Connecting with the Mind's Eye: Adventures in the Audio World
- By Renee Roberts
The Bad Habits of Little Boys.
By Renée Magriel Roberts
A couple of weeks ago I was invited to participate in a morning call-in radio program on our local National Public Radio station, WCAI, along with Lucy Loomis, Director of the Sturgis Library in Barnstable, Massachusetts. The occasion was a discussion of the partnership between Sturgis Library and our publishing company, Clock & Rose Press, moderated by Mindy Todd.
Every bookseller enjoys having books that they alone sell and we are no exception. Having our own press seemed a natural outgrowth of our rare book business. So, when we were invited to work with Sturgis, housed in the oldest library building in the United States, we were delighted. Like many old libraries, Sturgis has a wealth of rare materials, kept securely in their climate-controlled vault - autograph mss., deep holdings in maritime history and genealogy, as well as Cape Cod history. And they receive legacies on a regular basis from their patrons.
The purpose of our partnership was to make some of these materials available by reprinting them for the benefit of the library. For example, we published the Timber Merchant's Guide, one of the earliest books lithographed in color -- a rare book that can cost upwards of $5,000 on the rare book market. By reprinting this book, Sturgis was able to make facsimile copies available to its patrons and through interlibrary loan, and we are also able to sell copies internationally that benefit the library.
The radio as a medium is a very interesting place -- the kind of place you can come to in your fluffy slippers, if you like, because it is an invisible audio-only world. We were in a bare room, sitting around a wooden table, headphones on, so that we could hear each other, the producer visible through a glass window.
Being on a radio show is an intense experience. It is time-driven; you have to remember that nobody can see you, but they can hear everything, and there is a certain rhythm to question and response and etiquette.
Realizing that we could speak, and yet be invisible to our audience, it felt to me similar to reading a book, where you create a reality constructed by the sound of the words in your mind whose meaning is intermingled and interpreted through your own experience and understanding -- a virtual world colored by the imagination.
For that reason, the radio readily lends itself to discussions and to the reading of books. The audio element adds another dimension to the reading that triggers mental images in ways that cannot be anticipated.
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Connecting with the Mind's Eye: Adventures in the Audio World
- By Renee Roberts
As we consider what truly makes a good leader, we may wish to take a closer look at the life and work of our first President.
Another book that we discussed during the program was The Bad Habits of Little Boys by poet Jim Hayes. This is a humorous collection of twisty Irish humor I think of as almost Gorey-esque. While we were putting this book together, I spoke to the author on a regular basis from Ireland, and really got a kick out of his telephone calls. So it seemed only logical one day when I suggested that he record a copy of the book so that we could add a CD to it. His voice made the poetry come alive and his introductions to each poem were hilarious.
The success of that CD has gotten me thinking about other books that we've published. We can add CDs to them -- not only literal readings of the books themselves, but recordings of additional material which add a new dimension to the text. We can also add audio files to book listings on our own website, which we are finally building. The CDs are themselves a saleable product.
Lucy and I enjoyed our foray into radio broadcasting so much that we offered to do another program in February for Washington's birthday. Here's the proposition we made to WCAI:
"Even when we've had a great education, as Lucy and I have, neither one of us was ever given anything to read by George Washington. We've been exposed, of course, to the event-driven curriculum of dates and battles, but never given his writing to read.
"Washington in fact was a wonderful writer -- passionate, spiritual, concerned about everything, from the hygiene and behavior of his men to the diplomatic relationship of the emerging country with France. He was compassionate, brilliant, beloved. We thought it might be interesting to WCAI's listeners to have a discussion about Washington, perhaps around his birthday, and then to have available recommended reading available through the library system.
"At a time when the country is clearly struggling with its moral compass and the place of religion within the political fabric, and as we consider what truly makes a good leader, we may wish to take a closer look at the life and work of our first President."
We plan to spend time with primary sources -- Washington's actual words from his writings, and then post a bibliography of source material that is available on the Internet and at local libraries. I like the idea of using multi-media and then leveraging, if you will, exposure on one medium with additional exposure in another.
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Connecting with the Mind's Eye: Adventures in the Audio World
- By Renee Roberts
Title page from our reprint of the Timber Merchant's Guide.
We can, for example, do a print column in our local newspaper, a lecture at Sturgis library, and we are definitely planning a rare book exhibit of Washington-related material from our store to coincide with the radio event. All in all a win-win for the listening public, who may not be familiar with Washington's actual words, Sturgis Library, WCAI, Clock & Rose Press and Rose's Books.
We could also do a program in our local schools.
While our focus has been hugely on what is happening on the Internet, and using that medium to publicize books, I would encourage you to consider what else could happen within your community. As purveyors of the written word, I think it is our responsibility to encourage reading, listening, and civil discourse beyond the walls of our store, virtual or otherwise. And your local public radio station is a great place to start.
Renée Magriel Roberts can be reached at renee@roses-books.com.
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