[Nettime-bold] Eastgate Publishes MY NAME IS CAPTAIN, CAPTAIN.

["Diane Greco" <dgreco@eastgate.com>]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2
1 July 2002

NEW HYPERTEXT FROM EASTGATE: MY NAME IS CAPTAIN, CAPTAIN. BY JUDD MORRISSEY
& LORI TALLEY

Watertown, MA -- Eastgate Systems has announced the publication of new
hypertext, MY NAME IS CAPTAIN, CAPTAIN. by Judd Morrissey and Lori Talley.

    http://www.eastgate.com/catalog/Captain.html

In MY NAME IS CAPTAIN, CAPTAIN., Morrissey and Talley combine dynamic text,
links, and motion graphics to create a deep and inviting textual environment
inspired by the first airplanes.

The work, made with Macromedia's Flash authoring software, uses the computer
and hypertext to create an innovative, specifically digital kind of concrete
poetry. Text and images transform themselves with the click of a mouse,
appearing and disappearing on the screen. MY NAME IS CAPTAIN, CAPTAIN. also
capitalizes on the computer screen's malleability. Unlike ink on a page,
pixels may be programmed to change on the fly, a flexibility that has
allowed Morrissey and Talley to create animated, dynamic poetry that breaks
with traditional print conventions, such as fixed letters and the
organization  of the printed page.

"While the work strongly evokes familiar conventions of
concrete poetry, Morrissey and Talley have created a uniquely digital poetic
language, one that is inconceivable in a less plastic medium, such as
print," says Diane Greco, acquisitions editor at Eastgate Systems.

A lost pilot, the eponymous captain, forms the nucleus of the work. In
keeping with the aviation theme, Morse code is frequently invoked; for
instance, an entire section of the work shows reams of dots and dashes
marching across the screen. In another part of the work, lines of white
letters scroll backwards on a black background, recalling the mirror-writing
of Leonardo Da Vinci.

Advance praise for MY NAME IS CAPTAIN, CAPTAIN., has been rolling in. Robert
Coover, author of _Pricksongs & Descants_ and Professor of English and
Creative Writing at Brown University, calls CAPTAIN "already a classic in
its form." Robert Arellano, author of _Fast Eddie King of the Bees_ and the
celebrated Web novel _Sunshine '69_, says "CAPTAIN is one of the loveliest
pieces to come across my desktop in years."

Eastgate is similary bullish about CAPTAIN's prospects, and for good reason.
"Advance sales were very strong," comments Greco, "and I fully expect
classroom  adoption, especially in colleges and universities, to be high as
well. It's a rich, wonderfully teachable work, especially
for students in literature, communications and media studies who are
developing an appreciation of the materiality of all media."

MY NAME IS CAPTAIN, CAPTAIN. also represents a significant departure for
Eastgate. The packaging was professionally designed by Terri Chang of the
Parsons School of Design in New York City, a move that breaks with
Eastgate's former practice of designing their packaging in-house. "We're
very excited about the chance to get some fresh perspective on packaging,"
says Greco. "Terri's design was a breakthrough for us -- you hold the piece
in your hand, and you realize the importance of having a beautiful real
object to go with the virtual one."

    http://www.eastgate.com/catalog/Captain.html



ADVANCE PRAISE FOR MY NAME IS CAPTAIN, CAPTAIN.:

"Taking verbal and visual metaphors from the early days of flight to the
hypermedia skies of these early days of electronic literature, MY NAME IS
CAPTAIN, CAPTAIN. is, even at the moment of its publication, a classic in
its form. At times playful, at times somber, MY NAME IS CAPTAIN, CAPTAIN.
is, at all points of the compass, a compelling and intriguing read." --
Robert Coover, author of _Pricksongs & Descants_

"You don't need to know Morse code to enjoy the genius in this triumph of
literary design. With their flirtatious interface, Judd Morrissey and Lori
Talley have built more than a poem -- they've built a pioneering poetics
based on animation, recombination, and exploration. MY NAME IS CAPTAIN,
CAPTAIN. just might make "dit dah dit dah" a household word." -- Bobby
Arellano, author of _Sunshine '69_ and _Fast Eddie, King of the Bees_

    http://www.eastgate.com/catalog/Captain.html



ABOUT THE AUTHORS

JUDD MORRISSEY is a writer and developer of digital literature. He received
his MFA from Brown University . His work has been widely and internationally
exhibited and reviewed by online versions of publications such as the New
York Times and the New Republic.

LORI TALLEY is currently teaching in the Sound and Art and Technology
Studies Departments at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She
received her BA at Bard College in the experimental Music Program Zero under
the mentorship of composer and theorist Benjamin Boretz, and later went on
to earn her MFA at the  School of the Art Institute of Chicago. As a sound
composer and creator of  electronic literature, her work has been widely
recognized and included in  several international exhibitions including
ISEA97, P0es1s: International  Exhibition of Digital Poetry, and DAC2001.


ABOUT EASTGATE SYSTEMS

Hailed as "the primary source for serious hypertext" by Robert Coover in the
New York Times Book Review, Eastgate Systems publishes hypertexts --
interlinked, interactive work, both fiction and nonfiction, specifically
written to be read on the computer. Eastgate also produces Storyspace, a
hypertext and hypermedia authoring tool, and Tinderbox, a personal Web
content management assistant. Eastgate Systems publishes fiction, poetry,
and non-fiction, specializing in the world of literature beyond the confines
of paper, and that would not normally appear, or could appear, in printed
form.


PUBLICATION INFORMATION

My Name Is Captain, Captain.
by Judd Morrissey and Lori Talley
Eastgate Systems
ISBN 1-884511-41-4
(CD for Windows and Macintosh)
$25.00

    http://www.eastgate.com/catalog/Captain.html


PRESS INFORMATION

Please direct requests for press kits, review copies, and all other press
inquiries to: Diane Greco, dgreco@eastgate.com

You have received this email because you're on Eastgate's press list. If you
don't want to receive press announcements from Eastgate, just send a note
to: dgreco@eastgate.com


-------------------------------------------------------------
Diane Greco                         dgreco@eastgate.com
Eastgate Systems, Inc.                voice: +1(617) 924-9044
134 Main St Watertown MA 02472 USA    fax:   +1(617) 924-9051

http://eastgate.com               http://hypertextKitchen.com
http://home.earthlink.net/~dianegreco/

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