keep writing project

#KeepWriting #KeepWritingPostcards #KeepWritingProject #LetterpressPrinter
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#Takecare

Letterpress printed with polymer plates, using words in Travis’ handwriting, on
cranes letters on a borrowed Heidelberg Windmill Letterpress.

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I am inspired to be as honest as I can manage with friends, to be open, to continue to grow.

I’ve been thinking lately about how you don’t always know whose lives you touch,
and I continue to meet and connect to people who knew him.

Though there was also no card for response, I promoted recipients to write to an
old friend and ask: how are you? Really?

I’ve been thinking lately about how you don’t always know whose lives you touch,
and I continue to meet and connect to people who knew him.

It was crushing to lose him, to learn what he might have been like in his last year, how little I knew.

I printed this card and shared with friends and mourners at his memorial. I mailed
it to anyone who asked. I keep it on a shelf still, nine years later.

Only in his last weeks did he share his struggles with alcoholism directly.
After he died, reading through the old texts, I found numerous references to
drinking, wine bottles, and a new start. I felt foolish and stupid and wondered what had I missed or misunderstood in our friendship.

May we all stay in touch and lead many lives.

A wish for a connected future.

We were penpals for fifteen years, met up in different cities, shared books, talked
about relationships and writing and plans.

Handwriting printed on a blank white postcard. "May we all stay in touch & lead many lives."

The back of the postcard. It's got a heart, and is signed "Travis" at the top. The text reads: "Words from an old friend. This is Keep Writing number 78 September 2015. for Travis Fristoe - Prolific penpal with distinctive and difficult handwriting. Honest critic, sincere listener, dependable friend. Choices were made. The consequences are our loss. May the peace that eluded you in life be yours now. Next month we return to the usual format of exchange, but this month, write to an old friend and ask them: how are you? really? and then listen."Write: 3205 Filbert St Oakland CA 94608www.gutwrenchpress.com

KEEP WRITING no 78
September 2015
May we all... lead many lives.

When Travis died, I knew I wanted to print something for him, something to share
with friends at the memorial I would be attending in New York. I sifted through
letters and zines and finally came upon this wish for our younger selves:

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#KeepWriting #KeepWritingPostcards #KeepWritingProject #LetterpressPrinter
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#Heidelburg

Experimenting is the way to grow.
Careful eyes may notice I finally started numbering the cards on the back, so
when you respond to me, I know which card it is. Oof.

Letterpress printed with polymer plates on cranes letters on a borrowed
Heidelberg Windmill Letterpress.

The postcard, filled out. "To be of use... HAPPY is pretty much my default setting, but I know that's not true for everyone. To be of use I spend time with one who is mostly sad. I do what I can to cheer them up and they tell me a day with me always helps. I hope that's true."

The postcard, filled out. "When I get anxious I often cave. Then I eat good food + find things to feel good about + realize the bounty in my life. Or sometimes I chase strangers. I let the bad play itself out, exorcise the demons, + keep living."

I think this phrase can read like it is telling you to buck up! Don’t be sad! That’s not it though: be sad. When you are full of energy again, reach out, support your pals.

I was loving the pink and brown combo and again, I liked the gradient background.
I often try things a few ways.

A postcard, two postcard lengths long. It is white, and the text is black and red. It reads - "July to August, summer vacation, sprinkled light and swimming, but the past 10 years I cry easily the whole month. I miss my friends. Something happened, something is still happening. Sadness, anger, anxiety, reasonable responses to the tragedies we remember in our bones. How do we prevent paralysis? I make these cards. I write to you. Your turn - How do you deal with difficult times? On the back of this card, tell me about the work you do that keeps you from the mire. Not your job, but how you keep going. Use words, pictures, or whatever you need. Then cut at the fold, stamp this card, and send it away. The other half is for you to keep." "Hope 3205 Filbert St Oakland CA 94608 USA" "Keep writing no. 77 August 2015 see archive of responses at www.keepwritingpostcards.tumblr.com."The bottom half of the double postcard has a beehive, both in large combs in the background in red, and a zoomed out picture of one on a table with bees approaching it in black. It says "It's hard to be useful + sad."

The back of the postcard. "Advice from a Spencer Tracy movie as relayed by Louis CK. This is keep writing number 77 August 2015. 10 year Katrinaversary edition. Find your work and do it. Don't shove down the sadness but don't let it immobilize you either. Welcome new subscribers. Subscribe! View the archive! Read responses!" www.gutwrenchpress.com write! 3205 Filbert St. Oakland CA 94608. PS See you at the SF zine fest sept 6th."

The back of the postcard. It has some of the beehive design from the front, and says "To be of use..."

KEEP WRITING no 77
August 2015
What keeps you going when you’re down

I love this card but I think the wording was often misleading. You tell me: it is
meant to say, you have to take care of yourself first. You can’t be depressed or
sick and help others.

Letterpress printed with polymer plates on French Paper on a borrowed
Heidelberg Windmill Letterpress.

if you want your chance to participate you gotta sign up! buff.ly/ynbjKdZ

For this card I also used an illustration from Sol Weiss and a quote from Walter
Peyton, because we share a birthday (thank you 80’s newspaper for that
information years ago). When I discovered that this former Chicago Bear’s
nickname was “sweetness”, well, how could I resist?

A handwritten response to the prompt. The person writing writes "Corte Madera, California" on the brown illustration. The rest of the handwriting reads - "I don't feel like I live in a neighborhood because I am sort of living life on the road right now. When I'm not in travel/work mode I'm staying with my parents in their suburban home. I have known most of the people who live in this neighborhood for nearly twenty years. I enjoy watching each household evolve; the families grow up and we grow apart but we have + will always be part of each other's lives living along a golden hillside..."

Another prompt response, filled out in portrait this time. There are two round head illustrations of people looking at each other, one with a hat. The words read "People are learning to look one another in the eyes." The illustrations are saying "Hi", "hello: to each other. The rest of it reads "West Oakland 15. Mr. Blank Artfok 5. IAMURME. 7-20-15."

Tucked into a lot not too far from my house in West Oakland was a small urban
farm. They started in a garden just two blocks behind my house. I walked over on
the weekends to buy produce and small bouquets of flowers. They also helped
residents build raised planter boxes, way before the pandemic.

A double length postcard, a yellowish shade, with brown and red ink. The text on the top half reads: "One year ago, we moved to a lovely large house in a rowdy part of town. It's nice to have studio space at home, but the situation outside is rough, sometimes sad. Three blocks away, a few folks started a garden in a park. Now City Slicker Farms is an urban farm with chickens, a farm stand with a graduated payment scale, and part of a Saturday morning ritual for us, walking a few blocks around the neighborhood, buying greens and eggs, giving a extra dollar because we can. They help the people of West Oakland access fresh food through backyard gardens, the farm stand, and outreach. They are currently raising money to complete building a new center on the land they own. Check it out: www.cityslickerfarms.org. Your turn! Tell me about the best thing happening in your neighborhood.Using words or pictures, talk about what makes it so great, and where it is. Tear at the fold, and drop it in the mail. Responses from the East Bay will be in a map available August 1st as part of a tour of neighborhoods." Hope lists their address - "Hope 3205 Filbert St. Oakland CA 94608 USA." The lower half of the postcard has an illustration of a garden, with the quote "We are stronger together than we are alone.", credited to Walter "Sweetness" Peyton.

The back text of the postcard. It reads - "Once again, Sol Weiss let me use one of her illustrations. This is Keep Writing number 76 July 2015. Printed in collaboration with a sharing of the Keep Writing Collection all month at E. M. Wolfman's in downtown Oakland where visitors can submit their responses to the same prompt you have here. More participation! You are invited to the opening party: Thursday July 2 7-9PM with snacks, postcard readings, and new music from Crimewave. Also join me for Letter Writing parties in July Saturdays from 1 till 3 PM July 11, 18, and especially on the 25th as we celebrate Walton Peyton's birthday with cake and postcards. (PS it is my birthday too) E. M. Wolfman's is on 13th at Franklin. They also have great books. Write to me: 3205 Filbert St Oakland CA 94608. Subscribe www.gutwrenchpress.com/subscribe.

A brown design in the lower right, leaving space for people to write a response.

KEEP WRITING no 76
July 2015
The best thing in your neighborhood

When I lived in Oakland, I struggled to find the kinds of friends and community I
had in New Orleans. But sometimes I would find something sweet that reminded
me of my favorite city.

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I sure over inked the heck outta the text with oil based ink and maybe, going
forward I will switch back to rubber because I am clearly not careful enough.
Letterpress printed with polymer plates on French Paper on a borrowed
Heidelberg Windmill Letterpress.

Ok print nerds aside, a bit of wisdom from the great Joan Rivers. Sorry everyone,
things are often hard. But you learn to handle it, how and when to fight, how to
cope, when to let go. Like Kenny Rodgers (hey wait, is the Gambler about more
than poker? Is it about life?)

A grey and white patterned postcard, geometric, somewhat like snowflakes. There is blue text on the front that reads "I wish I could tell you that it gets better, but I can't because it doesn't. But YOU get better." The quote is attributed to Jean Rivers.

The back of a white postcard. The blue text reads - "With apologies to the 'it gets better' campaign. This is Keep Writing no. 75 June 2015. No prompt for a response because everyone could benefit from having a little less to do sometimes. Take a month to think about the balance of changing the outside world versus the change in you. Then send me all the postcards that are crowding your desk, your bag, your notebook and join me at EM Wolfman's in Oakland in July. Opening party dates TBA, plus letter writing parties and more. Time to renew your subscription? www.gutwrench.etsy.com. Mail: 3205 Filbert Street Oakland CA 94608."

KEEP WRITING no 75
June 2015
YOU get better

Why no question this month? Because sometimes I want a break.

And I wanted to print a gradient like the background, something you can’t do on
platen presses with an ink disk.

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#KeepWriting #KeepWritingPostcards #KeepWritingProject #LetterpressPrinter
#Printer #ArtStudent #ArtProject #SendMoreMail #SendAPostcard
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A grain of inspiration, a few tools and tricks and here we are.

I don’t see it at the time but writing these posts sure helps me reflect.

I love a fill-in-the-blank too.

Printed with polymer plates on French Paper using copper ink because why not, on a borrowed Heidelberg Windmill Letterpress.

In one of these classes, a teacher said: you are not a human being having a
spiritual experience, you are a spiritual being having a human experience. And I
took notes. And made a collage. Because that is how I roll. Literally. This is how all
my prints get made.

A grey version of the back of the postcard. This one reads "I am a dreamer having a nightmare."

The same postcard, this time saying "I am a" with a drawing of a circle, and "having a" with a drawing of a square.

This roundabout path allowed me to develop as a teacher with the support of teachers like Jenifer Meek, who taught me so much about inclusion and accessibility.

The same postcard as the original picture. This ti me the text is a copper and black color, and the postcard is grey.

Bear Hebert wrote a great essay about whiteness and yoga you can easily find on their site.
Yoga teacher training made me a better teacher. I didn’t feel confident enough in my skills as a teacher to ask to teach letterpress.

A brown postcard, double length, with black and brown text. It reads "recently, a teacher said this to me, that we are not humans having spiritual experiences but the other way around. look, i know it's a bit woo-woo and i grew up catholic and still have my lingering doubts but this idea is amazing to me. we don't have to debate religion here but imagine for a minute that we are gobs of energy, love, electricity, whatever you want to call it, existing in this body for now. your turn: maybe this is too heavy for your afternoon mail or maybe you believe something else entirely. so tell me about it. on the other side of this card fill in the blanks. cut at the fold, stamp it and send it to me! soon!" The address listed is "Hope 3205 Filbert Street Oakland CA 94608 USA".

The back of the postcard in the previous picture. In redish brown text it reads "Not the other way around. This is Keep Writing number 74. A monthly postcard series that requests your participation. I send you this, you send something back. There are directions inside. And, though I usually tell you to take your time, send it back when you can - Get on it! Your responses will be shared in Oakland in July. Meanwhile, you can see them on th e internet: www.KeepWritingPostcards.tumblr.com. Or write me a letter:" And lists the same CA address from the first picture.

The back of the brown postcard. It says "I am a" and then leaves a blank to be filled in. The second line says "having a" with another blank.

KEEP WRITING no 74
May 2015
I am a________ having a__________

At this moment, I was in a yoga teacher training. I later quit teaching yoga
because of the complicated ties with colonialism and cultural appropriation, and I
wasn’t prepared to be go deeper into body and movement study.

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#DontGiveUp

Letterpress printed with polymer plates on French Paper with a borrowed
Heidelberg Windmill Letterpress.

If you want your chance to participate you gotta sign up! buff.ly/ynbjKdZ

Squeaky and I talked about how to make ice cream without refrigeration.

Yes I will be catering the apocalypse.

More experimenting with registration, and the most subtle background color as
texture.

All while thinking about how I will miss straws and bubble baths.