Whenever I think of poetry, I tend to think of heavy textbooks like the Norton Anthology of American Literature and hours spent poring over poems in countless English classes from high school through college. Enjoying poetry can be enhanced so much by listening instead of just reading text (much like other forms of fiction). To that end, Charles Bernstein and Al Filreis, English professors at the University of Pennsylvania, have developed PENNsound for recorded poems.
Offering free audio recordings from contemporary writers and archived material (a William Carlos Williams recording is from 1942), PENNsound is, “the first and biggest site of its kind,” according to Bernstein in a story by the Associated Press. Begun in 2003, the site now features approximately 200 writers and over 10,000 recordings from fans, poets, and scholars across the globe.
[Via Macsimum News]
[Note: Kate is an employee at the University of Pennsylvania]
