Riveted in the Word

RIVETED IN THE WORD is an electronic book inspired by the true story of a writer’s hard-fought battle to regain language after a devastating stroke. Written and designed by author/designer/visual literature pioneer Warren Lehrer, this multimedia book app places the reader inside the mind of a retired history professor as she recalls her journey with Broca Aphasia. The custom interface toggles between columns of text that readers navigate at their own pace, and animated sections that evoke gaps between perceptions (thoughts, memories, desires) and the words needed to communicate. This deeply moving story about overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles is told in a dynamic new way, with kinetic typography choreographed by Lehrer, and an original soundtrack by composer/multi-instrumentalist Andrew Griffin. Programmed by electronic literature developer Artemio Morales at AltSalt, this e-edition of RIVETED IN THE WORD is made for iPad, iPhone, and Mac computers (system 12 and above).
“Warren Lehrer’s breakthrough electronic book plunges us in the cinematic and poetic drama of the nightmarish loss of the ability to process words to the outside world. Why has this happened? Because a small blood clot got stuck in the brain at a crucial place. In Riveted in the Word, words become operatic characters: they pop out of shadows, revolve inside; the smallest needs of daily life turn into a dream, a struggle to communicate. But the author/designer, who immersed himself in the knowledge of stroke, Broca Aphasia, and rehabilitation, turns this dreadful event into an inspiring message of hope. Experience Riveted in a quiet place so you can savor the form and the content of this innovative, ‘hyper-graphic’ work at your own pace.”
Jean Paul Curtay, MD, member of the New York Academy of Sciences
“An accomplished work of sincere mediated fiction that offers the reader a journey inside the mind of a person rehabilitating from a stroke... The text animations, which explore a wide array of kinetic text and concrete poetry, effectively emulate psychological conditions/dilemmas in the healing process. Congratulations Warren Lehrer and collaborators Artemio Morales and Andrew Griffin on having produced a work that is poignant and very readable. Riveted in the Word is an insightful, audacious exploration—I hope it receives the wide readership it deserves.”
David Jhave Johnson, digital poet, media artist, theorist & critic, author Aesthetic Animism
“Warren Lehrer’s new creation, Riveted in the Word, goes beyond the conventional limits of the e-book to plunge us into a veritable typographic cinema. The text—an interior narrative of a writer regaining language after a massive stroke—comes to life to the rhythm of a spellbinding soundtrack, creating a delicate choreography in a minimalist, vaporous space. An unforgettable, original, rare, and emotionally-charged reading experience.”
Frédéric Chauvreau, Editorial Director Revue Poésies Plastiques