Dear Poet X: Thanks for agreeing to let me read your poem for Whale Sound and for sharing the following reservation:
I guess my only concern is that I’d want to confirm that they can’t be downloaded or saved, and recirculated in a way that it might get lost that it is your delivery–your voice–and not mine. There’s nothing explicit in the audio (i.e. an ID “…as read by Nic Sebastian…”) to indicate that.
I appreciate your bringing this aspect of things to my attention. The intent behind Whale Sound is to celebrate non-Nic Sebastian poems, and I have been trying to be as self-effacing as possible in pursuit of that goal. I agree, though, that this could lead to confusion – especially when I read poems by female authors – so am changing two things: 1) “read by Nic Sebastian” will now appear in small print below the title of each post, so that readers understand that the reader is separate from the author and 2) I will begin to actually say “read by Nic Sebastian” as part of the audio recording for each post.
I was delighted to hear your vocal treatment of my poem, Nic. It brought all sorts of nuances that simply wouldn’t have been apparent in my lugubrious drone! This is a great project, expertly handled.
I really enjoyed working with your piece, Dick, and much appreciated your giving me permission to use it. Thanks for the kind words!
I agree with Dick. It’s a fantastic project that engages more intimately with the poem than close analysis.
I like that thought. It’s definitely a kind of analysis in itself.