The Poke The Mango Shortlist

By Lydia Trethewey, Sean Crawley, Jeanette Stampone and Andrew Szemeredy

Inspired by Pokémon Go, four authors riff on themes of augmented reality, where virtual desires blend with real needs.

One topic, four authors, four very different stories:

Sean Crawley - Sean's In Tendo Capital takes us to a grim future where citizens must fight for what's real.

Lydia Trethewey - Synthesis deals with post war trauma for soldiers who see chemical in colour.

Jeanette Stampone - Mother and child cope with loneliness and anxiety in different ways

Andrew Szemeredy - Love finds a way of breaking down barriers in Microepisode of Major Love

• Language: English
• Publisher: Needle In The Hay
• Release date: Aug 11, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370568536

Book preview

Introduction

The Poke The Mango Award shortlist saw four authors show down over augmented reality and real world problems. While Andrew Szemeredy was relatively new to the shortlist, Lydia, Jeanette and Sean are all seasoned writers, making for a compelling contest.

In the end it was Jeanette Stampone's Not-So-Imaginary Friend that took out first place by no more than a point. That said, all for stories are interesting reads, with wildly different takes on the prompt.

The Prompt

Augmented Reality Games are here, and nothing quite defines that like the popular rise of Pokémon Go. But what happens when the things you need… Food, water, shelter, clothes… are augmented as well?

Write a piece of fiction with augmented reality at the crux of the drama, tension or comedy. It could be set in current times, 5 years from now, or in the far flung future. The augmentation could be through a phone, screen, glasses, contact lenses or some other way. Questions that might arise:

Who has access to this technology?

What are some of the benefits of this tech?

What possible drawbacks?

This was the question we posed to the authors at Needle In The hay on July 15 2016.