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Ask Me about the Moon, The Vine & the Fish Reflection

Ask Me about the Moon

The land of the Hawaiian natives now belonged to the upper class who came to visit making the natives slaves in their own land. Lines like “castles in the sand” when you go out onto the beach to look out into the dark sky at the moon and see only the development in the skyline that houses tourist who come to Hawaii for luxury and its beauty which is all built from the sweat of the local’s brow.  Eventually the land’s purpose, sanctity to them fades away, its beauty and wonder stripped of what it once represented, its significance to their culture now tainted by outsiders who the land now served for their pleasure and vocational bliss. Another element introduced is the fading text and then another replacing it before its even fully out of the scene, out into a white scratch, scribbling representing the waves of the ocean that many tourists come to enjoy off the labor of the natives’ backs whose own resources then becomes a chain of slavery to their land made an early powerful impact less than a minute into the piece. Deep inhales of exhausted breathing around minute 1:30 depicting the physical stress and laborious work that picks up at certain intervals of the video when a few paragraphs of text are left on the screen to read emphasize the Hawaiian peoples struggles keeping up with their work situation to survive and make a living. Lines such as “reef of spent muscular secretion of hope”, “palaces of purchased love”, “sleeps unsettled twin” all powerfully stood out to me depicting these feelings that probably don’t get heard or shared to create a unified voice. The picking up and fading in of a new word to replace the next creates also for me the feeling of labor, continuous movement with no rest in sight, a chain reaction where everything and everyone is connected to the land, its people, tourist. One cannot be without the other. The Emmanuel Levinas text on the “ego” and escaping the “there is” I am still trying to figure out.

This digital poem also made me think and refer to a few lines from Yardley, Pa 1997 of v: “like a place in the world where things’r beautiful and you can let ‘em be.” I feel this is a big issue with the world and our “Ego”. We have to try and make places ours, or our home away from home. This happens all around the world with struggling countries and lands whose people have no other way of income but Tourism and have to basically pimp themselves out to strangers while they come in and act like they run or own the place with little regard to the land’s history, and people who inhabit as their home and have created the culture, history they come to explore.

The Vine & the Fish

The kudzu seemed to gain popularity early in American lifestyles for its diverse uses especially in farming, and its aromatic grape scent. It’s interesting to see how a plant was so popular at one point, especially during a challenging time period and then have an unpopular opinion or change about its use, appearance, and acceptance in society now having backs turned to it. This is a common theme that I think can be related to this piece as every day, week, year one race, culture, religion takes some lashing out at it or is singled out as the problem to Americas woes or the ones who created it and continue to contribute to. These are usually not based off of any factual information, just opinionated, well versed rhetoric that many just grab a political hold of to feel part of something or have a voice in society, or their communities. The small, boxed drawings, and captions to go with the piece do move fast and I have to pause them to get a good read of them and interpret what is being said. Descriptive words like “alien species” “competition for share resources” or harm, brings a defensive vibe to what is going to be said from there on. I think this goes well with what is happening in our society today here in America. Many who come here will be labeled or referred to with such terms, or phrases once they begin to make a life here in America and start creating competition for others in business, work, and education. Many will start to feel that they shouldn’t be allowed or are invading a good thing in place, no one wants to share the pie of success. The intermittent labor of breathing also was experienced in this piece of work that brings with it the feeling of exhaustion with acceptance or flux in how people are treated or seen in the U.S. as “harmful invaders” as the kudzu did once it seemed to loose its original purpose of being useful. Your good to your last move in America. Once a wave or momentum has you in the undertow or against you it is hard to get your credibility back or seen as a good.

student blogs

STOP! LOOK! LISTEN!

Ask Me About The Moon, by John David Zuern and The Vine & the Fish by Leise Hook

Ask Me About the Moon by John David Zuern felt like stepping into someone’s digital dream sequence.  It was quiet, slow, and full of small discoveries. The navigation seemed intentionally delicate: I clicked through scattered words that appeared almost by chance, as if the story wanted to test my patience. I had to pay attention to the words as the overlapped.

Some pages seemed to open fragments of soft text against shifting backgrounds, while other clicks would lead to silence, asking me to notice what wasn’t being said (I think). At one point, I followed a glowing moon icon, only to find it brought me back to where I started, I guess this was supposed to show me that not every path lead to forward movement?!

The Vine & the Fish by Leise Hook felt more alive and awake. Navigation was more of an actually story to me, I could follow a path. As I slid and hovered over and pull through its digital pages I could see something unfolding, an actual story. The vine stretched across the screen, curling around snippets of text that told small stories. It gave the impression of a hidden system, seemingly organic, but intentional. There was a rhythm to it, like breathing or swimming.

The Vine & the Fish for me was timed perfectly.  There’s a contractor in my neighborhood causing a lot of waves (like an invasive vine) in building across the street from my house.  He’s removing a ton of trees to build an oversize McMansion on the lake we all moved into my neighborhood to be a part of.  Being a part of this story and loosing myself in the vines was both ironic and meditative as I was going through something somewhat similar in my personal life.

I loved how both these stories slowed me down.  That my current personal life is so overly busy (@12-14 hour days) and both these gave me a chance to just stop and breath and loose myself to the stories as they unfolded.  Both remind me that digital literature isn’t about technology showing off (no “MTV style’ fast moving video’s etc.); it’s about using it to create emotion, reflection, and connection in unexpected ways.

student blogs

Yardley, PA 1997 & Avenue S

This week we covered two wickedly different works of E-lit. First, I want to cover Yardley, PA 1997 by Todd Anderson. This work was pretty cool if I’m being honest. One of the compelling aspects of Anderson’s work is the navigational freedom that he provides in the work. Since the poem and music can be placed in any order, the reader has freedom to navigate the work at their own pace and leisure. The path to the ending is paved through the readers own imagination compared to just the way the author intends. Another aspect of the work is the actual narrative. I loved how the music and the words seemingly matched up. Each line of text works likes a memory, and the music seemingly feels likes a memory coming and fading quickly. The ending really brought the work together for me. The crescendo of both the narrative, and the music both blended perfectly together to illustrate a time in the past we cannot get back. Nostalgia is a topic that is ubiquitous in writing, so it’s always interesting to see how authors use it in their works. In this case, the author uses the interactive aspects of the work to reflect the readers view of the feelings of nostalgia. Reading about the exploits of the speaker and hearing the music did bring back memories from by childhood too. I see this piece as a bit of a literary sandbox. While the author gives their way to work through the piece, they also allow the player to use the piece to create their own work in a way. I really liked this work overall.

            The other work that I covered for this week was Avenue S, by Jody Zellen. This work was way different, though it did provide some really unique and interesting moments as I worked through some of it. With this work totaling almost 400 pages, it was hard to see an actual conclusion when compared to the previous work. In some ways, this work felt endless, with me clicking over and over after seeing each new page. It was cool to see the interactive aspects of this work. For one, hovering over the tab of the window revealed the title of each specific page. These titles provided much needed context to some of the more abstract pages in some cases. While some of the pages felt disjointed, they all stylistically felt connected and consistent. In some cases, this work felt like an art installation at a museum. One of the things I really liked is how the “narrative” builds throughout the work. The way it weaves the feelings of loneliness and isolation while also presenting the backdrop of the pandemic and the social unrest that come with it was fantastic. The imagery, the poetry and the overall organization all came together the longer I worked through the piece. The standout vignette that I loved was “trapped” which consisted of many short repeating animations that outlined the circular nature of the lock-down. People being trapped in their homes, as well as in their daily routines. I can say that this is my favorite work we have covered so far in class.

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Yardley, PA 1997 & Avenue S

Exploring Yardley, PA 1997 from the collection Hotwriting (2017) was such a fun and creative experience! I loved how each line of the poem was linked to a key on the keyboard, each one playing its own little music clip. It felt like I wasn’t just reading a poem, it felt like I was performing it. I kept pressing different keys to see how the words and sounds would come together, and every time it created something new, almost like remixing poetry into music. To be honest, I also found it a bit hard to keep up since the words would go away so quickly, and I would miss a couple of lines. But that challenge made it even more engaging, it pushed me to stay focused.

What stood out to me most about this piece was how it changed the way I think about poetry and reading in general. Normally poetry feels still and quiet, something you read at your own pace, but this experience was the complete opposite, it was active and unpredictable. I liked that it gave me control as the reader, yet also reminded me how easily that control can slip away when the words disappeared too soon. It perfectly aligns with digital literature, where text and technology work together to create new forms of meaning and interaction.

Jody Zellen’s Avenue S offered a very different, yet equally compelling, experience. It captures the eerie stillness of life during the Covid pandemic, when empty city streets and suspended routines defined daily life. The work features playful doodles of deserted urban spaces alongside references to the Black Lives Matter protests of summer 2020, grounding it in a moment that was both isolating and socially significant. I was struck by how the minimal interactivity mirrors the experience of a lockdown, there’s little to control, yet the subtle movements and arrangements of words and images draw the viewer in, creating a quiet, reflective space.

Together, these works highlight the wide range of digital literature. Yardley, PA 1997 invites playful interaction, letting readers perform, remix, and create alongside the text, while Avenue S uses minimal interactivity to reflect on a historical moment and evoke deep emotions. Both demonstrate how technology can expand the possibilities of reading, turning poetry and visual works into immersive experiences that are dynamic and deeply connected to the moments they represent.

student blogs

A World riting 2025-10-20 07:51:56

Lareice’s Digital World

The Aesthetics and Experiential Dimensions of Interactive Electronic Literature

Interactive electronic literature, Yardley PA, and Avenue S, represents a dynamic merging of narrative, visual art, and digital technology. Unlike traditional print-based texts, these works invite readers to engage with storytelling as an immersive, multisensory experience. Through the integration of instrumental soundscapes, animated net art, and game-like navigation, electronic literature transforms passive reading into active participation.

One of the most compelling aspects of this genre is its resemblance to video game mechanics. Users often navigate through the narrative by pressing a single button, which propels them into new story environments. This tangible interaction fosters a sense of agency and exploration, allowing readers to move through the text as if journeying through a virtual landscape. The interface itself becomes a narrative device, guiding users through layers of meaning and emotional resonance.

Vibrant animations and net art aesthetics contribute to a rich tapestry of symbolic and affective imagery

Visual elements play a critical role in shaping the reader’s experience. Vibrant animations and net art aesthetics contribute to a rich tapestry of symbolic and affective imagery. These visuals are not merely decorative; they function as extensions of the narrative, enhancing ideological depth and emotional tone. The interplay between text and image creates a blended form of storytelling that is both intellectually stimulating and visually engaging.

Equally significant is the role of sound. Instrumental effects and ambient audio cues heighten the immersive quality of the work, reinforcing mood and pacing. Sound becomes a narrative element, capable of revealing memory, tension, and transformation. When combined with visual and interactive components, it produces a comprehensive sensory experience that exceeds conventional literary boundaries.

Interactive electronic literature exemplifies the evolving nature of storytelling

Storytelling in the digital age with interactive electronic literature exemplifies the evolving nature of storytelling. It offers a powerful platform for creative expression, pedagogical innovation, and emotional engagement. For scholars, educators, and artists alike, this genre opens new possibilities for exploring trauma, identity, and healing through multimodal narrative forms. As digital media continues to reshape the literary landscape, electronic literature stands as a testament to the enduring power of story reimagined through sound, image, and interaction. It is an engaging and enjoyable storytelling style.

student blogs

Yardley PA 1997 and Avenue S

  • Yardley, PA, 1997
    • I really like how in order to make the text move, you can press the keys in a certain order or just press the spacebar.
      • Pressing the keys in a certain order makes this feel like a game which is really cool. 
      • Great choice by the author to make this decision as it really leans into the game aspect of interactive fiction.
    • The background colors, font, and fireflies invoke a short of coziness. It gives vibe of Summer evenings catching fireflies.
      • Since the piece has the year 1997 in it’s title, I am assuming it takes place then.
      • I definitely get nostalgia vibes from just staring at the piece.
    • The music sounds like it could be a vinyl record because I can hear record scratches.
      • It is very calming and really adds a wonderful dimension to this piece.
    • The way that the words fade away like fireflies in the dark is really working for the piece.
      • I like how the instructions tell you to press the button to make the next line of text appears as soon as the last line disappears.
        • This plays into the firefly motif since they glow and then go dark as another firefly lights up.
    • What a hauntingly beautiful ending. The way all the text overwhelmed the screen and the music rises to a crescendo and then it all flickers away into the darkness as we are reminded how ephemeral everything in life is.
  • Avenue S
    • What an interesting piece! At first I thought it would be more text based and straight forward, but there is a lot of imagery here that needs to be interpreted.
    • I think I understand one aspect of how on some pages there is a ton of clutter which is the idea of living in a city that the author misses.
    • It’s interesting how some things on the pages, like certain images, take time to make their full picture. This can be a metaphor for having to wait for things in the city – like buses, trains, lines, or slow walkers.
    • I think the author is showing what city life can look like to outsiders – overwhelming and crowded. But to people who live in the city, it is the hustle and bustle that makes the city feel alive.
    • It’s interesting to note how simple all of the people are drawn. Maybe this is the author’s way of saying that in the end, all people are the same, no matter how you appear on the outside. 
    • I really like the aspect that the reader has to make meaning out of this. The author gives hints in that each page has a different title if you look in the name of the tab. It seems the story being told isn’t a solid narrative, rather it is a series of the author’s observations about city living that tell a story of change caused by Covid.
      • What happens to the crowded city that you love, when it’s people are forced to stay away from each other? If you came to the city for the connection, what do you have in the Covid era? Just isolation. For those who feel alone, Covid in the city is an awful reminder that no matter where you go, the world is forcing you and others to keep your distance (physically and emotionally).
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Avenue S Reflection / Yardley, PA 1997 Presentation Links

Avenue S

Once entering the piece and I first notice the rectangle shapes that automatically depict what many were going through globally during the pandemic having your surroundings boxed in, separated, isolated. The dates on the front of each replicated for me the idea of a Time Capsule, or a day in one’s life that was significant. Whatever content would be inside is going to be meaningful to someone if not me, or create a sense of belonging, interaction that many of us were deprived of. Also, a morbid image was present also that of a mausoleum for remembrance with all the rectangles and having dates on them. Like a piece of each person who had died in some way but was left behind for remembrance when you click on the title. There is sometimes filled with memories, items of the pandemic that we all become familiar with such as nylon gloves. There were so many interesting pieces in Ghost City Avenue S.  I think we were all more at play, willing to dive deep into our imaginations for mental health reasons, something that we were not allowing ourselves to do when things were “normal” and our lives being filled with all the social and professional distractions of everyday living. The opportunity to express ourselves and still have some kind of voice, interaction with life had opened up in so nonconventional ways and the resources around us were used as extension of those surroundings, people or lack of as well to also resist what was happening or have a coping mechanism outside our uncertain worried thoughts by creating. Being reminded and having an archive of all the social aspects we took and still take for granted, and freedoms such as lingering effects when everything seemed to lack life, meaning, interactions, color.

In some of the pieces the movable elements started as a small, isolated piece, boundaries set with their lines which then overflow or expand outwards similar to what happened as things started to open back up in society. We took small steps, still distancing ourselves due to our own comfort levels and willingness to trust again ourselves, others, and powers to be. The shapes filled up at times in a type of unilateral patterns, or in conjunction with each other simultaneously. Then at points there was disbursement of movement  from the inner core to the outer like one reaching out and expanding their presence into one’s surroundings.

The one release and escape during that time was creating art and taking advantage of our resources. Our identities and how they changed were put in flux with the things we no longer had around us, interactions to validate who we are. I think a lot of the Ghost City clips were strongly about one’s identity, fantasy and playing role away from the current world that was being offered with uncertainties, fears, loneliness. Many of the artwork’s movements were morphs or mirrors of each other. Isolated and Alone depicting urban life and the changes brought to social interaction and energy that was once prominent in the streets and neighborhoods amongst each other.

Yardley, Pa 1997

Yardley PA, 1997 Powerpoint Link and Word Doc Reflection Analysis

https://1drv.ms/p/c/cf24af06c39ff09a/EfXrSvq-mi9JrQU5GJWDNIYBhLm3uwHFKglV4QeMqrz8UQ?e=O9jnaZ

Yardey^J PA 1997 ELIT Presentation PDFDownload

Yardley, PA 1997 JNorton Reflection Analysis.docx

https://1drv.ms/p/c/cf24af06c39ff09a/EfXrSvq-mi9JrQU5GJWDNIYBhLm3uwHFKglV4QeMqrz8UQ?e=O9jnaZ

student blogs

Yardley, PA 1997 & Avenue S

Yardley, PA 1997

I would like to begin this section of my blog to say that I really enjoyed this one. The first time around, I went the linear way. Going across the keyboard from left to right and shifting the keys as the instructions advised. Usually, when looking at electronic literature for this class, I do not read the instructions and just go. For this, I do not know why. I think I just like to go into it and try to figure it out on my own as well as find what speaks to me personally. Though, I do read the statements by the author and the summaries of each piece. So, when I saw that it involved the keyboard, I knew I had to buckle up.

I expected something a bit more radical than what it actually was. I think I was more so expecting some kind of crazy technique requirement that I could not keep up with. Though, I was pleasantly surprised when all I had to do was make my way down the keyboard and press new keys once the words and music began to fade away. I thought the delivery of the poem was quite beautiful, and really mimics the way we read poetry on paper. Although there is no fade away of the words or built-in music to accompany our reading, the way in which both of those aspects carry the piece is a great way to creatively imagine what goes on in our heads when we read poetry. Things oftentimes click in our heads from line to line, creating a personal symphony. Yardley, PA 1997 helps us do this in a way that is more connected to another’s experience. Unlike the other pieces of ELIT we have read so far, this one stands out because you can go through it the same way another person does, or not. The choice is yours, and I really enjoy that idea.

Lastly, I would like to discuss the content a bit. I think the way in which the author brings about the various aspects of 1997 in Pennsylvania and the specific instances in which they live through was really beautiful because it made room for readers to connect in their own way. Specifically, the short section of about the brother, and how the author reflects that they should have told him they loved him more. I really liked how there were times in which we knew we were not in Yardley, PA, but instead taken back into our own lives, wherever that may be, and given a chance to reflect.

Overall, this was a really great piece, and I think I will find myself returning back to it. I enjoyed its simplicity and the fact that it had no “tricks” or hidden meanings — it was all laid out for us to type through and reflect on.

Avenue S

Reading first, of course, what Avenue S is about, I was immediately pulled in. There are plenty of COVID-19 experiences written and heavily discussed today, but I knew that this rumination would be an outstanding one. First, just stating right off the bat that the speaker missed urban life is a statement that everyone though in some way or another, but to just be laid out in such a way that is pointed and speaking for itself was a great way to start. The world at large missed so many things for a great amount of time that just admitting we missed a part of our lives demonstrates a vulnerability that is pertinent to literature tackling such matters.

Clicking through the dots and mandalas, the first page that really connected with me was “bouncing off the walls” . The way in which the simplistic art renders itself is really fantastic. The constant movement of the stick figures demonstrated quite well the shell of people experiencing the pandemic, and how we were limited to just a specific space — in this case, the screen. Additionally, the lack of color in this section goes to show how staying in one place, forcefully, can remove the color we have in our lives because we are not out experiencing what we otherwise would have. Once clicking on the three dots, I was brought to “butterflies in the stomach”. Again, we are met with a simplistic stick figure who seems to fade into themselves, generating a gear, or a butterfly, preparing to take off. I find this an interesting way to symbolize the anxiety felt during these unprecedented times, especially because this gear-looking image is composed of smaller human-like figures. Not only can this symbolize the many facets of one’s own personality ruminating in a way that works against one’s own person, but how the expectations and well-being of others was also a great source of worry for people during this time.

Lastly, I wanted to discuss “endless cycle”. I think this page put into perspective the idea that life-altering events will always happen, whether on a scale as massive as COVID-19, or on a personal scale. Though this may seem to be a bleak perspective, I choose to see this animation as somewhat hopeful, as the stick figure, after falling and sliding, continuously gets back up. Yes, the figure does fall again after getting back up, but it’s the action of rising again that intrigues me, and makes me hope that in moments of failure or sorrow, I am able to get back up again, even if its just to go through the same sort of perilous time again and again.

Overall, I quite enjoyed the flashback to 2020-21 that this piece brought. I found myself more drawn to the simplistic features of this piece because it allowed for more connection. Using a simple stick figure really works well here because anyone can input themselves and their own experiences into this work. It is also really interesting to. be interacting with this piece now, as COVID-19 has been behind us for a few years now. In day-to-day life today, it’s easy to just go on and not think about what happened to us not so long ago, but it was a major life event for all of us. Though, moving through this work, it was really interesting to be brought back to that time (I was a junior in high school!) and reflect on it today. How easily we forget.

student blogs

Exploring Façade and Welcome Home

I wasn’t actually able to get Façade to run (apparently that’s pretty common—it’s an older work that doesn’t always work with newer systems), but I read quite a bit about it. It’s described as an “interactive drama” where you, the player, show up at the apartment of a married couple, Trip and Grace, who are in the middle of a fight. You can type your own dialogue and the characters respond, sometimes in unpredictable ways.

Even just reading about it, I could tell how unique it must have been when it came out. I loved it and was a little bummed that I wasn’t able to play with it.  The idea that a computer could listen to you and react emotionally feels kind odd and yet compelling. What I found most interesting is how it explores communication and miscommunication. You step into someone else’s relationship and try to help (or maybe make things worse). Being an actual communication major this really interested me.  I did check on-line and notice that everyone else was able to get into Façade, I was a bit jealous, but my technology was just not compatible.  I was really sorry that I had not bought a Mac Book earlier on my graduate school experience (now). 

Welcome Home, which I did get to explore seemed a bit different.  I couldn’t imagine that it twas a traditional e-lit story but rather a multimedia project that blurs the line between archive, nostalgia, and interactive storytelling. The premise seem to be that there was once a 1970s children’s show called Welcome Home, which has supposedly been rediscovered and restored through “The Welcome Home Restoration Project.” The website is full of colorful artwork, letters, hidden clues, and strange, almost dreamlike details about the show’s characters, like Wally Darling and his neighbors.

What pulled me in was how interactive it all feels. You start scrolling and clicking through images and “archived” materials, and before you know it, you’re part of the story. It’s like an internet rabbit hole where you’re both the audience and the detective, trying to piece together what really happened. 

I enjoyed my time with Welcome Home and I hope to check-out Façade the next time I’m on a macbook. 

student blogs

Welcome Home

The cast of Welcome Home. From left to right: Howdy, Frank, Julie, Wally, Barnaby, Sally, Eddie, and Poppy.

🌼 Welcome Home: Restoration of Memory, Media, and Mystery

Welcome Home is a collaborative archival project centered on the imaginative recovery of a forgotten children’s puppet show. Led by anonymous volunteers, the initiative seeks to reconstruct the visual and cultural remnants of a fictional television program that aired between October 11, 1969, and 1974. Though no footage has been found, the project draws from enduring materials such as illustrated storybooks, vinyl records, cereal boxes, home décor, and children’s toys, many of which were discovered in ink-stained envelopes and fragmented documents.

The show, created by the enigmatic Playfellow Workshop, featured a cast of puppet neighbors living in a colorful, blossom-filled community. These characters are now being reintroduced through a vibrant website that mimics the aesthetics of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Bright oranges, blues, greens, and yellows evoke the era’s countercultural spirit peace signs, hippie motifs, and Black cultural resistance while also framing a deeper narrative about memory, media, and loss.

The website includes interactive pages such as Welcome Home, Guestbook, News, Discover, and the Playfellow Exhibition, each offering insight into the show’s imagined history. Volunteers invite the public to help identify characters and contribute to the restoration effort, turning the project into a participating archive.

More than a sentimental exercise, Welcome Home explores how stories are preserved, distorted, or forgotten. It raises questions about cultural memory, media decay, and the emotional resonance of lost narratives. For students, artists, and scholars, the project offers a compelling intersection of visual storytelling, archival practice, and speculative fiction.

Critical reflection on memory, media decay, and the stories we choose to preserve or forget

I find Welcome Home to be a compelling example of how fictional archives can evoke emotional and cultural resonance. The project’s blend of cheerful aesthetics and weird undertones invites critical reflection on memory, media decay, and the stories we choose to preserve or forget.

What fascinates me most is how Welcome Home uses visual storytelling and fragmented artifacts to simulate the process of recovery, mirroring the invigorating work of reconstructing identity through narrative. It is not just a lost puppet show; it is a metaphor for cultural amnesia, collective sentimental, and the haunting beauty of what remains.

Welcome Home offers a rich space to explore the intersections of fiction, design, and archival imagination. It reminds us that even invented histories can carry truth, and that restoration whether personal or cultural is always an act of societal responsibility.

Welcome Home and the Construction of Nostalgia Through Fandom | ARGNet: Alternate Reality Gaming Network