Cellphone Novels

As we consider the various uses of hand held devices we now need to consider them also as authoring devices. This article in the New York Times (free registration req.) discusses the popular Japanese phenomenon of novels written on cellphones. Tom Peters comments on the article at the ALA TechSource blog here. Given the popularity of other Japanese low-art forms like anime and manga among American teenagers it will be interesting to see if cellphone novels catch on here as well. Peters concludes his comments this way:

"If cell phone novels become suddenly and overwhelmingly popular in the United States, will libraries be involved in this boom in reading among teens and young adults – something for which we say we ardently wish? Maybe librarians should be proactive in fostering cell phone novelists and readers here in the U.S."