Agenda: The Common Reader

It’s often said that no one reads anymore—no time, no patience. But Andy Hunter and Scott Lindenbaum, the two young founders of the new literary magazine Electric Literature, think otherwise: “Everywhere we look, we see people reading, whether it be books, blogs, tweets, SMS messages,” says Hunter. In an attempt to stoke the fire of the literary tradition in this digital age, the Brooklyn-based duo publishes a meta-zine across all media: iPhone, Kindle, and good old-fashioned paperback—and now EL is the first literary magazine designed for the iPad. It offers short stories from the likes of Michael Cunningham, Jim Shepard, and in its fourth issue (out yesterday), Spain’s Javier Marías, accompanied by film and audio of authors reading their work. “Reading is no longer like taking medicine,” Lindenbaum says. “It’s dessert, not Dimetapp.” More info at electricliterature.com