The field of electronic literature has long been dominated by white practitioners in its publications, histories, and pedagogy. This disparity is due to historically privileged access to digital technologies, unequal education in programming, digital literacy, and advanced digital skills, and a culture that sustains white supremacy by defining the field through privileged aesthetics. This talk examines digital divides in the United States, through a history of access to computers and computer science education in schools. It also examines the emergence of electronic literature as a practice and field, tracking the impact of digital divides on the diversity of its practitioners and scholars. I will conclude by expanding on the need for a term such as digital writing, to account for both literary and non-literary writing that engages the affordances of digital media technologies, and help diversify the field by casting a wider net to draw in a greater variety of work by creators who don’t necessarily think of their work as literary.

Leonardo Flores is Chair of the English Department at Appalachian State University and President of the Electronic Literature Organization. His research areas are electronic literature, with a focus on digital poetry, 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. For more information on his current work, visit leonardoflores.net.

This program is open to all, but registration is required. The Zoom link to join will be sent via email before the event.

A video of this talk is available.