A year ago, if you turned to the Internet for poetry, you would have found a lot to read. But today, you's8217;ll also find a lot to hear, and the newly formed Association of Poetry
Podcasting (APP) is making it easier than ever get an earful.
In addition to gathering the best audio poetry into one organization, the APP supports existing and emerging spoken-word recording artists and spreads vocal poetry to a wider audience:
all thanks to 's8220;podcasting,'s8221; the latest Internet revolution.
With as little as a computer and a microphone, podcasting allows people to create personal audio shows, or 's8220;podcasts,'s8221; on any topic imaginable. Some of these shows rival the
sophistication of anything heard on radio. Podcasts can be downloaded on-demand and enjoyed by anyone with a computer and an Internet connection.
And it's8217;s not just the classics. 's8220;There's8217;s definitely something for everyone,'s8221; says the APP's8217;s Simon Toon. 's8220;Poetry podcasts cover a vast range of
performance styles from around the world. You can find everything from traditional 's8216;page's8217; poetry (the kind of stuff that actually rhymes), to vibrant 's8216;slam's8217;
performances and even rap-like poetry over R 's8217;n's8217; B or Hip Hop music.'s8221;
's8220;Podcasting is perfectly suited to poetry,'s8221; says Wess 's8220;Mongo's8221; Jolley of the APP. 's8220;It's8217;s a medium where poets can use the full range of their creative
talents.'s8221; As a result, the podcasting community is ever expanding. What began as a mere handful of poetry shows as recently as the start of this year, has grown into hundreds of
podcasts with thousands of listeners.
But the boom in podcasting has its drawbacks. Per Harry Lafnear of the APP, 's8220;It's8217;s becoming harder to find the better shows. Services that list podcasts are not well set up to
moderate poetry, so individual efforts easily get lost among amateur or inconsistent offerings.
's8220;Because of this, our community is often marginalized. We hope that by bringing the existing podcasters into a formal association, we can turn up the volume and bring the most
vibrant poetry more public attention.'s8221;