Autumn Marathon

Trendspotting: Writing on Subways

I have been doing much of my writing lately on my smartphone while riding the NYC subway and other public conveyances. And I am not alone; my neighbor on this transatlantic flight, a scientist, just whipped out several long emails to colleagues. A few months ago, The New Yorker magazine described a whole sub-genre of Japanese literature written by young women on mobile phones. And, my final exhibit, the best and most memorable book I have read so far this year, Lowboy, was not only written in the NYC subway, it is set mainly in the subway.