MIX 2021: Amplified Publishing – Call for Papers and Presentations

Are you interested in the future of content publishing? Are you a writer, artist, technologist or researcher engaged in finding new ways to tell stories to new audiences? Are you keen to hear from people working across books, digital, sound, video, AR, VR, and games? MIX 2021 offers an opportunity to join us as we think about the future of content creation and publishing.

MIX is a four-day virtual conference that explores the intersection of writing and technology, bringing together people from around the world to make, think and talk. We are looking for writers, artists, practitioners, researchers and creative technologists to share their projects, research and practice through papers or presentations. 

After the success of the last five MIX conferences, held across our Bath Spa University campuses, the conference returns in a fully virtual form with an increased focus on making alongside two of our other favourite activities, thinking and talking. We will be hosting two days of making on Saturday 3rd July and Sunday 4th July followed by two days of papers, presentations and discussions on Monday 5th July and Tues 6th July. This includes  poetry film screenings on the theme of Amplified Voices curated by Adrian B Earle from Think/Write/Fly and Sarah Tremlett form Liberated Words.

In 2021, MIX will be a collaboration with Bristol+Bath Creative R+D’s project, Amplified Publishing, exploring future models of content creation, discovery and distribution, alongside our industry partners Epic and Future. B+B Creative R+D is funded by the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council, exploring new and innovative applications of technology across the sector and boosting the creative economy. Our other partners will include Paper Nations, a creative writing incubator championing approaches to the art of writing that are inclusive, playful and exploratory.

We are proud that Bath Spa University is the UK’s foremost provider of creative writing programmes at undergraduate, masters and PhD level and MIX is situated within the Centre for Cultural and Creative Industries, in collaboration with the Centre for Media Research, Creative Writing Research Centre, and the online magazine of writing and technology, The Writing Platform.

Call for Papers and Presentations 

We are looking for papers and presentations from writers, artists, practitioners, researchers and creative technologists; we are particularly interested in the work and views of writers, creators, audiences and communities currently underrepresented across writing and technology. Papers and presentations focused on teaching and pedagogy are also welcome.

 Our themes are: 

–     Amplified Publishing: Publishing and content creation online is changing rapidly and crossing traditional boundaries, from games to video to audio to literature and beyond. We wonder whether this makes these forms more accessible to creators and audiences. What can people working in different sectors and disciplines learn from each other? 

–     Personalisation: The content we find online is often personalised, from advertising to algorithmic recommendations. We want to discuss the creative potential of personalisation for content creators, publishers and audiences. Is the future personalised? 

–     Audio Storytelling: From podcasts and interactive storytelling using smart speakers, to binaural storyscapes and audio walks, publishers across many sectors are excited about audio. We want to think about experimentation, personalisation and playfulness across audio forms. What will innovation in audio look like over the next decade? 

–     Audiences: We know that there are audiences for new models of publishing and content creation and we want to talk about how to reach them. How are relationships between creators and audiences enhanced or disrupted by emerging platforms, new ways of working and shifts in audience demographics? How can these new models of publishing reach, and be relevant to, new audiences?

–     Funding Innovation: From Patreon to crowdfunding, we see that the models of paying for creative content online are changing from those of traditional publishing. We want to think about how we are paying for the creative content we find online and what this means for creators. What are the new, robust business models? 

We welcome in-person or virtual presentations but you don’t need to have decided which is best for you at the time of submission. 

MIX is collaborating with the International Journal of Creative Media Research to produce a special issue on Amplified Publishing, open to anyone who presents at MIX 2021. 

How to submit

For full information on submitting visit our website. The deadline for submission is Monday 15th March 2021.

For queries, email mix@bathspa.ac.uk, or take a look at the FAQs on our website.