What's the basic process for being a guest?

Hi! Thank you for your interest in being a guest on You're the Poet! We've set up this outline to help getting you on the show run smoother. These are the basic steps to get the ball rolling.

-Check out the FAQ for Guests section of the website, www.yourethepoet.com.

-We recommend listening to a couple of episodes with prior guests (episodes two and up) if you haven’t already (they’re all under 25 min) to get a feel of the basic episode format and so you know what to expect.

-Coordinate a time to record with us. There is flexibility with this to make it work for everyone, though the current ideal times I know the studio is typically available include Sun, Mon, Tues, and Wed Eastern Standard Time (Zoar Acres Studios is located in Southwest Ohio in the United States, so we have to keep time zones in mind)

-Send us what poem/poems you would like to share to help facilitate discussion (we will do the same), as well as links to any book, project, or website you're promoting.

-Review our 2-stanza intro poem if you would like to record it. We invite you to do so to use as the intro poem in the following regular episode. It gives our guests a chance to be featured in two episodes. It's like our herald call to the show.

                        "Bring to us your poetry

                        From inspiration sought.

                        Come join us with your images,

                        Your verses, words, and thought.

                        From here we’ll share your balladry

                        With those who do not know it.

                        This platform’s here for you to show

                        The world that You’re the Poet! "

            That pretty much covers what I can think of off the top of my head. Thanks for reaching out. If you have any further questions, just ask. You can reach us via email at host@yourethepoet.com. 

We look forward to connecting with you!

How can I be a guest on You're the Poet?

If you are interested in being a guest on a future episode, send us an email to host@yourethepoet.com and let us know you're interested. We'll reply and work with you to set up the details (coordinating a time to record, answering your questions, and letting you know how it works.

Is there a cost to be a guest on You're the Poet?

No. It is free to be a guest on You're the Poet. We are doing this for the love of poetry and to build a community for others to share their poetry.

Do you record video along with the audio?

Yes. Although the podcast episodes are only published in an audio format, we record in video to make communicating while recording easier. The only video that gets published is if the guest decides to record a promo for the episode with us.  

What "level" of poet do I need to be to be a guest?

It doesn't matter! You can be a beginner, published or unpublished, an amateur, a professional, etc. Poets of all levels are welcome to join the You're the Poet community. However, guests that are under the age of 18 will require parent permission and for the parent to be on the podcast with the under 18 year old guest.

What do I do as a guest on You're the Poet?

As a guest on You're the Poet you will have the opportunity to comment on any of the poetry shared in the episode, share a little bit about you and your poetic influences, and share your poetry (typically one-three poems). You can be engaged as much or as little as you want during the episode. We also invite each guest to read the intro poem for You're the Poet, which we will save and use for the following episode. This way each guest is featured in at least two episodes in some way. And, a newer thing we've added is inviting guests to record a short promo video for their episode which we use on social media to promote the episode. This promo video is filmed after the episode with us and typically contains three elements (an intro with your name and episode number, a line or two about the episode/inviting listeners to check it out, and some kind of sign-off/goodbye). This is the only element recorded that will appear as a video.

What kind of recording equipment do I need?

Most of our guests join us via Zoom. We set up a meeting and then we'll send you the link. Zoom also works on some cell phones. You can improve the quality of the recording by being on a computer with a microphone and while wearing headphones. For some reason earbud-type headphones give a distorted sound, so if you have regular headphones, those tend to work better.

What if I mess up reading or speaking, do you edit?

Yes! We want our guests to be as comfortable as possible, and we want the feel of the show to be laid back. As Phil always says, "like we're sitting around the table just talking". The episodes are edited, so anything you say that you mess up or didn't like, you can just pause and repeat or tell us to cut out.  

What time zone are you in?

Zoar Acres Studios is in the Eastern Time Zone or (UTC -5.00) here in the United States. We are located in southwest Ohio. But, please be aware that our "Daylight Savings Time" can mess that up as well depending on the time of year. As we have potential guests from all over the world, we have found that being aware of time zones is important when scheduling. A quick Google search can let you know the current time in Ohio.  

If I'm a guest, do I maintain the rights to my poetry?

Absolutely! Here at You're the Poet we will publish the podcast episode in audio form, and our hosting site might offer a transcript of the episode, but we do not sell or use your poetry without permission from you. Although we may offer membership subscription levels and/or accept donations from supporters in the future, these are for production of the podcast as a whole. We do not offer any form of payments to our guests. You however retain all rights to your poetry.

Can I share one of my published poems as a guest?

You can share a published work on the show as long as it falls within the rights/permissions of the previous publisher. We also ask that you send us the publishing info so we can give credit in the episode description. 

Can I share any type of poem on the podcast?

Although we are open minded here at You're the Poet, we ask that all poetry be of good taste and fitting for the show that serves a wide audience of all ages. The hosts of You're the Poet reserve the right to refuse certain poems based on content or other factors. Our censorship is mostly based on topics of a highly sexually explicit nature or hate. If you have questions about your poem, just ask.