Check out Marc Smith.

Check out Taylor Mali.

Check out the Poetry Center of Chicago.

Check Out Bob Holman.

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NOTE:  If you are a poet with recordings under consideration at IndieFeed, please do NOT donate! 

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Thank you for supporting the work of the IndieFeed Performance Poetry Channel! 

We offer several levels of support, starting with a one-time donation in the amount of your choice.  Note that donations of $15 or more receive our 2 CD recording of the 2009 IndieFeed / Urbana Showcase and Party!  Just click the button below:

 

 

 

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You may also become a Poetry Patron!  The buttons below will allow you to make a recurring monthly donation to the channel.  All Poetry Patrons receive our 2 CD recording of the 2009 IndieFeed / Urbana Showcase and Party!  Just click one of the buttons below:

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Become a supporter for just $2 a month:

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Go a bit further, and give $5 a month:

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Become a true hero for $10 a month:

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For $25 a month, I'll send a poet over to wash your car:

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For $50 a month, I'll come over and wash it myself:

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For $100 a month...  Hell, let's talk about renaming the channel after you:

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Oh, and this link is for Bill Gates, if he happens to stop by:

This posting has been written to detail what it takes to be a guest host on the IndieFeed Performance Poetry Channel.  We often welcome guest hosts in conjunction with specific projects or promotional efforts.  But we are also interested in expanding the guest hosting role as we move into this, our sixth year of operation.  All guest hosts must be approved by Mongo, the channel manager, and this is only an opportunity for those whose background clearly qualifies them for this role.  If you’re interested, continue reading, and feel free to contact Mongo at mongo@indiefeed.com for more information!

BACKGROUND:

The IndieFeed Performance Poetry Channel is part of the IndieFeed podcast network.  IndieFeed was founded as a way to promote independent musicians, who were resisting being assimilated by the evils of the music industry.  If you search for "IndieFeed" in the iTunes music store you'll see all the music channels listed there.  Some of these are wildly popular in the podcasting world, and rank in the top dozen or so of all podcasts being produced.  Whereas the Performance Poetry channel has a few thousand subscribers, the music channels often have tens of thousands, or more.

Back in December of 2005 we approached IndieFeed with the idea that the model they were using for the promotion of independent musicians might work well for the promotion of performance poets.  We saw a chance to piggyback on the work they were doing, and get the work of our poets out to an audience that might otherwise never get a chance to hear it.  Chris MacDonald (the IndieFeed founder) was very gracious, and allowed us to create the channel under his umbrella.  He's given us a lot of freedom since then, but as an IndieFeed channel, we do have to make sure our channel remains true to the IndieFeed vision and format.  If you listen to the music channels you'll see that we all operate under the same general format guidelines.

We've pushed that a bit from time to time, including occasional interviews, discussions, and such.  But we do that very rarely, and we always try to return to the standard IndieFeed format.
    
So each show on the IndieFeed Performance Poetry Channel consists of the following elements (in order):

1. IndieFeed opening bumper (one of three, which rotate)
2. Brief poet introduction by the host (sometimes we skip this if the piece seems to flow better without it, or if it is introduced within the piece itself)
3. The piece being featured
4. Host outro (the most demanding part!)
5. Promotional spot (optional)
6. IndieFeed closing bumper (again, one of three that rotate)

GUIDELINES

So here are the general guidelines that we operate under:

1.  Poet selection:

We try to provide guest hosts with the freedom to select poets that they think would be great to feature on the channel.  One of the best things about having guests hosts is that they run across great new talent all that we might not catch.  But having said that, we still want to uphold the highest standards, so here are the guidelines we adhere to:

* Poets that are high energy.  They don't have to be slammers or hip-hoppers, but they need to have good energy and confidence behind their voice, and realize that the performance is equally as important as the writing.  We get a ton of submissions where people are just doing flat readings of what is (sometimes) very good poetry.  But we reject pretty much all of those submissions, and suggest that they give themselves permission to perform the poem, rather that read the poem.  In a couple cases, they've come back later with more confident performances, and eventually gotten on the channel.

* "Established" poets.  We don't mean that in a snobbish way, but we simply want to be sure that when the audience goes to check out the poet, there is (first of all) somewhere for them to go (a website, for instance), and that once they get there, they have at least some options for learning more about that poet's work.  So we gravitate to poets who have pieces available on line, or (even better) have audio that the audience can download.  Having CDs and chapbooks available is a big plus.  At a bare minimum, we suggest the poets at least have a mySpace or Facebook presence, with a couple tracks available.

* Special, new, or rare talent.  Sometimes we run across a poet that just really feels like an important new voice, or a young person who we think has outstanding talent, but is really totally new to the performance world.  In those cases we try to mentor them a bit, and help them get established with a website or a social networking presence.  Once they get something recorded and we both feel they are ready, we put them out on the channel.  we have a few young poets on the line now that we're just waiting for them to get enough stuff together to feel like they're ready to be featured.

2.  Selecting Pieces:

First, you should read the section of our webpage on Submission Guidelines, since that details most of what is below.  But these are the critical factors:

* Audio quality is key.  As a general guideline, we only select pieces that are either high quality studio recordings, or pulled off a soundboard in a live venue.  This rule is flexible, of course.  We've found that our audience is willing to accept poorer quality audio when it comes from a live venue with an audience that is responsive, since it seems to embody the spirit of "being there".  What they won't accept is a poor quality "home recording".  We've had poets send pieces recorded outside with dogs barking, and stuff recorded at home with sirens going off in the background.  Although it's not impossible to accept a piece like that, we seldom do.  Again, we give the poets guidance on how to create a better recording.  And again, we've had a couple poets that have come back a second time with pieces we could accept.

* With or  without music.  We try to include a good mix of pieces with accompanying music, as well as voice only.  We also try to include a mix of group pieces and individual work.  But note that the audience seems to always love the voice only stuff more than the music mixes.

* Pieces the poets think will be the most effective in their promotional efforts.  It's important to work with the poet to select pieces that we both think are right.  Of course, we want to put out pieces that will engage the audience.  But we also talk a lot with the poets about what pieces they think will best represent their work, and draw people in to learn more about them.  Sometimes the more edgy or intriguing piece is a better choice, because it will lead the audience to take the next step and check them out.

It's probably good to note here that we've run the channel with a "poets first" approach.  Our overriding goal is to promote the poets, and get the audience to actually take the next step and support them by purchasing their products or going to their events.  Sure, we select pieces that engage the audience, but we always make it a point to tell the poets that we're here for them, first and foremost, and want to do whatever we can to help them promote their work.  We'll often work with poets to feature them in a way that times well with a tour, or a CD release, for instance.

3.  Recording the Intro:

This is really simple, and we try to keep it as short and sweet as possible.  A typical intro is just the poet's name and the piece.  So "This is Taylor Mali, with 'How to Write a Political Poem'" is a pretty typical intro.  Sometimes we play with it a bit if the name of the piece makes it practical, like "Mike McGee serves us up some 'Puddin'".  But again, whatever you want to do is fine, as long as it's relatively short.  And if the piece is introduced within the recording itself (either by the poet or a host at a venue) or if it just seems appropriate, it's fine to skip the intro altogether.

4.  Recording the Outro:

This is where all the work is.  Guest hosts have free rein to craft this how you want.  But here is what we try to achieve in the outro:

* Give a bit of insight into the poem.  Sometimes it is a personal observation, or a bit of context.  We might say, for instance, this is a good example of a persona poem, or that we love the word play in the piece, or something like that.

* Give a bio of the poet.  This is usually pulled off a website, or submitted to you by the poet.  But we also try to do some research to find out something interesting to throw in there that might not be in the official bio.  Sometimes it's a quote by someone about the poet, or an anecdote from their on line journal works well.

* The "where to go if you want more of their work" spiel.  This is where we give website addresses, names of chapbooks, CDs, tour schedules, anything else that will help the audience track the poet down and pick stuff up.  And we try to strongly encourage the audience to do so.

* Anything else we want to say in this podcast.  Sometimes it's a promotional announcement (Slam Camp, NPS, etc.) and often it's just something about the show, like "be sure to visit the IndieFeed mySpace page at..." or "Be sure to leave feedback about us on iTunes" or "to tell me what you think, you can reach me at..." etc.  This is also the spot that guest hosts can plug themselves briefly.  "Check out the Mike McGee podcast at..." or "This is Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz, and I'll be appearing at..." for instance.

If the poet has any on-line presence at all, finding good material for the outro is usually really easy.  The biggest issues is that the outros tend to get longer and longer!  We’re trying really hard to cut them down.  Ideally, we want to keep the outro no longer than the poem we feature, and preferably, quite a bit shorter.  That's easier for poets who have been on before, since we don't need to restate their entire bio.  Instead, we can just refer folks to the poet index on our site, and give a new anecdote or two we've picked up since the last time we had them on.

All that is just background on how we do it.  Again, guest hosts have total freedom in crafting the outro.  As long as we accomplish the goal of promoting the poet, anything is fair game.


SO, HOW DO WE ACTUALLY DO THIS????

Here is how this actually works:

1. The guest host (you!) finds a poet you love, and want to feature--or a new piece by a poet we've had on before.  You talk with the poet, pick out a piece, and get them on board with the idea.
2. You send Mongo via e-mail three things: the e-mail address of the poet, and the name of the poem, and their website address.  Mongo will then write to them and send them the release that we need to have on file.  (NOTE:  We often get permission for anywhere from one to six pieces from poets that we know we'll want to have as "regulars".  So if you want Mongo to get permission for more than one piece, send him a list of the pieces).  He'll then do the work to get the permissions.  It’s a good idea (to save yourself possible disappointment) to make sure that this is in place before you go any further!  We’ve had poets decline to participate, so unless you’re really sure they’re on board, it’s best to wait until Mongo tells you the permission is on file.
3. You record a single MP3 audio file of the intro and the outro.  We suggest having about five seconds of silence in between the two, so Mongo can clip it apart cleanly.  He is available to help with the technical details on the recording process, but you’ll want to make sure that you have the ability to produce good, clean, professional, well-balanced audio.  If you don’t have any experience with that, you’ll want to partner with someone who does.
4. You send Mongo the two audio files:  The MP3 of the poem, and the MP3 of your intro/outro.  If the poet has the MP3 on line somewhere, all you'll need to do is send Mongo the URL where he can get it.  (NOTE:  Rather than sending big attachments in e-mail, we suggest using a drop-box service such as http://yousendit.com.  It works great for sending large files, and doesn't clog the e-mail box.)

From this point on, the work is Mongo's.  He'll assemble and post the show.  Note that it typically takes anywhere from three to six weeks after you send the recording that the piece gets posted.  For most shows this is fine, but if we need to time the release for an event, be sure to let Mongo know and he'll do his best to make sure it gets released when it should.

A few final things:

* We typically put out three shows a week, and we suggest a guest host start by trying to put out a piece every couple months or so.  But we can also do special theme weeks, where we put out three shows by the same guest host during the week.  All of this should be coordinated with Mongo in advance, so he can work it in to our master release schedule.

* We think it is important to state up front that nobody at IndieFeed is paid.  We're all volunteers.  When we told Chris that we were thinking of bringing guest hosts on board, his only request was that we made it clear that there would be no money exchanged.  You may be asked to execute an agreement to the effect that you're doing this for "valuable promotional effect".  That's lawyer-speak to say you're doing it because it will help you promote yourself and/or your project, not because you're expecting a paycheck  That may change if we someday "monetize" IndieFeed by accepting advertising.  We're resisting that, because we remain idealists...

We hope this posting provides you the information to decide whether or not you’d be interested in guest hosting on IndieFeed!  If so, you can contact me at mongo@indiefeed.com!  Thanks for taking the time to consider this opportunity, and for your desire to help promote our poets!

-- Updated 12/18/2010

Thanks for considering submitting your work to the IndieFeed Performance Poetry Channel!  We are always open to hearing dynamic new voices which offer high impact, expressive, risky, and unique poetry for our hungry listeners. 

Unfortunately, due to the number of pieces we receive, we are unable to feature all the fine work we hear.  And although we are open to hearing any work, several factors will highly increase the likelihood that your piece will be selected for the channel.

1. Performance vs. Reading.  Our number one requirement is to hear poems that are "performed", rather than just being "read".  A piece is only selected for our channel if both the writing and the performance are top notch.  Expression, characterization, and passion are key.
   
   
2. Length.  We very rarely accept a piece shorter than two minutes, or longer than six minutes.  Even better is when a piece meets our "sweet spot" of three to five minutes.
   
   
3. Recording Quality.  We prefer professional-quality studio recordings or recordings made in front of a live audience.  Recordings with excessive noise or that sound as if they are made on low-quality home equipment are much less likely to be accepted, even if the poem is exceptional.  Of course, live venue recordings are expected to be less polished than studio recordings, but they too should be professional and clear.  Remember, if the quality of the recording distracts from your voice, your piece will not likely make the cut.
   
   
4. Music vs. Voice Only.  We are open to pieces that contain music, but we expect that the voice and the poetry should remain front and center.  A common problem we see are pieces in which the music overpowers the voice.  In that same vein, if the piece is more "sung" than "spoken", it is not appropriate for our channel.  If that is the case, you should check out the IndieFeed Music channels!
   
   
5. Number of Pieces.  We encourage multiple submissions, up to and including entire poetry albums.  Having multiple pieces available will often help us find the piece or two that best fit our format.  We are able to feature our top poets up to three or four times each year, and may select several pieces for future releases.
   
   
6. Additional Work Available.  Our poets should be established enough to have an internet presence where our audience can take the next step and learn more about them.  Ideally, this means a dedicated web page with information such as a bio, photos, written selections, audio selections, tour schedules, etc.  Poets who have products available are also highly preferred, so CDs, books, and chapbooks should be available on the web site. 
   
   If you are a new poet without any of these things available, we suggest that, at a minimum, you establish a mySpace page with a few pieces posted.  Simply put, we discourage poets from trying to get on the show before they are well enough established.  There is no substitute for that first impression.
   

How to Submit. 

1. Electronically.  Once you're ready, you can use the "submit" link on http://performancepoetry.indiefeed.com, where you can fill out a web form to make your submission.  (Note:  Use the "Non-Priority Submission Form".  We don't charge a fee for submissions to the Performance Poetry Channel.)  This process will expect you to have a downloadable MP3 file to which you can provide a link.  MySpace pages are usually not appropriate, since the pieces cannot be downloaded there. If you don't have a downloadable piece, consider option 2, below.  Be sure to fill out the form completely.
   
   
2. Electronically, plus YouSendIt.com.  If you don't have a direct MP3 link available, you can fill out the form at http://performancepoetry.indiefeed.com, and then send the MP3 track(s) directly to mongo@indiefeed.com using YouSendIt.com.  This is a free service that will allow you to upload your file directly to us.
   
   
3. Via CD.  You are always welcome to send CDs of your work directly to us.  Be sure to include an e-mail address where we can contact you, and a website.  Our address for sending CDs is:

Please note that review times can vary greatly, and are currently running as long as eight weeks.  We try to keep up with submissions more quickly than that, but the high number of tracks we review makes it hard to guarantee a faster turnaround.  Feel free to follow up with an e-mail at any time, if you are wondering how long it will be before your piece is reviewed.

Thank you for your interest in the IndieFeed Performance Poetry Channel!  Good luck, and be sure to send any questions directly to our channel manager, at mongo@indiefeed.com.

There are several ways to subscribe to the IndieFeed Performance Poetry Channel!

Click Here to subscribe via iTunes

You may subscribe via an aggregator such as Juice or iPodder. Just copy and paste this link into your aggregator:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/IndiefeedPerformancePoetry

Or, if you want to just download one show at a time, you can do that through our site:
http://performancepoetry.indiefeed.com/

If you have any trouble subscribing, or want help with the process, contact our channel manager.

Thanks for your interest in the IndieFeed Performance Poetry Channel! Please help spread the word!

Get your poets heard! Join with IndieFeed to get your poets on the air, and promote your event at the same time.

IndieFeed is looking to partner with Slammasters and other poetry event hosts across the nation and around the world. Getting your poets heard is easy...

• Record your event. Be sure to let your poets know before recording what is going on (a few may want to opt out), and then plug a digital recorder into your sound board. We need very high quality recordings, so getting somebody knowledgeable to run the board is key.
  
  
• Make a list of your poets and their e-mail addresses. We'll need this information to obtain permission from the poets we select for the channel.
  
  
• Get us the digital recording, preferably in MP3 format. Put the recording up on a web site where we can download it, or burn the file to a CD and send it to us at the address below. (NOTE: Please don't e-mail sound files! However, you may use YouSendIt to transfer files up to 1GB in size.)
  
  
• E-mail mongo@indiefeed.com the list of poets, and your own contact information. Also, be sure to include information about your venue or event.

You may send CDs and other information to our channel manager at:

Wess "Mongo" Jolley
IndieFeed Performance Poetry Channel
R.R. #1, Box 149B
South Royalton, VT 05068

IndieFeed will review your recording and let you know if we elect to put one or more of your poets on the air. If we do, we'll contact the poets directly to get their permission and biographical information. During the podcast we'll be sure to promote the poet, the venue, and your event.

Note: All poets whose work appears on IndieFeed will need to grant us permission to use their work, as described in our Submission Guidelines.

If you have any questions, or have other ideas of ways we can partner with your event, then drop us a line at mongo@indiefeed.com!

This service only distributes legally available content. Consent is required. If you operate under a recording contract, you will need to provide the appropriate permission from the relevant parties.

This requirement applies in all cases, but particularly, if you have signed a recording contract under a record label listed here we cannot and will not distribute RIAA content unless a specific license is granted expressly for the free distribution of content over the Internet.

"I HAVE MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT FILESHARING"
You of course are welcome to your opinion and your rights at protecting your intellectual property. However if you want to consider why its a good idea to offer some of your content for free, read this.  We are of the opinion that when you give, you get a whole lot more in return, including positive word of mouth, buzz, free promotion, etc.

PROTECT YOUR CREATIVE CONTENT!
If you as an artist wish to retain certain rights to your work but still wish to allow for its distribution at IndieFeed, we recommend that you establish a Creative Commons license.  This is very easily achieved by going to the linked website and creating your license for free. The clearest way for IndieFeed to use your work is by choosing the following:

Attribution: You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform your copyrighted work (and derivative works based upon it) but only if they give you credit.

Noncommercial. You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform your work (and derivative works based upon it) but for noncommercial purposes only, unless you provide permission.

Share Alike: You allow others to distribute derivative works only under a license identical to the license that governs your work.

If you would like IndieFeed to learn more about you and your music for the purposes of getting on a feed, please contact us.

IndieFeed, the best source for new independent music, is now also the place to go for the spoken word revolution!

Who are we?

IndieFeed is a community-oriented micro-media broadcast network that delivers fresh, independent content to an intelligent audience that wants cutting-edge and relevant entertainment. Unlike mass-oriented brodacast companies, IndieFeed delivers niche-targeted, single-serving shows optimized for mobile use, helping to provide more choice and control in the busy, on-the-go lifestyle.

Recordings arrives one at a time, several times each week. This process is a unique type of Podcasting, or media player broadcasting through the Internet. This service supports all versions of the Apple iPod, as well as other personal listening devices, and you don't need a portable device to listen to podcasts!

Welcome to the IndieFeed Performance Poetry Channel!

The IndieFeed service has long provided the best of today's independent music to a discriminating and demanding audience, through a large selection of music genre channels (Alterative Modern Rock, Blues/Funk, Hardcore/Punk, Hip Hop/Rap, Electronica, etc.). And now, IndieFeed has applied it's music distribution model to the performance poetry world, with the IndieFeed Performance Poetry channel! The channel promises to uncover the best of today's cutting edge spoken poetry artists, delivering their work through both studio and live recordings, directly to your computer or other personal music device! Think of it as a poetry slam, or an exciting, dynamic poetry reading, right at your fingertips.

How it works.

High quality performance poetry is hard to discover. We either spend hours on the Internet sifting through sites to get to the right stuff, or just give up looking.

We think it makes more sense to let the great stuff come to you. We collect unique and relevant works from poets that have given permission to distribute their content, then we present you with a fresh collection of shows that transfer right into your MP3 player with no hassle, free. The single-serving format allows you to add these shows easily into your media collection with no fuss. And best of all, each podcast will give you the website or other contact information for the featured poet, so you can read and listen to their work, purchase their CDs and books, or just check out their tour schedules.

We're here for the poets!

Our mission is to provide the best of today's spoken word poetry to an audience that otherwise might never get a chance to hear it, and give these poets a chance to make a living with their work. We understand it's all about exposure, and we're here to make sure you, the performance poet, can get your work in front of thousands of eager fans.

Check out our Submission Guidelines.