The Origin (2000–2003)
Live2Read was created by Shail and Aseem with their friends, running actively from 2000 to 2003 at live2read.com. Built on Zope and Squishdot — a Python-based CMS that was genuinely ahead of its time — it was a literary community with a soul.
“Avid readers, prolific writers, wannabe writers, any and every kind of the same, unite, one forum, and spread the bug thereof.”
That word — bug — is everything. Not a product. Not a service. A contagion. The idea that reading and writing are things you catch from other people, and then can't help passing on.
What Made It Special
The magic wasn't in any single feature. It was in what the platform assumed about its users: that the same person who reviewed a novel on Tuesday would post a poem on Thursday. That the person leaving a thoughtful comment on someone's short story was drafting their own essay that weekend.
There was no distinction between “reader” and “writer.” Everyone was both.
The community was alive with colorful pen names — Aragorn, Sauron, Phaedrus, Dark Lord, Dharma Bum, Kreep, Samurai. The commenting culture was vibrant: top articles had dozens of engaged comments that often became conversations as rich as the original piece.
Discovery happened through people, not algorithms. The Hall of Fame showcased Editor's Picks. Borrowed Best let members curate great writing from elsewhere on the internet. Topic for the Week sparked community-wide conversations.
The button didn't say “Publish.” It said “Post Article.” That mattered. It kept the barrier low and the tone warm. You weren't launching a publication. You were sharing something with people who might care.
The Original Sections
Why It Faded
Like many early internet communities, Live2Read was built before social networks, mobile devices, and modern content platforms existed. Both Shail and Aseem got busy with their careers, and the project was set aside. The rise of blogs (Blogger, WordPress), social media (Orkut, Facebook), and eventually Goodreads and Medium absorbed the audience.
But the core idea — a community where reading and writing lived together, where everyone both consumed and created — was never replicated. The internet split readers and writers into separate platforms, separate identities, separate experiences. And something was lost.
Live2Read in 2026
Every major platform today forces you to pick a side. Goodreads says: You're a reader. Medium says: You're a writer. BookTok says: You're a creator with followers. None of them do what Live2Read did naturally — treat reading and writing as one continuous act.
You read, and it makes you want to write. You write, and it makes you want to read. You share, and someone shares back. The conversation keeps going because everyone feeds it.
“Live2Read — where every reader has a voice and every writer has a home.”
We've recovered over 800 original pieces from the Wayback Machine — poetry, stories, musings, reviews, all preserved. The original authors can reclaim their pen names and reconnect with work they wrote twenty-five years ago. And new voices can join the circle.
Help Build What's Next
Live2Read isn't being built for a community. It's being built by one. The same people who read and write here should shape what it becomes. What features matter to you? What's missing from the platforms you use today? What would make you come back every day?
We want to hear from you — whether you were part of the original Live2Read or you're discovering it for the first time.