Submitted by iamdan on Thursday, January 26, 2006 - 04:10

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Script and media samples Due Feb 2nd
Podcasts conducted Feb 7th and 9th
For the podcast assignment, you will work together with a group of peers to
produce a 10-15 minute (could be a bit longer) podcast about poetry and music.
The podcast will take the form of a live radio show that blends recorded snippets
of poetry or music with your own commentary or discussion. You can listen to
some samples produced by other classes to get an idea for what the podcast might
sound like, including All Poems Considered, The Fruitbasket, and We Get Lit.

Begin by selecting a topic for the podcast. You might decide to plan a show
around a theme—look on pages 45-6 of our book for theme ideas. Or, you
might decide to focus on a particular poet, providing readings and discussions
of several of the poet’s works. You could do a show around a single poem
as well. Brainstorm about ways you might use recorded readings of poems, song
samples, and other audio tidbits, and then look for a creative topic that can
organize what you want to do.

Next, conduct research to inform your work on the project. You might learn all
you can about the poet, or track down interpretations of songs or poems you
will use. You can locate essays related to the themes you wish to touch on.
Imagine ways the podcast might function as an audio research project; the more
seamlessly you can incorporate engaging information into the podcast, the stronger
it will be.

Next, select roles for the various members of the group—you might choose
a host or co-hosts. You could then identify guests, callers, reporters, or other
ways for everyone to participate. A good goal is to have a part for everyone,
but you can also task one or two people with collecting media files for the
project, engineering the broadcast, or otherwise working behind the scenes.
As you identify roles, you will also be refining your thinking about the overall
shape of the podcast session—how you might sequence the speakers and integrate
audio into the show.

Next, compose a script outlining the podcasting session. Your script should
use speaker tags and stage directions to indicate what will happen during the
podcast—something like:

INTRO MUSIC [Eddy Money—“Two Tickets to Paradise” (just kidding)]

HOST: Give podcast info (date, place, topic, etc. > introduce guests >
topic background and segue way to first poem

PLAY “Marginalia”

HOST: First question to Jennifer—relationship of poem to podcast topic

You can see that the script does not spell out what each participant will say.
Instead, it provides a map that will guide the live session.

Finally, prepare to conduct the broadcast in class on either February 7th or
9th. Post a copy of your script and collect all the media samples you will use
by February 2nd, bringing them to class on a disk or e-mailing them to me. Conduct
research and practice the podcast at least once or twice before your in class
date for the session.

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