I was trying to listen to the audio file of "The Coming of the White Worm" and was kept having trouble with the sound cutting out. But since the text of the story is found on this site anyway (and I also enjoy reading) it's not a major issue.

But this sort of inspired me: My wife has a pod-casting doohicky. Perhaps I could try my own hand at recording this (and other CAS stories) in mp3 format.

I'm interested in at least attempting it, but I had a couple questions about doing so that I was hoping you could answer:

1) Since many of Smith's works are on some format on this site does this mean that they are public domain? I mean is it really legally ok to make such readings and publish them, or is some sort of permission from his estate necessary first? I don't mind doing this just for the enjoyment of others but I have no plans to earn money from the endevor, nor could I really pay royalties out of my own pocket.

2) If I do undertake this I was hoping you folks would host a copy of the audio file. However, do you think it would be ok to put an additional copy on iTunes as a podcast as well? I think that doing so would potentially reach and draw in a larger audience and make them aware of Smith's work. But I wasn't sure if this would raise any legal entanglements. Podcasts on iTunes are free (at least the ones I've seen) but there may be other issues regarding posting such a file there that I'm not aware of.

3) A bunch of the names used in Smith's stories are exotic and quite bizarre. Is there some sort of pronunciation guide available for any of these, or is my guess pretty much as good as anyone else's?

Thanks for any information and assistance you can provide. And for keeping such a thorough and informative site.

P.S. - I tried to e-mail these questions via the "Contact Us" function of this website but whenever I tried to send I got an error accusing me of being a spammer. Is there some aspect of the math equation (ie. "sum of six plus 6") that I'm screwing up? Or do I just run too long?

Sorry if the contact form was being mean to you, i have fixed it and it should work as expected from now on.

The site is happy to accept new audio, let me know if you have technical questions of exact specifications.

If you have trouble listening to the files streaming live, you may want to down load them first.

I have a philosophical approach to copyright (dead people don't need money, any one else should create themselves and stop being ghouls living off the corpse of another) that gets me in to trouble instantantly as it does quite match the legal definition. No one has threatened to sue us yet (ok only once) so if you don't mind, I'm willing to host the files.

B.

Boyd Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sorry if the contact form was being mean to you, i
> have fixed it and it should work as expected from
> now on.

Ok. I'll give it a shot again.


> If you have trouble listening to the files
> streaming live, you may want to down load them
> first.

Well, I tried downloading the White Worm file but this didn't seem to help much. The problems I noticed were these:

1) If I tried to fast-forward more than a few seconds the sound cut out and would not come back until I rewound a back near the beginning. And oddly if I forwarded too much it would stop producing sound even though the time counter continued counting as if it was still playing.

2) So I just let the thing play through without trying to fast forward, but then somewhere between minute 17 and minute 20 it seemed that the sound just cut off entirely. I could rewind and there'd be sound but then when I let it play again there was just no sound when it got past that point.


> I have a philosophical approach to copyright (dead
> people don't need money, any one else should
> create themselves and stop being ghouls living off
> the corpse of another) that gets me in to trouble
> instantantly as it does quite match the legal
> definition. No one has threatened to sue us yet
> (ok only once) so if you don't mind, I'm willing
> to host the files.

In principal I agree with your philosophy and as a result will send you any sound files I produce.

In practice though I think I see why copyright lasts awhile after an author's life (among other possible reasons: 'cause you shouldn't be able to release stuff from copyright just by killing the author).

My knowledge of the topic is almost entirely gleaned off wikipedia:

[en.wikipedia.org]

Apparently alot of CAS' stuff falls into this weird category between 1923 (before which one can use dead author's works with impunity) and 1976 or so (when the modern copyright provisions were enacted). Thought maybe you knew a bit more about how this worked with regard to him.

I was kicking around the idea of making an audio of The Testament of Athammaus and seeing how it goes. I have done radio work and teaching of English as a foreign language in the past and would like to give it a shot. I am glad that Peter K. posed the question as it has inspired me stop thinking about it and do it.

Actually, once the bronchitis has subsided, I hope to have the Double Shadow completed, edited, mixed and ready a week before Halloween. I wanted to do the Testament, but the Double Shadow is creepy and perfect for Halloween listening.

Dear Friends - Don Fryer and I will be recording the Love Poetry, and possibly the dialogue poems probably around March of next year. I have my own mini recording studio, so that will be a fun visit. Any of you in the vicinity of Texas would be welcome to visit. Don and I have known each other for 50 years now since his first visit to Auburn to meet Clark. There is also the possibility that I may record some of Clark's favorite work by other poets - I used to regularly recite some Dylan Thomas, Henry
Reid, Walter de la Mare and others (we especially enjoyed "Master and Bos'ns Song)--

Dr F!

Excellent news indeed! Please let us know when the recordings will become available, as I would love a copy for my library.

If only I could compose--ah, Smithian kunstlieder!

Dear Voleboy --

this little project has been in the works for some time; as it happens Don schedule has rearranged itself so that he will be able to be at my place in early jan (present plans) -- during this visit we will do the deed - and have the CD ready for marketing very soon thereafter (ceteris Paribus).
drf

Dear Friends - picking up on a subject i mentioned some time ago, it now appears reasonably certain that Don Fryer will be able to join me in Jan. in Texas. We have planned for some time to record Clark's love poetry, perhaps the dialogue pieces, and perhaps some of Don's work, and some other poets that Clark loved (Auden, Reid, Thomas et al). Derrick of Hippocampus has expressed an interest in marketing these for us - probably a two CD set. I have a recording studio set in my home so it will be quite easy to produce. If this comes to fruition we hope you will enjoy it. It was 50 years ago this last June when Don and I met - hard for us to believe, and 5 years after that when Carol drove up to my house in Auburn, fell into my arms crying that Ashton was dead. It seems wholly appropriate that the persons who knew him best at the last, and are both professionals at Oral interpretaion should try to do this project. Neither of us are young any longer, and the peculiar perspective we bring is probably worth preserving. We may also do the play -
Dr F