Textbender is a system of collaborative writing based on recombinant text. It implements a social Web medium with potential applications ranging from open art to open democracy. The underlying mechanism is evolutionary genetics:

• The text exists as a population of variants, one per author.
• Authors swap fragments and arrangements of the text, peer to peer.
• Genes encode a traceable record of authorship throughout.

Aimed initially at creative works, particularly at short verse and prose, the forthcoming beta promises benefits for artists, from engaging in critical dialogue, to exploring new forms of art. See the prototype demonstration.