Writing Corresponder Reviews for Radio

Your Corresponder reviews need to come in at 200-300 words, giving a 2-3 minute air time for your piece. I’m happy to consult with you regarding either your final review or this revision process. Just e-mail and we’ll figure out a way to get together.

James Gullickson from KMSU-FM gave us the following tips.

When you look at revising your review, consider these things:

• You are writing for the spoken word. Read everything aloud to yourself. It should flow and have the ease of conversation. If what you’ve written is not something you can imagine yourself saying in conversation, it probably wouldn’t sound right on air.
• Remember the listener can’t see the page in front of him or her. When you introduce a piece of writing as a quotation, you must first cue the listener. What might be obvious to a reader has no way of getting across on air unless you say it aloud. For the listener’s sake, always introduce a passage before reading the quote. Say what you’re going to read and by whom. (This is as simple as saying “As Bly wrote in his poem 'The Third Body,'….”)
• Always include one passage from the work you’re reviewing, but limit its length. (You only have so much time.) Choose something that really demonstrates the main point of what it is you are trying to tell us about this book and this writer.
• Frame your piece around the larger, more general insights of your review. Keep your view broad. Too many details can divert the focus of the reader. Do not include numbers, data, references which will distract the listener from your main point.
• You, the book, and the author of the book will be introduced before you read your review, so you will not have to re-introduce the book and author. You can jump right in.