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Last updated 06/11/01

Mark Amerika
Important figure in the "Avant-Pop" movement and author of two printed novels, The Kafka Chronicles and Sexual Blood. Amerika is also the publisher of the Alt-X Publishing Network.

Grammatron (Alt-X, 1997). A long, ambitious work of hypertext fiction that explores elements of cyberculture. An opening linear section displays new portions of text and graphics at timed intervals. This work has received a great deal of media attention.

Mary-Kim Arnold

Lust (Eastgate Systems, 1993). Hypertext short fiction with a strong flavor of poetry to it. Written in Storyspace. (Windows and Mac)

Christine Baczewska

Vocabulary (Turbulence). Audio poem in which the reader controls sung phrases by moving the mouse over the phrases in a visual poem. The result is an audio hypertext. Written in Shockwave.

Bill Bly
Author of hypertext fiction and poetry, freelance writer, and musician. Teaches drama and hypertext literature at New York University.

We Descend: Archives Pertaining to Egderus Scriptor, Volume One (Eastgate Systems, 1997). An artifactual hypertext story of our far future, layering diaries, letters, confessions, and fragments (with commentary and cross-references). Written in Storyspace. (Windows and Mac). An excerpt from the work is available in the Word Circuits Gallery.

John Cayley
Canadian poet living in England, author of electronic poetry as well as a translator of Classical Chinese verse. He runs Wellsweep Press, which publishes his electronic poetry and translations from the Chinese.

Indra's Net. A multivolume work of poetry that uses algorithms and randomization functions to generate new texts from pre-existing ones. The approach is related to those used by John Cage and Jackson Mac Low. The new text is different every time it's read, and you see it being built on screen a little at a time. HyperCard stacks for Mac. Some of this work can be downloaded from Cayley's Web site.
Bird Song Stream (Wellsweep Press). Cayley's translations and kinetic renderings of five (primarily Classical) Chinese poems, which demonstrate his contention that ancient Chinese verse forms have a strong nonlinear element to them. HyperCard stack for Mac.

Wes Chapman

Turning In (Eastgate Systems). Hypertext fiction.

Hale Chatfield
Author of multimedia poetry that combines animation and audio. Head of Chatfield Software, which markets his electronic poetry as well as software for teaching poetry.

9 Meditations. Electronic poem that supplements its text with graphics, movement, and audio. Download 9 Meditations from Chatfield Software site (Windows, 666K).
Snake. Electronic poem similar in approach to 9 Meditations. Windows.
Sonnet. Included in the instructional program PoetryStar, this strict Petrarchan sonnet has four alternative versions of each line. Every time the sonnet is displayed, the program randomly chooses a version of each line. Download PoetryStar from Chatfield Software site (DOS, 222K).

Sean Cohen

The Color of Television, coauthored with Stuart Moulthrop (Media Ecology, work in progress). Hypertext fiction.

Martha Conway

8 Minutes (Enterzone, 1996). Hypertext short fiction. Each page is loaded automatically by client pull (the whole thing lasting about 8 minutes). A link on each page lets the reader follow an alternative version.
Girl Birth Water Death (Enterzone, 1995). Hypertext short fiction.

Douglas Cooper
Canadian novelist. His first novel, Amnesia, was a best-seller in Canada.

Delirium (Time Warner's Pathfinder). Hypertext novel.

Kathryn Cramer
Author of hypertext fiction and noted science fiction anthologist.

In Small & Large Pieces (Eastgate Systems, 1994). Darkly surreal hypertext fiction. Written in Storyspace. (Windows and Mac)
Live on Stage! Short hypertext fiction notable for its clear, easy-to-navigate structure. Soon to be available on the Web.

Jackie Craven

In the Changing Room (Word Circuits, 1998). Hypertext fiction in the form of eight interwoven parables.

Charles Deemer
Playwright and author of "hyperdramas" (plays in which audience members move around the set observing simultaneously enacted scenes) and hypertext fiction.

Chateau de Mort. A hyperdrama that's available on disk as hypertext. It's a murder mystery intended more as entertainment than serious literature, but the techniques used are interesting. Download Chateau de Mort from the Dramatic Exchange Web site (DOS).
What Do Men Want? A hypertext novel.

Jane Yellowlees Douglas
Hypertext fiction writer and noted theorist and critic of hypertext literature.

I Have Said Nothing (Eastgate Systems, 1993). Hypertext short story. (Windows and Mac)

Edward Falco
Author of hypertext poetry and fiction, as well as several printed books of fiction. Editor of The New River, a Web magazine of hypertext literature.

A Dream with Demons (Eastgate Systems). Hypertext novel.
Sea Island (Eastgate Systems, 1995). Ten hypertext poems. (Windows and Mac)

John Fowler
Poet who has worked with visual poetry in print for many years. Maintains the GRIST On-Line Web site.

Hiroshima, Hiroshira, Hirosh'ma. A kinetic visual poem that uses graphics and animation but doesn't allow any interaction. Freeware for Windows.
Guerilla Poetry. Visual hypertext poetry interspersed with quotations.
paulup. Visual hypertext fiction in progress.

Holly Franking

Negative Space (Diskotech Software, 1990; reissued on CD-ROM 1995). A "Computer Video Novel" that combines text, animation, and digital video. Originally published on diskette with accompanying videotape. Reissued on CD-ROM with digital video.

Vera Frenkel
Artist and writer.

The Body Missing Project. Hypermedia fiction set in a bar where artists gather to discuss Hitler's plans to plunder the great art of Europe. Includes music.

Richard Gess

Mahasukha Halo (Eastgate Systems). (Windows and Mac)

William Gibson
Fiction writer know for his "cyberpunk" novels. Coiner of the term "cyberspace."

Agrippa (A Book of the Dead) (Kevin Begos Publishing, 1992; out of print). A poem that scrolls its text down the screen and then erases itself from disk so it can't be read more than once. ASCII version of the text.

Carolyn Guyer
Author of hypertext fiction and coordinator of HiPitched Voices, a collaborative hypertext project for women, which is part of Brown University's Hypertext Hotel.

Quibbling (Eastgate Systems, 1992). Hypertext fiction. (Windows and Mac) An excerpt of the work is available on the Web.
Izme Pass, coauthored with Martha Petry (Writing on the Edge, 1991; out of print). Hypertext fiction. An excerpt of the work is available on the Web.

David Herrstrom

To Find the White Cat in the Snow (The New River, 1996). Hypertext poem.

Clark Humphrey

The Perfect Couple (Eastgate Systems). Hypertext fiction.

Shelley Jackson
Author of printed and hypertext fiction. Has also written and illustrated a children's book.

My Body (Alt-X, 1997). Hypertext fiction.
Patchwork Girl (Eastgate Systems, 1995). Hypertext novel. (Windows and Mac)

Michael Joyce
Hypertext fiction writer and author of a printed novel. One of the foremost theorists of hypertext literature.

Twelve Blue (Eastgate Systems, 1997). Hypertext fiction for the Web.
Twilight: a symphony (Eastgate Systems, 1996). Hypertext fiction on CD-ROM. (Mac; Windows version forthcoming)
WOE (Writing on the Edge, 1991; out of print). Hypertext fiction. Written in Storyspace. (Mac)
afternoon, a story (Eastgate Systems, 1990). Completed in 1987. One of the first hypertext novels and by far the best known and most widely discussed. Written in Storyspace. (Windows and Mac)

Eduardo Kac
Poet who has utilized many visual elements in his work, including holography. Author of electronic kinetic visual poems and hypertext poetry. The work below is downloadable from Kac's Web site.

Insect.Desperto. Kinetic visual poem in English with audio track in Portuguese. HyperCard stack. (Mac, 664K)
Storms. Hypertext poem. (Mac, 65K)
Accident. Animated poem. (Mac, 1.1MB)

Robert Kendall
Author of printed poetry, kinetic visual poetry, and hypertext poetry. Director of Word Circuits.

Dispossession (Eastgate Web Workshop, 1999). Hypertext poem that uses dynamic techniques to vary links and text within nodes on the fly. Written in HTML and JavaScript.
A Life Set for Two (Eastgate Systems, 1996). Book-length hypertext poem that uses kinetic text and visual elements. Dynamic techniques vary link positions and text within nodes on the fly to emulate the processes of thought and memory. Written in Visual BASIC for Windows. (Windows)
The Clue: A MiniMystery (1991). Kinetic visual poem for DOS. Download (DOS, 684K self-extracting archive file).
It All Comes Down to _______ (1990). Kinetic visual poem for DOS. Download (DOS, 216K self-extracting archive file).

Judith Kerman
Author of interactive poetry and the creator of an interactive poetry authoring program.

Mothering (Eastgate Systems). A hypertext poem in 60 episodes, based on a previously published printed work. (Windows and Mac)

Deena Larsen
Author of hypertext poetry and fiction. Editor of William Dickey's complete hypertext poetry (forthcoming from Eastgate Systems).

Ferris Wheels (Iowa Review Web, Feb. 1999). A 16-node hypertext fiction and an animated poem.
Samplers (Eastgate Systems). A collection of nine hypertext stories, including Century Cross, which is also available as part of the Eastgate Quarterly. Written in Storyspace. (Windows and Mac)
Marble Springs (Eastgate Systems, 1994). Book-length hypertext poem about the women of an imaginary 19th-Century town. It encourages readers to add their own text to the work, and a new edition will include reader contributions (see submission guidelines). Written in HyperCard. (Mac) An excerpt of the work is available on the Web, though it doesn't retain the graphical elements of the complete on-disk version.

Kathy Mac
Poet and fiction writer with work in many printed magazines.

Unnatural Habitats (Eastgate Systems). Collection of loosely related hypertext poems. Written in Storyspace. (Windows and Mac)

Judy Malloy
Artist and author of interactive fiction. One of the very first pioneers of interactive fiction.

Forward Anywhere, coauthored with Cathy Marshall (Eastgate Systems, 1996). Hypertext fiction. There's also an earlier Web version of the work, which is implemented somewhat differently and is less complete.
l0ve0ne (Eastgate Web Workshop, 1994). Hypertext fiction.
My Name is Scibe, written collaboratively with Tom Igoe, Chris Abraham, Tim Collins, Anna Couey, Valerie Gardiner, Joseph Wilson, and Doug Cohen (Arts Wire, 1994). Hypertext fiction.
its name was Penelope (Eastgate Systems, 1993). A narrative about an artist's life. The sections appear in a random order that differs with each reading, reflecting the randomizing nature of memory.

Michael van Mantgem

Completing the Circle (Eastgate Systems).

Cathy Marshall
Hypertext fiction writer and noted hypertext researcher.

Forward Anywhere, coauthored with Judy Malloy (Eastgate Systems, 1996). Hypertext fiction. There's also an earlier Web version of the work, which is implemented somewhat differently and is less complete.

John McDaid
Author of interactive multimedia fiction.

Uncle Buddy's Phantom Funhouse (Eastgate Systems, 1992). A potpourri of writings, computer programs, and audio recordings purportedly willed to the reader by the deceased Buddy Newkirk. The author calls it an "artifactual novel." Written in HyperCard. Includes audio tapes. (Mac)

Tim McLaughlin
Canadian author of hypertext fiction.

Notes Toward Absolute Zero (Eastgate Systems). A "philatelic novella" in hypertext, with text linked to images of postage stamps. Written in Storyspace. (Windows and Mac)
25 Ways to Close a Photograph (NWHQ). A hypertext collection of brief character sketches stylistically reminiscent of Calvino or Elias Canetti. The author calls them "photographic writings" because each is linked to a character in a group photograph.
Light Assemblage (NWHQ). A hypermedia assemblage of text and architectural images, created in collaboration with Thomas Bessai, Maria Denegri, and Bruce Haden.

Monica Moran

Ambulance (Eastgate Systems). Multimedia fiction. Written in HyperCard. (Mac)

Stuart Moulthrop
Author of hypertext fiction and one of the foremost theorists of hypertext literature.

The Color of Television, coauthored with Sean Cohen (Media Ecology, work in progress). Hypertext fiction.
Hegirascope (work in progress). Hypertext fiction with kinetic elements.
Victory Garden (Eastgate Systems, 1991). Ambitious hypertext novel centered around the Gulf War. Very good reading. Written in Storyspace.
Dreamtime (Perforations, 1992). Hypertext fiction. Written for HyperCard. (Mac) Download (800K).

bp nichol
Canadian poet, now deceased. Visual experimenter and member of the sound poetry group, The Four Horsemen.

First Screening (Red Deer College Press, Alberta, Canada, 1993). A collection of short, simple kinetic visual poems. Originally written for the Apple II in BASIC in the mid 1980s, the work was converted to HyperCard format by J.B. Hohm. These poems are among the earliest experiments in the electronic genre. (Mac)

Milorad Pavic
Renowned Serbian poet, fiction writer, and playwright, nominated for Nobel Prize. Author of the famously hypertextual printed novel, Dictionary of the Khazars.

Damascene: A Tale for Computer and Compasses (Enterzone, 1998). Hypertext fiction translated from the Serbian.

K.M. Payne

A Maze of Mirrors: An Adventure in Hypertext; coauthored with George Simmers (Snakeskin Poetry Webzine, 1998). A poem in rhymed iambic pentameter that is structured like a role-playing game. The reader makes choices that guide the character through various adventures in a labyrinth.

Martha Petry

Izme Pass, coauthored with Carolyn Guyer (Writing on the Edge, 1991; out of print). Hypertext fiction. An excerpt of the work is available on the Web.

Bobby Rabyd
Pseudonymous author of hypertext fiction.

Sunshine '69 (SonicNet). Hypertext fiction.
LSD-51. Hypertext that focuses on the early years of LSD. It combines fiction and nonfiction and is updated annually.

Jim Rosenberg
Author of printed and hypertext poetry.

The Barrier Frames (Eastgate Systems). Hypertext poetry.
Diffractions Through (Eastgate Systems). Hypertext poetry.
Intergrams (Eastgate Systems, 1994). Hypertext poetry.

Geoff Ryman

253: A Novel for the Internet about London Underground in Seven Cars and a Crash. Hypertext fiction about 253 passengers on a London subway that is involved in an accident. The novel consists mostly of character profiles for each passenger, which can be selected from a series of seating diagrams.

Christy Sheffield Sanford
Poet and fiction writer widely published in print as well as on the Web. Most of her Web work is highly visual, even when it doesn't incorporate true cybertext elements.

Pre-Raphaelite Dreams of Violette Poole (Acorn Mush). Hypertext poem with music, Java animations, and copious graphics.

George Simmers
Editor of Snakeskin Poetry Webzine.

A Maze of Mirrors: An Adventure in Hypertext; coauthored with K.M. Payne (Snakeskin Poetry Webzine, 1998). A poem in rhymed iambic pentameter that is structured like a role-playing game. The reader makes choices that guide the character through various adventures in a labyrinth.

Richard Smyth

Genetis: A Rhizography (Eastgate Systems, 1996). Hypertext fiction with multimedia. (Windows and Mac)

Sarah Smith

King of Space (Eastgate Systems). Hypertext science fiction. (Mac)

Rob Swigart
Author of hypertext poetry and fiction, as well as many printed novels. In the mid 80s he wrote Portal, a cross between a sci-fi novel and a computer game (rereleased in 1995 for Windows 95 by Activision).

Directions (Eastgate Systems). Hypertext poetry with multimedia elements.

Rod Willmot
Canadian poet and creator of the hypertext authoring system Orpheus.

Everglade. Book-length hypertext poem, one of the first works of hypertext literature. Written in the C programming language. Shareware for DOS. (Rerelease forthcoming from Eastgate)

Komninos Konstantinos Zervos

Exquisite Corpse Poems. Set of kinetic poems created with animated GIF files that combine words randomly.
 

 

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