Tim, I find your advice, to "First, you learn a lot by hearing yourself. You get ready for radio and TV and live performance by privately recording a lot and honestly critiquing yourself," quite interesting. I once attended a panel discussion led by Dana Gioia who, when asked by an audience member what advice he gives to poets, said "Record yourself reading before you read in public." That fascinated me, so I asked the panel, "How many of you listen to a recording of yourself before reading in public?" None of the poets, including Gioia himself, used his advice when preparing for a public reading.
I took his advice once, and it was a very sobering, scary even, experience.
Cheers wkg
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