Authors read & discuss their D1G1T4L WR1T1NG at MIT

All events are free and open to the public

Purple Blurb, a series sponsored by Comparative Media Studies/Writing at MIT and organized by Prof. Nick Montfort, started in Fall 2007, when four events were held monthly in the cozy Trope Tank, in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Building 14.

Purple Blurb events are typically readings, screenings, and other presentations of creative work in digital media, focusing on the literary arts; the work shown is usually presented by the writer/artist. The series also has hosted public conversations and talks on the topic of digital writing.

Digital writing includes any work where computation and digital media intersect with writing practices, including creative and nonfiction ones. For some related ideas, see trAce's article on "digital writing," the definitions of "electronic literature" from the Electronic Literature Organization and from Matthew G. Kirschenbaum, and Brian Kim Stefans's discussion of the term "electronic writing."

Our mailing list that is used for announcements of each semester's schedule and each event. You are welcome to add yourself to it or remove yourself from it at the list info page.

Fall 2014

Cyberarts, Renderings, Readings, and Making Computation Strange

This fall Purple Blurb is taking a different shape, blurb that it is. We have one big event, co-sponsored with the MIT Communications Forum, with two guest speakers, moderated by Trope Tank director Nick Montfort. This is “Making Computing Strange” on December 4, and is on the bottom of the list below. Nick is also taking part in several events in the Boston Area related to digital writing - five of them.

And, Purple Blurb is looking to set up as many as three additional “Renderings conversations” to follow the one we had this summer with Robert Pinsky. These are open to the public, will take place in a seminar room at a table, and will involve readings, discussion, and short exercises related to our Renderings project, to translate computational literary works from other languages into English.The Renderings conversation schedule is not set, but we plan for these to take place at 5:15pm Wednesdays near the Trope Tank (Building 14) at MIT.

If you are interested in the translation of digital writing, please send Nick Montfort an email so we see about getting together individually or at a regular Trope Tank meeting as well as for these Renderings conversations. Everyone is welcome, but since these are participatory discussions, they will not be announced on the Purple Blurb list.

Here are the other events for the semester, all of which are free, no reservation required, and open to the public:

September 12, 6pm-8pm at the Boston Cyberarts Gallery

Nick Montfort

"Collision21: More Human" Opening

At the Boston Cyberarts Gallery, 141 Green Street, Jamaica Plain, MA, the “Collision21: More Human” exhibit opens. Up through October 26. “From the Tables of My Memorie” by Montfort, an interactive video installation, is included.

September 18, 7pm-8pm at the Harvard Book Store

Readings of #!, World Clock, and 10 PRINT

At the Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA Montfort reads from #!, World Clock, and the new paperback 10 PRINT See here for more information about the event.

September 24, 7:30pm at the Boston Cyberarts Gallery

"Collision21: More Human" Panel

At the Boston Cyberarts Gallery, 141 Green Street, Jamaica Plain, MA, Nick Montfort joins a panel of artists in “Collision21: More Human” for this Art Technology New England discussion. See here for more information about the event.

October 22, 6:30pm-7:30pm in Building E15 Atrium

#! Reading

In the Atrium of MIT’s Building E15 (“Old Media Lab”/Wiesner Building), Montfort reads from #! at the List Visual Arts Center. Check out the book at Counterpath Press.

November 15, 9am-3pm at MIT

Urban Poetry Lateral Studio

Urban Poetry Lateral Studio, a master class by Montfort for MIT’s SA+P. This event will take place at MIT (specific location TBA)

December 4, 5pm-7pm at MIT in 66-110

Lev Manovich, Fox Harrell, Nick Montfort

"Making Computing Strange"

An MIT Communications Forum about computational models and the self.

“Making Computing Strange,” a forum with: Lev Manovich (Software Takes Command, The Language of New Media), Fox Harrell (Phantasmal Media), moderated by Nick Montfort. The forum will examine the ways in which computational models can be used in cultural contexts for everything from analyzing media to imagining new ways to represent ourselves.