Seminar: Choice-Based Narratives – Nic Velissaris – 6 June

“Making a Choice: Establishing a Poetics of Choice-Based Narratives”

A paper presented by faculty member Dr Nic Velissaris. All welcome, but please RSVP (below) – spaces limited.

Dr Nic Velissaris will discuss the process of establishing a poetics for Choice-Based Narratives. Dating from the early 1960s, Choice-Based Narratives are a creative writing form in which the reader chooses the direction of the narrative. Examples include Oulipo’s experimental literature, novels such as Julio Cortazar’s Hopscotch, and the YA book series Choose Your Own Adventure (Bantam Books, 1979–1998).

While Choice-Based Narratives have existed for over 50 years, there has been relatively little academic scholarship on how the form is constructed and how the storytelling operates. This presentation will seek to explain the common factors that establish a poetics for this type of storytelling. Nick will discuss the history and development of the Choose Your Own Adventure series, whose large number of works represent a major contribution to the development of this form.

Dr Nic Velissaris is writer and theatre practitioner whose PhD research focused on the creation and development of choice-based narratives. His research outcomes included the creation of an original choice-based narrative, The Melete Effect, and an establishment of a poetics of this form of storytelling. Nic’s research interests lie in the melding of creative practice with technology and looking at the possibilities of automated and algorithmic storytelling. He hopes to continue to develop his research into the nexus between conventional storytelling and interactivity.

When: Wednesday 6 June 2018, 1-2pm
Where: Deakin University, Burwood Meeting Room N3.11 | Geelong Meeting Room ic1.108
Please RSVP by 5 June: [email protected]