“As a book critic, I began to notice more and more short-story writers, like Greg Kearney and Zoe Whittall, using the conventions of social media in the form and content of their stories. Really inventive pieces where email and texting and blogging became a part of the work. I was curious about what this might mean in the evolution of fiction.”
Syms’s exploration led to his new anthology, Friend. Follow. Text. #storiesFromLivingOnline, which collects a wide range of stories on how our various internet obsessions enrich, enlighten or unravel our lives. Joining the award-winning Kearney and Whittall in its pages are queer authors Trevor Corkum, K Tait Jarboe and Alex Leslie, Gay Times Book of the Year winner Clayton Littlewood and playwrights Marcy Rogers and Dorianne Emmerton.
“I really wanted to make space for women, queer and trans writers and writers of colour,” Syms says, “and I’m really happy with how things turned out in that regard. I love the breadth and depth and variety of the pieces in this book. And I think some of the more experimental ones may be really rewarding for adventurous readers. As one example, Angelique Stevens’s story Spiral is told entirely through a transcript of voice mails, texts, emails and phone calls. From this unique formal approach, a coherent story emerges — as spring turns to summer, family members come together and apart as they respond to a sister whose life is spiralling out of control.”
In looking at our brave new world of 24/7 interconnectedness from such a wide range of viewpoints, did any one image emerge from all the tweets?
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