Turn on literature

Abstract

How do you start a story? Open a page, flick a switch, move an object, touch a screen? With the digital development and new digital genres of literature libraries face new challenges as well as new possibilities. Authors are using digital media to push literature in new directions. But how do we communicate the wonders of the new genres that do not fit into the physical book's distribution pattern. The surfacing of new literary trends gives way to librarians to play a new role as editors, facilitators and curators. 3 libraries in Romania, Norway and Denmark have joined forces to “turn on literature” by creating 3 generative literature machines (poetry machines) and 3 acknowledged authors have written texts for the machines. All is a result of an unusual collaboration between libraries, digital developers, authors, university researchers with the help of EU-funding.

The poetry machines are designed to involve users in the creation of digital literature in the library space. Through a game-like interface the user combines the author’s sentences into a poem, which will then be printed onto a library receipt creating an intermedial translation. At the same time, the poem will be projected onto projection surfaces in the other participating libraries making the installation transnational. The poetry machine translates the concept of e-literature into a tangible object (a printed poem) and transforms the solitary activities of writing and reading into a social undertaking since three simultaneous users can interact with the machine creating a poem together. The machine will be used in exhibitions at libraries and at as tool and in digital and media literacy workshops with young adults.