The Grafton Voice

Introduction to Essay Forum

The rapid exchange of vast amounts of information is the power and the glory of this age of mass communication. But in a way the speed of this information flow is its weakness. The most common formats for communication on the internet feature an unlimited amount of unstructured space in which you can state your ideas, but not much time with which to organize them. This disorganization makes the information exchange less meaningful. People communicate a great deal of information in these formats, but not always very well.

I prefer to take the time to craft a coherent, self-contained thought, but have a space limit. This forces me to consider my words more carefully to create more concise arguments.

So, as a voice actor interested in building my resume, and as a concerned citizen interested in facilitating a constructive exchange of ideas, I present to you the Essay Forum of GraftonVoice.com

I urge you to contribute essays on any topic that interests you, for me to read aloud and archive on this website.

I want people to use this forum as a safe space in which they can discuss anything from the controversial to the mundane so long as it is presented with dignity. I am the final arbiter and feel no compunction about choosing to not read a submission because it doesn’t fit my standard for a coherent, civil essay.

I hope that by making this website participatory, more people will become interested in it. I want people to listen to essays in part because they’ve contributed their own essays. Participation creates a network and grows a larger audience for everyone’s ideas. Civil discourse benefits everyone who participates in it, and every essay that you contribute expands the understanding of everyone who is willing to listen.

I’m not an editor. I do not fact check contributions. I present essays here exactly as they are presented to me. I hope that all contributions will be made in good faith and that all listeners draw their own conclusions.

As a voice actor, reading essays forces me to see the issue from the author’s point of view. I must understand what the author is trying to say, and sound like I agree with it. I hope that my listeners will realize that I am a voice actor playing a role. To all contributors I promise to do my best to convey the idea behind your words.

All essays must be between 400–500 words; must be clearly written, and must maintain the dignity of the forum. Other than that, there are no rules. Anything that interests you probably interests me and thousands of online listeners, too.

So I invite you to listen to the essays already archived here, and I urge you again to join those who have already contributed. I believe that Perfection is the enemy of Excellence. If you’ve written a good essay, but aren’t quite satisfied with it: please submit it. This isn’t the New Yorker. This is GraftonVoice.com.