The forecast’s good for Rainy City Stories
Manchester likes to write, and you need look no further than the Rainy City Stories website to see just how much inspiration can be found in these city streets.
The Rainy City Stories team have created a writers’ map by bringing together fiction inspired by and set in specific city spots. The bold home page sports an interactive map emblazoned with little clouds pinpointing the stories and poems associated with that place. A click on each leads to a world of Manchester inspired work.
As editor Kate Feld explains, there has been no shortage of material out there. ‘All the work is new, original and unpublished,’ she says, ‘They’re all linked to a specific location. It’s a different way to experience Manchester. It’s about what regular folk who may or may not have experience writing feel about their city. We’ve been publishing at least a story a week for over a year now.’
When it comes to the literature of Manchester she is quietly earnest about the role the city plays in writing. ‘I think we’ve tapped into something, unlocked a real desire. People want to communicate their feelings about a place. Manchester itself has a lot of character; it’s atmospheric and conducive to setting scenes in fiction. There’s no shortage of things to write.’
An alternate Manchester
At the beginning the website was designed with Mancuniansin mind. ‘It was a place for them to share their inner Manchester, their inner life and experiences.’ But as the website grew so did the vision. It slowly became apparent that something more was happening at Rainy City Stories.
‘More than just creating an online experience of Manchester, it seemed to be generating an alternate Manchester, a virtual, online Manchester, which although similar to the real city was a totally independent experience,’ Feld explains.
‘In the past the perception of putting something up on the Internet has been that it’s not edited and anyone can write anything. Online literature has evolved to a point where no one is saying that anymore. We had a very high editorial standard.’
This is evident in the pieces selected. The map creates a dizzying and thoroughly absorbing collection of poems, short stories, rememberings and created histories that weave together a collective memory of Manchester.
The gap between technology and literature
Rainy City Stories is taking further steps to bridging the gap between technology and literature. The website will very soon host podcasts of Rainy City writers reading their pieces and a map to allow readers to find the spot that inspired them.
Feld’s confidence and passion about the future of writing in Manchester is clear. ‘It’s exciting. So many things are happening, so many new magazines and online endeavours. Now people can put together a webzine or an online blog and that can only be a good thing. There’s a wonderful, tremendous energy. I’m loving every minute of it.’
Walking in the Rain: Rainy City Stories Live will take place Tuesday 20 October 2009 as part of Manchester Literature Festival. For more information visit the links to the right of the page.
Published: Mon, 19 October, 2009
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