arvon thoughts
Introductory piece for the 2012 Jerwood mentored writers anthology to be launched this June alongside a digital sampler made by if:book UK
It was far-sighted of
the Arvon Foundation in 2010 to commission if:book UK, my think and do tank
exploring the future of the book, to work with the Jerwood funded batch of
writers being mentored to become writers with a future.
The first group of
nine took some persuading that there was any merit to producing a digital
sampler of their work alongside the print anthology, perfect bound with ISBN
number, which they saw as the real goal of their year. If:book associates film
maker Sasha Hoare, artist Toni Le Busque and I travelled to the Hurst to win
them round with a presentation about past if:book projects and our mission to
explore digital possibilities for literature.
Sasha’s intelligent
and beautiful short films, Toni’s inspired animations and digital inventiveness
soon won them round and over the next two days we established the pattern we’ve
used since, interviewing each author and forming ideas with them on how a short
segment of their poetry, prose or script could be illuminated via digital means
for a micro-site linked to the Arvon website, completed on our return from the
Hurst.
That first year I remember
suggesting we think about how the sampler might look on one of those new iPad
thingies that had just come out.
One year later on the
train to Shropshire, half the carriage seemed to be reading on Kindles or using
their laptops to read, work or view movies on. The second year’s intake of
writers were more swiftly won round. They could see the benefits of having a
clip as a trailer of their work to send to publishers or producers. Another
year on and iPads, iPods and Kindles abound; everyone knows we’re in the midst
of digital revolution. Writers take email, google and now kindles for granted
yet most still keep one foot firmly in the analogue and an eye fixed on
conventional publishing goals.
Meanwhile the work of
Arvon becomes ever more valuable. No longer is the assumption that only a few
will use courses and workshops as a springboard into ‘proper’ publishing; all are
Nearlywriters now, able to amplify whatever they write to a critical readership
of some kind and bound to benefit from the skills honed at weeks away amidst the
amazing creative landscapes these centres provide.
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