We are always happy to get new sweepers from our listeners!

We like to use a few different sweepers in each issue of Queer Out Here. Sweepers are those short clips you might hear on a radio station - you know, the ones that go, "You're listening to the relaxed vibes of Drive on 104.4, Sweet FM." But we're after something more like the community contributions on podcasts like The Sporkful (phone-in style) or Nancy (vox pop style) - and that's where you come in.

Recording a sweeper is an especially good thing to do if you’re new to recording audio or don’t have time to make a whole piece, but still want to be part of a future issue.

How to record a greeting / sweeper - in four easy steps

One. Find a device you can use to record some digital sound. This might be a phone (iPhones come with Voice Memo as standard), a digital recorder or a laptop. If you have a mic you can plug in, that’s great. If not, you can work with the internal mic on your device.

Two. Go to an outdoor spot. Optional: record one minute of the sounds that are happening right there and then. It can help to wear headphones so you can adjust the recording levels or monitor if wind is blowing out the sound.

Three. Record a Queer Out Here greeting/sweeper using this template as a guide:

  • [Greeting]

  • I’m [name and (optional) description of self].

  • I’m [describe what you’re doing/where you are]

  • and [it is/I am/we are/you’re listening to] Queer Out Here.

For example, “Hola! My name’s Juan, and I’m a gay trans man living in the Netherlands. I’m sitting in my local park in Eindhoven, watching people feed the pigeons, and you’re listening to Queer Out Here.” Or, “Hi, I’m Abuya. I’ve just climbed my first ever mountain and I am Queer Out Here!” Or, “Hi, this is Danni. I’m in Sydney with my partner Bee, we’re at Mardi Gras and it is super Queer Out Here!”

Four. Send the recording/s to us along with your name, where/when you made them. Please send a photo if you can, either of you or of the place you made your recording. You can email attachments or links to queerouthere@gmail.com.

And that's it! We'll edit the outdoors sounds together with your voice, if needed (or if you want to edit them, that’s great, too). We don’t pay for sweepers at the moment - but you'll be rewarded with the warm fuzzy feeling of helping out - and with the fame and fortune* that will inevitably accompany being featured in Queer Out Here.

(*Fame and fortune not guaranteed.)

Sweepers we have known

Here are a few sweepers we’ve used in the past! If you're curious, you can find other Queer Out Here sweepers on SoundCloud.

Ross took a moment between blasts of autumn wind to record this sweeper for us. Thanks, Ross! TRANSCRIPT: [The sound of wind] Hi, I’m Ross, out in the hills near Manchester. And you’re listening to Queer Out Here. Visit queerouthere.com to listen to previous issues and see our calls for submissions.

Thanks so much to Gemma for this Spring greeting from a National Trust house. TRANSCRIPT: [Birds tweeting, quiet footsteps.] Hi I’m Gemma, and I’m at Standen House, which is an arts and crafts house with William Morris designs in it. I’m in the gardens. [Faint, distant cheer.] And I’m listening to Queer Out Here. [More birds.]

A greeting recorded for Queer Out Here audio zine at Drielandenpunt (Three Country Point), where Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands meet. International! TRANSCRIPT: J: Hi, I’m Jonathan - P: I’m Peter - D: I’m Dan - P: And we’re at the Drielandenpunt in Vaals. J: And we are now in Germany [shuffling noises], and now in the Netherlands [shuffling noises, laughter], and now we’re in Belgium... D: And you’re listening to Queer Out Here. J: Woohoo!

Thanks to a few of the folks from the Rainbow Ramblers for this sweeper. TRANSCRIPT: [multiple voices] We're the Rainbow Ramblers and you're listening to Queer Out Here

A greeting/sweeper from Sam in Melbourne, with some spooky pigeon noises and faint electronic music in the background. Thanks, Sam! Transcript: "Hello, ah, my name is Sam, I live in Melbourne, Australia. Today, I walked the city with my friend Hannah and even though it was a city we saw, I, I still think of it as, in many ways, the great outdoors, for various reasons. And we walked the Yarra River. And I’m looking at my pedometer and we walked twenty one thousand, six hundred and ninety three [21,693] steps today . . . And you’re listening to Queer Out Here."

A big thanks to Gavin, who has sent us a sweeper from a beaver dam! TRANSCRIPT: [Sound of running water] Well, that sound of rushing water you hear is not any old waterfall. It’s the sound of water rushing through a beaver dam at Ham Fen in Kent - which is Britain’s first beaver reintroduction programme. [More water sounds] And I’m all alone here. The beavers are probably tucked up in their lodge, being mostly nocturnal. My name’s Gavin, and you’re listening to Queer Out Here. [Water sounds fade out] Find out more about Ham Fen here: https://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/ham-fen-appeal

A greeting/sweeper from Emma for our audio zine - thanks, Emma! Transcript: "Hi there, my name’s Emma. I’m on top of the Cam Long Down ridge in the beautiful Cotswolds, and I’m queer out here!"

It's lovely to hear from Emily and Jenny, who contributed a piece about their trip to Finland in an earlier issue. TRANSCRIPT [Birds tweeting in the foreground and calling in the background, faint sound of a breeze maybe?] Emily: This is Emily. Jenny: And this is Jenny. Emily: And you’re listening to Queer Out Here. We’re on Yorta Yorta country, on the banks of the Murray River in Victoria, looking out over water embracing trees on a floodplain, covered in flies and surrounded by birds. [They both laugh quietly, birdsong fades out] Visit queerouthere.com to listen to previous issues and see our calls for submissions.