This book explores the idea of the poetic in radio and sound as well as
the concept of pure sound as poetry, both historically and within a
contemporary perspective, examining examples of makers and works
internationally.
The work examines the development of poetic forms in sound broadcasting
historically and geographically through chapters taking narrative
themes. It includes primary source material gathered through interviews
conducted by the author with distinguished producers and poets. Among
these are producers Piers Plowright, Matt Thompson, Alan Hall, Simon
Elmes and Julian May (UK) Edwin Brys, (Belgium) Hildegard Westerkamp
(Germany/Canada) Chris Brookes (Canada) Robyn Ravlitch, Michael Ladd and
Kaye Mortley (Australia) as well as poets, including Michael Symmons
Roberts and Jeremy Hooker. There is a chapter on the poetic sound in the
natural world, which focuses in particular on the work of the renowned
UK sound recordist, Chris Watson.
Alongside audio poetry, the book discusses the spoken word including
documentaries and public announcements, the radio feature, soundscapes,
sonic art with contributions from key figures such as Colin Black
(Australia) and Marcus Leadley (UK)and the poetry of the vernacular in
speech and sound. It considers new platforms for listening including
podcasts and developments in mobile technologies, examining the work of
current practitioners including Francesca Panetta, who is responsible
for The Guardian's podcasts as well as the award-winning Hackney
Podcast, and Tim Wright.
