When the dead go unread, there’s gonna be trouble…
When the dead go unread because libraries are closing down, there’s gonna be trouble. Writers are turning in their graves, and the only thing that can save them is people reading their ‘booooooks’.
Dawn of the Unread started life as a reading flashmob, transformed into 16 online comics, became a game-based app to test literacy skills, was used as a main case study in Nottingham’s bid to become a UNESCO City of Literature, and ended up as a book.
A key innovation was embedding links within specific panels of the comic to provide contextual essays, enabling readers to go deeper should they wish. Likewise, the app gave users one chance to select an answer in a quiz, ensuring they read properly before answering.
Format
- 16 digital comics created by different artists and writers
- Embedded essays providing context to panels in the comic (click on stars)
- Computer game
- Smartphone app
- School engagement
- Flashmob and public events
- 65+ YouTube video essays
- Social media accounts for key literary figures
- 100+ blogs at dawnoftheunread.wordpress.com
Aims
- Raise awareness of local literary history to create a sense of civic pride
- Encourage people to use libraries so that they remain open
- Support independent bookshops
- Create literacy tasks to support F.E education
Received the Teaching Excellence Award at the Guardian Education Awards in 2015 as the project created placements for 120 students who gained experience in all areas of production.
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