Subway Lit Literary Series Expands

More free stories for commuters, more exposure for authors.

New York, NY April 5, 2004 -- The success of the first Subway Lit was hard to top. Blues Run the Game, a short story by Louis Malloy, was printed up as a small pamphlet and distributed to thousands of commuters in Brooklyn on their way to work on March 9th, and to Manhattan commuters on March 10th. The pamphlet got a wonderful response from commuters, and the author was thrilled for his work to reach such a wide audience.

But the second Subway Lit was even better or at least bigger. The short story A Roman Job Offer, by Chuma Nwokolo, Jr., was distributed around Brooklyn on March 23rd and 24th. Due to the overwhelming response to the first pamphlet, the printing for A Roman Job Offer was double that of Blues Run the Game. And the response has been just as strong.

The Subway Lit program was begun by Jason Moriber. As a founding partner of Wiselephant, a company that helps artists and writers find innovative ways to promote their work, he knew there must be a better way for writers to get their work to readers than the same old literary magazines and sparsely-attended readings. And so he conceived of Subway Lit: a series of stories, printed as small stand-alone pamphlets, handed out to entertainment-thirsty commuters on their way to work.

Nwokolos story is set in a small village in Nigeria (the authors home town), but its themes of innocence, exploitation, and the ways the two meet are universal. He is the author of several novels published in Africa and Europe (available from www.villagerhouse.com), and in his interview on the Subway Lit website (www.subwaylit.com), expresses some strong opinions on the same themes explored in his fiction.

The next story will be handed out April 21 at the Seventh Avenue Station (7th Avenue and 9th Street, Park Slope) and the Bergen Street Station (Bergen Street and Smith Street, Carroll Gardens), both at 7:30 a.m. On April 22 distributors will be at the Bedford Avenue Station (Bedford Avenue & North Seventh Street, Williamsburg), and the Union/Lorimer Station (Lorimer Street & Metropolitan Avenue, Williamsburg ) at 8:30 a.m. Rain dates will be posted on the website, www.subwaylit.com.

Other Wiselephant programs to connect artists with their audience include providing an online store where artists and writers can sell their wares directly to the public, partnering with literary magazines to bring them new readers, and their core business of selling promotional tools such as websites, postcards, and business cards to artists.

To learn more about Subway Lit, visit www.subwaylit.com. To learn more about Wiselephant and its services, visit them online at www.wiselephant.com, or in person at 221 Columbia Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231. They can be reached at 888-625-9258, or by email at e-mail protected from spam bots.