Digital Literature for Social Good Unconference
17-18 January 2023 – 100% Virtual
UPDATE: See the list of events and activities here!
For the first time, we are hosting a fully online 2-day “unconference” symposium, hosted by Bournemouth University (UK) in partnership with the Electronic Literature Organization and the British Library. The Unconference will culminate in the awards evening for the New Media Writing Prize on 18 January 2023.
We're looking for events, works, and activities that aim to serve a social purpose (such as projects aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals): “Digital Literature for Social Good”. Activist projects, works for education and sustainability, events to brainstorm new digital lit approaches to improving society and culture—it's all fair game. How can we change our world with our art and literature? The Unconference will focus not on standard conference presentations, but on an “unconferencing” approach in which all attendees/participants discuss and agree on the agenda (via Discord) leading up to the event. The Unconference will have two types of participants: We are seeking proposal submissions from people who are interested in being Named Participants: leading sessions, events, and/or activities at the unconference. These elements might include (but are not limited to): We acknowledge that some Named Participants may need to “present a paper” to have the support (for fees and time) of their employing institutions. The Unconference will include sessions for titled paper presentations as needed, but in creative formats such as pecha kuchas (short presentations with timed slides); presentations as the basis for workshops; lightning talks; and other formats as suggested and agreed upon by the Named Participants. Named Participants will determine the documentation for the symposium by submitting their academic requirements for publication and by voting. We anticipate a website with a virtual gallery of works for social good. Where possible and permissible, sessions will be recorded, and the recordings made available; this applies to elements like panel or roundtable discussions of good practice and presentations of works. Recordings will follow all privacy and accessibility best management practices. Attending Participants will not be merely attendees! The Unconference elements are intended to be workshops, roundtables, hack-a-thons, activist events, and other participatory sessions. We aim to have Attending Participants create works and contribute to discussions; you just won't have the responsibility of designing/hosting/managing elements. This is a great option for students new to digital literature, or folks who just want to play! As this is not the main ELO conference, participants will not be limited in the amount of activities they can participate or present in. Our aim is to have all attendees participate in every session. If a particular session is larger in attendance than anticipated, we will use breakout rooms to run activities in smaller groups in parallel. You tell us what you want to do. Not sure what you want to do? Send us what you're passionate about, and some options we can throw out to the Discord group to discuss. Your proposal doesn't have to be perfectly formed and outlined—in fact, for the Unconference to work, it needs to remain flexible and open to others' contributions and ideas. Tell us what would inspire you to contribute and participate in this Unconference. What have you been yearning to do in a combined artistic-academic atmosphere that traditional structures prevent? To propose an Unconference Element, go to our Proposal Form. You will need to provide: We are aiming to keep costs low, since the event is fully digital and supported by institutions with relevant structures (e.g., Zoom). Fees are intended to contribute to maintenance of the NMWP website, hosting video archives of the event, creating a web gallery of works, as well as accessibility technology expenses (primarily live captioning and extended functionalities on Zoom). As an ELO-sponsored event, membership fees will also be required for participants and attendees (good for the entire year!) PLUS: Any fees collected in excess of Unconference costs will contribute to the prizes for the New Media Writing Prize. Our goal is to make the Unconference a yearly event, and to enable it to sponsor a new prize category in the competition: Digital Lit for Social Good. The following folks came up with these shenanigans, and will be at least partially responsible for the chaos that ensues:
The Unconference Noncommittee are committed to the ELO Code of Conduct, and will conduct all activities in alignment with these values.Unconference Theme: Social Good
How can we change our world with our digital art and literature?
How It'll Work
The Unconference elements are intended to be workshops, roundtables, hack-a-thons, activist events, and other participatory sessions.
How to Propose an Unconference Element
Proposals are now closed—but you can still register to attend!
Fees
Unconference Noncommittee