Leonardo Electronic Almanac Discussion (LEAD)
"New Media Poetics and Poetry"
Moderated by Sandy Baldwin

This issue, we introduce the "Leonardo Electronic Almanac Discussion" (LEAD) accompanying our "New Media Poetics and Poetry" special. LEAD will have two components, a live chat session with our authors and artists and a moderated discussion list for readers to engage with the special issue authors (see below for access information).

What is the LEA New Media Poetics Special?
Guest edited by Tim Peterson, the issue features Loss Pequeño Glazier, John Cayley with Dimitri Lemmerman, Lori Emerson, Phillippe Bootz, Manuel Portela, Stephanie Strickland, Mez, Maria Engberg and Matthias Hillner. Don't forget to scurry over to the equally exciting gallery, exhibiting works by Jason Nelson, Aya Karpinska, Daniel Canazon Howe, mIEKAL aND, CamillE BacoS, Nadine Hilbert and Gast Bouschet.

If you missed the chats and forum, fret not, an abridged version of the discussions is available here. Access the NMP Chat Transcripts.

Chat Schedule:
:: John Cayley - 9 Oct 2006 @ 1400hrs EST
:: Loss Glazier - 10 Octo 2006 @ 1900hrs  EST
:: Stephanie Strickland - 20 Oct 2006 @ 1300hrs EST
:: MEZ – 17 Oct 2006 @ 0300hrs EST
:: Jason Nelson – 24 Oct 2006 @ 1300hrs EST

How to participate in the live chat?
Live chats will use Jabber (http://www.jabber.org/), an open, secure, ad-free alternative to consumer IM services like AIM, ICQ, MSN, and Yahoo. The New Media Poetics chatroom is on the jabber.org public server under the name "leanmp" and the password "leoalmanac." Follow three easy steps and you are ready to join the chat:

1) Download and install a Jabber client. A list of recommended Jabber clients is available at the following url: http://www.jabber.org/software/clients.shtml. For Windows users, we recommend the Exodus client. For Macintosh users, please use Psi, as the other recommended clients do not consistently register on the Jabber server. For Linux, Psi is also available, but the other recommended clients should work as well.

2) Register as a user on the jabber.org public server. When you first open your Jabber client you will see a start screen. If you do not see this screen, or if you are not starting the client for the first time, the screen is also available in a pull down menu as Account Details or Preferences (depending on your Jabber client). Enter a username, password, and server. Use any username and password you choose. Enter “jabber.org” as the server. When you register, if your proposed username is taken, you need to choose another. Check the button for "new account" or to automatically register the account (depending on your client). Note: you may not be able to register if you are not using one of the recommended clients listed above. Hit OK or Login. Your Jabber client will then automatically register you and connect you to the jabber.org server.

3) At this point, you are ready to chat, but there is one more step: you must join the chatroom. Select "Join a Chat Room" from your client's pull down menu. Enter the name of the chat room: leanmp. Enter the password: leoalmanac. You can also specify a nickname or "handle" to use while in the chatroom. Hit "Finish" or "OK" to join the chat. The chat room window will open and you are ready to go! Note: the chat room may not be available outside of scheduled chat times.

Additional information is available at the Jabber userguide: http://www.jabber.org/user/userguide/.

How to sign up to the NMP Moderated List?
Email: leanmp-subscribe@googlegroups.com
LEA NMP URL: http://groups.google.com/group/leanmp

About the moderator
Sandy Baldwin (Ph.D, New York University) is Assistant Professor of English and Director of the Center for Literary Computing at West Virginia University.