems he chose and why he chose them.

We also talk about video podcasting, how he started podcasting, his unique style of writing, experimenting with poetry, and much more.

Bob is currently a contestant in Slam Idol Podcast contest #15 with his video poem “The Judgment of TV”. So, make sure you head over to the Slam Idol website, view all six short videos, and cast your votes! (Simon also sent in a short promo message specifically for you the Cloudy Day Art listener. Thanks Simon!)

This week’s outro song:

“Christmas Wish” by Gidgets Ga Ga

Links mentioned:
The Write Stuff (Bob’s main page)
New Hampshire from the Poet’s Mind
Sci-Fi Poetry Slam
Bob’s Cafepress Store
Knife-Gun-Pen – Robert Bruce’s Video Poetry Podcast

Let me know what you think about the show!

This week’s poetry podcast is in celebration of last week’s Thanksgiving holiday here in the states. I decided it would be a great time to give my humble thanks to you my listeners, readers, and subscribers. Your feedback and continued support helps keep this show going.

Thank you.

I feature a poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox entitled “Thanksgiving” from the book “Custer, and Other Poems” published in 1896.

Link to “Thanksgiving” text via Google Book Search.

I also play promos from:
Second Wind Club
Sundown Lounge

Songs played:
“Happy Birthday” by Craymo
“Thank You” by SmallFish

I also feature some feedback from Larry Winfield and George Smyth dealing with my essay on “How Not to Market Yourself As a Poet” from the last show.

I also play promos from Mike McGee’s podcast and Harry Lafnear’s Everyday Muse.

The poets featured this week are:

Eightprime ft Abox-J with “Sermon”
Jeremy Gratton with “If I were an Ape”
Stacey K. Black with “Hello”
Rachel Kann with “My Skin Listens”
Jonathan Brown with “Vertigo”
Lamont Carey with “Imagine”

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Please leave a comment, post a message in the forum, send me an e-mail, or call in a voice mail. I would love to hear from you.

Artists in general are not great self-promoters.

So, I decided to study my inactions and make them actions. I list five ways that we as poets fail to market ourselves. Why don’t you listen in and share your thoughts and experiences?

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Please e-mail, call-in, leave a comment, or leave a message in the forum!

Links mentioned:
Slam Idol Podcast
CCMixter
KCentric
Lonely Remix

Will

How not to market yourself as a poet.

Poets are not known for their marketing skills. We are known for our profound words and how we are able to paint pictures on the canvases of the audience’s mind. We write our poems in solitude; scribbling our thoughts down in our darkened bedrooms like a monk locked away in a monastery, writing down his daily prayers.

We share these words with no one except perhaps a lover or a dear, close, and trusted friend. We do not brag on our works or stand on a pedestal and shout, “Hear my words. FOR…I…AM…A…POET!”

Some of us do breakaway from this solitary mindset and share our words beyond our circle of trust. We attend poetry open mics to share our creations amongst the masses; teaching and pouring out our hearts and emptying our minds onto microphones and through sound-systems, so that they may hear. But we are still alone.

This brings us to the point of this essay–this diatribe. How do we market ourselves to the masses? Or perhaps more importantly—do we need to? The answer to the latter question comes first. Yes. There is no grey area. No maybe. No perhaps. Just yes.
I believe that the call of the poet is to speak into existence the every thought of every man. To utter words for those who have not yet figured out how to connect with their muse. To relieve the inner-turmoil and frustration brought about by the inability to outwardly communicate the correct words.

We are modern-day abolitionists; who through our writings and speech free the spirit from the captivity of the limits we have unwittingly placed on the mind. And we cannot keep that to ourselves. We must share our poetry. But to share we must find people who will listen. And finding people who will listen is the essence of marketing.

I figure the best way to figure out how to market your poetry is to figure out what most of us already know, that is, how to not market ourselves.

Non-action one: Do nothing. This is one thing that comes easiest for most of us, but the hardest to break away from. Overcoming this step alone will propel us further down the road of marketing than anything else. It is purely a matter of changing your mindset from that of focusing on inaction to focusing on action. What can I do to market myself?

Number two: We don’t share our works with anyone beyond our circle of trust. We need to move beyond just sharing our poetry with a loved one or a close friend. Take the action-step of handing a poem to a co-worker and saying, “Hey, Do you mind checking out this new poem I wrote? Tell me what you think.”

That brings us to number three: We don’t ask for criticism. Agreeing to let someone tell you how they think you can improve yourself takes an unbelievable amount of effort. I wouldn’t advise letting just anyone criticize your work though. I would liken the previous example of asking a coworker what they think of your poetry to asking a friend what they think about a house you’re considering purchasing. They can bring up some good points, but they’re not a licensed home inspector.

To get technical criticism on our writings you need to seek other poets whose writings you respect and who have possibly contributed advice to other writers that you know.

Again, asking for criticism gets your poetry into the hands of others beyond your circle of friends, but it also prepares you for overcoming our next non-action.

Number four: We do not submit our works to poetry publications and to poetry contests. Why not? I believe the greatest reason is our fear of rejection. Think about it. The actual act of submitting a poem to a publication takes less effort than it took for you to subscribe to this podcast.

Most online publications have very simply laid out rules and instructions on how to submit your works. These instructions include what type of format the poem must be in, deadlines, and biography requests. Simple.

So, the only reason that we don’t take the time is because of the fear of rejection. This can be a by-product of previous rejection or lack of confidence in your work. But, the more you put away the in-action of the previous steps, the more confident you will become.

Rejection happens to everyone. The greatest writers of all time have had their poetry rejected by publishers. They would not be where they are today if they allowed that to prevent them from ever submitting another work to a publisher or a contest.

Additionally, once again you are sharing your poetry with someone who has never had the chance to read your works. Although they may not find it right for their tastes, you are doing what you have been called to do. Share.

The final non-action step is, in my opinion, one of the most important of them all. We don’t share our poetry at open-mics. Judy Kronenfeld touched on this in our interview on Show #53. We can turn all the previous in-actions to actions, but nothing helps to build confidence and community like getting involved at an open mic poetry event. I’m not talking about just getting up and reading, although that is the primary focus. I’m talking about “getting involved”. Hang out before and after the actual event and get to know and network with other poets.

Walk up to a poet who you have just heard and tell them what you thought about their poem. He or she will definitely appreciate it and may return the favor to you. This works especially well at open mics that are part of poetry workshops where the point is to help you to become a better writer.

We are a small community and we are family. We are family and we are friends. Take these non-actions and make them actions in your life, so that the world my benefit from what the muse has put inside of you.

I’d love to hear your opinions on this discussion or any specific tips you may have when it comes to marketing yourself and your poetry. Just send an e-mail in text or audio format to Will{at}cloudydayart.com or call in to the voicemail line at (206) 339-POET (7638)

There are two poems in this week’s show. The first was submitted by Julian Conway from over in London. Thank you, Julian! I really enjoyed your poem. Keep writing.

The second poem was one that I wrote entitled “She Makes Crop Circles”. Something slightly out of my style, but fun to write and read.

This week’s outro song is “Circles” by Porter Block.

Link mentioned: Slam Idol contest #14

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At the end of the podcast I talk about the future of Cloudy Day Art and how it may affect the “regularity” of the show. Stay subscribed!

This week’s poetry podcast features a few great interviews I captured while at the National Book Festival here in Washington, DC with a specific focus on the presentation of six students involved in the Poetry Out Loud competition. Special thanks to Dan Stone and Paulette Beete for their assistance in setting up the interview. The poets were Jackson Hille, Riva Dumont, Ken Huffman, Chris Estevez, Kendra Holloway, and Shuqio Song.

I also had the opportunity to speak with the poet laureate of Oregon, Lawson Inada and to interview a great poetry fan who recited “A Silken Tent” by Robert Frost from memory.

Be sure to vote in Slam Idol contest #14. My poem “Hurricane” is featured!

Outro song:
“Summer Days Have Gone” by Steffen Coonan

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Feel free to leave a comment or post a message on the forum

David Biespiel’s books of poetry include Shattering Air (BOA Editions) and Wild Civility (University of Washington Press). He’s a contributor to American Poetry Review, Parnassus, Poetry, The New Republic, & among his honors are a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Literature & the Wallace Stegner Fellowship in Poetry at Stanford University. He is the editor of Poetry Northwest, writes a monthly column for The Oregonian, and he is the director and writer-in-residence of The Attic Writer’s Workshop.
 

Links mentioned:
Poetry Daily
The Writer’s Center

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Thanks to Rg of BZOO Homegrown Radio for setting up this interview!

A ‘poema’ is what I’ve decided to call my soundscape poetry dramas. Poem + drama = poema. Some of you recall my previous two “Winter Solace” and “Be Silent“.

This poem is being released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial license.

The background “storm” audio is courtesy of “The Freesound Project“. Here’s the link to the storm file: Severe Thunderstorm

Tairy Woodard
Sylence Campbell
Robert G. Parent
Simon Toon
Will Brown

Thanks to everyone who submitted. Please check out their websites and/or podcasts and let them know what you think of their works!

Cloudy Day Art Forum

Special thanks goes out to CM Bauer for his suggestion of “Circles” for the theme for October’s “Second Sunday” show. Thanks, Chad!

Links mentioned:
“The Sin of Worship” by Thom Ingram
The Workshop

Links mentioned:
Little Red’s Writing Hood
LuLu.com
The Write Stuff poetry podcast

Outro Music:
“Red as the Moon” by The Forecast. Check out their MySpace page, too.

Download “Red As The Moon” (MP3, 192kbps)

*ANNOUNCEMENT*
Listen in to Simon of the Slam Idol Podcast and myself as we both audio-blog our thoughts and creative process as we prepare a poem for each other’s show. We have to deliver our poem to the other by September 9th. Simon is submitting a poem for my “Second Sunday” show and I’m submitting a poem for an upcoming “Slam Idol” competition!

Simon’s Audio-blog

The Workshop – my new poetry in progress podcast.

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Please feel free to leave a comment here or in the forum

I also asked Sandra to bring three poems:
- One that brought her to tears when she wrote it.
- One that makes her smile every time that she reads it.
- One of her favorite poems. (This actually turned out as a belated “Second Sunday” poem.)

Outro song:
“Missing You” by Bobby Tinsley

Links mentioned:
Maya Angelou
Meetup.com
Toastmasters
The Write Stuff

“September” is next month’s “Second Sunday” theme!!!

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Please leave a comment below or in the forum

So, listen in to my thoughts and share your insights into the discussion. I’m looking forward to hearing your experiences!

Join in on the conversation at the FORUM

“September” is the them for the September “Second Sunday” show. Get writing!

Links mentioned:
Chadwick Bauer
Slam Idol Podcast Vote Now!
I Should Be Writing (Podcast)
Poetry Thursday
LuLu.com

I also share my poem “Thursday“.

Second Wind Club

Outro Song:
“August Moon” by Dylan In the Movies

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Please leave a comment!

This month’s submissions:
Robert G. Parent – “Warm Summer Night”
CM Bauer – “Kaleidoscope Summer”
Simon Toon – “Summer Limerick”
Will Brown – “Summer Rain”

Outro Song:
“Summer” by Derek James

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Other links mentioned:
National Poetry Slam
Anis Mojgani
DC Slam Team

Have you ever considered submitting your poetry there?

Here’s this week’s breakdown:

01:29 “Summer” is the theme for the August 13th “Second Sunday” show!
01:53 Thanks for the e-mail Gordon!
02:28 “Episode One: Rock Star” by Z-ROX ft the poetry of eightprime
07:50 “Reminisce” by Fourstones ft the poetry of Kcentric
10:49 “Fade Out” by teru ft the poetry of Melissa K
14:50 “Eat” by teru ft the poetry of Nathaniel Stern
18:20 “Babylon Children” by PorchCat ft the poetry of eightprime
21:08 “State of the Union” by Audiomesh ft the poetry of Shagrugge
24:58 “Aural Borealis” by MC Jackinthebox ft the poetry of Jason Brock
27:37 “I Hate That I Still Love The Rain” by UFO Dance ft the poetry of Riebschlager

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Please leave a comment!

Lamont contacted me recently, so I had to get him on the show to find out more about the man, including his poetical inspirations, and what motivates him to do the things he does.

We discuss his current CD “Imagine“, why he goes to open mics, how to capture the crowd, how to build confidence in your self as a performer, his upcoming appearance on the HBO series “The Wire“, and his non-profit organizations.

Lamont shares his poem “My Son” and performs a freestyle impromptu poem for the “Second Sunday” theme of “Summer”.

Links mentioned:
Lamont’s Website
Serving-N-Time
Contact Visits

Slam Idol Contest #12: VOTE NOW!

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Length: 48:10
Size: 33MB

Todd also shares a short poem that he wrote and a cute poem written by one of his daughters.

Be sure to check out his website SongForFree.com to sample his music and download his free song. Also, leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of his current CD “If Right Now Played Guitar”. Or you can purchase it via the Amazon.com link below.

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Links mentioned in this show:
Denis Johnson

This week’s “Second Sunday” is themed “Independence”. Including:

“The Spirit of Independence Day” by Robert G. Parent
“Solitary Confinement” by Will Brown

Outro song:
“Independent” by Chance

Check out the lastest issue of “Podcast User Magazine” for a great review of Cloudy Day Art by Simon Toon!

Thanks to PJ Nights of “From East to West” poetry ezine for the e-mail.

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Announcing “The Association of Poetry Podcasting“!
Please visit this site for a wide variety of poetry podcasts and join us in the forum.

We discuss his poetry, inspirations, his books, spirituality, and family.
Rahkyt also shares his poems “Singularity” and “Prototypical Male”.

Links mentioned:
Rahkyt’s MySpace Page
Surreal Words
Written Images
Vocalized Ink
My MySpace Page

Outro Song:
“Sunshine Dreams” by Rahkyt

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Size: 25MB
Length: 37:45

We talk about how she came to rank the poems as she did and what she looks for in a good poem. We also discuss the good and the bad of poetry on the internet and how you, as a poet, can become a better poet.

Thanks to Rg over at BZo0 Homegrown Radio and IBPC for asking me to partner with them for this interview.

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Size: 20.3MB
Length: 44:24

This month’s contributors are:
Thom Ingram – “The Synergy of Conglomerates”
Harry Lafnear – “Grandma Alice”
Robert Parent – “The Big Green Picture”
Will Brown – “Remember Me”

Outro song:
“Television Light” by Todd Lerner

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Size: 11.1MB
Length: 16:05

The theme for June is “Television”. All poems need to be sent to me by the 10th of June to be included in the show’s release on the 11th of June. Please see the “Second Sunday” link on the top of the webpage for more information.

Please let me know if you have any questions at all.

Listeners: Please contribute. I really enjoy hearing your works. Also, please pass this on to your friends and fellow poets.

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Pocasters: Please play this 58 second promo on your shows. Thanks!

Will

This week’s show features poetry backed by music. This show even features a song by me thanks to a challenge by Thom Ingram of the Poetguru Podcast. Let me know what you think!

Here’s this week’s breakdown:

01:16 Second Sunday‘s theme for June 11th is “Television”
01:43 Looking for text poems for the Newsletter. E-mail me any of your poems.
03:06 “Metro Ride” ft Melissa K , produced by Vincent Vega
05:19 “New Beat Attitude” ft Eightprime produced by Porchcat
07:48 “Audacity” ft Will Brown music by DJ Lenin.
10:49 “Maybe” by Rachel Kann
17:45 “Near Numb Ear Drum Drum Head” by Jonathan Brown

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Size: 16.7MB
Length: 24:12