A Journal of Human+Computer Writing
Ensemble Park collects literary experiments in human-computer co-writing. Neither completely computer-generated nor absent of computational intervention, the works explore how machines may enter the literary process iteratively, and how literary artifacts may be changed by such iterations.
Each piece is accompanied by both a process note and (in the "PLUS" edition, print-only) a short interview with the author.
ISSUE #1
☛ read ISSUE #1 (online)
☛ acquire ISSUE #1 PLUS (print)
Call for Issue #2
We are seeking submissions of human+computer “co-writing” for Issue #2 of Ensemble Park, a literary journal devoted to supporting and bringing attention to new writerly processes.
Our first issue highlighted a variety of forms of computation—language models, yes, but also voice-to-text transcription, optical character recognition, esoteric programming languages, and even analogue oscillators. For Issue #2, we hope to expand this scope. In particular we are interested in:
  • computation that supports world-building (e.g., a program that determines the weather at different points in the story);
  • unusual interaction paradigms, perhaps supported by less popular metaphors—instead of imaging the computer as a tool or an agent, perhaps the computer is a forest, an architect, a sticker pack;
  • more interactions with off-the-shelf, quotidian interfaces and infrastructure (e.g., writing that could not be accomplished without a web browser)
  • uses of Good Old-Fashioned AI, like schedulers, theorem provers, or ontologies;
  • antagonistic interactions with computers; and
  • new ways of using or interacting with language models, such as manipulating the logits in the output distribution or using custom language models to develop voices or textures
We seek poems, short stories, essays, and anything in between where there is significant human and computer entanglement. We want to be surprised by the creative process. We also want writing that stands on its own.
While we are open to submissions written with large language models, we are equally interested in those written with other sorts of computational feedback and collaboration, as noted above. Submissions that engage with language models are encouraged to reflect on the role of the model in the writing process, and push the “incorporating suggested generated text” paradigm into new forms.
Process Statement
We ask that all submissions are accompanied by a short explanatory piece that documents and reflects upon the co-authorship process, including relevant technical details. These descriptions of human+computer interactions should be specific enough to allow others to imitate them and imagine their own writing process based on them.
Submission Details
Ensemble Park is published in print as well as online. This means that submissions must be text-based artifacts that are amenable to both formats; we will not be able to support any dynamic, interactive, animated, or, at this point, color content.
While we have no strict length limits, we may ask to excerpt longer submissions.
If you have any questions, including if you are unsure if your piece would be within the scope of the journal, please do not hesitate to email us at .
Submissions will be read by the editors, Katy Ilonka Gero and Kyle Booten.
Submissions due: Jan 10th, 2025
Send submissions to: