Do We Really Want to Write like Shakespeare?

"poet + programmer," as Waber calls himself, = a new job positioning--and this is what technology is doing; it’s not “firing” people and stripping people of skills, but rather creating new positions and asking people to use these skills in new ways. It is impossible for a culture to advance if its citizens are not willing to deal with change. And yes, some changes are more drastic than others, like how we have left snail mail in the dust and switched to the less personal but the way more convenient e-mail. What we often fail to realize is that technology is actually helping us. It is creating more jobs for everyone, and even, yes, for writers. Jobs like website publisher or online editor may not be as creative as virtual poetry creations like “Five by Five” or “The Body," but it does pay the bills.

My roommate, a photo major, read a section of her book on the language of light to me last night and I’ve pondered a certain phrase ever since. It said something along the lines of “Shakespeare was a great writer but we wouldn’t want to write like him today.” And that’s true—and it applies to what we’re talking about here. Writing, just like photography, must change just as time does. If we don’t face the fact that the medium in which we present writing is changing, our work is going to be as unappealing as an outdated retro-styled living room—and sadly that’s not what is going to attract audience and readers. And digital mediums aren’t that bad; they may actually assist us in refining our writing, making it the best it can be. Track changes can make our computer screen look like a paper with lines and scribbles and cross-outs.

And this new medium of virtual poetry lets our imaginations run wild. I especially think the “The Body” poem is awesome. It gives a much deeper look into the author’s psyche and what she is really trying to convey. This poem just wouldn’t have the same effect on paper. It makes the audience think and it lets readers dive into the poem and become a part of the poem—we can pick and chose where we want to visit. And the hyperlinks make it that much more appealing—by clicking on them we realize that the body is one, that it is all related. Frantically piling through pieces of paper to realize this was all connected just wouldn’t have the same effect.