SpokenWeb
When portable tape recording media technologies were introduced in the early 1960s, writers and artists took up documenting their literary readings, events, and conversations. As the reel to reel and compact cassette gave way to newer technologies, those recordings ended up in boxes in writers’ basements, attics, and, eventually, in archives. Yet, without digital preservation, most of these audio archives remained inaccessible, in danger of decay, and largely disconnected from each other.
The SoundBox Collection is housed at the University of British Columbia (Okanagan) and is digitized, remediated, and made public as a part of the SpokenWeb SSHRC Partnership Grant. The SpokenWeb partnership aims to develop coordinated and collaborative approaches to literary historical study, digital development, and critical and pedagogical engagement with diverse collections of literary sound recordings from across Canada and beyond. These approaches include 1) new forms of historical and critical scholarly engagement; 2) digital preservation and aggregation techniques, asset management and infrastructure to support sustainable access; 3) techniques and tools for searching, visualizing, analyzing and enhancing critical engagement (for features relevant to humanities research and pedagogy); and 4) innovative ways of mobilizing digitized spoken and literary recordings within pedagogical, performative and public contexts.
The SoundBox Collection
The SoundBox collection contains literary audio that represents important UBC and Canadian cultural heritage.
In particular, the poetics conversations contained in the collection reveal much about the gendered division of labour in artistic communities, the custodianship of community history, and the practices of dialogue and critique that underpin the production of literature at UBC, in Vancouver, and in the wider arts community in Canada and the U.S. Other literary audio genres in the collection include the poetry reading, interview, literary lecture, speech, and recital.
The direction of collection, its processing, as well as the research on the collection and this presentation site is guided by SpokenWeb UBCO Lead Co-applicant Dr. Karis Shearer. The PI and Director of SpokenWeb is Dr. Jason Camlot.
Team
UBCO Lead Researcher
Co-applicant
Collaborators
Myron Campbell
Paige Hohmann
Emily Murphy
Current Team
SpokenWeb Project Coordinator
Cole Mash
Graduate Research Assistants
Megan Butchart
Sarah Cipes
Erin Scott
Postdoctoral Research Associates
Klara Du Plessis
Web Design and Development
Lauren St. Clair, Karis Shearer, Cole Mash
Past Team
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Atmaza Chattopadhyay (2022-23)
Rowan Pickard (2022-23)
Nour Sallam (2019-20)
Lauren St. Clair (2019-20)
Amy Thiessen (2018-21)
Megan Butchart (2018-20)
Evan Berg (2018-19)
Stephen French (2018-19)
Emma Smith (2018)
Cole Mash (2013-14)
Justin Kroeker (2013-14)
Eric Huang (2013-14)
Lee Hannigan (2012-13)
Graduate Research Assistants
Cole Mash (2014-16)
Xiaoxuan Huang (2021-23)
Erin Scott (2022-23)
Jon Corbett (2021-22)
Judith Burr (2020-22)
Yasaman Lotfizadeh (2019-22)
Ahlam Bavi (2020-21)
Craig Carpenter (2020-21)
Caitlin Voth (2018-19)
Mathieu Aubin (2018-19)
Deserae Gogel (2018-19)
Additional Acknowledgements
The UBCO SpokenWeb SoundBox thanks all of the writers and scholars who donated boxes of tapes to the SoundBox Collection. This project would not be possible without you and your trust in us. We also thank all of the writers, literary executors, and family members who granted permission for us to publish recordings on this website. Many people donated legacy hardware and equipment that allowed us to digitize the collection in the AMP Lab and involve student trainees who learned first-hand how to work with old technologies: we are so grateful.
Critical Framework
The UBC Okanagan SpokenWeb team brings an intersectional feminist, anti-oppressive lens to research site, including a commitment to examining and challenging power and to considering context. We follow the Canadian Archivist Code of Ethics, aiming to make recordings available to the widest possible while “respect[ing] the privacy of individuals who created or are the subjects of the records, especially persons or communities who had no voice in the creation, transmission, disposition, or preservation of the records” (ACA 3.a). Moreover, “in providing and managing access to the records, we are sensitive to the evolving contexts of individuals (living or dead), organizations, or communities that are the subjects of the records, reconsidering access as necessary in light of that sensitivity.” (ACA 3.b). We have taken a consent-based approach that aims to return agency to the speakers on the tapes — whether they are the copyright holders of the recording or not — to decide whether they wish their voices to be made public. The rate at which recordings from the collection have been made publicly available has been slow by traditional institutional standards, inspired by adrienne maree brown’s Emergent Strategy principle to “move at the speed of trust.” The team is dedicated to ensuring the enthusiastic and ongoing consent of those represented within the collection.
Data Feminism
The SoundBox collection site, like the research undertaken by the UBCO SpokenWeb team, is built with attention to the principles set out in Data Feminism by Catherine D’Ignazio and Lauren F. Klein, whose work we gratefully acknowledge:
D’Ignazio, Catherine and Lauren F. Klein. Data Feminism. MIT Press, 2020.
1. Examine Power
Data feminism begins by analyzing how power operates in the world.
2. Challenge Power
Data feminism commits to challenging unequal power structures and working toward justice.
3. Elevate Emotion and Embodiment
Data feminism teaches us to value multiple forms of knowledge, including the knowledge that comes from people as living, feeling bodies in the world.
4. Rethink Binaries and Hierarchies
Data feminism requires us to challenge the gender binary, along with other systems of counting and classification that perpetuate oppression.
5. Embrace Pluralism
Data feminism insists that the most complete knowledge comes from synthesizing multiple perspectives, with priority given to local, Indigenous, and experiential ways of knowing.
6. Consider Context
Data feminism asserts that data are not neutral or objective. They are products of unequal social relations, and this context is essential for conducting accurate, ethical analysis.
7. Make Labour Visible
The work of data science, like all work in the world, is the work of many hands. Data feminism makes this labour visible so that it can be recognized and valued.
Takedown Notice
This collection is made available for non-commercial research and educational purposes. Numerous rights holders are represented in this collection. The SpokenWeb Project at UBCO wishes to hear from any copyright owner, creator, contributor or their representatives, who believe that this project has not properly attributed their work or has used it without authorization. Please contact karis.shearer@ubc.ca and include the URL of the work in your message.