News and Resources: trAce News

BBC World features trAce's Cybergran
The Cheltenham Literature Festival Silver Surfers' project, facilitated by Margaret Penfold of trAce, features on this week's Click Online programme on the BBC World TV network and website.

Date for Incubation II set
The second Incubation conference will be held from 19-21 July 2002, in Nottingham, UK.

*Sparks*
A relaxed approach to exercising the muscle of the imagination — a weekly writing task posted on WebBoard, with the challenge to post your response by the following Thursday. Fourth exercise now up. Log on to WebBoard and join in.

SUB/CON/TEXT CDROM 2.06 Available:
COLLECTED WORK, 1994-2000
by Alan Sondheim (ex-trAce writer-in-residence)

I've been working non-stop on putting as much of my work (dealing with literature, psychology, cyberspace, language, sexuality, body, etc.) on one cdrom. The result is sub/con/text (which also includes collabora- tions with Foofwa d'Imobilite, Barry Smyle, Reiner Strasser, Annie Abrahams, and Azure Carter), which is available now. sub/con/text is an enormous mass of material - some of which is available on my website, but most of which will be new to you.

The advantage of the cdrom, in any case, is that you can explore it at your leisure, copy out texts and graphics, etc. It's relatively easy to use - you can access the various directories through a browser or any file browser such as Explorer. The cdrom was made on a PC, but because it is only files and directories, I imagine it will open on most Macs as well.

30 articles, outlines of 8 talks, 345 images (approx.), 6 music tracks (mp3), the full Internet Text (approximately 3800 pages) and additional materials (revised The Case of the Real; Ma, a Novel), 7-8 webpage suites (including Water, Frac, Narcissistic Disturbance, etc.); approx- imately 15 video segments in .avi format and one also in .rm and .asf formats; and 61 tiny programs on basic, perl, or dialog.

The sound should be playable on most mp3-compatible players; the video will open in various players as well. The texts are accessible through most browsers at cdrom\network\index.html . The websuites will open in almost any browser as well. The texts and articles are all in text-based ascii format, which means they're readable literally with anything; they're the core of the cdrom. There is a readme_1st.txt which acts as a guide.

I'm asking $10 + $4 shipping and handling; this helps cover the costs of the burner, label, case, disk, and most important, the labor. Please send $14.00 in check, cash, or money order, with a return address, to

trAce at the Cheltenham Festival of Literature
trAce is running Cheltenham's Cyberfest online literature festival in October 00. There will be workshops with Sue Thomas and Helen Whitehead at the Everyman Theatre, and live online discussions open to all. Margaret Penfold is writing with Silver Surfers, and Helen Whitehead is helping schoolchildren produce Virtual Games. /more

Deadline approaching for the 2nd trAce Alt-X Competition
The deadline for entries is 30th September. Last time we called it the International Hypertext Competition, this time it's a Competition for New Media Writing. What is New Media Writing? Partly, that's what we aim to find out. The prize is still One Thousand Pounds sterling, and we are now inviting entries

IS THIS STILL HYPERTEXT? Last time we called it the International Hypertext Competition, but even then the notion of hypertext was beginning to seem passé. And as for "International" -- well, what isn't these days? So this time we're calling it simply The trAce/Alt-X Competition for New Media Writing and part of the challenge is for you to help us decide exactly what that is. Everyone working in the area of net-art and net-writing is constantly asking the question 'What is this new genre? Is it new? Is it a genre? What is it that we're making here? How do we name it? And what are its characteristics?' We acknowledge that the web itself is a work-in-process and so, as a result, we're looking for work that stretches our preconceived notions of what writing is. /more

The trAce Survey into Writers and the Internet, 2000
Our international online survey aims to find out how writers all over the world really use the Internet (early results). It's your last chance to let us have your views! The survey will close on 1st October 00.

Call for Contributions: frAme 5: Digital Labour: For love or money
trAce's electronic magazine frAme is devoted to theory and social commentary. This edition, guest edited by Christy Sheffield Sanford, takes as its theme Digital Labour: For Love or Money.

Why are you slaving over that machine? Or is that a sly caressing of the keys so late at night. Are you having a love/hate affair with the cyber revolution? Is your computer work some kind of compulsive drudgery or artistic delight for you? We want to know. We want you to tell us about your Repetitive Stress Injury — your aching rotator cuff — or share with us your theoretical ideas on this most tactile of professions. Why are you involved in this digital revolution?

We prefer original web-specific work but will take text-based work and work that has been presented in other venues. We are limited in the number of contributors we can accept, so please contact Christy Sanford as soon as possible.

The deadline is the end of October.
The issue will launch in late November.
Query Christys@fdt.net with your ideas and work.

trAce Sunday chat meetings
As an alternative to the Web-based chat applet at WebBoard you can also join the weekly trAce chat meetings by IRC. Times are Sunday 21:00 London, 16:00 New York, 13:00 L.A.and 06.00 (Mon) Sydney. Point your IRC client at hum-webboard.ntu.ac.uk:7000 and join the #trace channel.

Free course for web-writing tutors
trAce is running a free residential weekend for UK writing teachers and workshop leaders in Leicestershire, UK, in November. Deadline for applications is 22nd September. /more

Sue Thomas at Virtual Communities
trAce's Creative Director will be presenting "The Writing Community: How the Web is Giving Rise to New Creative Opportunities" at the Third International Conference on Virtual Communities Church House Conference Centre Westminster, Central London 19-20th September 2000. /more

The trAce Toolbox
Featuring useful tips, tricks and tools for writers, all contributed by trAce members. A spreading pool of knowledge composed of shared skills and expertise and backed up by live surgeries in the trAce chatroom. First contributions now linked. Can you contribute anything? /more

Incubation Presentations wanted
Incubation Presenters are asked to send us electronic copies of their presentations for our archive.

Sue Thomas interview on 3AM
An interview with trAce's Creative Director features in the current issue of 3 AM Magazine.

Opportunities: the trAce Freelance Register
As trAce expands we are increasingly being asked to provide services for other organisations. In 2000 we plan to establish a Register of freelance writers and web designers.

We'll also be providing some UK-based training for writers wishing to develop their skills in the area of net-based arts projects so that they can join the Register.

As a first step towards this, we would like to hear from specific groups of people. Please get in touch if you are:

A writer with net-skills and living in the UK, especially in the East Midlands.
A writer living in the UK and wishing to develop your net-skills with a view to teaching and facilitating online writing projects.
A web-designer with experience of working online with writers (any location).

Please send your CV and any other information you feel is relevant to trace@ntu.ac.uk with the subject line FREELANCE. We look forward to hearing from you.