Narrative Laboratory Brings Digital Writing Expertise To East Midlands

For immediate use: 12 January 2006

De Montfort University (DMU) is launching a series of workshops for creative industries in the East Midlands ahead of a national conference on experimental digital applications for text narratives.

NLab, the Narrative Laboratory for the Creative Industries, at De Montfort University in Leicester, is holding four private seminars to help businesses and writers find out what's new in digital content and who's looking for it, from March to June.

Sue Thomas, Professor of New Media at DMU, who is hosting the NLab workshops and conference, said: "High-quality digital content is a priority for the creative industries, whether it's gaming, broadcasting, publishing, tourism, or software. It's also important to authors in search of the right kind of media for their fiction, hypermedia, journalism, poetry, or many other kinds of writing.

"The NLab Network connects small creative businesses with writers to generate pioneering partnerships creating digital stories and other narratives. Network members come together to find out what makes them different from each other, what connects them, and how they can forge new collaborations."

An NLab National Conference is also planned for July featuring international speakers from the sharp edge of digital narrative content. The conference will be open to the public but free of charge to members of the NLab Network.

For the workshop series membership of NLab is free but limited by application and members will be selected to ensure a creative balance of expertise and interest. Members will be invited to four private seminars. Each seminar will focus on digital narrative content for a specific area and include a guest speaker, panel discussion, and workshop:

Broadcasting & Publishing with Mandy Rose, New Media Editor BBC Wales, Friday 31st March 2006; Blogs, Communities, and Social Software with Suw Charman, Blog Consultant, Journalist & Author, Tuesday 25th April 2006; Games with Ernest Adams, Game Design Consultant, Monday 22nd May 2006; Tourism & Heritage w/c 26th June 2006 speaker tbc.

To apply email Jess Laccetti at info@narrativelab.org. More details at http://www.narrativelab.org

Prof Sue Thomas is also starting a one year research project with experimental digital applications for text narratives having won a £47k award from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) for experimental projects.

The research will investigate interdisciplinary applications of experimental social software to the study of narrative in digital contexts, exploring potential for existing internet tools as well as the new web including Web 2.0.

"The electronic environment has transformed the resources available to the academic researcher, most recently in the area of collaboration and new kinds of knowledge management. This project will evaluate a selection of experimental software tools to discover whether they offer valuable unconventional opportunities to connect researchers across widely-differing disciplines and to examine how they might support innovative collaborations, such as shared bibliographical resources," said Prof Thomas.

Prof Thomas will also be representing NLab at two high profile conferences in March: the ETech emerging technology conference in San Diego; and the SXSW Interactive Media conference in Austin, Texas.

ENDS

For further information or to arrange an interview Prof Sue Thomas please contact De Montfort University Press and PR Office on 0116 257 7021.

NLab was created with funding to De Montfort University from HEIF2, a partnership between the Department of Trade and Industry/Office of Science and Technology (DTI/OST), the higher Education Fund for England (HEFCE), and the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). Funds are awarded to support universities and colleges in their third stream engagement with business and community partners, increasing their capability to respond to the needs of business, public services and the wider community, and to transfer knowledge