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When exploring the Internet for examples of e-literature I found one I’d like to share with the class. Electric Literature’s Recommended Reading<\/strong> is an online literary magazine devoted to keeping new and emerging literature at the forefront of popular culture, by connecting authors\/editors and\u00a0independent publishers\u00a0to an online readership. It was created as an alternative to the passive selection of new literary works that readers often resort to because they are either too busy to research new works to read, or they aren’t sure where to start looking\u00a0in the deep and chaotic world wide web.\u00a0In short, it’s an anecdote to simply\u00a0choosing from the “best seller” shelf at the big chain stores or the\u00a0virtual equivalent on the\u00a0online bookstores.<\/p>\n How it works:<\/p>\n Every week the editors of the magazine select a new story to publish.\u00a0 The next week, they highlight an excerpt of a title by an independent publisher. The next week, an author recommendation. And the final week a piece from their archives. Each week there is also a note from the editor(s) introducing that week’s partner, and outlining their mission and body of work. So they are literally doing all of the leg work for us in terms of keeping up with new and independent published authors.<\/p>\n All writings on their site are available free. (But there is a donation option, starting at\u00a0.25cents, to help pay the authors, who are all\u00a0compensated for their work.)<\/p>\n Readers can subscribe by email, RSS Feed, Twitter, Facebook, etc.<\/p>\n I’m hooked! I\u00a0subscribed! I’m so excited for next weeks instalment! \u00a0Is this how it felt to\u00a0eagerly await the next installation of Charles\u00a0Dickens’ The\u00a0Pickwick Papers in 1836!?!!?<\/p>\n The model of this online literary magazine inspired this idea I could incorporate in my English Language Arts classroom.<\/p>\n Week One: Ask for a student volunteer.\u00a0Ask this\u00a0student to recommend any online resource (webpage, wikki, blog, e-lit story,\u00a0etc.) for another person in the class to examine. That person does so.<\/p>\n Week Two: This second student reports to the class on their findings\/thoughts related\u00a0to that\u00a0resource.\u00a0In turn, they recommend to another student another a new\u00a0resource (webpage, wikki, blog, e-lit story\u00a0\u00a0etc.) that they were led to through their interaction with the initial site. The student does so, and returns the next week to do the same. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.<\/p>\n We keep a digital\u00a0record of every site throughout the year\/term and at the end we have an electronic archive of our classroom community e-travels!<\/p>\n