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TANKA READINGS

TankaCentral values tanka as performance literature as well as textual literature. Accordingly, this webpage, and those linked from it, are made available to tanka poets to post their readings. We can best appreciate poetry hearing it read by the poet.
Contact us at DMG@THEMETPRESS.COM if you wish to post your readings here. Your submission of files (written, audio, video) will constitute and document your permission for publication on Tanka Central.

If you have a problem hearing audio on a Flash file (.swf), note that Internet Explorer has Flash ActiveX turned off as a default setting since 2006. If you check under Tools:Internet Options:Advanced you can see if the options to "allow active content" are unchecked and check them.

Marjorie Buettner

Audio Jeanne Emrich

Video & Audio Denis M. Garrison

Audio Kirsty Karkow

Audio Margaret Van Every & Damascus Kafumbe

Audio Robert D. Wilson

Recording Your Tanka Reading

I am a total neophyte to making audio and video files for webpages. The above .swf file of my reading [1/27/2007] is my first-ever video reading file. So, please don't refrain from making a Tanka Reading recording just because it is something unfamiliar. Below are some links to make it pretty easy.

I am continually looking into ways to improve this feature and will post new information as I discover it. I am open to suggestions and guidance so, if you know how to do things better, please feel free to write me about it. I can use all the help I can get.

For simple directions on creating .WAV sound files on your Windows system, see 1.3 Creating .WAV sound file. (Opens a new window.)

If you have Windows XP, to use the video software included, go to START > ALL PROGRAMS and look for "Windows Movie Maker."

Get a free Real Player download. (Opens a new window.)

Go to this link to get a free Windows Media Player download. (Opens a new window.)

Go to Apple-QuickTime to get a free QuickTime Player download. (Opens a new window.)

Both Real Player and Windows Media Player work well for me; QuickTime seems to freeze up too often for my liking.

If you want to really get into audio, check out GoldWave which claims "GoldWave is the most advanced and complete audio editor available in its price range." I use this program and it works as advertised for me.

If you want to really get into video, check out V2F video editor which claims "V2F is an amazingly simple yet incredibly powerful program that ... takes your video file, compresses it and converts it to Flash, and creates the HTML that you need to put on your web site." I use this program and it works as advertised for me!

If you have a computer, you may well have a built-in microphone. Webcams often have built-in microphones. If you need to buy a separate microphone, check out Staples for one under $20. Likewise, Staples sells a very inexpensive webcam with a built-in microphone, which I used to make my first reading video.

— Denis M. Garrison

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