Reorienting Electronic Literature
Proposal Type
Panel
Location
Hypertexts & Fictions
Start Date
July 2026
End Date
July 2026
Abstract
The First panelist will be tracing the historical evolution of electronic literature studies, shifting attention from tracing the historical development of creative practices to the changing scholarly frameworks that might have shaped the creative practices or might get depended upon and shaped by the evolving technological and creative practices since its inception. The talk aims at mapping five overlapping phases, by highlighting the development of technologies, experimentation in development of theoretical frameworks, to establishment of institutions, finally highlighting how electronic literature studies as a mature field whose scholarly history reflects the broader transformations.
The second panelist shifts the focus of electronic literature scholarship from historiography to the underlying logic of creation and reception of electronic literature from a global perspective. While prior studies have mapped the terrain of electronic literature and proposed theoretical approaches to reading, playing, and viewing e-lit works, this talk extends these approaches by foregrounding Space, Temporal, and Cultural (STC) axes as constitutive conditions of engagement. It proposes a turn toward “methods-first poetics,” arguing that interpretive and creative methods are not externally imposed but intrinsically constructed by both creators and readers through their situated STC contexts. By conceptualizing electronic literature as a co-constructed methodological practice, the talk advances a grounded framework in which poetics emerge from the dynamic interaction between platform, temporality, cultural location, and user experience.
The third panelist’s talk “Slipping into the Future” discusses present trends in electronic literature as they face current creative practices and the rise of ubiquitous AI. AI’s arrival brings us tremendous potential to boost electronic literature and digital writing production, but it also brings a negative backlash against or indifference to bots and computational writing. This talk will chart a few paths to a prosperous future for electronic literature and digital writing practices.
Reorienting Electronic Literature
Hypertexts & Fictions
The First panelist will be tracing the historical evolution of electronic literature studies, shifting attention from tracing the historical development of creative practices to the changing scholarly frameworks that might have shaped the creative practices or might get depended upon and shaped by the evolving technological and creative practices since its inception. The talk aims at mapping five overlapping phases, by highlighting the development of technologies, experimentation in development of theoretical frameworks, to establishment of institutions, finally highlighting how electronic literature studies as a mature field whose scholarly history reflects the broader transformations.
The second panelist shifts the focus of electronic literature scholarship from historiography to the underlying logic of creation and reception of electronic literature from a global perspective. While prior studies have mapped the terrain of electronic literature and proposed theoretical approaches to reading, playing, and viewing e-lit works, this talk extends these approaches by foregrounding Space, Temporal, and Cultural (STC) axes as constitutive conditions of engagement. It proposes a turn toward “methods-first poetics,” arguing that interpretive and creative methods are not externally imposed but intrinsically constructed by both creators and readers through their situated STC contexts. By conceptualizing electronic literature as a co-constructed methodological practice, the talk advances a grounded framework in which poetics emerge from the dynamic interaction between platform, temporality, cultural location, and user experience.
The third panelist’s talk “Slipping into the Future” discusses present trends in electronic literature as they face current creative practices and the rise of ubiquitous AI. AI’s arrival brings us tremendous potential to boost electronic literature and digital writing production, but it also brings a negative backlash against or indifference to bots and computational writing. This talk will chart a few paths to a prosperous future for electronic literature and digital writing practices.
Bio
Mehulkumar Desai is a research scholar at Indian Institute of Technology, Dhanbad. His research centers at the intersection of Electronic Literature and Interactive Digital Narratives in the Indian context. To foster creativity and establish scholarship in Interactive Digital Narratives in India, he has co-founded Indian Consortium for Interactive Digital Narratives (ICIDN) with Dr. Shanmugapriya. He has experience in peer-review processes, academic writing and the curation of interdisciplinary scholarship. He currently serves as an Editor-at-Large in DHNow and has previously served as a Guest Editor for a Special issue titled, “Digital Futures: Archives, AI, and Access in Indian Digital Humanities” in the journal IJHAC (forthcoming).
Shanmugapriya T is a researcher in digital humanities and digital literature, working within South Asian, particularly Indian context. Her research focuses on questions of technology, gender, and environment in both conventional and digital literature, at times employing computational literary methods and tools for the former. She has published in DSH, DHQ, and New Review of Hypermedia, among others. She is a co-founder of ICIDN with Mehulkumar Desai and serves on the Board of Directors of the Electronic Literature Organization, as Secretary of DHARTI, and as a Peer-review Editor of DHQ.
Professor Leonardo Flores is Chair of the English Department at Appalachian State University and President of the Latin American Electronic Literature Network – Lit(e)Lat. His research areas are electronic literature, with a focus on e-poetry, digital writing, and the history and strategic growth of the field. He’s known for I ♥ E-Poetry, the Electronic Literature Collection, Volume 3, “Third Generation Electronic Literature” and the Antología Lit(e)Lat, Volume 1. He was a member of the MLA-CCCC Joint Task Force on AI and Writing and is now part of the MLA Task Force on Generative AI Initiatives and is available to offer talks and workshops on AI and its impact on education, policy, scholarship, and creativity. He is also a cyborg digital writer with a thriving creative coding practice. For more information on his current work, visit leonardoflores.net.