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Man Booker-winning author Margaret Atwood is to publish a collection of poetry directly to online writers and readers community Wattpad, and will judge a new international poetry contest for the site.
The author of The Handmaid's Tale is to join the community in July and will submit a serialised collection of poems titled Thriller Suite. Fans can communicate with her directly via her profile www.wattpad.com/MargaretAtwood.
“There has been a major shift in the publishing world, and authors need to be aware of digital opportunities," said Atwood. "This is an adventure! I wonder what it will be like to share my writing with a new group of people, many of whom read on their phones?
"Building new readers and writers is crucial for the writing and reading community: if there are no newer readers, soon there will be no older ones. And, in writing as with everything else, you learn by doing.”
“Our community of readers and writers are thrilled, especially our poets,” said founder and c.e.o. Allen Lau. “Margaret’s presence on Wattpad really demonstrates what this revolution in story sharing can do. Just imagine what it means for a young aspiring poet to interact with Margaret Atwood!"
Wattpad is a mobile, social e-reading platform where readers and writers can discover, share and collaborate on stories. It has nine million members. According to the site, over 70% of Wattpad's usage comes from its iOS and Android apps.
More details of the poetry contest will be announced in July. Atwood recently published a digital-only story on byliner.com.