Can Electric Literature Save the Short Story?
by Gabrielle Mitchell-Marell
Gabrielle Mitchell-Marell: What gap are you trying to fill in the literary landscape with Electric Literature?
Andy Hunter, Editor-in-Chief: We think that the shift we're undergoing in media presents an opening for short fiction that is accessible and has narrative drive, without sacrificing depth or literary merit. Honestly, we want to reach people who don't currently read literary magazines. We are great supporters of many of the existing, venerable print magazines and the audiences they serve, but over the decades short fiction has been reaching fewer readers, and we want to reverse that trend. The gap, I suppose, is people who would enjoy short stories but currently aren't exposed enough to them, and aren't seeking out literary magazines.
GMM: People who enjoy reading stories but aren't writers, you mean?
AH: Definitely, we want to reach readers, not just writers. We certainly don't want to encourage a future where the only readers of short fiction are fellow writers. We want to focus on compelling fiction, and curate it to be as taut a reading experience as possible.
GMM: How does your magazine plan to reach these new, mobile, non-writer audience members?
AH: We are trying to reach them through advertising, releasing videos and other 'viral' techniques, using street teams a la skateboard companies, events, and most importantly, building community. We are in Brooklyn, one of the most literary cities in the world, and of course New York City is visible from our porch. We need to grow a community of readers and writers who support literary fiction, and advocate for it.
GMM: Yes, I see publishing in literary magazines mostly as currency for later book publication, because only a small population within a population of writers will read it.
AH: I was discussing the state of the short story with Jim Shepard before we launched this project, and he said most people look at literary magazines and think, this isn't for me. Even someone who might enjoy a literary novel. Part of the reason I think that is, is that lit mags try to be too many things—essays, poetry, and drawings are often in the mix—which waters down the publication's editorial identity, and limits their audience. New mediums, like the iPhone, require gripping narratives. They seem less meditative than books. But people read on them, especially younger people, and we need to reach those audiences. You may not bring a book everywhere, but you bring your phone. If you have great stories on your phone, you need not be bored next time you're at the airport or DMV. You could actually gain something valuable in that time. It is always good to view limitations as a structure in which to create something better.
GMM: Is what you're describing writing as more cinematic, less focused on the inner life? And isn't that what separates writing from visual mediums, and is arguably the value of it?
AH: I don't think so. I think inner life can be as compelling as external incident. A strong voice is very important. Fiction is unique in its ability to capture consciousness, and that's its strength. While we may care a bit more about plot than has recently been fashionable, we are literary at heart.
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