The efficiency of many a SXSW day party left me impressed: nearly every minute was accounted for, with multiple stages and sound systems in use at some venues and spaces. Something that seemed noticeably absent, though, was any kind of literary presence. This might seem strange at first, as there’s no SXSW Book Festival to go alongside Music, Film, and Interactive — though a few panelists at the last of those did give short readings on the day stage –Â but I think it’s not too much of a stretch to think that it would fit. The middle ground between literature and music is a subject on which I’ve written a fair amount in the last year, and I’m far from the only one. (Alec Hanley Bemis, in particular, has written substantially on this topic.)
We’re at a point now where likeminded labels, publishers, and reading series (some names: Asthmatic Kitty, Flameshovel, Featherproof, the Happy Ending series) have collaborated; I don’t necessarily think it’s outlandish to imagine a handful of writers doing short readings between bands at some showcase or party at SXSW or CMJ. (Bumbershoot, I believe, has something like this, but I believe that’s more in the context of a broader arts festival). Maybe it’s my inherently culturally utopian tendencies at work, but this seems like it could be beneficial for all involved.