Electronic Literature Lab, WSU-Vancouver • 30th October 2022

"Figurski" for the eyes and ears!

The new cover page for my hypertext novel "Figurski at Findhorn on Acid" features a direct link to John Barber's radio adaptation of the novel from Re-Imagined Radio ("LISTEN NOW"), now fully integrated into the site, all courtesy of the Electronic Literature Lab.

Electronic Literature Lab, WSU-Vancouver • 25th October 2022

Promotional Video for "Figurski at Findhorn on Acid"

This short promotional video was produced for "Figurski at Findhorn on Acid" as part of its submission to the 2022 New Media Writing Prize. It was created by members of the Electronic Literature Lab at Washington State University Vancouver, notably Holly Slocum and Kathleen Zoller. The illustration was created by Tyler Brumfield for the lab.

kaemi via itch.io

Interactive Fiction Database • 20th August 2022

Kaemi Velatet, "The Winograd Matrix" (Review)

"Like a lot of twentieth century futurism formalisms, the idea is conceptually entertaining, if not necessarily applicable, which means that it provides a perfect pomo playground. . . . This work echoes a lot of the tropes of academic-facing elit that I find annoying, in which there is more effort spent on conceptual innovation posturing than on the actual content."

Stanford Magazine • 12th July 2022

Figurski in Stanford Authors’ Showcase

Figurski is back in Stanford Magazine — this time in a "special advertising supplement."

ELO 2022 • 30th May 2022

Figurski at ELO 2022

"Figurski at Findhorn on Acid" is part of both the Media Art Festival and the Mentoring Exhibition at ELO 2022.

DH Unbound 2022 • 17th May 2022

Figurski in the Metaverse at DH Unbound 2022

"Figurski at Findhorn on Acid" was part of the Virtual Book Fair created for the 2022 DH Unbound conference.

Reimagined Radio • 19th January 2022

Figurski Radio Launch Party

A Zoom recording was made of the launch event for the world premiere of the radio adaptation of "Figurski at Findhorn on Acid."

Reimagined Radio • 17th January 2022

Radio Adaptation of "Figurski at Findhorn on Acid"

Re-Imagined Radio presents a one-hour radio play episode of my comic hypertext novel, the first ever radio adaptation of a work of electronic literature.

OpenSea • 12th January 2022

NFT (non-fungible token) Minted for "Figurski" Radio Play

An NFT, a one of a kind work of digital art, was created in January, 2022, by John Barber, Holly Slocum, and Marc Rose for the "Figurski at Findhorn on Acid" episode of Reimagined Radio.

Half Moon Bay Review & Pacifica Tribune • 15th December 2021

Coastside author re-releases unique online novel

As a writing professor at Stanford University in 1995, Richard Holeton wrote a 500-word short story about Theodore Streleski, the Stanford graduate student who bludgeoned his faculty advisor to death with a hammer in the 1970s. He developed the story into a hypertext novel, “Figurski at Findhorn on Acid,” which for the last 12 years has been unavailable to the public due to outdated software — until now.

ICIDS 2021 • 8th December 2021

Figurski Exhibition at ICIDS 2021

"Figurski at Findhorn on Acid" is one of 12 works chosen for the Art Exhibition at the International Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling, December 7-10, 2021, at Tallinn University, Estonia, and online.

The Digital Review • electronic book review • 13th September 2021

Dene Grigar, "The Ethics of Digital Preservation: Obligation to Future Generations"

In "When We Are No More," Abby Smith Rumsey argues that culture is a “a collective form of memory” and that memory impacts not only the survival of a species but of that species’ culture. Richard Holeton’s hypertext novel "Figurski at Findhorn on Acid," and Caitlin Fisher’s Flash net art narrative "These Waves of Girls," constitute two recent works the [Electronic Literature Lab] has saved within the parameters of Rumsey's ethic.

Wikipedia • 21st August 2021

Figurski at Findhorn on Acid - Wikipedia

Figurski at Findhorn on Acid is a hypertext novel by Richard Holeton published on CD-ROM by Eastgate Systems in 2001 and republished on the open web by the Electronic Literature Lab, Washington State University, in 2021. It is a work of interactive fiction with various paths for readers to choose from, an early example of electronic literature, and one of 23 works included in the literary hypertext canon.

Bob Phillips, Aquarena Springs, TX, used by permission

Electronic Literature Lab, WSU-Vancouver • 9th July 2021

Launch Event Videos for Figurski at Findhorn on Acid

This showcase features videos, captured via Zoom, of the launch of the Archival version of Richard Holeton's “Figurski at Findhorn on Acid” on Friday, July 9, 2021. The event was hosted by the Electronic Literature Lab at Washington State University Vancouver.

Electronic Literature Lab, WSU-Vancouver • 9th July 2021

Mariusz Pisarski, "The new Figurski… – blueprints for media translation"

Richard Holeton’s funny, crazy, ultra-postmodern satire "Figurski at Findhorn on Acid" was [first] published in 2001, just about the time when its platform of choice started its descent into obscurity. . . . This [new] design makes "Figurski at Findhorn on Acid" AD 2021 a unique, lasting contribution to media translation.

Electronic Literature Lab

Electronic Literature Lab, WSU-Vancouver • 18th May 2021

Michael Tratner, "The Distinctive Quality of Holeton's Hypertext Fiction"

The wonder of this hypertext is that it rigidly sticks to an extremely complicated, even tortured, organization (in which every possible arrangement of three characters, three objects and three places occurs) and yet it is a good read — whether you mechanically follow the default route or flip around randomly, you can zip through and enjoy the pages.

Electronic Literature Lab, WSU-Vancouver • 15th May 2021

Dene Grigar, "Migration as Translation: Moving Figurski to the Web"

In a digital translation aimed at restoring access to a work that has become technologically obsolete, the gain is so much greater than the loss. In the case of "Figurski," especially, it means that we can now again read one of the most unique and quirky interactive novels of the early 21st Century.

Wikipedia • 15th April 2021

Richard Holeton - Wikipedia

Holeton's creative works are foundational in the hypertext and electronic literature genres. As a writer, his most notable work is the hypertext novel Figurski at Findhorn on Acid, which has been recognized as an important early work of electronic literature and is included in the hypertext canon.

Rebooting Electronic Literature, Volume 2 • 20th December 2019

Dene Grigar, "A Man and His Shoes: Complexity and Satire in Richard Holeton's Figurski at Findhorn on Acid"

Along with its satirical treatment of contemporary culture, a hallmark of the novel is its structure: It is a massive work of 147 text spaces built around clearly-defined combinations of three characters, locations, and artifacts, with an additional 147 Notes help to further contextualize the narrative for readers, and 2001 links connecting spaces and Notes together.

Electronic Literature Directory • 12th May 2019

Chelsea Miya, "Figurski at Findhorn on Acid"

The story follows the main character Frank Figurski’s quest to acquire a legendary mechanical pig. The encyclopedic form of the novel satirizes academic language and research culture. The scenes alternate between various genre styles, both fictional and non-fictional, including: poetry, dramatic dialogue, and email exchanges. Holeton appears especially fond of pedagogical rhetoric and both invites and pokes fun at practices of scholarly inquiry.