Following on from the huge success of our inaugural NSW Poetry Prize© we are pleased to offer the NSW Poetry Podcast© – a grassroots initiative to give lovers and creators of poetry a platform to be heard. This is where you – the poet – get to submit your poetry in both written and voice form. If we like your submission, your entry will be granted a spot on our podcast.
This podcast initiative is open to participants aged 16 years and over from anywhere in the world.
The deadline for the first podcast is midnight 25 October 2024 AEDT and then will be due fortnightly after that.
The podcast from the first round of submissions will go live Friday 4 November and then will be uploaded fortnightly after that.
Below are the details on what we’re looking for and how to submit a poem.
What we’re looking for
The NSW Poetry Podcast© aim is to feature the voice of the poet – meaning you get to record and submit your poetry to us for inclusion in our bi-monthly poetry podcast.
Don’t worry if you’re not a tech savvy professional or have ‘never done this before’ – we’ll walk you through it to make it as simple as possible.
One of the most important qualities we are looking for is clarity of speech. So many wonderful words in poetry are lost to the listener when the speaker mumbles or rushes a line.
We want poems to sound as clear as possible – but the submission itself does not need to be done in a ‘high tech’ recording studio.
Many phone these days have media apps which are free to use, and allow you to easily upload and send audio files.
The sample below was recorded on an iPhone – it’s not a studio recording (which is fine with us) – the main element is clarity of words. We want our podcast to sound as though you are in a virtual open mic event, where participants come from all backgrounds and walks of life.
For each submission accepted for our podcast, we will also publish a text form (or transcript) of the poem as per the example below:
Poem Transcript
The Origami Woman
by Olive Moon from Sydney, Australia
She has folds
in the pleats of her skirts
and creases in her skin
An intricate pattern of curious cuts
where scissors have been
A low bending spine
Intertwined
with stockings and shoes
and underwear
All made from delicate paper
She lingers against a mantelpiece,
now buried in a drawer
Once smooth now full of wrinkles
Crumpled and discarded
like a used tissue
No one really knew her
or even saw her
They didn’t even give her a name
But she had one already
Origami
The art of folding, forming and reforming
The art of gentle resilience
The art of making something beautiful
From patience and persistence.
How do I submit my poem?
You will need to submit an audio file plus a transcript (document) of your poem, plus a submission fee ($10). This goes towards time spent in curating and creating the podcast each fortnight.
Please note – there’s no guarantee your submission will be accepted if we receive a large volume of submissions – about 5 – 6 each fortnight will make it through.
However, if your poem needs some minor adjusting prior to us accepting it, we will let you know and you can resubmit it at no extra cost.
With that in mind, please note we won’t be telling you how to change your poem – the creative process belongs to you – but we may share feedback if some of the words on the audio file sound rushed or are not clear.
I love writing poetry but I hate the sound of my voice – can I get someone else to record for me?
Absolutely! But don’t feel put off if you don’t have a ‘radio voice’. We’re after voices that sound naturalistic and authentic.
But if speaking publicly is not your jam, you may request a relative or friend to record your poem on your behalf, as long as this is mentioned in the introduction of your poem. We want it to be clear to our listeners on who the author is.
e.g. “My name is Tom Clancy and I am recording this poem on behalf of my nan, Willomina Clancy. Her poem is titled “Granny Smith Apples”.
What should I say in my introduction?
At a bare minimum your name and the title of your poem. Beyond that we don’t mind if you want to include a short anecdote about what inspired your poem or which part of the world you’re from. Just be mindful the maximum time limit for the audio file is 2 minutes. Your entry won’t be disqualified if it goes over, but we may shorten your introduction at our discretion.
How creative can I get in my submission? Can I play music while recording my poem? Or have the sound of a dog barking in the background?
The most important thing is clarity of your words – so if you feel anything extra will add to your poem’s appeal, go for it, but don’t feel like you have to do anything fancy or impressive. Simple audio files that are easy to listen to will be high on our priority list.
That said if you’ve recorded your poem a hundred times and you keep getting the sound of a dog barking in the background, then leave it in – we can try and edit it out on your behalf, or leave it in if the poem itself is clear. Extraneous sounds of life going on around you are fine.
What do you need from me, and by when?
Here’s a checklist on everything we need:
- An original poem written by you or the person you are recording for. No submissions by AI please (yes we will be checking). It’s fine if it’s previously published somewhere else, as long as you (or the person you are recording for) owns the copyright.
- A maximum of a 2-minute audio file with the recording of your poem in spoken form. Please don’t rush your words – 2 mins is a lot longer than you think when in spoken word. A few seconds over the time limit is fine.
- An audio file in either .wav, .,mp3 or .m4a format.
- The text file of your poem in preferably a .doc or .docx format, or PDF if you must. Please use a standard readable format such as Times New Roman or Arial point 12, single or double spaced. Your name may appear in this document and there is no word count, as we are using the 2-min time limit as the cut off.
Who is curating the entries?
All entries for the NSW Poetry Podcast© will be curated by Olive Moon, owner and founder of the NSW Poetry Prize©.
What apps do you recommend for recording?
For iPhone users, the free VoiceMemo app does everything you need to record and upload your file.
For Android users, the app is called Voice Recorder.
If recording from a desktop, you can also use Audacity for either Mac or Windows. It’s open source (free) for creators.
As a tip – please record indoors rather than outdoors as the sound of air / wind can be quite overpowering. A few background noises are fine – but wind is very hard to edit out of the recording without also losing the sound of your spoken words.
What is the deadline for submissions?
Our podcast will be featured fortnightly from 25 October. So you will have til midnight on Friday 18 October to get something in and then every fortnight after that – so if you miss the deadline this time we will consider your entry for the next round.
Our process will be to give your submission a quick listen first – if your entry only needs minor adjustments we will endeavour to give you specific feedback so you have a chance to re-record and resubmit at no extra cost.
Please note that poems that are clearly inappropriate will not receive any feedback or further consideration.
That said if we receive a large volume of entries and you don’t hear back from us and are anxious that we didn’t like your poem, please reach out to us – always happy to help and be transparent on how your submission could be improved.
Is there a theme for each podcast?
No theme will be set, however, please be mindful of our audience and refrain from anything that would put our listeners off – eg extreme political / religious views, shouting, swearing, threats of violence or harm etc.
Please also be mindful that a poem should at the very least ‘sound’ like a poem, not a rant about a person you don’t like. Our platform is for poets and creators and lovers of poetry. Please be respectful and mindful of this purpose.