Good morning, Tracy, I'll send you my recording later today. Read a section from O Pioneers! Thanks, Joe On Mon, Apr 12, 2021 at 2:46 PM Tracy Wuster <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > 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. >