SMS Literature

A Song Composed Through Texting! - Mar 05 2004

The Manila Bulleting Online reports that a song has been composed through texting and itís by Vina Morales and Piolo Pascual no less.

"Piolo is a guest artist in Vinaís latest album and when the singer-actress found this out, they thought of a concept. But because of their busy and demanding schedule, they couldnít find time to sit down together and write the song. But they finally got to do it - through texting.

ìPiolo wrote the second and fourth verses and I did the first and the third,î Vina said during the launch the other day of the album entitled ìMamahalin Ka Niyaî.

The only disappointing part of this story is that the record company didn't think of making the song into a ringtone. It would have been appropriate.

Cellphone Text Poetry Writing Contest - Feb 10 2004

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts in cooperation with the Filipinas Institute of Translation and the UP Institute of Creative Writing, are launching DIONATEXT, an SMS poetry writing contest.

"The contest aims to popularize and revitalize the tradition of one of the oldest forms of poetry by using modern technology. The diona is a short poem composed of three versified rhyming lines. DIONATEXT entries must be written in Filipino and must express love within the family.

Every week for the month of February, judges will pick 2 winners and the winning entries will be compiled in a book which will be released at the award ceremonies".

City Poems - Nov 2 2003

City Poems is a community project, made up of a network of Poem Points around Leeds, each offering up to ten free text message poems written by people who live and work in the city.

"To read a poem users need only text the unique key number displayed on each PoemPoint sign to the CityPoems number 07919 315556 or try the virtual tour by texting the key numbers from the map. To read another poem just send the key number again.

CityPoems invites mobile users to submit their own poems at any time by sending them as text messages to 07919 315556. Each poem must fit within a single text message (maximum 160 characters). A selection of these poems will be used to regularly update the PoemPoints around the city".

And from April 2004 until September 2004, "Stadschromosomen - beeld van een stad" (city chromosomes - image of a city) will deploy 26 textpoints built into the city of Antwerp and the 9 districts surrounding Antwerp.

People can also request sms messages from Leeds (CityPoems) on twinned locations (Antwerp-Leeds). After 6 months, a selection of the best text messages will be published in a book