Episode 4: Peter Dimock, Eugene Lim, & Ian Dreiblatt - “Hope Is a Word I'd Replace with Collaboration”
Apr 3, 2023
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In this episode, we talk to Peter Dimock, Eugene Lim, and Ian Dreiblatt, discussing the future of books, the political potency of experimental writing, and the value of reading beyond commodification. We explore surveillance capitalism, the durability of books, the changing perception of reading, and the coherence of novels versus the skimming of the internet. We also delve into imagining justice and kindness, exploring the concept of 'experimental' literature, and the practices of hope and collaboration.
The future of publishing lies in creating non-monetized public spaces online, challenging traditional models.
Redefining the internet as a non-monetized public space separate from corporate control is a challenging but attainable goal.
Small presses embody the values of community, sanctuary, and protection, fostering genuine connections amidst commercial forces.
Deep dives
Creating Non-Monetized Public Spaces: A Path Towards Neo-Utopian Emancipative Reading and Writing
The future of publishing lies in activism that aims to create non-corporate, non-monetized public spaces that operate online but free from neoliberal principles. The success of such a neo-utopian literary movement would be vastly different from what we have witnessed so far, challenging traditional publishing models. Small presses play a vital role in modeling non-monetized reading and writing communities. These intimate connections, slow writing, and quiet reading hold the miracles hidden within books. Despite the looming catastrophic violence of an uncertain future, the small press community offers consolation, sanctuary, and protection, contributing to the occupation of imagining justice and kindness.
The Potential Unleashed by Redefining the Internet
Redefining the internet as a genuine public space, separate from monetization and corporate control, presents a challenge. Debunking the widespread belief that such a transformation is unthinkable, small presses and online communities can inspire a movement towards a reshaped internet. This new internet would emphasize democratized communication, providing a neo-utopian, emancipative reading and writing experience. Realizing this vision may require reimagining the future as unrecognizable from our current reality, responding to the imminent violence and embracing the transformative power of smaller, non-monetized spaces that foster genuine connections and intimate engagements.
Small Presses as Monastic Sanctuaries in an Age of Exploitation
In contrast to the commercialization of literature, small presses embody the values of community, sanctuary, and protection. These presses, though a shrinking island amidst commercial forces, offer a place for intimate connections and non-monetized reading experiences. They function as monastic sanctuaries, nurturing intense and intimate reading communities that challenge notions of value defined by commodification. While there may be violence on the horizon, small presses persist, focusing on their own small-scale contributions and working towards a future where the importance of genuine connections and compassionate attention redefine publishing paradigms.
The Freedom of Embracing Unrecognizability and Experimental Structures
Experimentation in writing and publishing serves as a means to imagine justice and kindle intimate relationships within the community. The experimental challenges conventional structures, embracing unrecognizability as a refreshing departure from the monetization and control prevalent in our increasingly interconnected world. The focus shifts from the finished product to the collaborative process, where relationships take precedence over the output. An experimental approach, allowing for disagreements and differences, held together by a common desire for connection, holds the potential to shape a more liberated and transformative future.
The Value of Traditional Small Press Publishing
The speaker finds value in the traditional small press community and the book as a valuable technology. They appreciate the meditative object that a book represents and value its production, distribution, and cultural significance. While acknowledging that mass culture may no longer be built around the monograph, the speaker still sees the book as a meaningful and tangible representation of the mind and a series of thoughts.
The Significance of Experimental Fiction
In the realm of experimental fiction, the speaker believes that experimentation occurs within the constraints of the form, particularly the novel. Experimental fiction enables the expression of the impossible, the unknown, and the unseen. It allows for perceiving the world differently and creating forms that were previously nonexistent. The speaker sees experimental fiction as an avenue for challenging traditional storytelling and providing new vessels for experiencing and understanding ourselves and the world around us.
In this episode, we talk to the writers, editors, publishers, translators, publicists, librarians, & brilliant commentators Peter Dimock, Eugene Lim, and Ian Dreiblatt. We explore the future of the book, the form of the novel, the political potency of experimental writing and publishing, the monetization of attention, and how to value reading over books, reading beyond the commodification of content. We consider the book as testament to the principle that “everyone is valuable and everyone needs to talk to everybody else.” Along the way we find ourselves discussing apocalypse, the potential unrecognizability of the future, the coercion of optimism, the vitality and productivity of despair, and “joy in the triage.”
