Listen to Off Center season 1
The Center for Digital Narrative (CDN) launched summer 2023 and its research projects have been set in motion. The podcast series ‘Off Center’ shares the research from CDN with an international audience.
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In each episode, Scott Rettberg is joined by a researcher from the centre or other academics in the field for an interesting discussion of their expertise.
The discussions in the series are easy to follow and suitable for anyone interested in the field of digital narrativity. Each episode shines a light on another aspect of the field, making them suitable to listen to in any preferred order.
"I'm planning to talk to the researchers at the Center for Digital Narrative about topics ranging from game studies to AI to VR to new forms of electronic literature that are emerging in digital media," says Scott Rettberg about the series.
Episode 1: Introducing the Center for Digital Narrative, with Jill Walker Rettberg
In the first episode, Scott Rettberg is joined by Jill Walker Rettberg, co-director of CDN. During the 30-minute-long episode, they talk about what has inspired them over the years to start this research Center of Excellence, the concept of "algorithmic narrativity," and some of the research that the Center will focus on including digital narratives in electronic literature, computer games, social media, computational narrative systems, AI, XR and more.
Episode 2: The Electronic Book Review and Building the Field of Electronic Literature, with Joseph Tabbi
In this episode, Scott Rettberg is joined by Joseph Tabbi, professor of English at the University of Bergen to discuss the electronic book review, research infrastructure, and electronic literature.
Episode 3: Artistic Research and Digital Writing, with Jason Nelson
In this episode of Off Center, Scott Rettberg and Jason Nelson come together to talk about digital art and poetry, art games, and the bridge to researching Extended Digital Narratives.
Episode 4: Meme Culture, Social Media, and the January 6th Insurrection with Ashleigh Steele
In this episode of ‘Off Center’ Scott Rettberg and journalist and digital culture researcher Ashleigh Steele discuss the impact of memes as "preparatory media" for the January 6th insurrection at the US Capitol.
Episode 5: AI, Computational Creativity, and Media Production with Drew Keller
Scott Rettberg is back with a new episode of the podcast Off Center. This time he is joined by Drew Keller to discuss computational creativity and storytelling in media production.
Episode 6: Gendered AI and Editorial Labour in Digital Culture with Lai-Tze Fan
In this episode of ‘Off Center’ Scott Rettberg is joined by Lai-Tze Fan to discuss gendered AI voice assistance, editorial labour, and her online collaborative works.
Episode 7: Computational Narrative Systems and Platform Studies with Nick Montfort
Scott Rettberg is this time joined by Center for Digital Narrative PI Nick Montfort. Together they dive into topics such as computational narrative systems, platform studies, and interactive fiction.
Episode 8: Fanfiction as a Form of Digital Narrativity with Flourish Klink
In this episode, Scott Rettberg is joined by Flourish Klink, one of the ‘Fansplaining’ podcast hosts to discuss the world of fandoms and the creation of fanfiction about books, movies, shows, and celebrities.
Episode 9: Hypertext as Technology and Literature with Robert Arellano
In this episode, Scott Rettberg is joined by novelist and professor of Emerging Media and Digital Art at Southern Oregon University, Robert Arellano. They discuss the history of hypertext and Robert’s breakthrough hypertext novel.
Episode 10: Immersive Storytelling in Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality with Caitlin Fisher
In this episode, Scott Rettberg is joined by immersive storyteller Caitlin Fisher, director of York University's Immersive Storytelling Lab. They discuss topics such as augmented and virtual reality, electronic literature, future cinema, and emerging technology.
Episode 11: Filmmaking and Combinatory Cinema with Roderick Coover
Scott Rettberg is back with a new episode of the podcast Off Center. This time he is joined by Roderick Coover to discuss filmmaking with the use of databases and combinatory cinema projects they collaborate on.
Episode 12: Existential Transformative Game Design with Doris Rusch
Welcome back to the final episode of the first season of the podcast ‘Off Center’. In this episode, Scott Rettberg is joined by video game designer Doris Rusch, professor at Uppsala University. They talk about Doris' journey in game design and the creation of existential games for the soul.
