2023 ELO AWARDS
The Robert Coover Award for a Work of Electronic Literature
Winner: “Anonymous Animal ” by Everest Pipkin
From the jury statement: “This intricately crafted artwork offers a distinctive 15-minute durational browser poem that operates on an hourly cycle … This artwork attests to the power of electronic literature to provoke thought, evoke emotions, and offer unique insights into the human condition and our shifting relationships with technology.
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Runner-up: “The (m)Otherhood of Meep (the bat translator)” by Alinta Krauth
From the jury statement: “This work sits at a perfect nexus of co-creation, algorithm-driven literature, and emergent text. That it is co-created not only with other humans, but primarily with another species altogether—bats—is truly remarkable … “The (m)Otherhood of Meep (the bat translator)” is a beautiful and meaningful convergence of science, literature, and human-computer interaction. It serves as an example of what amazing good we can do with our work.
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Honorable Mention: “The Decameron 2.0” by The Decameron Collective:
Jolene Armstrong, Kelly Egan, Lai-Tze Fan, Caitlin Fisher, Angela Joose, Kari Maaren, Shi-vawn Of-len, Izabella Pruska-Oldenhof, and Monique Tschofen
From the jury statement: “The Decameron 2.0” is a product of plague. Like Giovanni Boccaccio’s bebonic-plague narrative that inspired it, it is a work that arises from and conveys the experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic. The “collective” creators co-created a storyworld that can be explored through 100 works of experimental multimedia poetry… “The Decameron 2.0” not only stands out as an artistic, fun, compelling, and highly affective world of electronic literature, but also as a historical record (an archive indeed) of women during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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The N. Katherine Hayles Award for Criticism of Electronic Literature
Winner: “Neverending Stories: The Popular Emergence of Digital Fiction” by Lyle Skains
From the jury statement: “The book is a granular exploration of both the evolution of digital fiction and its impact on (and positioning in) popular culture. The author’s focus on marginalized authors/creators, as well as reframing accepted aspects of digital fiction, sets their work apart. Skains does more than justice to a complex topic with her ambitious work spanning over half a century of digital literature development.”
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Runner up: “Opera aperta: Italian Electronic Literature from the 1960s to the Present” by Emanuela Patti
From the jury statement: “The author methodically develops a theoretical framework based on Umberto Eco’s ‘open work’ concept and applies this framework to analyze a diverse range of literary and artistic forms. The book’s argument is deeply rooted in a thoughtful examination of the digital revolution in Italy and its transformative impact on avant-garde literary production.”
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Honorable mention: “Girl Online” by Joanna Walsh
From the jury statement: “a profound exploration of the intricate dynamics of online identity with a direct focus on the experiences of women. The book delves into the challenges and opportunities that arise from the process of self-creation in the digital realm … The book’s strength lies in its ability to resonate on a deeply personal level while maintaining scholarly rigor.”
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The Marjorie C. Luesebrink Career Achievement Award.
Stephanie Strickland
The jury statement reads: “Stephanie Strickland is a renowned poet whose influence in the field of electronic literature cannot be overstated. Her for-midable critical and creative practices span decades, with pioneering work in hypertext, generative and multimodal digital formats … Strickland has cultivated and shaped the field of electronic literature as we know it today, growing a broader community of creative and critical practice, and inspiring others to appreciate, and often follow, these resonant lines of poetic inquiry and insight.”
Maverick Award
Deena Larsen
Deena Larsen has been a pioneer in electronic literature for over three decades. From her first work Marble Springs to her most recent collaborations, she has been sculpting new forms of digital art. Spanning genres from hypertext to interactive bots to e-poetry, Larsen’s extensive collection of works includes Andromeda and Eliza, Playing with Rose, Modern Moral Fairytales, and Firefly. Dedicated to community building, since 2020, Larsen has been hosting Second Tuesday Salons and other events for ELO, welcoming new members and creating new venues to explore and celebrate to creative projects and scholarship. She has also co-hosted the first ever ELO Unconference and plans to host the second under the theme Access Works in January 2024, continuing her advocacy for a more inclusive and accessible e-lit world. Larsen’s archive is at University of Maryland, where among other wonders, scholars can find a shower curtain on which she composed a hypertext. Larsen continues to find new ground, welcoming newcomers even as she discovers it.