Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Hitotoki: the story of our streets



I am absolutely in love with the Hitotoki project, as I assume any writer would be. How many times have you walked down a block and wondered if that particular street had some grand meaning to another person, if something profound happened there, if something great or tragic occurred and then passed unnoticed.

Hitotoki which roughly translates into "one time" captures meaning in streets from Tokyo to New York, essentially creating a narrative map of the world. I'm particularly smitten with New York's page, entitled "New York Tales from Curious Borough Dwellers" edited by Matt Rand. Perhaps, because I've walked these very streets. Each point on the map is tied to a phrase. For example my old stomping ground Brighton Beach:

002 " We arrived on completely Russian streets, with Russian signs and a familiar rudeness."- Kseniya Melnik.

A phrase that then leads you a bigger story. For those of you who've experienced "pivotal moments of elation, confusion, absurdity, love or grief — or anything in between — inseparably tied to a specific place in Tokyo or New York." submissions are accepted here.

No comments:

Post a Comment