Tips for Transitioning Your Content to Digital

To Zoom or not to Zoom, that was the question that came up in our editorial meeting at the beginning of April when it became clear that COVID was going to cancel our literary journal’s annual issue launch party. We wanted to celebrate our authors (and our hard work!), but we weren’t sure if we wanted to do a reading online.

The trick to transitioning events into COVID world is not copy/paste your format online. Some are complaining that Zoom events cannot compare with live theater, or a festival, or a reading…and it is true that you can’t truly replicate the experience and intimacy of an in-person event on a computer screen. The most important thing to remember is you’re not trying to recreate a live event; you’re trying to create a digital one.

Exposition Review is no stranger to transitioning to digital during difficult circumstances. When USC transferred the Masters of Professional Writing program out of state, the journal-then called Southern California Review-was in danger of closing. Rebranding itself as Exposition Review, the editorial board decided to continue the journal without the university…or its budget that allowed for printing and other resources. The journal had no other option than to go online.

At first, it felt like a step back that made us less legitimate, but we quickly found that going online gave us the opportunity to publish uniquely digital content, like Claudia Rankine’s Video Essay #6 or the experimental hyperliterary html piece, Starling. There are many benefits as well; no hauling bulky journals in our car trunks, and anyone can read our issues free online. Saving on printing costs has also allowed us to focus on paying authors, something that had never happened even when the journal was funded by the university. We don’t seek to recreate a paper journal online; instead we seek content that works best when published online.

We knew we had to apply the same thinking when we shifted our events from a hyperlocal physical space to a remote option. I saw from Expo’s many events and readings how listening to an author read made me feel more connected to the piece and invested in the author. Unfortunately, our events mostly centered on Southern California authors who had the availability to make it to our readings.

A podcast allows us to hit several of our mission goals; to give our authors-including those not based in LA where many of our physical readings are-more chances to showcase themselves, to explore the possibilities of our digital platform, and to continue to build our literary community. The quarantine seemed like a perfect time to shine a light on our authors.

• Showcase our writers: Since our editors were based in LA, our events were limited to writers from California, or those who had the budget to fly out. The podcast allows us to interact with writers all over the country, and can be shared with listeners all over the world. Authors who don’t like crowds or the sound of their voice can feel more at ease because the podcast is recorded in a small group and edited to sound smooth and polished. The interview portion of podcast allows for more in-depth discussions about craft.
• Explore the possibilities of our digital platform: for our Act/Break pieces, we were able to link the podcast directly to the piece so readers could follow along as they read, which is a uniquely digital experience.
• Reach new audiences: Because our podcast is on Spotify and iTunes, it allows us to reach new audiences who may be aware of literary journals.
• Support our literary community — One of my favorite parts of the podcast is where writers get to plug their work in other journals, or organizations that they care about. This allows us to spotlight our community as well as our authors and continue to share our writer’s work.

Putting our podcast on Spotify and iTunes can include a wider audience than those who enjoy literary journals!

The podcast wasn’t just a reaction to COVID, it was an opportunity to further our mission on a new platform. If you are thinking of moving your events online, think about how you want to accomplish from your mission, and how a digital space allows you to do things you couldn’t in-person. Digital events often allow for greater geographic access, may be cheaper or less of a time suck (no commute or parking!), or give your audience new insights into the content.

For the team at Exposition Review, the podcast wasn’t a band-aid for our literary events-that we are excited to continue once it is safe!-it was a natural transposition of our content to fulfill our mission.

Listen to Transposition: on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen!

Originally published at http://laurarensing.wordpress.com on September 18, 2020.