[school-discuss] radio gutenberg broadcast for week of may 18th

[Mike Eschman <meschman@etc-edu.com>]

May 18th, 2003.

Technical Improvements to Radio Gutenberg synth-voice readings this
go-round :

1 - elimination of excessive inflection on proper names and places.
2 - beginning of chapter fade-in eliminated.
3 - compander and room ambiance parameters further refined.
4 - continuing improvements in spondees and no-stress word enunciation.
5 - smoother pacing.
6 - better meter.
7 - more refined voice characterization.

The return of music to the broadcasts.

Beginning in June, we will incorporate music in the broadcasts again,
primarily classical chamber music, jazz and possibly folk music with
direct or thematic ties to the broadcast literature, and free of any
copyright restriction.

I am negotiating for the musicians to allow me to make this material
available for distribution as CD images, along with the audio books they
are programmed with.

The incorporation of DJs.

To enhance the diversity of Radio Gutenberg programming, beginning this
coming June we are going to feature programs selected by Radio Gutenberg
DJs every evening at 6 P.M. U.S. Central Time till the following
morning. We think the resulting diversity of program materials that more
minds and hearts must inevitably bring to the broadcasts, our appeal and
value to the public at large will be greatly magnified.

This month's selections include Jack London's "Tales of the Fish Patrol"
and Joseph Conrad's "Lord Jim".  That's a healthy dose of adventure!
London actually chased down fish poachers as a boy and Conrad was an
accomplished seaman and gun runner.  These books will grab your gut!

Here's some background on the authors.

from http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/London/jackbio.html (edited excerpts) :

John Griffith London (1876-1916) was born in San Francisco of an
unmarried mother of wealthy background, Flora Wellman.  Because Flora
was ill, Jack was raised through infancy by an ex-slave, Virginia
Prentiss, who would remain a major maternal figure while the boy grew
up. Late in 1876, Flora married John London, a partially disabled Civil
War veteran. The family moved around the Bay area before settling in
Oakland, where Jack completed grade school. The family was working
class, but not so impoverished as London claimed.

As an adolescent, the boy served on a fish patrol to capture poachers.
Always a prolific reader, he consciously chose to become a writer to
escape from the prospects of  life as a factory worker. He studied other
writers and began to submit to various publications, mostly without success.

He began publishing in the Overland Monthly in 1899. From that point he
was a highly disciplined writer, who would produce over fifty volumes of
stories, novels, and political essays. Although The Call of the Wild
(1903) brought him lasting fame, many of his short stories deserve to be
called classics.

He was instrumental in breaking the taboo over leprosy and popularizing
Hawaii as a tourist spot.

London was among the most publicized figures of his day. He was among
the first writers to work with the movie industry, and saw a number of
his novels made into films. His novel The Sea-Wolf became the basis for
the first full-length American movie.  He was also one of the first
celebrities to use his endorsement for commercial products in
advertising, including dress suits and grape juice.

Contradictory themes in his life and writing make him a difficult figure
to reduce to simple terms.

from http://www.online-literature.com/conrad/ (edited excerpts) :

Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) was born in Berdichev, Ukraine, on December
3rd, 1857. He was born Polish but he would become renowned for his
English short stories and novels. His father, Apollo Korzeniowski,
worked as a translator of English and French literature.

In the 1870's he joined the French merchant marines. While working on a
ship Conrad was involved in arms smuggling.  By 1886 he was commanding
his own ship and was given British citizenship.  It was at this time
that he officially changed his name to Joseph Conrad.

Conrad visited Australia, various islands in the Indian Ocean and the
South Pacific, South America, and he even sailed up the Congo River in
Africa.  In 1894 at the age of 36 Conrad finally left the sea behind him
and settled down in England. Two years later he married an Englishwoman
by the name of Jessie George, and it was with her that he had two sons.

--
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