Alternative literature

Alternative Literature (often stylized as Alt Lit or Alt-Lit) is a fairly new form of literature, centered on and/or drawing from the internet, internet culture and "a population of people that are connected with one another through their interest in the online publishing world" and also real life, sometimes. It includes various forms of prose and poetry.

Beginnings of Alt Lit

The term Alt Lit has no single definition but is often used to refer to a social media-based creative community, loosely unified in their likes and dislikes. It is perhaps easiest to define Alt Lit as the harnessing of the possibilities offered by internet for the creation and publication of literature, and by extension, the associated surrounding community and standard culture. There is not yet any definite structure or a related set of rules that must be followed in Alt Lit's creation but certain traits have been popularized/replicated. Notable examples include of themes within this community include self-publication and advertisement (primarily by way of social media), homegrown publishing houses, and the maintenance of an internet presence spanning several social networks. Others include the knowledge and referencing of popular figures associated with the community, abuse of "kiddy drugs" (notably Adderall, Xanax, and Cannabis) and participation in gatherings and readings broadcast on online mediums (primarily Spreecast). The sharing of Gmail chat logs, memes, macros, screenshots, and computer generated art are also popular. Buddhist and Taoist themes are prevalent in most alternative literature.

Alt Lit authors have excited controversy with traditional writers and readers.

New Modernism

Due to its temporal proximity, Alt Lit is often grouped with post-modernism and many other literary movements. Author Phillipe Chatelain argues in his New Modernist Manifesto:

In the New Modernism I propose, artists echo the plight and themes of the Modern and Post-Modern traditions but, through innovative lyrical styles derivative of mass media around them, they devise stark representations of the ephemeral world. These artists push the boundaries of the English language into a micro-world of sorts. A denouncement of what many call “txt-speak” and micro-media updates of the Twitter Generation renders one out-of-touch with changing times. Our generation is at the cusp of a reformation in stenography that, instead of solely trimming the English language for concision to a 140-character limit, can be the cornerstone of the written art for future generations. The social media and telecom world in which we currently live is branding a new breed of writers and artists that internalize these forms of mass production of creativity. It not only brings a new literary form to light, but it arguably changes the very substance of the art as well as its distribution.

Authors & Works

Central figures include authors Steve Roggenbuck, Frank Hinton, Scott McClanahan, Noah Cicero, Zachary German, Kevin Douglas, Marie Calloway, Mira Gonzalez, Sam Pink, Blake Butler, Stephen Tully Dierks, Crispin Best, Theo Thimo, Heiko Julién, Ana Carrete, Luna Miguel, Elaine Sun, Kendra Grant Malone, Megan Boyle, Melissa Broder, Chelsea Martin, Grace Miceli, Diane Marie, Gabby Gabby, Sarah Jean Alexander, Moon Temple, LK Shaw, Daniel Alexander, Nathan Stapleton, Luming Hao, Megan Schüirmann, Blare Coughlin, Dianna Dragonetti, and Tao Lin.

Alt Lit Gossip, Muumuu House, Thought Catalog, Pop Serial, Beach Sloth, Shabby Doll House, Alt Lit Press, Have U Seen My Whale, and Illuminati Girl Gang are notable websites featuring or promoting these and many others associated in varying degrees with Alt Lit.