Book Group: Jeff VanderMeer's "Booklife: Strategies and Survival Tips for the 21st Century Writer"

Location Note: Pickford Theater, 3rd floor of the Madison BuildingPart of the "What-If" series, Jeff VanderMeer discusses Booklife: The Private and the Public in the Future of Publishing. What are the benefits and dangers of a confusion between the private creativity and the public career elements of a writers life caused by new media and a proliferation of open channels? What protective measures must a writer take to preserve his or her self in this environment? In addition to the guerilla tactics implicit in storytelling through social media and other unconventional platforms, in what ways is a writers life now itself a story irrespective of intentional fictive storytelling? Examining these issues leads naturally to a discussion on the tension and cross-pollination between the private and public lives of writers in our transmedia age, including the strategies and tactics that best serve those who want to survive and flourish in this new environment. What are we losing, and what do we stand to gain?