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Announcing “Teaching Electronic Literature,” A Resource for Teachers

ELO is pleased to announce a collaboration with N. Katherine Hayles on “Teaching Electronic Literature,” a resource for teachers featuring useful links to curated collections of works, selected scholarly resources, and sample syllabi and course materials from leading scholars and teachers in the field. The website is a companion to Dr. Hayles’ MLA presentation “Why Teach Electronic Literature” at 3:30 on January 11, 2020.

With this project, Dr. Hayles shares knowledge and experience accumulated since becoming active in the field of electronic literature in 1995, when she directed the first of three NEH Summer Seminars on the topic. Since then, she has remained a leading voice in the study of electronic literature, producing the first systematic survey of the field, Electronic Literature: New Horizons for the Literary. In addition, Dr. Hayles has served as ELO’s President and is the namesake of our annual award for scholarship on digital literature. Her goal in creating “Teaching Electronic Literature” is to make the transition into electronic literature easier for anyone who wants to teach these works.

Assisting in the creation and maintenance of the website is Ryan House, currently a doctoral student in Media, Film, and Digital Studies at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. Ryan has been a member of ELO since 2016. If you would like to contribute to this resource, please contact him at rnhouse@uwm.edu.

Please share widely!

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New Scientist Discovers Electronic Literature

Members of the Electronic Literature Organization no doubt remember the first time they heard about electronic literature. That exhilarating moment wrapped around a sense of possibility and a desire to get their hands on either the tools of creation or the mind-blowing creations or both. Over the past month, the popular science journal New Scientist has been publishing posts marking its discovery of electronic literature in a series called Storytelling 2.0.

The posts mention ELO and ELO co-founder Robert Coover along with works by Jay Bushman and others. There’s even a mention of ELO-President Nick Montfort, alluding to his work on his IF platform Curveship.

Check out the posts and join the conversation as New Scientist readers discover e-lit.

The posts:

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Electronic Literature Videos

Bringing electronic literature artists and critics into your classroom can be as easy as a quick jog through YouTube or Vimeo.

Here is the beginning of a playlist of videos of varying lengths discussing electronic literature. Please send us links to videos you nominate for the list.

Currently we are featuring:

  • E-literature Explains, Mark Marino, a very short introduction to the idea of e-lit (87 secs)
  • Exploring Interactive Fiction, Nick Montfort, introduction to the literary form of IF (6 minutes)
  • N. Katherine Hayles, herself, extended interview on electronic literature (30 minutes)
  • Dr. Fox Harrell at the UBC Centre for Cross Faculty Inquiry, himself, discussion of emergent storytelling forms (9 min.)
  • “The Time of Codework,” Rita Raley, discusses codework and e-lit. (8 minutes)
  • “Regards Croisés: Perspectives on Digital Literature,” Sandy Baldwin, introduces his collection of essays digital literature, co-edited with Philippe Bootz (5 min.)
  • “Noah Wardrip-Fruin,” NWF introduces his perspectives on software objects in Expressive Processing (8 min, but part 1 of 4)
  • “The Gameshelf #8: Modern Interactive Fiction ,” Jason McIntosh, introduction to contemporary IF

These titles represent just an initial list.

We are also compiling lists of videos of readings/performances of works and walk-throughs. If you have any favorite videos of or about electronic literature, please refer them to us via email or Twitter @eliterature or #elit_videos. We also encourage you to make them and tag them e-lit.

This is just the beginning of a growing set of resources we are building to facilitate incorporating electronic literature into your classroom or the many informal educational spaces online. Stay tuned.

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mediartZ event in Vancouver, Wa (10/2-31)

Electronic literature (re)takes the Pacific northwest!

See “mediartZ: Art as Experiential, Art as Participatory, Art as Electronic” an enticing collection of works on display October 2-31 at the North Bank Artists Gallery in Vancouver.

“mediart” will feature Second Life performance, video and sound installations, animation, interactive art, and a Halloween-morning cartoon fest. See e-lit and electronic arts rock stars: Mark Amerika, Brian Evans, Jim Bizzochi, Doug Jarvis, Will Luers, Doug Gast, and Reza Safavi. Dene has also brought in works from local artists,
Hoolinganship and Jeannette Altman, are also featured.  The exhibit is free and open to all.

A kick-off party will be held on Friday, October 2 featuring the Willamette Radio Project. The kick-off will also celebrate the launch of a special issue of Hyperrhiz. Hyperrhiz remains one of the premier outlets for electronic literature. The special issue features papers and art from the fabulous 2008 ELO conference Visionary Landscapes.

For info, go to the exhibit web site, or contact curator and ELO Board-Member Dene Grigar grigar [at] vancouver.wsu.edu.  Dene is Director of the Digital Technology and Culture Program at WSU Vancouver.

Let us know about events in your area. Also tune into our new Twitter tag: #elo_events.  And follow us on Twitter.