1

JarredRaymondWorcesterWritersIQP2008‐2009WorcesterPolytechnicInstitute

InterdisciplinaryQualifyingProjectSummery:ResearchfortheWorcesterWritersIQP“CityofWords”Website

AbstractThe City of Words IPQ Project group is with the goal of creating a web site

featuring writers associated with Worcester. It is based on the web site Worcester Area Writers, which was created by WPI faculty and students some years ago. We are placing heavy emphasis on bringing living writers to the new site, creating a multi-media platform that includes videos of writers reading their works, interviews, audio, and photographs of places in Worcester connected with their work. The group continually seeks creative and original ways to display the site’s content. Students are required to produce these materials as well as write biographies and critical analyses of the writers for which they are responsible.

TableofContents

InterdisciplinaryQualifyingProjectSummery:ResearchfortheWorcesterWritersIQP“CityofWords”Website ..............................................................................................1

Abstract .......................................................................................................................1

Introduction.................................................................................................................2

CopyrightandOtherIssueswithintheWorcesterAreaWritersWebsite ......................7

AnUpdatedVisionforInteractiveContentandWebsiteQuality ..................................9

InterviewwithGertrudeHalstead..............................................................................13

TheEditingProcess:Video,AudioandPhotographyFinalization................................15

FinalSiteDesign,OtherMediaAdditions,ProjectPresentation .................................18

ConclusionandFutureDirectionoftheWebsite ........................................................21

References.................................................................................................................22

TableofFigures .........................................................................................................22

2

Introduction

Worcester, Massachusetts is a culturally diverse city with both a rich literary history

and an active culture in the literary arts. Despite this however, it is likely safe to assume

that this culture is severely understated and relatively unknown to most outsiders. In

order to highlight Worcester’s rich literary traditions of both the past and present, a group

of students from Worcester Polytechnic Institute set out to compile what information on

past and current authors that have connections to the Worcester area. The information

would be compiled to form a website database that will hopefully serve the duel purposes

of providing a place to showcase Worcester authors and their works, while providing an

aid for students and researchers curious about Worcester’s literary traditions.

A previous attempt at creating a website with a similar purpose was conducted by

a past IQP group, with help of Gordon Library faculty. The previous website yielded a

site that would serve as a basis for general information and format. It was ultimately the

decision of the current IQP group however, to greatly revise and update the aging site.

Several issues plagued the old site, including information accuracy and proper copyright

use. The specifics of these issues will be expanded upon in more depth in the coming

sections. As the new site would be intended for both general use and academic research,

the accuracy and quality of the information to be published was paramount to the current

group’s efforts.

The decision to incorporate several popular forms of multimedia to the revised

site was also a priority from the onset of the project. This is in the hopes of creating an

accurate and professional database that would be informative as well as highly engaging.

Indeed, multimedia incorporation would become a massive part of the group’s time and

3

effort. For each author to be researched, significant effort was made to have a page

include pictures, video, audio, and other interactive content, in addition to biographical

information and examples of their major works. In no particular order, the major goals of

the project can be summarized as follows:

ProjectGoals

• Reviseoldwebsite:Fact­checkinformation,rewrite,discardcopyrightinfringingmaterial.

• Updatewebsiteappearanceandlayouttobemoreuserfriendly,modern­looking,andup­to­date.

• Implementcreativeandengagingmultimediaaspects;i.e.video,audio,photography,interactivetools.

• Researchandhighlightnewauthors,withparticularemphasisoncontemporaryandlocalartistsstillpublishingmaterial.

Figure1:Summeryofprojectgoals.

4

PreviousWebsite,WorcesterAreaWritersProject

More than six years ago, there has been a previous effort to compile a database

highlighting writers and poets with connections to the Worcester area. The previously

published website, entitled WorcesterAreaWriters, was created during the 2002-2003

academic year by several students at WPI in conjunction with select members of the WPI

faculty, mostly from the Gordon Library. The website, which was last updated February

20, 2003, highlighted several prominent authors and poets from Worcester and the

surrounding area including Elizabeth Bishop, Charles Olson, Stanley Kunitz, Fran Quinn,

Frank O’Hara, Robert Benchley, Robert Cormeir, among several others. Some, such as

Stanley Kunitz, are quite well known and influential literary figures both locally and in

the nation. Kunitz for example, had been named the Poet Laureate of the United States

before his death only a few years ago.

The WorcesterAreaWriters website provided an excellent starting point for the

efforts of the current project group. The old site gave the group an idea of what a

database of authors should look like on a basic level. Also, there were several aspects of

the older website that needed improvement, providing the group with work to do from the

onset. The first major issue and point of improvement for the WorcesterAreaWriters

website was its appearance. As mentioned above, it had not been updated for nearly 6

years before the current group decided to take a look at its information. Since its creation,

the Internet has become a vastly more attractive, user-friendly, and interactive

environment. New options with regard to page design, interactivity, and updated content

were vast. Included below are a few screenshots of the old WorcesterAreaWriters

5

website. They show the home screen (Fig.2-1), an example of an author’s information

page (Fig.2-2), and finally the information about the website (Fig.2-3).

Figure2­1:Titlepageoftheoldwebsite.

Figure2­2:Anexampleofanauthor'spagewithrelevantinformation.

6

As it can be seen, much of the old website’s appearance is frankly quite

uninteresting and dull. There are large areas of unused space within the page, and the

color scheme, although made to match that of WPI’s own colors, comes across as dull.

This provided a goal for the current group to make the new website more engaging and

interesting to look at. Despite issues with its appearance, the old website did very well

regarding ease-of-use. Navigation throughout its pages was quite simple and

straightforward. The information that was made available was presented cleanly and in a

manner that made for easy exploration. It was therefore important to the current group to

make sure that while updating the old site, there was no degradation in usability. There

would be significantly more content and interactive features implemented to the new site,

so the risk of making an author’s page overcrowded and confusing was a legitimate risk.

Atheistic deficiencies aside, there were a host of entirely more serious issues to found

within the previous site, which are explained in the following section.

Figure2­3:Copyrightandotherinformationfoundontheoldwebsite,includesdateoflastupdate.

7

CopyrightandOtherIssueswithintheWorcesterAreaWritersWebsite

Perhaps the largest single issue with the old WorcesterAreaWriterswebsite was

the quality and legitimacy of the information it presented. The work of the 2002-2003

group was indeed commendable, however, since its publication WPI faculty and visitors

to the Worcester Area Writers site have discovered several issues with content and

copyright. The severity of these issues varied significantly. In some cases, parts of the

biographical information presented were simply incorrect and needed further fact

checking. More issues include: pictures did not correspond to the places and information

they were supposed to be representing, dates were incorrect, and other issues along these

lines. In other cases, an author’s page simply was in need of an update due to the sizable

amount of time that had passed since the publication of the original site. By far however,

the most severe and pressing issue needed to be addressed were issues of copyright

infringement.

In some cases within the old website, content was simply taken from other

sources without consent or citation. This content mostly included digital pictures and old

photographs that were often included in the “media” section of each author’s page.

Because these pictures were subsequently never cited, it was very difficult to quickly

remedy this situation when the current group began its work. Since WorcesterArea

Writers had been online, there had also been a sizable number of requests from other

institutions and organizations outside of WPI to use some of this material. Unfortunately,

it needed to be explained that WPI did not have the right to give out permissions for this

8

material, as WPI did not have legal ownership. This is quite obviously a serious problem

for not only those wishing to use material from the old website, but it is especially a

concern for the institution of WPI itself. Although it was highly unlikely to happen, the

material published without copyright consent in the old website could have drawn legal

issues for the school, as these are after-all examples of copyright infringement.

Remedying these issues has therefore been of central focus of the current group’s efforts.

To begin to understand the specifics of how and why the old website was in

violation of internet copyright law, a presentation was given to the IQP group by staff

from the Gordon Library over the course of several meetings during A-Term of the 2008-

2009 academic year. It was the group’s hope that, given a better understanding of the

complexities of copyright use, the process of updating and remedying the issues within

the WorcesterAreaWriters site would be more productive. The group as a whole soon

realized the magnitude of the problem that the old site’s material presented. Copyright

law however, is inherently quite complex. For example, content such as photographs and

paintings could be used without the need to receive copyright permission if these were

more than eighty years old, but this was of little use if there was no information stating

where the material came from. In addition, there are several sources online, such as the

National Archives, that can be used for information without infringing on issues of

copyright, but communal media sites such as YouTube.com, which often have interesting

content, can frequently use material improperly. Simply pulling content from a random

source on the web or from a source found externally, would quite obviously be copyright

infringement, and in some cases, it is suspected that this is precisely what the previous

group had done when making the old website. The current group soon realized that the

9

task of fixing all the issues of copyright would consume a disproportionate amount of the

project’s time and effort. Much of the old content was incorrect and served little useful

purpose to the website’s accuracy anyhow. In the end, it was a consensus of those about

to begin their research that making an effort to avoid getting caught up in copyright and

permissions, if possible, would be the best manner in which to progress. This meant that

for group members researching current authors, such as myself, most of the information

that would be gathered would be done so first-hand. This would give all ownership of

collected material to the site and to WPI. Citing sources when needed in a correct and

legal manner would still be a priority for the group. In the meantime, to immediately

make progress, much of the media content from the old website was taken down.

AnUpdatedVisionforInteractiveContentandWebsiteQuality

The decision to avoid almost all issues of copyright infringement by gathering

information first-hand meant several quite exciting things for the direction in which the

new site could be taken. Because very few outside sources would be used, most

biographical information would be gathered from in-person interviews with the author, if

this were possible. All photography to be included on the author’s page would be taken

by a project member on-site, using equipment owned by WPI. If an interview could be

arranged, it was suggested that the experience be filmed and edited into an interesting and

engaging piece of content to be posted along side the author’s information. The audio

from these interviews would be recorded as well, and clips of the author reading their

own content and telling of their personal experiences would provide highly engaging and

valuable content for the new site. Not only would this mean that all information gathered

10

would theoretically be of the highest quality and accuracy possible, but all the

complications of obtaining copyright information and permissions-of-use that are

inherent when using external sources could be avoided. This would save time and effort,

but also meant that rather than being a compilation of information that was already

available, the new site would provide information that was truly unique and exciting.

Producing original content, suitable for both general and academic use, would fulfill one

of the initial goals of the project. While planning this updated direction for the new site, it

was also decided that the old site’s title, WorcesterAreaWriters, would be replaced by

the title CityofWords:TheWorcesterWritersProject. Included below is a simple

graphical representation of how media content would compliment each other on each

author’s page in the new CityofWords website (Fig.3).

!"#$%"&!"#$%&'"()"*)+&,-)'"(."/0)"/1/&)"'#$()*+)!*",&-)./%)!*"0%&$%")!"#$%"&)1"*2%0$3)"

23-&%')'"()&$#"14","415+&)"6*,+01-,&"*)+*)4)3/,/1$3"$7"0$#"5)'1,"-$3/)3/"#$%&'"

-$5+&15)3/"),-0"$/0)*"$3"),-0",%/0$*84"+,6)"13"/0)"3)#"'#$()*+)!*",&"#)(41/)9

!"##$%&'()&(*+,"#-()&.(/0'%&&%&'(12,0-&)3(40$0)-5"

" :1/0"-&),*"4)/"$7"$(;)-/1<)4!"),-0"6*$%+"5)5()*"3)=/"-0$4)",3",*/14/"$7"

13/)*)4/"/$"*)4),*-09">*$5"/014"+$13/"$3!"5$4/"$7"/0)"#$*?"7$*"/0)"+*$;)-/"#$%&'"()"

'$3)"13'1<1'%,&&.9"@$5)"6*$%+"5)5()*4"-0$4)"/$"%+',/)"+,6)4"$7",%/0$*4"/0,/"0,'"

())3"7),/%*)'"+*)<1$%4&."$3"/0)"!*"0%&$%")4"%5)!"#$%"&"#)(41/)!",3'"$/0)*4!"4%-0",4"

5.4)&7!"-0$4)"/$"4/,*/"7*$5"4-*,/-0"#1/0","-$5+&)/)&."3)#",%/0$*9"A$-,&":$*-)4/)*"

*)41')3/!"+$)/!",3'"B$&$-,%4/"4%*<1<$*"C)*/*%')"B,&4/),'"#,4"-0$4)3"/$"()"/0)"

4%(;)-/"$7"*)4),*-09"

" C)*/*%')"B,&4/),'"/%*3)'"$%/"/$"()",3"13/)*)4/136",3'"+*$514136"-0$1-)"/$"

*)4),*-0"7$*","3%5()*"$7"*),4$349""D$"4,."/0)"&),4/!"40)"14"E%1/)",3"13F&%)3/1,&",3'"

#)&&G?3$#3"F16%*)"13":$*-)4/)*84"&1/)*,*."-%&/%*)9"C)*/*%')"0,4",&4$"&1<)'",3"

,5,H136"&17)"()7$*)"()-$5136","#)&&G?3$#3"+$)/"/0$%609"I4","4%*<1<$*"$7"/0)"

B$&$-,%4/"'%*136":$*&'":,*"22!"C)*/*%')84"(1$6*,+0."#$%&'"()"<,&%,(&)"/$"<141/$*4"

13/)*)4/)'"13"0)*")=+)*1)3-)4"'%*136"/0)"#,*",&$36"#1/0"0)*"5,3."&1/)*,*."4%--)44)49"

C)*/*%')"0,4"+%(&140)'"/#$"-$&&)-/1$34"$7"+$)54"/$"',/)!",3'"0,4"0,'"0)*"+$)/*."4)/"

/$"$*1613,&&."-$5+$4)'"5%41-"'%*136","*)-)3/"F1&5"0160&160/136"0)*"&17)"JKL9"@0)"

-%**)3/&."0$&'4"/1/&)",4":$*-)4/)*84"F1*4/"M$)/"A,%*),/)!","+$41/1$3"6*,3/)'"/$"0)*"(."

:$*-)4/)*84"5,.$*"13"NOOP9"@0)"0,4",&4$"())3"3$513,/)'"/#1-)"7$*"/0)"+*)4/161$%4"

M%40-,*/"M*1H)"13"A1/)*,/%*)!",3'"#,4"*)-)3/&."/0)"*)-1+1)3/"$7","NOOQ"R%&/%*,&"

R$%3-1&">)&&$#401+"I#,*'9"

6+%57(8+99)-:(#;(*+,"#-<(=%5,+-0>(

?)90>(/%-,"@3)50>(*'0>(?#,)A30(

/%#'-)@"%5)3(B&;#-9),%#&()&.(

12@#$C(#&(D)E#-(F#-7$

=%5,+-0$ G%.0# *+.%#

>16%*)"K9"C)3)*,&"&,.$%/"7$*"3)#"#)(41/)9

S

Figure3:Graphicalrepresentationoftheplannedlayoutforanauthor’spage.

11

ChoosinganAuthorandBeginningExternalResearch

With clear set of objectives, each group member next chose an artist of interest to

research. From this point on, most of the work for the project would be done individually.

Some group members chose to update pages of authors that had been featured previously

on the WorcesterAreaWriters website, and others, such as myself, chose to start from

scratch with a completely new author. Local Worcester resident, poet, and Holocaust

survivor Gertrude Halstead was chosen to be the subject of research.

Gertrude Halstead turned out to be an interesting and promising choice to research

for a number of reasons. To say the least, she is quite an influential and well-known

figure in Worcester’s literary culture. Gertrude has also lived an amazing life before

becoming a well-known poet though. As a survivor of the Holocaust during World War

II, Gertrude’s biography would be valuable to visitors interested in her experiences

during the war along with her many literary successes. Gertrude has published two

collections of poems to date, and has had her poetry set to originally composed music

during a recent film highlighting her life [3]. She currently holds title as Worcester’s first

Poet Laureate, a position granted to her by Worcester’s mayor in 2007. She has also been

nominated twice for the prestigious Pushcart Prize in Literature, and was recently the

recipient of a 2008 Cultural Council Fellowship Award.

The first task to be completed was to become familiar with Gertrude’s work as a

poet. Through the Gordon Library’s Interlibrary Loan program, a copy of Gertrude’s first

published collection of poetry entitled “Memories Like Burrs”[1] was obtained.

Gertrude’s second collection of poetry, “Space Between”[2], took more time to find as it

was published very recently in 2008 in limited numbers. A copy was eventually obtained

12

from Professor Eve Rifkah, an adjunct professor of English Studies here at WPI and a

close friend of Gertrude. Eve would later be instrumental in setting up an interview with

Gertrude. Along with reading and becoming familiar with her work, time was spent

looking for already published information in external sources. It soon became clear that,

although there were many brief descriptions and short interviews with Gertrude done

since she started gaining attention in the Worcester area in 2006, there was no concise

and well-organized description of her life and her works. Although this meant gathering

information about her would be slightly more labor-intensive, it would mean that the

finished product on the CityofWords website would provide the first organized source to

find information on this local author.

! "#$!%&'()!)*(+!),!-$!.,/01$)$2!3*(!),!-$.,/$!4*/&1&*'!3&)#!5$')'62$7(!3,'+!

*(!*!0,$)8!"#',69#!)#$!5,'2,:!;&-'*'<7(!=:)$'1&-'*'<!;,*:!0',9'*/>!*!.,0<!,4!

5$')'62$7(!%&'()!06-1&(#$2!.,11$.)&,:!,4!0,$)'<!$:)&)1$2!?@$/,'&$(!;&+$!A6''(BCDE!

3*(!,-)*&:$28!5$')'62$7(!($.,:2!.,11$.)&,:!,4!0,$)'<>!?F0*.$!A$)3$$:BCGE>!),,+!/,'$!

)&/$!),!%&:2!*(!&)!3*(!06-1&(#$2!H$'<!'$.$:)1<!&:!GIIJ!&:!1&/&)$2!:6/-$'(8!K!.,0<!

3*(!$H$:)6*11<!,-)*&:$2!4',/!L',4$((,'!MH$!N&%+*#>!*:!*2O6:.)!0',4$((,'!,4!M:91&(#!

F)62&$(!#$'$!*)!PL=!*:2!*!.1,($!4'&$:2!,4!5$')'62$8!MH$!3,612!1*)$'!-$!&:()'6/$:)*1!

&:!($))&:9!60!*:!&:)$'H&$3!3&)#!5$')'62$8!

K1,:9!3&)#!'$*2&:9!*:2!-$.,/&:9!

4*/&1&*'!3&)#!#$'!3,'+>!)&/$!3*(!(0$:)!

1,,+&:9!4,'!*1'$*2<!06-1&(#$2!

&:4,'/*)&,:!&:!$Q)$':*1!(,6'.$(8!=)!(,,:!

-$.*/$!.1$*'!)#*)>!*1)#,69#!)#$'$!3$'$!

/*:<!-'&$4!2$(.'&0)&,:(!*:2!(#,')!

&:)$'H&$3(!3&)#!5$')'62$!2,:$!(&:.$!(#$!

()*')$2!9*&:&:9!*))$:)&,:!&:!)#$!

P,'.$()$'!*'$*!&:!GIIR>!)#$'$!3*(!:,!

.,:.&($!*:2!3$11S,'9*:&T$2!2$(.'&0)&,:!,4!

#$'!1&4$!*:2!#$'!3,'+(8!K1)#,69#!)#&(!

/$*:)!9*)#$'&:9!&:4,'/*)&,:!*-,6)!#$'!

3,612!-$!(1&9#)1<!/,'$!1*-,6'S&:)$:(&H$>!

&)!3,612!/$*:!)#*)!)#$!%&:&(#$2!0',26.)!

,:!)#$!!"#$%&'%(&)*+!3$-(&)$!3,612!

0',H&2$!)#$!%&'()!,'9*:&T$2!(,6'.$!),!%&:2!

&:4,'/*)&,:!,:!)#&(!1,.*1!*6)#,'8

!"#$%&'$()('#*)+$%#%,-$)./01#$/-

! "#',69#!MH$!N&%+*#>!5$')'62$!U*1()$*27(!.,:)*.)!&:4,'/*)&,:!3*(!,-)*&:$2!

(#,')1<!-$4,'$!)#$!$:2!,4!AS"$'/!,4!)#$!GIIJSGIIV!<$*'8!5$')'62$!3*(!.,:)*.)$2!-<!

0#,:$!*)!#$'!#,/$!,:!F*1&(-6'<!F)'$$)>!:,)!4*'!4',/!)#$!PL=!.*/06(8!F#,')1<!*4)$'!

.1*(($(!'$(6/$2!&:!WS"$'/>!*:!&:)$'H&$3!3&)#!5$')'62$!U*1()$*2!3*(!(.#$261$28!"#$!

PL=!K"W!3*(!.,:)*.)$2!4,'!*!.*/.,'2$'>!/&.',0#,:$(>!)'&0,2>!*:2!2&9&)*1!*62&,!

'$.,'2$'!),!-$!6($2!26'&:9!)#$!&:)$'H&$38!K..,/0*:&$2!-<!MH$!N&%+*#>!,:!X*:6*'<!YI>!

GIIV>!5$')'62$!U*1()$*2!3*(!&:)$'H&$3$2!-<!X*''$2!N*</,:2!,4!)#$!P,'.$()$'!

P'&)$'(!=ZL8!"#$!&:)$'H&$3!3$:)!(/,,)#1<!*:2!0',H&2$2!01$:)<!,4!/*)$'&*1!)#*)!

.,612!-$!6($2!,:!)#$!(&)$8![,)!,:1<!3*(!)#$!$H$:)!%&1/$2>!-6)!*62&,!,4!)#$!$:)&'$!

&:)$'H&$3!3*(!,-)*&:$28!5$')'62$!3*(!*1(,!+&:2!$:,69#!),!'$*2!*!0,$/!$:)&)1$2!?"#$!

F1,0&:9!@$*2,3B>!3#&.#!/$:)&,:(!P,'.$()$'!#$*H&1<8!"#$!*62&,!4',/!)#&(!'$*2&:9!

3,612!0',H&2$!H*16*-1$!6:&\6$!.,:)$:)!4,'!)#$!(&)$8!A$1,3!&(!*!0#,),9'*0#!,4!)#$!

&:)$'H&$3!*)!5$')'62$7(!'$(&2$:.$8!

5$')'62$!U*1()$*2!0,(&:9!4,'!*!0#,),9'*0#!

3#&1$!'$*2&:9!4',/!*!.,11$.)&,:!,4!#$'!,3:!

0,$)'<!26'&:9!)#$!P,'.$()$'!P'&)$'(!=ZL!

&:)$'H&$3!&:!GIIV8

]

Figure4:GertrudeHalsteadposingforaphotoduringtheWorcesterWritersIQPinterviewin2009.

13

InterviewwithGertrudeHalstead

Through Eve Rifkah at WPI, Gertrude Halstead’s contact information was

obtained shortly before the end of B-Term of the 2008-2009 year. Gertrude was contacted

by phone at her home on Salisbury Street, not far from the WPI campus. Shortly after

classes resumed in C-Term, an interview with Gertrude Halstead was scheduled. The

WPI Academic Technology Center (ATC) was contacted for a camcorder, microphones,

tripod, and digital audio recorder to be used during the interview. Accompanied by Eve

Rifkah on January 30, 2009, Gertrude Halstead was interviewed by Jarred Raymond of

the Worcester Writers IQP. The interview went smoothly and provided plenty of material

that could be used on the site. Not only was the event filmed, but audio of the entire

interview was obtained. Gertrude was also kind enough to read a poem entitled “The

Sloping Meadow”, which mentions Worcester heavily. The audio from this reading

would provide valuable unique content for the site. Below is a photograph of the

interview, taking place at Gertrude’s residence (Fig.5)

! !"#$"%&$%&'(%#)&("*#(+%,-&(.%-%"$/0'%,"-1&%$1%2("&"/,(34%5#$0"-6'7%+-4%8-,(%

1"$8%#)1$"8-&#$)%&'-&%+-4%-*-#9-59(%&'"$/0'%(:&(")-9%"(4(-";'<%=%;$67%+-4%0#*()%&$%

2("&"/,(%&$%1-;&>;'(;?%-&%'("%;$)*()#();(%$)%-%9-&("%,-&(<%@'$"&97%1$99$+#)0%&'(%

#)&("*#(+.%2("&"/,(%6'$)(,%#)%'("%"(*#4#$)4<%A/;?#97.%&'(%"(4(-";'%,$)(%5(1$"(%&'(%

#)&("*#(+%+-4%-;;/"-&(.%-),%$)97%*("7%8#)$"%"(*#4#$)4%'-,%&$%5(%,$)(<%B'(4(%

"(*#4#$)4%1"$8%&'(%-/&'$"%'("4(91%+("(%&'()%;$86#9(,%#)&$%&'(%5#$0"-6'734%C#)-9%

,"-1&.%+'#;'%-94$%#);9/,(,%#)1$"8-&#$)%0-&'("(,%,/"#)0%&'(%#)&("*#(+<%D(:&.%&'(%

*#,($%-),%-/,#$%0-&'("(,%,/"#)0%&'(%#)&("*#(+%+$/9,%)((,%&$%5(%(,#&(,%-),%

(:6$"&(,%#)%/4(-59(%1$"84<

E*(%F#C?-'%G9(1&H.%2("&"/,(%

I-94&(-,%G;()&("H%-),%

J-""(,%F-78$),%$1%&'(%

K$";(4&("%K"#&("4%LM!%

G"#0'&H%,/"#)0%&'(%#)&("*#(+%

$)%J-)<NO.%POOQ<

B'(%&+$%;$99(;&#$)4%$1%

6$(&"7%&'/4>1-"%6/59#4'(,%

57%2("&"/,(%I-94&(-,<%

R

Figure5:EveRifkah(left),GertrudeHalstead(center),andJarredRaymondoftheWorcesterWritersIQP(right)duringtheinterviewonJanuary30,

2009.

14

Prior to the interview date, a rough draft of Gertrude’s biography was made from

information that was available through external research. A copy was given to Gertrude

to fact-check at her convenience on a later date. Shortly following the interview, Gertrude

phoned in her revisions. Luckily, the research done before the interview was accurate,

and only very minor revisions had to be done. These revisions from the author herself

were then compiled into the biography’s final draft, which also included information

gathered during the interview. Next, the video and audio gathered during the interview

would need to be edited and exported in useable forms.

Figure6:ThetwopublishedcollectionsofpoetrybyGertrudeHalstead.

15

TheEditingProcess:Video,AudioandPhotographyFinalization

Of all the steps related to publishing content on an author’s webpage, the post-

production process was by far the most time consuming. In total, there was more than 90

minutes of audio and video media to transfer, edit, and export in a professional looking

and useable format. For ease-of-use, all multimedia editing was done on a personally

owned Macintosh in the Mac OSX operating system. The applications Garageband (used

for audio editing) and iMovie (video-editing) were used for their user-friendly

environments and professional feeling product quality. Below are screen-shots of the

multimedia editing process done in the Mac OSX environment. In all, it is estimated that

more than 20 hours were spent producing the final video interview for Gertrude’s page,

while nearly 10 hours were spent editing the audio and photography content. Screenshots

of the audio and video editing processes are shown below (Fig.7-1, 7-2).

Figure7­1:AudioeditingintheGarageBandapplication.

16

Audio clips from the interview were trimmed and mastered into short segments and

exported in .mp3 format. In total, four audio clips were exported for publication on the

CityofWords website. These include: a short segment where Gertrude tells of her life

before coming to Worcester, a short description of her own poetry’s style and comments

regarding the unique spacing she implements, a discussion of her thoughts on being an

author in the Worcester area, and finally a reading of “The Sloping Meadow”, an original

poem.

Production of the video content gathered was far more extensive and went

through several editing and creative changes before a final version was exported. During

the initial editing sessions, it was found that simply posting a ‘raw’ copy of the interview

would not be engaging to an audience. During the interview, the camera was left in a

single position focused on Gertrude. To make the content more interesting and viewable,

the entire interview was split into sections. These were then arranged so that the

Figure7­2:EditinginterviewvideoclipsintofinalforminiMovieapplication.

17

interview progressed on film in an organized and linear manner. This was beneficial, as

topics during the interview did not progress linearly; often, relevant topics of discussion

were broken up by other answers and general dialogue. Minor editing was done to the

video itself as well to increase contrast, color balance, and sharpness. In the final version

of the video, Gertrude’s answers to the questions asked in the interview are edited

together to highlight the most valuable and interesting content. To break the monotony of

the camera’s static position, each new topic is then foreshadowed by a short transition.

During the last stages of video production, a title, conclusion, credits, and music were all

added. The final interview video is 9 minutes and 18 seconds in duration. It was exported

in both high-quality and low-quality versions to be easily streamed from the website

depending on a visitor’s connection speed and available bandwidth. Below are

screenshots from the various sections of the final interview video, progressing in

chronological order as they appear in the final video if the interview (Fig.8).

! "#$%&!'(%)*!+,&-!./0!%1.0,2%03!30,0!.,%--0$!41$!-4*.0,0$!%1.&!*/&,.!

*05-01.*!41$!06)&,.0$!%1!7-)8!+&,-4.7!91!.&.4(:!+&#,!4#$%&!'(%)*!30,0!06)&,.0$!+&,!

)#;(%'4.%&1!&1!./0!!"#$%&'%(&)*+!30;*%.07!</0*0!%1'(#$0=!4!*/&,.!*05-01.!3/0,0!

>0,.,#$0!.0((*!&+!/0,!(%+0!;0+&,0!'&-%15!.&!?&,'0*.0,:!4!*/&,.!$0*',%).%&1!&+!/0,!&31!

)&0.,@A*!*.@(0!41$!'&--01.*!,054,$%15!./0!#1%B#0!*)4'%15!*/0!%-)(0-01.*:!4!

$%*'#**%&1!&+!/0,!./&#5/.*!&1!;0%15!41!4#./&,!%1!./0!?&,'0*.0,!4,04:!41$!C%14((@!4!

,04$%15!&+!D</0!E(&)%15!F04$&3G:!41!&,%5%14(!)&0-7!

! H,&$#'.%&1!&+!./0!2%$0&!'&1.01.!54./0,0$!34*!+4,!-&,0!06.01*%20!41$!301.!

./,&#5/!*020,4(!0$%.%15!41$!',04.%20!'/4150*!;0+&,0!4!C%14(!20,*%&1!34*!06)&,.0$7!

I#,%15!./0!%1%.%4(!0$%.%15!*0**%&1*:!%.!34*!+&#1$!./4.!*%-)(@!)&*.%15!4!J,43A!'&)@!&+!

./0!%1.0,2%03!3&#($!1&.!;0!01545%15!.&!41!4#$%01'07!I#,%15!./0!%1.0,2%03:!./0!

'4-0,4!34*!(0+.!%1!4!*%15(0!)&*%.%&1!+&'#*0$!&1!>0,.,#$07!<&!-4K0!./0!'&1.01.!-&,0!

%1.0,0*.%15!41$!2%034;(0:!./0!01.%,0!%1.0,2%03!34*!*)(%.!%1.&!*0'.%&1*7!</0*0!30,0!

./01!4,,4150$!*&!./4.!./0!%1.0,2%03!),&5,0**0$!&1!C%(-!%1!41!&,541%L0$!41$!(%104,!

-4110,7!</%*!34*!;010C%'%4(:!4*!.&)%'*!$#,%15!./0!%1.0,2%03!$%$!1&.!),&5,0**!(%104,(@M!

&+.01!,0(0241.!.&)%'*!&+!$%*'#**%&1!30,0!;,&K01!#)!;@!&./0,!41*30,*!41$!5010,4(!

$%4(&5#07!F%1&,!0$%.%15!34*!$&10!.&!./0!2%$0&!%.*0(+!4*!30((!.&!%1',04*0!'&1.,4*.:!

'&(&,!;4(41'0:!41$!*/4,)10**7!91!./0!C%14(!20,*%&1!&+!./0!2%$0&:!>0,.,#$0A*!41*30,*!.&!

./0!B#0*.%&1*!4*K0$!%1!./0!%1.0,2%03!4,0!0$%.0$!.&50./0,!.&!/%5/(%5/.!./0!-&*.!

24(#4;(0!41$!%1.0,0*.%15!'&1.01.7!<&!;,04K!./0!-&1&.&1@!&+!./0!'4-0,4A*!*.4.%'!

)&*%.%&1:!04'/!103!.&)%'!%*!./01!+&,0*/4$&30$!;@!4!*/&,.!.,41*%.%&17!I#,%15!./0!(4*.!

*.450*!&+!2%$0&!),&$#'.%&1:!4!.%.(0:!'&1'(#*%&1:!',0$%.*:!41$!-#*%'!30,0!4((!4$$0$7!</0!

C%14(!%1.0,2%03!2%$0&!%*!N!-%1#.0*!41$!OP!*0'&1$*!%1!$#,4.%&17!9.!34*!06)&,.0$!%1!

;&./!/%5/QB#4(%.@!41$!(&3QB#4(%.@!20,*%&1*!.&!;0!04*%(@!*.,04-0$!+,&-!./0!30;*%.0!

$0)01$%15!&1!4!2%*%.&,A*!'&110'.%&1!*)00$!41$!424%(4;(0!;41$3%$./7!R0(&3!4,0!

*',001*/&.*!+,&-!./0!24,%&#*!*0'.%&1*!&+!./0!C%14(!%1.0,2%03!2%$0&7

OS

TOU TVU

T8U TWU

Figure8:StillsfromthefinaleditoftheGertrudeHalsteadinterviewvideo,presentedinchronologicalorder;(1)Titlesequence,(2)Gertrudeansweringinterviewquestions,(3)Topictransitionscreen,(4)Conclusionsectionwithsomefinalwordsabouttheauthor.

18

FinalSiteDesign,OtherMediaAdditions,ProjectPresentation

The final design and coding for the CityofWords website has been almost

entirely handled by group member Julia Berg (IMGD ’09). Once all the multimedia for

each author had been completed and was ready for publication on the newly designed

website, it was uploaded to the project group’s SharePoint account. The nearly final

layout for the new CityofWords website is vastly more attractive than the previous site.

A screenshot is included below (Fig.9).

!"#$%&'"()&*)+",#-&.(/)0&1)2"$&322"("4#+-&5046)7(&50)+)#($("4#

& !"#$%&'()$*#+&,'$('*$-.*&',$/.0$1"#$!"#$%&'%(&)*+$2#3+&1#$"(+$3##'$()4.+1$

#'1&0#)5$"('*)#*$35$,0.67$4#43#0$86)&($9#0,$:;<=>$?@ABC$D'-#$())$1"#$46)1&4#*&($

/.0$#(-"$(61".0$"(*$3##'$-.47)#1#*$('*$2(+$0#(*5$/.0$763)&-(1&.'$.'$1"#$'#2)5$

*#+&,'#*$2#3+&1#E$&1$2(+$67).(*#*$1.$1"#$70.F#-1$,0.67?+$G"(0#7.&'1$(--.6'1C$!"#$

'#(0)5$%&'()$)(5.61$/.0$1"#$'#2$!"#$%&'%(&)*+$2#3+&1#$&+$H(+1)5$4.0#$(110(-1&H#$1"('$

1"#$70#H&.6+$+&1#C$I$+-0##'+".1$&+$&'-)6*#*$3#).2C

G1&))+$/0.4$1"#$%&'()$#*&1$./$1"#$=#0106*#$J()+1#(*$&'1#0H&#2$H&*#.C$K0#+#'1#*$&'$

-"0.'.).,&-()$.0*#0$/0.4$2&1"&'$(+$+##'$&'$1"#$4.H&#E$0#70#+#'1#*$35$1"#$&'-)6*#*$

(00.2+C$:LB$!&1)#$G#M6#'-#E$:NB$I'+2#0&',$('$&'1#0H&#2$M6#+1&.'E$:OB$!.7&-$10('+&1&.'$

+-0##'E$:PB$Q.'-)6+&.'$('*$%&'()$2.0*+E$:RB$Q0#*&1+C

:RB

S&'()$H#0+&.'$./$1"#$

-.47)#1#*$!"#$%&'%

(&)*+$2#3+&1#$

*#+&,'#*$35$1"#$

T.0-#+1#0$T0&1#0+$

;UK$,0.67$&'$N@@AC

LL

Figure9:ScreenshotofthefinaldesignversionofthenewCityofWordswebsite.

19

During the final stages of the project, the idea was had to include even more

interactivity to an author’s page by using an interesting feature found in Google Maps. As

can be seen from the screenshot below, Gertrude Halstead’s progress through Europe

during World War II is pinpointed on a fully interactive map. Clicking on each waypoint

produces a text-box to appear with a short description of what is being represented. While

not only being user-friendly and providing an interesting companion to an author’s

biographical information, this feature is made available for public use at no charge, and

shows all the needed copyright information embedded within the map’s lower right-hand

corner. Exporting the map for use on the site was done quickly and easily. An option

provided by Google compiled and exported the needed HTML code automatically.

Screenshots of interactive map made using features in Google Maps are included below

(Fig.10-1 and 10-2).

Figure10­1:InteractivemapmadeusingGoogleMaps.ThemapshowsGertrudeHalstead'spathwaythroughEurope(redlines),andherjourneytotheUnited

States(blueline).

20

Finally, on April 21, 2009, the newly designed CityofWords:WorcesterWriterIQP

site was presented to Gordon Library staff and other WPI faculty. It was received well,

with much interest and excitement for future continuation of this project’s efforts.

Support for the website and research is currently being planned for an IQP group in the

2009-2010 academic year.

Figure10­2:Whenawaypointmarkerisclicked,atextbubbleappearsshowinglocationnameandtheinformationrelatingthelocationtoGertrude's

biography.

21

ConclusionandFutureDirectionoftheWebsite

As the 2008-2009 IQP group wraps up their efforts, it has become clear that the

project has provided the opportunity for much future development of the CityofWords

website. One of the major lessons learned during the duration of the project was the

importance of time-management and clear goal setting. There are many authors yet to be

highlighted in the Worcester area with the same amount of depth and professionalism that

Gertrude Halstead was. Therefore, it is planned that the project will continue into the

2009-2010 academic year under the guidance of a new group of students. It is hoped that

the lessons learned during this group’s efforts, mostly from trial-and-error and

experimentation, would give a clear idea for the next group on how to progress

efficiently. As the website’s construction will progress, CityofWords will become a

place where well-known authors are highlighted alongside up-and-coming authors,

providing valuable exposure for their works. As multimedia immersion on the internet

has become extremely popular, future groups should not only continue the efforts that the

current group has made, but should also find new and exciting ways to make the Cityof

Words site interesting and engaging.

22

References [1] Halstead, Gertrude. Memories Like Burrs. Published by Adastra Press, East Hampton, MA, 2006. [2] Halstead, Gertrude. Space Between. Published by Allbook Books, Selden, NY, 2008. [3] “Memories Like Burrs: A Song Cycle of Gertrude Halstead’s Poetry”, Directed by Peter Swanson/Global Visions. Produced by Poetry Oasis Inc., Worcester, MA, 2007.

TableofFiguresFigure1:Summeryofprojectgoals.................................................................................................................. 3Figure2­2:Anexampleofanauthor'spagewithrelevantinformation.............................................. 5Figure2­1:Titlepageoftheoldwebsite. ....................................................................................................... 5Figure2­3:Copyrightandotherinformationfoundontheoldwebsite,includesdateoflast

update. .............................................................................................................................................................6Figure3:Graphicalrepresentationoftheplannedlayoutforanauthor’spage............................ 10Figure4:GertrudeHalsteadposingforaphotoduringtheWorcesterWritersIQPinterviewin

2009. .............................................................................................................................................................. 12Figure5:EveRifkah(left),GertrudeHalstead(center),andJarredRaymondoftheWorcester

WritersIQP(right)duringtheinterviewonJanuary30,2009. ................................................ 13Figure6:ThetwopublishedcollectionsofpoetrybyGertrudeHalstead........................................ 14Figure7­1:AudioeditingintheGarageBandapplication. .................................................................... 15Figure7­2:EditinginterviewvideoclipsintofinalforminiMovieapplication. ........................... 16Figure8:StillsfromthefinaleditoftheGertrudeHalsteadinterviewvideo,presentedin

chronologicalorder;(1)Titlesequence,(2)Gertrudeansweringinterviewquestions,(3)Topictransitionscreen,(4)Conclusionsectionwithsomefinalwordsabouttheauthor.......................................................................................................................................................................... 17

Figure9:ScreenshotofthefinaldesignversionofthenewCityofWordswebsite. ..................... 18Figure10­1:InteractivemapmadeusingGoogleMaps.ThemapshowsGertrudeHalstead's

pathwaythroughEurope(redlines),andherjourneytotheUnitedStates(blueline). .. 19Figure10­2:Whenawaypointmarkerisclicked,atextbubbleappearsshowinglocationname

andtheinformationrelatingthelocationtoGertrude'sbiography. ....................................... 20