11 QUESTIONS FOR MEDIA MAVENS ABOUT READING
Due to the little tiny bit of controversy in my “riding fences” post, I asked a few media mavens to answer a few quick questions about their reading habits and how they see themselves as readers.
A big thank you from me goes out to the participants from our small social media circle. Still waiting to hear back from iJustine, but here are the participants in this impromptu study: DYKC, CC Chapman, Annie Boccio, Julia Roy, Eric Rice, Amanda Gravel, Chris Brogan, Jeff Pulver and Ewan Spence.
I am breaking the results up across several posts, in the interest of spacing.
Please leave a comment with your answers/thoughts; I’ve posted the questions below to copy and paste. Thanks, and enjoy!
1. In one (can be hyphenated!) word, how would you describe your career, culture or identity. E.g., “I am a(n) ________.”
2. Do you think this identity has been represented well in art (including fiction, film, poetry)?
3. What do you typically do on long trips (plane, train, auto) for entertainment?
4. What traditional paper & print media, if any, do you read on a regular basis?
5. What is the last fiction novel or short story you remember reading? When was this?
6. What is your preferred genre for fiction and/or non-fiction?
7. Would you rather read a novel or listen to it?
8. Approximately how many page books do you buy in a year for yourself or other adults?
9. Please pick up the book nearest to you now. What are the first and last words? What is the title?
10. You’ve just been given $300 gift card to Borders right before a 3-week trip to an ‘off the grid’ island. What do you buy?
11. What connections, if any, do you see between social media and traditional fiction?1. In one (can be hyphenated!) word, how would you describe your career, culture or identity. E.g., “I am a(n) ________.”
ERIC RICE: Explorer-Adventurer
AMANDA GRAVEL: firecracker2. Do you think this identity has been represented well in art (including fiction, film, poetry)?
ERIC RICE: Not digitally, no. We get stupid hacker movies.
AMANDA GRAVEL: yes (thinking of lisa loeb’s 1997 album entitled ‘firecracker’)3. What do you typically do on long trips (plane, train, auto) for entertainment?
ERIC RICE: Books, TV, and games. And a pillow.
AMANDA GRAVEL: i listen to music on my ipod or read a book4. What traditional paper & print media, if any, do you read on a regular basis?
ERIC RICE: I don’t read print newspapers, but read the online additions. I do purchase a metric ton of magazines, ranging from architectural, design, cars, gaming, etc. I LOVE magazines.
AMANDA GRAVEL: not really any. no newspapers, and an occasional magazine.5. What is the last fiction novel or short story you remember reading? When was this?
ERIC RICE: Crooked Little Vein, by Warren Ellis, on the last plane trip.
AMANDA GRAVEL: jeanette winterson’s lighthousing. a few months ago. i started reading another novel since then but didn’t like it so i put it away.6. What is your preferred genre for fiction and/or non-fiction?
ERIC RICE: Cyberpunk, dystopian fiction, etc.
AMANDA GRAVEL: fiction- i like books that are written with a poetic ear that are a little dark and have characters who get deep with their issues. non-fiction i like how-to types of books (PR, marketing or girly stuff, usually) or memoirs.7. Would you rather read a novel or listen to it?
ERIC RICE: Listen. Although, I can only do this when driving and my mind is not focused on a non-reflexive task.
AMANDA GRAVEL: I’d rather read it I think. I’ve never listened to a novel before.8. Approximately how many page books do you buy in a year for yourself or other adults?
ERIC RICE: Sadly, maybe five fiction. but a lot of non-fiction.
AMANDA GRAVEL: I probably buy like, 2-5 books a year for myself or for other people as gifts.
9. Please pick up the book nearest to you now. What are the first and last words? What is the title?ERIC RICE: “In” “awoke” Title: Echelon
AMANDA GRAVEL: This, prize Title: Chasing Cool First10. You’ve just been given $300 gift card to Borders right before a 3-week trip to an ‘off the grid’ island. What do you buy?
ERIC RICE: Design books, notepads, and maps.
AMANDA GRAVEL: Jeanette Winterson books, magazines, maybe a book about social media, PR and/or marketing11. What connections, if any, do you see between social media and traditional fiction?
ERIC RICE: I don’t see many connections between social media and traditional fiction, outside of my own project where the hyper-broadcasted future has its roots in the relentless and perhaps irresponsible display of life’s minutia. Some writers may engage in using social software and sites to create new types of media, however, their numbers seem small.
AMANDA GRAVEL: Traditional fiction is created not reported, and in social media (as well as social life in general) we are all agents creating what’s real. We become characters in this story we’re all creating together.