And the visual tradition.

Pictographs Petroglyphs Hieroglyphs? Logographic writing Ideograms (though these were usually one-symbol representations of whole words) The visual dimension of language and writing has always been of use and interest.

And you probably remember …the pleasure you took as a kid, when you were just learning to “make your letters.” Most of us don’t pay much attention to the visual aspect of language anymore, but, for concretists and new media writers, it’s vital.

“Concrete poetry’s most conspicuous feature is its attention to the visual appearance of the text on the page” (Drucker 110). Like oral poetry, it returns us to the roots of meaning-making with language? “In its most generic application, the term ‘concrete poetry’ is used to designate all manner of shaped, typographically complex, visually self-conscious poetic works. The term ‘visual poetry’ is more general and thus more aptly used to describe a poetry’ is used to designate all manner of shaped, typographically complex, visually self-conscious poetic works. The term ‘visual poetry’ is more general and thus more aptly used to describe a history which is as old as writing itself” (Drucker).

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New Media Poetry

What makes electronic writing S p e c i a l ?

Some of the first characteristics we noticed about “computer writing”: Very easily manipulated text. Utilitarian functions: storage, annotation, word processing Reader interaction. Circumvention of commercial control. The LINKED NODE.

Suddenly…. written text was no longerLINEAR!

Thus we have

HOMEPAGE Link Far distant reaches of the Web Dictionary Related Website Official Organization Site

The 80s saw some great experiments with hypertext, in particular… Michael Joyce’s electronic novel, Afternoon, A Story and other Eastgate work. (View portions of Joyce’s novel.)

This was, and still is, resisted. But, then, so was the printed word itself, which some ancient Greeks thought was an innovation that signaled the death of civilization (loss of memory skills…)!

Every big paradigm shift has been resisted and considered a degrading of what came before.

It’s apparent now that new media allow for a whole wealth of

New Media Presentation New Media Presentation Let’s return now to New Media PresentationNew Media Presentation Writing/323/NewMediaPresentation.htm

New Media Performance Instructions Present to the class some form of visual poetry, whether electronic or hardcopy. Present to the class some form of visual poetry, whether electronic or hardcopy. Presentation should include showing the piece as well as some narration, roughly 5-10 minutes. You can talk to us about what you were aiming for, what problems and successes you had, what possibilities the piece suggests to you for future work. Presentation should include showing the piece as well as some narration, roughly 5-10 minutes. You can talk to us about what you were aiming for, what problems and successes you had, what possibilities the piece suggests to you for future work.Criteria Materials should be VISIBLE. Materials should be VISIBLE. Materials should work properly. Materials should work properly. Materials and narration should be well-REHEARSED. Materials and narration should be well-REHEARSED. Piece should be Piece should be o Engaging o Inventive o Of adequate complexity and interest o Without sentimentality

The Visual Dimension