Anobium was a literary journal I founded, developed, managed, and built from 2011 to 2015. We focused primarily on experimental literature, poetry, and other hybrid literary forms, as well “outsider art” from the around the world.
Rescription was one of the final projects published by Anobium, and was a truly collaborative, cooperative project. I served as the creator, organizer, facilitator, creative director, and eventually, editor and publisher.
Here’s a description of the original project idea:
The Rescription Project is a five-month collective project that will involve 10 writers with 10 dead ideas. These writers will collaborate to resuscitate these drafts by allowing each respective writer, with their own machinations, to leverage their talent for the work of others.
At the conclusion of The Project, Anobium will publish a book of these collectively ‘rescripted’ stories; mere ‘drafts’ which would have otherwise seen nothing but dust, skeletons, and silverfish. With this project, the status of ‘author’ is no longer a singularity. At the start of the five-month process, each writer submits one piece of fiction to the group, with the acknowledgement that in turning it over, it will no longer be their own; like jazz, but on paper. The completed product will be the product of all ten ‘authors,’ working in tandem.
It was collaboratively designed by myself and my brother, Jacob van Loon.
Collaboratively written by Jeff Bakkensen, Pat Chesnut, Sean Conner, Joshua Covell, Benjamin Goluboff, Sophie Summertown Grimes, Nicholas Hayes, W. Doak Neal, Stephanie Plenner, Steven Ramirez, Ben Smith, Steven Teref, Benjamin van Loon
format / print and digital
specs / (5″x7″), 146 pages
date / summer 2013
isbn-13 / 978-0-615-75837-4
ben van loon 