Hello all,

Yesterday,  we started collecting for a GoFundMe account
<https://gofund.me/47c00086> that has been initiated to help defray medical
and other expenses for our Mark Twain colleague Hal Bush, who has been in a
coma since January, 2021.  To all you who have contributed, thank you –
your generosity is deeply, deeply appreciated.

I am now writing with another Hal Bush-related call: for readers. We would
like to have friends and well wishers record themselves reading from some
of Hal's favorite works. Twain, Eliot, Cather, and O'Connor are
suggestions, but you could also look to his writings
<https://www.slu.edu/arts-and-sciences/english/faculty/harold-bush.php> to
see other options.  Or suggest something that you think would be a
meaningful contribution.

We hope to be able to get these ready soon, so that Hal can begin listening
to these stories.

If you wish to contribute a reading, here are the steps:

First, please first contact me at [log in to unmask] with what you want to
read and an approximate date for when you plan to submit it. I will keep a
list of those doing the readings, making sure there is no overlap.

Please let me know if what you would like to read is in the public domain
(generally published pre-1922).  Public Domain is easier but not a
dealbreaker, as we can have those works publically available in a podcast
feed.

Second, record your selection.  Matt Seybold has provided some suggestions
for recording that I have pasted below.  Please introduce briefly yourself
at the beginning of the file, as well as what you are reading.

Third, share with me ([log in to unmask]).  If the file is small enough, you
can email me directly.  If it is larger, you may need to upload it to a
cloud location (GoogleDrive, Box, etc.) and share a link.  When sending
through a gmail account, for instance, larger files are automatically sent
through Drive.  If you have questions on that, let me know.

Fourth, that's it.  We will work with Matt to get the files shared.  Our
plan is to have public domain works shared on the Center for Mark Twain
Studies podcast and other works shared directly with Hal's wife.

Let me know if you have any questions.  I hope to hear from you soon.


Tracy

along with Joe (Csicsila), Joe (Lemak), Matt, Susan Harris, and James
Leonard




As many of you have been working and/or teaching remotely, potentially
including creating audio/video lectures, you are likely more sensitive to
recorded sound quality than you were a year or so ago. If you have a set-up
that you're comfortable with and which you think yields good audio for your
classes and other presentations, I suggest you use that and send us files
created through it. MP3, WAV, and M4A are the easiest to work with, but we
can convert from other formats if necessary.

For those who are uncertain how to make a high-quality audio recording,
here are some recommendations:

1.) Use your phone. For iPhones, there is a free and easy-to-use
application called simply "Voice Recorder." You can also use GarageBand,
which likely came loaded on your phone. Find a quiet space, the smaller the
better, and keep the phone as close to you as is comfortable OR, even
better, procure a pair of headphones which have an in-line microphone. You
can likely find a pair of earbuds with a mic for under $10 at your grocery
or pharmacy.

2.) Use Quicktime on your computer. Go to the File Menu, click on New Audio
Recording. When you're ready to start reading, hit the record button. When
finished, hit stop and save the file to your desktop.

3.) Use Zoom. Create a Zoom meeting for yourself. When you enter the
virtual room, go to "More" and hit "Record To This Computer." You will see
the recording icon appear in the top left corner. When you are finished
reading, stop the recording. It will prompt you to save the file upon
leaving the meeting. Hit "End Meeting For All" and follow the prompts. This
will yield a MP4 file, which includes video, but we will strip out the
video and only use the audio track.