Audio Recording Instructions and Tips
We appreciate your time in adding an audio component to accompany your work. We've heard positive feedback from listeners, who particularly enjoy hearing the voices and stories behind the pieces from the contributors themselves. In addition to appearing alongside your work, your recording will also be included in a full-length streaming audio issue and in segmented episodes on our podcast. You can hear some samples over on our podcast, or listen to an audio issue here.
For the Winter 2025 print issue, please send audio files to julie@vitapoetica.org no later than Monday, Feb. 10, for inclusion in the audio issue. There will not be a podcast season for the print issue, and the casual introduction mentioned in the instructions below is not needed, but please do state the title and your name.
For the Spring 2025 issue, please send audio files to julie@vitapoetica.org anytime before Tuesday, April 1, for inclusion in the audio issue. Even if you can’t make this date, we encourage you to send an audio recording when you’re able for use in an upcoming podcast episode, which is an additional opportunity to promote you and your work. For those whose work will be appearing in a later issue, you’re welcome to send an audio recording anytime. Thank you!
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If you have access to recording equipment, you’re welcome to use it. Otherwise, the voice memos app on a smartphone will work fine. (This app is usually included with the smartphone. You can do a search for “voice memos” by pulling down on the screen on the iPhone or following these instructions for the Android.)
Winter PRINT issue only: Please state the title and your name (and artwork info for artists), and then read your piece. The “casual introduction” referred to below is not needed, as we will only be producing an audio edition for this issue; no podcast this time.
For Spring issue onward, in your recording, please include the following, in order, on a single track (for multiple poems, please record on same track):
Casual introduction to include in podcast version: This is optional, but strongly encouraged! Please introduce yourself and include something about your work(s). Something along the lines of, “My name is… and this piece came about when…” Listening to a piece straight-through differs from having the words at the reader’s disposal. If there’s some context or info that’s helpful to know while listening, please include that here.
Pause between intro and reading: A few seconds will give us some buffer time when editing the reading for both podcast and online versions.
Reading: State the title and author (restate even if you already said it in your intro). Then proceed to read your piece.
To help with sound quality:
Read from an electronic device so that there are no page-turning sounds.
Turn everything off in the room (fans, etc.).
If a carpeted room is an option, this helps reduce echo.
Use a headset with microphone if available. Otherwise, set the recording device on a steady surface at an optimal distance from you.
Do a test replay to determine the best position for the microphone from your voice. Keep a steady distance from the mic so that your volume does not fluctuate in the recording.
For shorter pieces (e.g., poetry): please re-record if there is an interruption or mistake.
For longer pieces:
It's fine to break up the reading into separate recording files. End each part at a natural stopping point like a section break. Please record all parts in the same room and same position to keep the acoustics consistent.
If an interruption should occur, feel free to pause or simply stop the recording. When the interruption is over, restart the recording, repeat the previous line, and continue on. Please send us a note if this happens, so we can be sure to edit out the interruption.