A new website from Jacob Lewis, former managing editor of The New Yorker, and Dana Goodyear, a writer for The New Yorker, has developed into a literary forum for teenagers, and is an interesting new educational outlet for teens. Figment.com is a venue for online literature where teens can read, write, and share literature.
Users are welcome to write poetry, short stories, even novels, and share with others. Helpful feedback and collaboration is encouraged amongst users. As reported by the New York Times, Figment is a product of the “cell phone novel” which basically means literature crafted on a mobile phone.
Lewis initially intended for Figment to be a sort of literary Facebook (News - Alert), but soon realized that the members of the site wanted a more content-based experience. Lewis stated, “I really went into it and thought, ‘We’ll be the social network for young-adult fiction.’ But it became clear early on that people didn’t want a new Facebook.” Instead the kids wanted to learn more about the content, and engage in that rather than socially make “friends.”
The site came out of beta version today, and has been used by a few hundred teenagers that Lewis and Goodyear recruited through various schools and libraries. Lewis added, “We wanted people to be able to write whatever they wanted in whatever form they wanted. We give them a piece of paper and say, ‘Go.’ ”
The contributions that riddle the pages so far consist of science fiction, biographical pieces, serial novels, and fantasy. Several publishers have already jumped on board including Running Press Kids.
Juliana Kenny graduated from the University of Connecticut with a double degree in English and French. After managing a small company for two years, she joined TMC (News - Alert) as a Web Editor for TMCnet. Juliana currently focuses on the call center and CRM industries, but she also writes about cloud telephony and network gear including softswitches.
Edited by Juliana Kenny