Narrative Urge Mystery Hits Atlanta

By Maryann Yin 

In Atlanta, envelopes containing handwritten notes, strange codes, story excerpts, and ten-dollar bills have been popping up in random spots recently.

According to Scoutmob Atlanta, the story excerpts are derived mostly from the works of local writers. The happy recipients have set up a Wikipedia page to try to crack this mystery.

The mystery writer goes by the name “Narrative Urge.” Scoutmob Atlanta interviewed the writer about his or her goals for this project.

Here’s more from the interview: “The goals are many, but the project is designed to allow for some degree of change, evolution. At the basic level, I want to excite finders of envelopes, bring them unexpected joy (“Cash! I can buy something”) and wonder (“Who did this? Why?”). I want to provide a surprising encounter with a polite stranger who asks them to play a game, solve a puzzle. Also, by giving away money and art together, I want to magnify, compound and reverse the argument about whether art should be free – negate the argument, really, if only for a moment in the life of an envelope finder. Another goal, maybe too ambitious, has to do with interlacing the stories of many people in a single narrative.”

What do you think?

http://scoutmob.com/atlanta/scoutfinds/1834